JP2004136712A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle surely sealing an insertion opening of a partition plate inserted with a heat exchanger therein. <P>SOLUTION: An insertion guide surface 33b having a cross-sectional tapered shape gradually enlarged in width and formed from a sealing surface 33a to insert and guide a heater core 7 is provided at the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3. The insertion guide surface 33b smoothly guides a sealing member S up to a position corresponding to the sealing surface 33a. As a result, the sealing member S is caught at a peripheral edge of the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3 when inserting the heater core 7 to prevent the sealing member S from being stayed or peeled at an erroneous position. As a result, a space between the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3 and the heater core 7 can be surely sealed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an independent temperature-controlled vehicle air conditioner having a plurality of independent passages.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an air conditioner for a vehicle, an evaporator as a heat exchanger for cooling, a heater core as a heat exchanger for heating, and an air mixing door are arranged in a unit case forming an air passage therein, and the evaporator is moved from the evaporator by the air mixing door. The amount of cold air that allows the cool air to flow through the heater core and the amount of cool air that allows the cool air from the evaporator to bypass the heater core are distributed and controlled. In some cases, air-conditioned air having a desired temperature is blown toward the vehicle interior. The air mix chamber is provided with a defroster outlet passage, a vent outlet passage, and a foot outlet passage. The air is blown out from a desired outlet passage by opening and closing control of a mode switching door for selectively switching the outlet passage.
[0003]
This type of vehicle air conditioner has a structure in which the temperature is controlled independently on, for example, a driver's seat side and a passenger's seat side (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
12 to 14 show a conventional example of a vehicle air conditioner capable of independent temperature control. As shown in FIG. 12, a partition plate 103 incorporated in a unit case C composed of divided cases C1 and C2 divides a blast passage on the downstream side into a plurality of parts, whereby the temperature can be independently controlled in each passage. It has become.
[0005]
Here, among the components incorporated in the unit case C, the heater core 102 is disposed over the entire width of the ventilation passage across the partition plate 103 as shown in FIG. 14D. The heater core 102 is detachable from the unit case C from the viewpoint of serviceability and the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the heater core 102 is detachable from the unit case C through the insertion opening 105 of the unit case C and the insertion opening 104 of the partition plate 3.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-253223 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, with such a structure in which the heater core 102 can be inserted and removed through the insertion opening 105 of the unit case C and the insertion opening 104 of the partition plate 103, the insertion of the heater core 102 between the insertion opening 104 of the partition plate 103 and the heater core 102 is prevented. There is a possibility that the seal portion 110 (111, 112) for sealing the space may interfere with the periphery of the insertion opening 104 and be caught, thereby deteriorating the sealability or, in some cases, peeling off the seal member 110 (111, 112). In particular, when the end portions 111a, 112a of the seal members 112, 113 are bent at the corners as shown in FIG. 13, the bent end portions 111a, 112a are easily peeled off by the elastic reaction force. . Reference numeral 115 denotes a seal member attached to the insertion end portion 102B of the heater core 102, which seals a gap between the insertion end portion 102B and the cylindrical support portion 107 that receives and supports the insertion end portion 102B. It is. Reference numeral 116 denotes a seal member attached to the rear end portion 102C of the heater core 102 for sealing a gap between the rear end portion 102C of the heater core 102 and the cylindrical support portion 106 of the insertion opening 105. .
[0008]
The present invention has been made based on such a conventional technique, and an object thereof is to insert a heat exchanger disposed over a plurality of independent passages through an insertion opening of a unit case and an insertion opening of a partition plate. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can reliably seal between an insertion opening of a partition plate and a heat exchanger in a detachable vehicle air conditioner.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a partition plate for dividing the air passage into a plurality of independent passages is provided in the unit case forming the air passage along both side walls so that the temperature can be independently controlled. An insertion opening is provided in each of the one side wall and the partition plate, and a heat exchanger disposed over a plurality of independent passages can be inserted and removed through the insertion opening of the unit case and the insertion opening of the partition plate. At a predetermined mounting position of the vessel, in a vehicle air conditioner provided with a sealing member for sealing between the insertion opening of the partition plate and the core portion of the heat exchanger located at the insertion opening,
The insertion opening of the partition plate is provided with an insertion guide surface having a tapered cross section which is formed so as to be gradually widened from the sealing surface and guides the heat exchanger.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, the support portion for receiving the insertion end of the heat exchanger and supporting the heat exchanger at a predetermined mounting position is provided as a unit case. Before the seal member comes into contact with the insertion guide surface at the distal end portion of the support portion, contacts the insertion distal end portion of the heat exchanger and guides it toward a predetermined mounting position. A guide surface is provided.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first or second aspect, the seal member includes a first seal portion attached to an upper end surface of a core portion of the heat exchanger; A second seal portion provided on the lower end surface of the core portion, a third seal portion provided on the front surface of the core portion in the ventilation direction, and a fourth seal portion provided on the rear surface of the core portion in the ventilation direction. The upper and lower ends of the third seal portion and the fourth seal portion are set to be flush with the upper and lower end surfaces of the first seal portion and the second seal portion.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the heat exchanger is inserted, the insertion guide surface comes into contact with and guides the sealing member attached to the heat exchanger. It is possible to prevent an overload from being caught on the insertion end surface of the member. When the heat exchanger is inserted, the inclined guide surface first guides the insertion end of the heat exchanger. Thereby, there is also an advantage that the heat exchanger can be smoothly inserted through the insertion opening of the partition plate.
[0013]
According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, when the heat exchanger is inserted, the guide surface comes into contact with the insertion end of the heat exchanger immediately before the mounting position of the heat exchanger. Since the guide surface guides the heat exchanger toward the predetermined mounting position before the seal member comes into contact with the insertion guide surface and faces the heat exchanger directly, the seal member is overloaded. Such a situation can be reliably prevented.
[0014]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second aspect of the present invention, a seal member is provided on the upper end surface of the core portion of the heat exchanger, A second seal portion provided on the lower end surface of the core portion, a third seal portion provided on the front surface of the core portion in the ventilation direction, and a fourth seal portion provided on the rear surface of the core portion in the ventilation direction. Since the upper and lower end surfaces of the third seal portion and the fourth seal portion are set to be flush with the upper and lower end surfaces of the first seal portion and the second seal portion, a bent end portion of the conventional seal member is not formed. For this reason, the seal member itself has a structure in which the seal member is not easily peeled off, and a reliable seal property can be exhibited.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a unit case of an air conditioning unit of the vehicle air conditioner, and FIG. 3 is incorporated in a unit case of the vehicle air conditioner. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line SA-SA in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a heater core incorporated in the dual-use air conditioner, FIG. 6a is a top view of the heater core, and FIG. FIG. 6C is a bottom view of the heater core, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC in FIG. 4 showing a process of inserting the heater core into the unit case, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part A in FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a part B in FIG. 7, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a part C in FIG.
[0016]
First, the basic structure of the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner for a vehicle includes an intake box 70 for selectively introducing inside and outside air, a blower 80 for sending air from the intake box 70 to the downstream, and a temperature controller for air from the blower 80. And a temperature control unit 1 that blows out into the vehicle interior. The temperature control unit 1 of this embodiment is an integrated temperature control unit 1 in which a heater unit and a cooler unit are integrally formed.
[0017]
Hereinafter, the temperature control unit 1 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG.
[0018]
The temperature control unit 1 includes an evaporator 5 as a cooling heat exchanger and an air mixing door device 6 in a unit case 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) formed by combining divided cases 2a and 2b with a partition plate 3 interposed therebetween. And a heater core 7 as a heat exchanger for heating.
[0019]
The unit case 2 has an inlet 8, a defroster outlet 9, a vent outlet 10, and a foot outlet 11 for blowing air introduced from the inlet 8 and temperature-controlled in the air passage. ing. As a result, the air blown from the blower 80 is introduced into the unit case 2 from the inlet 8 and directed to the side walls 30A, 30B of the case 2 and flows downstream along the side walls 30A, 30B. , And are selectively blown out from the outlets 9, 10, 11.
[0020]
The defroster outlet 9 blows out conditioned air toward the vehicle front window glass. The vent outlet 10 comprises a center vent outlet 10A at the center of the vehicle and side vent outlets 10B at both sides of the vehicle, and a center vent (not shown) disposed toward the occupant's chest at the center vent outlet 10A. A duct is connected to the side vent outlet 10B, which is connected to a side vent duct (not shown) disposed toward the vehicle side window glass, and blows out conditioned air toward the occupant's chest and the vehicle side window glass. . The foot outlet 11 is connected to a front foot duct and a rear foot duct (not shown) disposed toward the feet of the occupant, and blows conditioned air toward the feet of the occupant.
[0021]
The evaporator 5 is interposed in a refrigeration cycle (not shown) and circulates a refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state therein to absorb heat from the refrigerant, while the heater core 7 is interposed in a hot water line (not shown). In addition, heat is generated by using the engine cooling water, which has become hot due to the exhaust heat of the engine, as a heat source.
[0022]
The air mix door device 6 is disposed downstream of the evaporator 5 and upstream of the heater core 7, and includes an air mix door 62 in a door case 61. The door case 61 is provided with a cool air introduction portion 63 on the upstream side, and an outlet 65 of a heater core side passage 64 for passing cool air from the evaporator 5 to the heater core 7 in a substantially lower half portion on the downstream side. The half has an outlet 67 of a bypass passage 66 for allowing the cool air from the evaporator 5 to bypass the heater core 7. The air mix door 62 slides up and down over the outlet 65 of the heater core side passage 64 and the outlet 67 of the bypass passage 66 so as to distribute the introduction of cool air to the bypass passage 66 and the heater core side passage 64. It has become.
[0023]
A vertical wall portion 31 is provided in a downstream portion of the heater core 7 disposed close to the outlet 65 of the heater core side passage 64, and a vertical temperature that allows the warm air that has passed through the heater core 7 to flow upward. An air passage 12 is formed.
[0024]
The outlet 13 of the hot air passage 12 is provided at an outlet 67 of the bypass passage 66, and the confluence of the outlets 13 and 67 is set as an air mixing chamber 14 for mixing the cool air and the hot air. ing.
[0025]
The air mix chamber 14 has an inlet 16 of a foot outlet passage 15 communicating with the foot outlet 11, an inlet 18 of a vent outlet passage 17 communicating with the vent outlet 10, and a defroster outlet passage communicating with the defroster outlet 9. 19 entrances 20 are provided. A defroster door 21 for opening and closing the defroster outlet passage 19 is provided at an inlet 20 of the defroster outlet passage 19, and these inlets 16, 18 are provided at a branch point between the foot outlet passage 15 and the vent outlet passage 17. Is provided. The blow mode can be selected by the blow mode switching doors 21 and 22. Reference numeral 23 is a so-called composite mode door.
[0026]
The temperature control unit 1 of this embodiment is a left and right independent temperature control unit 1 capable of independently adjusting the blowing temperatures on the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side, and as shown in FIGS. 6 is divided into two independent passages (driver-side passage P1 and passenger-side passage P2) by a partition plate 3 (see FIG. 7), and two air mixes independently driven corresponding to the respective passages. Doors 62, 62 are provided so that the blowing temperature can be adjusted independently on the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side.
[0027]
Now, in the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment, the heater core 7 can be mounted in the unit case 2 after the unit case 2 is assembled. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, insertion openings 32 and 33 are provided in the side wall (one side wall) 30 </ b> B of the unit case 2 and the partition plate 3, respectively, and the insertion openings 32 and the partition plate 3 of the unit case 3 are provided. The heater core 7 can be inserted into and removed from the unit case 2 through the insertion opening 33 (see FIG. 7). The insertion openings 32 and 33 have the same shape.
[0028]
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the heater core 7 is inserted into the unit case 2 from one of the tank portions 72 as an insertion tip, and the mounting position of the heater core 7 (FIG. 7D). Here, the tank portion 72 as an insertion tip is located in the cylindrical support portion 35 protruding from the side wall (the other side wall) 30A of the unit case 2 and serves as the rear end portion 73 of the heater core 7 after insertion. Are located in the cylindrical support portion 36 protruding from the peripheral edge of the insertion opening 32 of the side wall (one side wall) 30B of the unit case 2. The center of the core 71 of the heater core 7 is located at the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3.
[0029]
Here, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the heater core 7 has a core portion 71 of the heater core 7 and a front surface 71a in the ventilation direction so that the conditioned air flows through the core portion 71 of the heater core 7 reliably. Seal members 41 and 42 are attached to portions except for the rear surface 71b in the ventilation direction 71, that is, the upper end surface 71c of the core portion 71, the lower end surface 71d of the core portion 71, and both tank portions 72 and 73. Actually, a seal member 41 provided so as to go around the core portion 71 upper end surface 71c → the tank portion 72 side surface (front end surface before insertion) → the core portion 71 lower end surface 71d, and the tank portion 73 as the insertion rear end portion A gap is sealed between the passage and the heater core 7 by a sealing member 42 provided so as to go around the upper surface → the front surface → the lower surface → the rear surface. Of course, the sealing member 42 also has a role of preventing the air-conditioning air from leaking out of the unit case 2 from the insertion opening 32 by sealing a gap between the tank portion 73 as the insertion rear end and the insertion opening 32. (See FIG. 7).
[0030]
In order to prevent the conditioned air from flowing back and forth between the independent passages P1 and P2 through the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3, a sealing member S for sealing between the insertion opening 33 and the core 71 is provided. 71 is provided so as to go around the center. The sealing member S includes a central portion 45a (first sealing portion) of the upper surface portion 45 of the sealing member 41, a central portion 47a (second sealing portion) of the lower surface portion 47 of the sealing member 41, and a ventilation direction of the core portion 71. It is composed of a seal member 43 (third seal portion) attached to the front surface and a seal member 44 (fourth seal portion) attached to the rear surface of the core portion 71 in the ventilation direction. The seal member 41 is formed to have the same width as the thickness of the core portion 71 in the ventilation direction, and the upper terminals 43t, 44t of the third seal portion 43 and the fourth seal portion 44 are flush with the upper end surface of the first seal portion 45a. The lower terminals 43b and 44b of the third seal portion 43 and the fourth seal portion 44 are set to be flush with the lower end surface of the second seal portion 47a. Since the heater core 7 is formed such that the thickness of the core portion 71 in the ventilation direction is smaller than that of the tank portions 72 and 73, the seal member S includes the third seal portion 43 and the fourth seal portion 44 formed of the first seal portion 45a and It is set thicker than the second seal portion 47a.
[0031]
Here, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the seal member S from being caught on the periphery of the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3 during the work of inserting the heater core 7, thereby preventing the sealability of the seal member S from being impaired at the mounting position of the heater core 7. For this reason, the following measures have been taken.
[0032]
First, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, an insertion guide surface 33 b having a tapered cross-section is formed on the periphery of the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3 so as to gradually increase in width from the seal surface 33 a. The insertion guide surface 33b is preferably inclined at an angle of 35 ° to 45 ° with respect to the insertion direction, and is inclined at 45 ° in this embodiment.
[0033]
Second, as shown in FIG. 8, the distal end of the cylindrical support wall 35 that receives the insertion distal end portion 72 of the heater core 7 and positions the heater core 7 at a predetermined mounting position is brought into contact with the insertion distal end portion 72 and the heater core 7. There is provided a guide surface 35a for guiding the wire 7 toward a predetermined mounting position. The guide surface 35a contacts the insertion tip 72 of the heater core 7 and guides the heater core 7 toward a predetermined mounting position before the sealing member S comes into contact with the insertion guide surface around the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3. Is what you do.
[0034]
According to such a vehicle air conditioner, the following effects can be obtained.
[0035]
First, since the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3 is provided with the insertion guide surface 33b gradually widened from the seal surface 33a, the insertion guide surface 33b may cause the seal member S to be caught by the insertion distal end surface. Can be prevented (see FIGS. 7C and 7D). When the heater core 7 is inserted, first, as shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 9, the insertion end portion 72 of the heater core is guided by the inclined guide surface 33b. Thereby, there is also an advantage that the heater core 7 can be smoothly inserted through the insertion opening 33 of the partition plate 3.
[0036]
Second, as shown in FIG. 8, before the sealing member S comes into contact with the insertion guide surface 33b, a guide that contacts the insertion tip 72 of the heater core 7 and guides the insertion tip 72 to a predetermined mounting position. Since the surface 35 a is provided at the distal end of the cylindrical support wall 35 of the side wall 30 </ b> A of the unit case 2, the guide surface 35 a contacts the insertion distal end 72 of the heater core 7 immediately before a predetermined mounting position of the heater core 7. Since the guide surface 35a guides the heater core 7 toward the predetermined mounting position and faces the heater core 7 before the seal member S comes into contact with the insertion guide surface 3b, the seal member S may be overloaded. Can be more reliably prevented.
[0037]
Third, the seal member S is formed by attaching a first seal portion 45a attached to the upper end surface of the core portion 71 of the heater core 7, a second seal portion 47a attached to the lower end surface of the core portion 71, The third seal portion 43 provided on the front surface in the ventilation direction and the fourth seal portion 74 provided on the rear surface in the ventilation direction of the core portion 71 are divided into upper and lower portions. Since the terminals 43t, 43b, 44t, and 44b are set so as to be flush with the upper and lower end surfaces of the first seal portion 45a and the second seal portion 47a, the seal members 111 and 112 are formed like the conventional heater core 102 in FIG. The terminal has no bent portions 111a and 112a which are easily peeled off by a bending reaction force. For this reason, the seal member S itself has a structure in which the seal member S is not easily peeled off, and a reliable sealing property can be exhibited.
[0038]
Fourth, since the third seal part 45a and the fourth seal part 47a are formed by one seal member 41 via the connecting part 46 located on the insertion end face of the heater core 7, the number of parts can be reduced. is there.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a unit case of a temperature control unit of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a partition plate of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a heater core incorporated in the dual-use air conditioner.
6A and 6B are views showing a heater core incorporated in the dual-use air conditioner, wherein FIG. 6A is a top view of the heater core, FIG. 6B is a rear view of the heater core, and FIG. 6C is a bottom view of the heater core.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC in FIG. 4, showing a step of inserting the heater core into the unit case.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a guide surface.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 7;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion C in FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a unit case of a conventional vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a heater core incorporated in the conventional vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a step of inserting and attaching a heater core to a unit case of the conventional vehicle air conditioner.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Temperature control unit 2 Unit case 3 Partition plate 7 Heater core (heat exchanger)
30A Another side wall 30B One side wall 32 Insert opening 33 of the unit case 33 Insert opening 33 of the partition plate Seal surface 33b Insert guide surface 35 Support portion 35a Guide surface 43 Third seal portion 44 Fourth seal portion 45a First seal portion 47a 2 seal part 71 core part 72 tank part (insertion tip part)
73 tank part (insertion rear end part)
P1 Driver's seat side passage (passage)
P2 Passenger side passage (passage)
S seal member

Claims (3)

In a unit case (2) forming a ventilation passage along both side walls (30A, 30B), a partition plate 3 for dividing the ventilation passage into a plurality of independent passages (P1, P2) is provided to enable independent temperature control, An insertion opening (32, 33) is provided in one side wall (30B) of the unit case 2 and the partition plate 3, respectively, and the heat exchanger (7) arranged over the plurality of independent passages (P1, P2) is provided. The partition plate (3) can be inserted and removed through the insertion opening (32) of the unit case (2) and the insertion opening (33) of the partition plate (3) at a predetermined mounting position of the heat exchanger (7). In the vehicle air conditioner provided with a seal member (S) for sealing between the insertion opening (33) of the heat exchanger (7) and the core portion (71) of the heat exchanger (7) located in the insertion opening (33),
The insertion opening (33) of the partition plate (3) is provided with an insertion guide surface (33b) having a tapered cross-section, which is formed so as to be gradually widened from the sealing surface (33a) and guides the insertion of the heat exchanger (7). Characteristic vehicle air conditioner. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
The supporting portion (35) for receiving the insertion tip portion (72) of the heat exchanger (7) and supporting the heat exchanger (7) at a predetermined mounting position is connected to the other side wall (30A) of the unit case (2). Provided in
Before the sealing member (S) comes into contact with the insertion guide surface (33) at the distal end of the support portion (35), it comes into contact with the insertion distal end (72) of the heat exchanger (7) and has a predetermined position. An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein a guide surface (35a) for guiding toward a mounting position of the vehicle is provided. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2,
The seal member (S) includes a first seal portion (45a) provided on an upper end surface of a core portion (71) of the heat exchanger (7) and a second seal portion provided on a lower end surface of the core portion (71). A seal portion (47a), a third seal portion (43) provided on the front surface of the core portion (71) in the ventilation direction, and a fourth seal portion (44) provided on the rear surface of the core portion (71) in the ventilation direction. , Divided into
The upper and lower ends of the third seal part (43) and the fourth seal part (44) are set to be flush with the upper and lower end surfaces of the first seal part seal part (45a) and the second seal part (47a). A vehicle air conditioner characterized by the above-mentioned.

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