JP2002144846A - Duct connecting structure of vehicular air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate packing being a part separate from ducts. SOLUTION: A soft duct 31 is formed of a construction material having an elastic modulus smaller than a hard duct 22, the soft duct 31 is elastically deformed, and both ducts 22 and 31 are fitted in a state of being brought into close contact with the hard duct 22. Thus, since the soft duct 31 itself functions to seal mutual both ducts 22 and 31, the conventionally required packing 70 being the part separate from the ducts can be eliminated so that the number of part items can be reduced, and a cost can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure for a duct through which air conditioned by a vehicle air conditioner flows.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 10, one duct 22 is conventionally connected to another duct in a structure for interconnecting ducts through which air conditioned by a vehicle air conditioner flows. 60, and packing 70, which is a separate component from the duct, is inserted into both ducts 2.
The two ducts are sealed with the packing 70 interposed between the two ducts 60.

[0003] However, such a connection structure requires a packing 70 which is a separate component from the duct, so that the number of components is increased and the cost is increased.

[0004] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate packing which is a part separate from a duct.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a vehicle air conditioner (1) is provided.
0) through which the air conditioned by the first duct (2)
2) a connection structure between the second duct (31) and the first duct,
The second material is made of a material having a smaller elastic modulus than the duct (22).
Forming a duct (31), and further comprising a second duct (31)
The first and second ducts (22, 31) are fitted in a state in which the first and second ducts (22, 31) are elastically deformed and are in close contact with the first duct (22).

As a result, the second duct (31) itself is
Since the function of sealing between the two ducts (22, 31) is achieved, the packing (70), which is a separate part from the duct, which was conventionally required, can be eliminated, and the number of parts can be reduced to reduce costs. be able to.

A conventional duct used in a vehicle air conditioner is formed of a material having a large elastic coefficient, such as polyethylene made by blow molding or polypropylene made by injection molding. Therefore, it is difficult to elastically deform the duct and to seal between the two ducts by the duct itself as in the present invention.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first duct (22) is connected to the first duct (22) while the second duct (31) is elastically deformed so that the opening area of the second duct (31) is enlarged. It is characterized in that it is inserted into the two ducts (31).

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the second duct (31) has a duct connecting portion (32) in contact with the first duct (22), and a duct main body connected to the duct connecting portion (32). (33), the first duct (2
2), the end of which is inserted up to the end of the duct connecting portion (32) on the side of the duct body (33);
Sectional shape of duct main body (33) and first duct (22)
Is characterized by being substantially congruent in shape.

[0010] Thus, a step can be prevented from being formed at the boundary between the first duct (22) and the second duct (31), and the air can flow smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the pressure loss of the air and prevent abnormal noise.

Note that the reference numerals in parentheses of the above means are examples showing the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0012]

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle air conditioner 10, a defroster duct 20 and a side defroster duct 30 according to the present embodiment. It is arranged inside a panel (not shown). The vehicle air conditioner 10 includes an air conditioning unit 11 located at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction and a blower unit 12 located on the passenger seat side of the air conditioning unit 11.

The air conditioning unit 11 includes an air conditioning case 11a.
Inside, a cooling heat exchanger (not shown) for cooling air, a heating heat exchanger (not shown) for heating air, etc. are built in,
The temperature and humidity of the air blown into the vehicle compartment are adjusted to balance the air blown into the vehicle compartment. The blower unit 12 blows air in the vehicle compartment or outside the vehicle compartment to the air conditioning unit 11 by a blower (not shown) to blow conditioned air into the vehicle compartment.

By the way, a center face blow grill (not shown) and a side face blow grill (not shown) through which conditioned air is blown toward the upper body of the occupant are provided substantially at the center and side of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction. Are open. In addition, a center defroster blowout grill (not shown) and a side defroster blowout grill (not shown) through which conditioned air is blown toward the inside of the vehicle window glass are opened on the upper surface and side surfaces of the instrument panel, respectively. . On the upper surface of the air-conditioning case 11a, a center face opening 11b, a side face opening 11c, and a defroster opening 1 communicating with each of the grills are provided.
1d is formed.

A defroster duct 20 for guiding conditioned air to the center and side defroster outlet grills is connected to the defroster opening 11d. The defroster duct 20 has a center portion 21 extending upward from the defroster opening 11d and formed in a fan shape extending in the vehicle left-right direction, and a side branch extending from both sides of the center portion 21 in the vehicle left-right direction and branching. And a unit 22.
A side defroster duct 30 that guides conditioned air to the side defroster outlet grill is connected to the opening 22a of the side branch portion 22.

In the present embodiment, the defroster duct 20 including the center portion 21 and the side branch portion 22 is
The side defroster duct 30 is formed of a material having a smaller elastic coefficient than the defroster duct 20. Further, it is formed of a porous material having heat insulation and sound absorbing properties. Examples of the material having these properties include foamable polypropylene.

Here, the side branch portion 22 of the defroster duct 20 is called a hard duct (first duct), and the connecting portion 31 of the side defroster duct 30 connected to the side branch portion 22 is called a soft duct (second duct). Hereinafter, a connection structure between the hard duct 22 and the soft duct 31 will be described.

The hard duct 22 is inserted and connected (fitted) to the inside of the soft duct 31, and FIG. 2A is a sectional view showing a state before insertion and connection, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which insertion connection is performed.

The soft duct 31 is formed in a wave shape waving in the direction of air flow, and is an insertion connection portion (duct connection portion) 32 into which the hard duct 22 is inserted and connected, and a portion connected to the insertion connection portion 32. It is composed of an air passage portion (duct main body) 33 which forms a passage for circulating conditioned air. The end of the hard duct 22 is inserted up to the end of the soft duct 31 on the side of the air passage 33.

The cross sections of the hard duct 22 and the soft duct 31 in the direction perpendicular to the air flow are formed substantially congruently. In the present embodiment, the cross section is formed in a substantially square shape, and the length L1 of one side of the square inside the hard duct 22 and the length L2 of one side of the square inside the air passage portion 33 are the same length. (For example, 70 mm)
Is formed. The thickness t1 of the hard duct 22
Is formed, for example, to 1 mm, and the thickness t of the soft duct 31 is
2 is formed, for example, to 3 mm.

A guide portion 32b is formed near the opening portion 32a of the insertion connection portion 32 so as to expand in cross section so as to expand toward the opening portion 32a, and the inner surface of the opening portion 32a of the soft duct 31 is formed. , Are formed so as to be wider than the outer surface of the hard duct 22. Thereby, at the time of insertion connection, the hard duct 22 can be guided into the soft duct 31 by the guide portion 32b, and insertion can be performed smoothly.

The guide portion 32b of the insertion connection portion 32
The seal portion 3 is connected to the guide portion 32b on the side opposite to the opening portion 32a and tightly seals with the hard duct 22.
2c, and the length L3 of one side of the square inside the seal portion 32c is the same as the length L1 of one side of the square inside the hard duct 22 in the state before the connection shown in FIG. It is formed in length. Also,
As described above, the soft duct 31 is formed of a material having a smaller elastic coefficient than the hard duct 22.

Therefore, the hard duct 22 is connected to the insertion connection 3
When inserted into the air duct 2, the seal portion 32c is elastically deformed so as to expand in a direction orthogonal to the air flow, and the seal portion 32c is tightly sealed with the hard duct 22 by the elastic force due to the elastic deformation. Since the length indicated by L3 of the soft duct 31 is the same as the length indicated by L1 of the hard duct 22, the seal portion 32c is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. Elastically deform so as to spread by the thickness t1.

The sealing portion 32 of the insertion connecting portion 32
On the opposite side of the opening 32a of the opening c, an enlarged portion 32d is formed outside the soft duct 31 so as to have an enlarged cross-sectional shape. As a result, only the seal portion 32c of the insertion connection portion 32 comes into contact with the hard duct 22, so that the contact area between the soft duct 31 and the hard duct 22 is reduced, and the surface pressure of the seal portion 32c can be increased. Performance can be improved.

As described above, the soft duct 31 itself functions to seal the space between the soft duct 31 and the hard duct 22.
Packing 7 which is a separate part from the duct, which was conventionally required
0 can be eliminated, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Since the cross-sections of the hard duct 22 and the soft duct 31 in the direction perpendicular to the air flow are substantially congruent, the inner wall of the hard duct 22 and the soft duct 31 are formed as shown in FIG. At the boundary with the air passage formed by the air passage portion 33, a step in the air passage can be prevented from occurring, and the air can flow smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the pressure loss of the air and prevent abnormal noise.

By the way, the duct through which the conditioned air of the vehicle air conditioner is circulated is required to have heat insulation and sound absorption. On the other hand, the soft duct 31 of the present embodiment is formed of a porous material such as foamable polypropylene and has heat insulating properties and sound absorbing properties. Also,
Since it is a porous material, the weight of the duct can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the seal portion 32c is formed at only one position in the air flow direction, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, it is arranged in the air flow direction. Formed at two places, two seal portions 32c
Of these, the seal portion 32c on the side of the opening 32a is formed so as to have a larger opening cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the air flow. That is, a straight line connecting the tops of the two seal portions 32c has a taper θ with respect to the air flow direction.

By the way, the hard duct 22 is inserted into the soft duct 31 in a state of being inclined with respect to the air flow direction as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In this case, the seal portion 3 on the opposite side to the opening 32a may be connected.
2c adheres with excessive elastic force, and the opposite side of the adherence cannot be sealed, and there is a possibility that air leakage may occur. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the taper θ is provided.
Since the repulsive force of c is large, the hard duct 22 is re-established horizontally and can be sealed with an appropriate elastic force, which is preferable.

(Third Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the sealing portion 3 is formed so as to have a taper θ at two places in the air flow direction.
2c are formed, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the seal portions 3 are provided at a plurality of locations (five locations in the present embodiment).
2c are formed side by side, and the length of one side of the square inside each seal portion 32c is formed to the same length, and is not formed in a tapered shape.

As a result, the number of places where the seal portion 32c is in close contact with the hard duct 22 for sealing is increased.
Sealability can be improved.

(Fourth Embodiment) The inner surface and the outer surface of the hard duct 22 of the first to third embodiments are formed as flat surfaces. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. An uneven portion 23 formed in an uneven shape corresponding to the unevenness of the insertion connection portion 32 of the soft duct 31 is formed in a portion to be inserted into the soft duct 31.

As a result, not only the sealing portion 32c but also the entire insertion connection portion 32 of the soft duct 31 can be brought into close contact with the hard duct 22, so that the area to be tightly sealed is increased, and the sealing performance is improved. be able to.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the seal portions 32c are formed at two places in the air flow direction, and these seal portions 32c have a taper.
The taper may be eliminated, and the length of one side of the square inside each seal portion 32c may be formed to be the same length.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the first to fifth embodiments, the seal portion 32c of the insertion connection portion 32 of the soft duct 31 is elastically deformed so that its cross-sectional area increases in a direction orthogonal to the air flow. Although sealing is performed, in the present embodiment, sealing is performed by elastically deforming in the air flow direction.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the insertion connection portion 32 of the soft duct 31 is formed so as to expand outward, and is formed in a wave shape waving in the air flow direction. Elastically deform in the direction of air flow.

On the other hand, an enlarged portion 24 that extends further outward than the insertion connection portion 32 is formed at a portion where the opening 22a of the hard duct 22 is formed. A contact surface 24a extending outward in the air flow vertical direction is formed at a portion of the enlarged portion 24 opposite to the opening portion 22a, and extends inward vertically in the air flow direction at the opening portion 22a of the enlarged portion 24. Engagement part 2
4b is formed.

As a result, when the two ducts 22 and 31 are inserted and connected as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the contact end 32e of the insertion connecting portion 32 forming the opening 32a is
The wave-shaped insertion connection portion 32 abuts on the abutment surface 24a and is elastically deformed in the air flow direction. In addition, the enlarged engagement portion 32f of the insertion connection portion 32 of the soft duct 31 opposite to the opening 32a engages with the engagement portion 24b of the hard duct 22.

Therefore, the elastic force of the insertion connecting portion 32 causes
The contact end 32e of the soft duct 31 is
Is pressed against the contact surface 24a of the enlarged portion 24 of FIG.
It is designed to be sealed.

(Seventh Embodiment) In the sixth embodiment, both the insertion connecting portion 32 and the enlarged portion 24 are connected to the soft duct 3
1 and the hard duct 22, the insertion connecting portion 32 and the expanding portion 24 may be formed inside the soft duct 31 and the hard duct 22 so as to reduce the cross-sectional area. Good.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, a reduced portion 25 for reducing the size is formed inside the hard duct 22.
A contact surface 25a and an engagement portion 25b that perform the same functions as the contact surface 24a and the engagement portion 24b of the sixth embodiment are formed in the reduced portion 25.

On the other hand, the insertion connecting portion 32 contracting inside the soft duct 31 is formed in a wavy shape waving in the air flow direction, and is elastically deformed in the air flow direction.
A contact end portion 32g and an engagement portion 32h that have the same functions as the contact end portion 32e and the enlarged engagement portion 32f of the sixth embodiment are formed in the insertion connection portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the two ducts 22 and 31 are inserted and connected as shown in FIG. 8B, the contact end 32g of the soft duct 31 comes into contact with the contact surface 25a of the hard duct 22. The wavy insertion connection part 32 is elastically deformed in the air flow direction. Further, the engaging portion 3 of the soft duct 31
2h is engaged with the engaging portion 25b of the hard duct 22.

Therefore, the elastic force of the insertion connecting portion 32 causes
The contact end 32g of the soft duct 31 is
Is pressed against the contact surface 25a, and is tightly sealed.

(Eighth Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the side branch portion 22 of the defroster duct 20 is a hard duct, and the side branch portion 2 of the side defroster duct 30 is formed.
The present invention is applied to the connection structure between the hard duct 22 and the soft duct 31 by using the connection portion 31 connected to the soft duct 2 as a soft duct. As shown in FIG. The present invention is applied to a connection structure between the hard duct 51 and the soft duct 41, wherein the connection port 51 of the side face duct 40 connecting the connection port 51 and the side face opening 11c of the air conditioning unit 11 is a soft duct. May be applied.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
It is an exploded perspective view showing a defroster duct and a side defroster duct.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a hard duct and a soft duct according to the first embodiment are inserted and connected, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the insertion and connection.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a hard duct and a soft duct are inserted and connected according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a hard duct and a soft duct are inserted and connected according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before inserting and connecting a hard duct and a soft duct according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before inserting and connecting a hard duct and a soft duct according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

7A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a hard duct and a soft duct according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention are inserted and connected, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the hard duct and the soft duct are inserted and connected; is there.

8A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a hard duct and a soft duct according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention are inserted and connected, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the hard duct and the soft duct are inserted and connected; is there.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a side face duct and a face outlet grille according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a conventional duct connection structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air conditioner for vehicles, 22 ... Hard duct (1st duct), 31 ... Soft duct (2nd duct), 32 ... Insertion connection part (duct connection part), 33 ... Air passage part (duct main body part).

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Tanaka 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside Denso, Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Suzuki 3-1-1, Imaike-cho, Anjo-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inoac Corporation Anjo Office F-term (reference) 3L011 BL02 3L080 AB02 AB07 AC05 AD02

Claims (3)

[Claims] A first duct (22) and a second duct (3) through which air conditioned by a vehicle air conditioner (10) flows.
1) a connection structure with the first duct (22), wherein the second duct (31) is formed of a material having a smaller elastic coefficient than the first duct (22), and the second duct (31) is elastically deformed. And the first and second ducts are in close contact with the first duct (22).
A duct connection structure for a vehicle air conditioner, wherein a duct (22, 31) is fitted. 2. The first duct (22) is connected to the second duct (3) in a state where the second duct (31) is elastically deformed so that the opening area of the second duct (31) is enlarged.
The duct connection structure for an air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the duct connection structure is inserted in (1). 3. The second duct (31) includes a duct connecting portion (32) that comes into contact with the first duct (22), and a duct main body (3) connected to the duct connecting portion (32).
3) wherein the first duct (22) has an end inserted into the duct connecting portion (32) up to an end of the duct connecting portion (32) on the side of the duct main body (33); The duct connection structure for a vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein a sectional shape of the portion (33) and a sectional shape of the first duct (22) are substantially the same.