JP2003154835A - Automotive air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automotive air conditioner that can miniaturize a total device and improve the degree of design freedom by miniaturizing an air duct. SOLUTION: The automotive air conditioner is so constructed that a platelike member having a longitudinally regular arrangement of widthwise extending recessed and projected portions on at least one side and having flexibility in a longitudinal direction is arranged for longitudinal movement for control of an air path, and that a platelike member driving means is provided with a gear engaged with the recessed and projected portions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for an automobile, and more particularly, to a structure of an air flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the air flow rate passing through a cold air passage and a hot air passage, and the opening degree of each air outlet. The present invention relates to the structure of the blowout opening degree adjusting means portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a demand for miniaturizing an automobile air conditioner as much as possible, and in recent years, this demand has been increasing more and more. A conventional automobile air conditioner is configured into a compact unit, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, in order to satisfy the demand for downsizing. In the device shown in FIG. 16, a refrigerant evaporator 102 as a cooler and a heater 103 as a heater are arranged in a ventilation duct 101 in this order in the ventilation direction. The air that has passed through the evaporator 102 passes through either the warm air passage 104 that passes through the heater 103 or the cold air passage 105 that bypasses the heater 103, and is sent to the downstream side. Heater 1
A rotary damper 106 (air mix damper) is provided on the upstream side of 03. By controlling the rotation of the damper 106, the flow rate of air passing through the warm air passage 104 and the cold air passage 105 are passed. The ratio of the flow rate of air, that is, the ratio of the amount of air passing through the two ventilation passages 104 and 105 can be adjusted. By adjusting the passing air volume ratio, the air adjusted to the target temperature, humidity, etc., is selectively supplied from the outlets 107, 108, 109 such as DEF, VENT, and FOOT provided on the downstream side of the duct. Blown out.
The selection of the outlet is made by the dampers 110 and 111.

[0003]

However, in the conventional vehicle air conditioner as described above, the two ventilation passages 1 are provided.
The air flow rate of 04, 105 is controlled by adjusting the opening degree of the rotary damper 106, and the opening degree of each outlet is controlled by the rotary dampers 110, 111. Space ventilation duct 101
It is necessary to secure the space inside, and the need for the space is a major obstacle to downsizing the ventilation duct 101, and thus downsizing the entire air conditioner.

In recent years, for the purpose of downsizing, a structure has been proposed in which, instead of the above-described rotary damper 106, a rigid plate member or a slide door having a film member fixed to a plate skeleton is provided. (For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-9
No. 9725 gazette), in order to slide this, an extension space in the up-down direction or the left-right direction is required, so miniaturization is limited by that space, and since the drive mechanism is complicated, sliding door There is also a problem that the degree of freedom in designing the movement form and the movement direction is greatly limited. In addition to the above proposal, there is also a proposal in which both ends of the film damper are connected (that is, an endless structure) and the film damper is circulated on a closed orbit to adjust the air volume ratio (for example, JP Sho 63-16661
No. 8), a certain amount of space is required to form a closed track that orbits the damper, which may limit the downsizing of the device. In addition, the degree of freedom in design may be limited.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for adjusting the ratio of the amount of air passing through the ventilation passage in the ventilation duct and a mechanism for adjusting the opening degree of each air outlet, but with a simple structure, the degree of freedom in design is greatly increased. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner for an automobile, which can be improved and can sufficiently meet the demand for downsizing of a ventilation duct unit, and thus of the entire device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an automobile air conditioner according to the present invention has at least one surface on which irregularities extending in the width direction are regularly arranged in the longitudinal direction,
A plate-shaped member having flexibility in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction to control a ventilation path, and plate-shaped member driving means provided with a gear that engages with the irregularities is provided. It consists of things.

The above-mentioned plate-shaped member is, for example, each outlet (DEF outlet, VENT outlet, F outlet provided in a ventilation duct.
It can be used for air outlet control for adjusting the opening degree of the OOT air outlet). Further, the plate-shaped member can also be used for adjusting an air volume ratio (for air mix) capable of adjusting the air volume ratio of the hot air passage and the cold air passage provided in the ventilation duct.

The plate-shaped member can be configured to be movable along the guide path. It is preferable that the guide path has a structure having at least one curved portion. By providing the curved portion, it becomes possible to move the plate-shaped member within a limited small space in the ventilation duct without providing a protrusion or the like in the ventilation duct.

The plane shape of the plate member to be moved is not particularly limited, but it is possible to form a simple plate member having a predetermined width and a predetermined length. Even with such a simple planar plate-shaped member, both ends in the moving direction of the plate-shaped member can be configured to adjust the opening degree of each ventilation passage as the plate-shaped member moves. .

The structure of the plate member itself has flexibility in the moving direction and rigidity in the direction intersecting with it.
At least one surface can be formed in a concavo-convex shape in which a peak portion and a valley portion are alternately connected in the movement direction, extending in a direction intersecting the movement direction. By forming one surface in an uneven shape,
In the moving direction, the part where the second moment of inertia is large and the part where the second moment of inertia is small appear alternately, so it is easy to secure the necessary flexibility in the moving direction and the rigidity required in the direction intersecting with it. Will be ensured. If this uneven shape is formed in a regular shape, a driving means for moving the plate-like member, for example, a gear or a gear-like member can be easily meshed with the uneven shape, and a simple structure can be obtained. A small drive mechanism can be configured. Moreover, if the uneven shape is formed over the entire length in the direction intersecting with the moving direction of the plate-shaped member, the disposition position of the drive means meshing with it can be freely set in that direction. Further, by forming the mountain portion of the uneven shape of the plate member in a hollow structure, it is possible to reduce the weight of the plate member itself while maintaining necessary rigidity. This weight reduction contributes to the weight reduction of the entire apparatus and also contributes to the smooth movement of the plate member.

The plate member driving means is not particularly limited, but for example, a shaft is inserted through a gear meshing with the concave and convex portion, a pinion gear is provided at the end of the shaft, and a rack gear or a pinion gear is provided on the pinion gear. It is possible to adopt a structure in which a fan-shaped gear having teeth formed on the arc portion is meshed. It is also possible to employ a structure in which the pinion gear is omitted and the end of the shaft is directly connected to the motor actuator.

In the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention as described above, the unevenness is regularly arranged on at least one surface in the longitudinal direction, the plate-like member having flexibility in the longitudinal direction is provided, and the plate-like member is provided. Since the plate-shaped member driving means provided with the gear that engages with the unevenness is provided, the plate-shaped member can be moved in the longitudinal direction by the rotation of the gear. Therefore, the inside of the ventilation duct can be downsized, and the entire device can be downsized, as compared with the conventional air conditioner for automobiles in which the rotary damper is used for adjusting the air flow rate and controlling the air outlet.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show
1 illustrates an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, in a ventilation duct 1, an evaporator 2 of a refrigerant as a cooler and a heater 3 as a heater are arranged in order in the ventilation direction from the lower side of the drawing. Between the evaporator 2 and the heater 3, the air passing through the evaporator 2 is heated by the heater 3
A hot air passage 4 is formed to pass through and a cold air passage 5 is formed to bypass the heater 3 and pass therethrough.

A plate member 6 is provided between the evaporator 2 and the heater 3 as an air volume ratio adjusting means for adjusting the air volume ratio of the two air passages, that is, the hot air passage 4 and the cooling passage 5. There is. The plate-shaped member 6 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction in FIG. 1, and is guided along a groove-shaped guide path 8 having a curved portion 7. In the present embodiment, the guide paths 8 are provided on both sides of the plate-shaped member 6 in the direction intersecting the moving direction of the plate-shaped member 6 (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1).

The plate-like member 6 is formed in a shape as shown in FIG. 2, and is made of a member having flexibility in the moving direction A and having rigidity in the direction intersecting with the moving direction.
The material is, for example, a resin having flexibility,
The flexibility imparts the above-mentioned flexibility, and the rigidity in the direction intersecting the moving direction is structurally imparted by the surface unevenness.

In this embodiment, one surface 6a of the plate-like member 6 has a substantially planar shape (the lower surface side in FIG. 2), and the other surface intersects with the moving direction A (in the present embodiment, the moving direction). The ridges 9 and the valleys 10 extend in the moving direction A and are alternately connected to each other to form an uneven shape 11. In this concave-convex shape 11, peaks 9 and valleys 10 are alternately and regularly connected, and the surface is formed so as to be able to mesh with a gear or a gear-like member. In addition, in this embodiment, the mountain portion 9 has a hollow structure (hollow portion 9a), and the weight of the plate member 6 is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plate-like member 6 has the surface on which the concave-convex shape 11 is formed facing the evaporator 2 and the surface 6a formed on the flat surface facing the heater 3 side. It is arranged so as to be movable along the guide path 8. For the movement, for example, by rotating a gear 12 that is provided at a position corresponding to the curved portion 7 of the guide path 8 and meshes with the uneven shape 11 of the plate-shaped member 6, only a desired amount of movement in the left and right directions in FIG. It can be moved. At this time, the plate member 6 is
Both sides in the width direction slide in the groove-shaped guide passage 8 along the guide passage 8.

DE on the downstream side of the heater 3 of the ventilation duct 1
F, VENT, and FOOT outlets 13, 14, 15
Has been established. The opening degree control of the blowout ports 13, 14, 15 is performed by a movable plate-shaped member 16 having the same structure as the plate-shaped member 6 described above. The plate member 16 is formed in a shape as shown in FIG. 3, and is made of a member having flexibility in the moving direction B and rigidity in a direction intersecting the moving direction like the plate member 6. There is. Like the plate-shaped member 6, the material can be made of, for example, a flexible resin. An opening 17 is provided at a predetermined position of the plate member 16.

In this embodiment, one side 16 of the plate member 16 is used.
a has a substantially planar shape (lower surface side in FIG. 3), and the other surface extends in a direction intersecting the moving direction B (in the present embodiment, a direction orthogonal to the moving direction) and has a mountain portion 20 in the moving direction B. The valleys 21 are formed in a concavo-convex shape 22 that is alternately connected. The peaks 20 and the valleys 21 are alternately and regularly connected to each other in the concave-convex shape 22, and this surface is formed to be meshable with a gear or a gear-like member. In addition, in this embodiment, the mountain portion 20 has a hollow structure (hollow portion 20a), and the weight of the outlet control plate member 16 is reduced.

In the plate member 16, the surface on which the uneven shape 22 is formed faces the heater core 3 side, and the surface 16a formed on the plane surface faces the outlets 13, 14, 15 and the guide path 18 is formed. It is arranged so as to be movable along. The movement is performed by rotating a gear 19 that is provided at a position corresponding to the curved portion 23 of the guide path 18 and meshes with the uneven shape 22 of the plate-like member 16 to thereby obtain a desired amount of movement in the B direction of FIGS. 1 and 3. You can only move.

The plate-shaped member 16 slides along the guide passage 18 in the groove-shaped guide passages 18 on both sides in the width direction, and the sliding controls the opening degree of the outlets 13, 14, 15. It is supposed to be done. Further, the inner surface (opposite surface 16a side) of the plate-shaped member 16 whose shape changes according to the sliding state, and the end portion 2 in the moving direction of the plate-shaped member 16 whose position changes due to the sliding.
The opening degree of each air outlet is adjusted by 4 and 25.

The plate-shaped member 6 is moved by a plate-shaped member driving means having a gear 12, and the plate-shaped member 16 is moved by a plate-shaped member driving means having a gear 19. Next, the details of the plate member driving means will be described. In the following description, the structure of the driving means for the plate-shaped member 6 will be described, but the driving means for the plate-shaped member 16 can also have the same structure.

In FIG. 4, the uneven shape 1 of the plate member 6
A shaft 28 is inserted through the gear 12 meshing with 1. Both ends of the shaft 28 are rotatably supported by bearings 29 provided on the wall of the ventilation duct 1. Also,
A pinion gear 30 is provided at the end of the shaft 28. The pinion gear 30 is meshed with the rack 31. A cable 32 is connected to the rack 31.
The cable 32 is connected to a lever (not shown).
The lever 31 is operated by a user (driver of an automobile or the like) to move the rack 31 in the direction of the arrow, and the pinion gear 30 and the gear 12 are rotated accordingly, and the plate-like member 6 meshed with the gear 12 is rotated. Move along the guideway 8.

In FIG. 5, a fan-shaped gear 33 is meshed with the pinion gear 30. A cable 32 is connected to the gear 33. The gear 33 may be connected to the motor actuator 34 as shown in FIG. In FIGS. 5 and 6, when the fan-shaped gear 33 swings in the direction of the arrow, the gear 12 rotates and the plate member 6 meshing with the gear 12 moves along the guide path 8. There is.

In FIG. 7, one end of the shaft 28 is directly connected to the motor actuator 34, and the driving force is directly transmitted from the motor actuator 34 to the shaft 28 so that the plate member 6 is driven. Has become.

8 to 10 show the movement of the plate-shaped member 6 when the plate-shaped member 6 is used for adjusting the air flow rate.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the proportion of cold air that passes through the evaporator 2 and does not pass through the heater 3 is 100% (COOL MAX), and the plate member 6 guides the guide passage 8 to the warm air passage 4 side. It shows a state in which the hot air passage 4 is completely shut off by being moved to the end.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the ratio of cold air to warm air is 50:50. The plate-like member 6 is located in the middle of the guide passage 8 so that the cold air passage 5 and the warm air passage 4 are opened in half. It shows the broken state.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which the proportion of warm air passing through the heater 3 is 100% (HOT MAX), and the plate member 6 is moved along the guide passage 8 to the end on the cold air passage 5 side.
It shows a state in which the cold air passage 5 is completely shut off.

FIGS. 11 to 15 show a moving state of the plate-shaped member 16 when the plate-shaped member 16 having the opening 17 is used for controlling the outlet, that is, adjusting the opening degree of the outlet.

In the VENT mode shown in FIG. 11,
The moving direction end 24 of the plate member 16 is moved to the end of the guide path 18. In this state, the position of the opening 17 substantially coincides with the VENT outlet 14, only the VENT outlet 14 is opened, and the other outlets 13 and 15 are closed. In this mode, the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 2 is blown out only from the VENT outlet 14. Further, in this mode, since the plate-shaped member 16 does not exist in the flow path of the cool air reaching the VENT outlet 14, pressure loss can be prevented.

In the bi-level mode shown in FIG. 12, the plate member 16 is moved to a position where the opening 17 opens a part of the VENT outlet 14 and a part of the FOOT outlet 15. For this reason, the DEF outlet 13 has the plate-like member 1
It is completely closed by 6. Further, the plate member 16 does not exist in the flow path from the air mix path 27 to the VENT outlet 14 side. For this reason, the air mixed in the air mix passage 27 becomes
It flows smoothly to the T outlet 15. Further, the VENT air outlet 14, due to the end portion 25 of the plate member 16 and the curved inner surface extending from the end portion 25 to the peripheral edge 26 of the opening portion 17,
The wind direction toward the FOOT outlet 15 is given.

In the FOOT mode shown in FIG. 13,
The plate-shaped member 16 is moved to a position where the opening 17 substantially coincides with the FOOT outlet 15. Also, the DEF outlet 13
The VENT outlet 14 is completely closed by the plate member 16.

In the DEF-FOOT mode shown in FIG. 14, the plate member 16 is moved to a position where the end portion 24 opens a part of the DEF outlet 13. At this time, part of the opening 17 coincides with part of the FOOT outlet 15, so that part of the FOOT outlet 15 is opened.
In addition, the end portion 25 of the air outlet control plate-shaped member 16 has the hot air passage 4
Is protruding so as to partially close the. However, a part of the opening 17 extends into the warm air passage 4. For this reason, a part of the air that has passed through the heater 3 is not allowed to flow through the opening 17 of the plate member 16.
And flows directly into the FOOT outlet 15 side. Further, the air impinging on the plate member 16 is provided with a wind direction toward the air mix passage 27.

In the DEF mode shown in FIG. 15, the end 25 of the plate member 16 is moved to the end of the guide path 18. In this state, the end portion 24 is in a position to completely open the DEF air outlet 13. For this reason,
Only the DEF outlet 13 is opened, and the VENT outlet 1
4. The FOOT outlet 15 is completely closed by the plate member 16. In this mode as well, as in the DEF-FOOT mode, the opening 17 functions as a vent for hot air after passing through the heater 3. In addition, the plate member 16
The air impinging on the air is directed to the left and right in FIG. 15, so that the air is distributed to the air mix passage 27 side and the opening 17 side.

In this embodiment, the unevenness is regularly arranged on at least one side in the longitudinal direction, a plate-like member having flexibility in the longitudinal direction is provided, and a gear that engages with the unevenness of the plate-like member is provided. Since the plate-shaped member driving means is provided, the plate-shaped member can be moved in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the direction in which the ventilation path is controlled by the rotation of the gear of the plate-shaped member driving means. Therefore, the installation space and the operating space can be narrowed compared to the conventional automotive air conditioner used for the adjustment of the air flow rate in the ventilation duct and the adjustment of the air outlet opening degree. It is possible to reduce the size of the device and thus the size of the entire device. Also, the structure of the plate member driving means is simplified,
The degree of freedom in design can be improved.

[0037]

As described above, according to the air conditioner for an automobile of the present invention, the air flow rate adjustment and the outlet control are performed by the plate-shaped member having the above-mentioned properties driven by simple driving means. Because it can be done by moving,
It is possible to downsize the entire device and improve the degree of freedom in designing the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plate-shaped member for adjusting the air flow rate in the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plate-shaped member for controlling an outlet in the apparatus of FIG.

4 is a configuration diagram of a plate-shaped member driving means of the apparatus of FIG.

5 is a configuration diagram of a plate-shaped member driving means different from that of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of another plate-shaped member driving means different from that of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a plate-shaped member driving means which is different from FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing one operating state of the air volume ratio adjusting unit of the apparatus of FIG.

9 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing another operating state of the air volume ratio adjusting unit of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing still another operating state of the air volume ratio adjusting unit of the apparatus of FIG.

11 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the outlet control section in the VENT mode of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the outlet control section in the bilevel mode of the apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the outlet control section in the FOOT mode of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the outlet control section in the DEF-FOOT mode of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the outlet control section in the DEF mode of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional automobile air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ventilation duct 2 evaporator 3 heater 4 warm air passage 5 cold wind path 6 Plate members 7 curved part 8 guideway 9 Yamabe 10 Tanibe 11 uneven shape 12 gears 13, 14 and 15 outlets 16 Plate-shaped member 17 openings 18 guideway 19 gears 20 Yamabe 21 Tanibe 22 Uneven shape 23 Curved part 24, 25 Ends in the moving direction of the plate member 27 Air Mix Road 28 shaft 29 bearings 30 pinion gear 31 racks 32 cables 33 fan-shaped gear 34 Motor Actuator

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hirotaka Sakurai             20, Kotobukicho, Isesaki-shi, Gunma Sanden shares             In the company F-term (reference) 3L011 BH00 BJ00

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A plate-like member having at least one surface on which irregularities extending in the width direction are regularly arranged in the longitudinal direction and having flexibility in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction for controlling a ventilation path. An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: a plate-shaped member driving unit having a gear that engages with the irregularities. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped member is for controlling each outlet provided in the ventilation duct. 3. The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped member is for adjusting an air volume ratio for adjusting an air volume ratio between a warm air passage and a cold air passage provided in a ventilation duct. 4. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped member is configured to be movable along a guide path, and the gear is provided in a curved portion of the guide path. Air conditioner. 5. The drive means includes a shaft that is inserted through a gear, a pinion gear provided at an end of the shaft, and a rack that meshes with the pinion gear.
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The driving means includes a shaft that is inserted into a gear, a pinion gear provided at an end of the shaft, and a fan-shaped gear that meshes with the pinion gear. 5. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of 1 to 4. 7. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the driving means has a shaft that is inserted into a gear and a motor actuator that is directly connected to an end portion of the shaft. Air conditioner.