JP2005035423A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively and efficiently guide air-conditioned wind blown off from a blow-off opening of an instrument panel to the rear seat side while saving on the space and reducing the cost without a duct. <P>SOLUTION: In this air conditioner for a vehicle, the instrument panel 1 is provided with an upper vent blow-off opening 38 for blowing off the air-conditioned wind from an air-conditioning unit 30 toward the ceiling part 3 in a cabin, and a ceiling part blowing unit 50 is provided on the ceiling part 3 in the cabin. The ceiling part blowing unit 50 is adapted to suck the air-conditioned wind blown off from the upper vent blow-off opening 38 from a suction opening 52 directed toward the front of the forward part of a casing 51 and blow off the same from a blow-off opening 54 with a grille 55 directed toward the backside of the rear part of the casing 51 in the direction of the rear seat in the cabin. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that improves the comfort of a rear seat occupant.

  In ordinary vehicles, an air conditioner unit is installed inside the instrument panel in front of the passenger compartment, and the conditioned air generated by the air conditioner unit is supplied to the passenger compartment through the air outlet provided in the instrument panel. It has become. In this case, the rear seat generally receives the flow of conditioned air from the front seat, but the conditioned air blown from the blowout port of the instrument panel may not reach the rear seat sufficiently.

  Therefore, for example, a center console installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat is provided with a duct for guiding the conditioned air toward the rear seat (see Patent Document 1), or rearward from the front seat side along the floor. A duct is arranged on the seat side, and the front end of the duct is connected to the suction side of the air blowing unit provided on the rear seat side so that air-conditioned air is blown from the air blowing unit to the space on the rear seat side. (See Patent Document 2).

On the other hand, as an idea different from the guidance to the rear seat side of the conditioned air, there is one in which an air cleaner is attached to the ceiling of a vehicle such as a one-box car (see Patent Document 3). The air purifier installed on the ceiling part serves to clean the interior of the car by sucking dirty air from the car and blowing it out through the filter. It plays the role of discharging outside the vehicle.
JP-A-11-227453 (FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-139143 (FIG. 1) JP 2001-287542 A (FIG. 1)

  When the conditioned air is guided to the rear seat side using a duct as in the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an extra space for installing the duct is required, or the installation cost of the duct is extra. There is a problem.

  When an air purifier is provided on the ceiling of the vehicle interior as in the technique described in Patent Document 3, it is common to arrange the suction port downward in order to efficiently suck in a wide range of air inside the vehicle. The role of actively guiding the air-conditioning air supplied to the front seat side to the rear seat side cannot be expected.

  The present invention is for a vehicle capable of actively and efficiently guiding the conditioned air blown from the blowout port of the instrument panel to the rear seat side while reducing the space and cost without using a duct. An object is to provide an air conditioner.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the instrument panel in front of the passenger compartment is provided with an outlet for blowing the conditioned air from the air conditioner unit into the passenger compartment. There is a ceiling air blower unit that sucks the conditioned air blown out from the air inlet that faces the front of the casing front and blows it out from the air outlet that faces the rear of the rear of the casing toward the rear seat of the vehicle interior. It is characterized by.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, wherein a casing of the ceiling portion air blow unit is formed in a thin cylindrical shape having a height smaller than a lateral width, and air is blown therein. It is equipped with a blower for.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to the second aspect, wherein a casing of the ceiling part blower unit is formed in a thin cylindrical shape having a smaller height than a lateral width, and a blower is provided therein. The rear seat monitor device which can be expanded and retracted is integrally provided in the casing.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a vehicle air conditioner of any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: As a blower outlet of the said instrument panel, it normally blows out an air-conditioning wind toward the upper body of a front seat passenger | crew In addition to the lower vent outlet, an upper vent outlet for blowing conditioned air toward the vehicle interior ceiling is provided.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the lower vent outlet is a spot outlet that blows locally conditioned air, and a surface blower that blows conditioned air toward a wide range. An outlet is provided, and the spot outlet and the surface outlet can be selectively opened and closed. The spot outlet may be configured as a part of the surface outlet.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the ceiling blower unit is disposed directly above the front seat.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a means for adjusting a wind direction of the blown air is provided at a blowout port of the ceiling part blower unit. It is characterized by.

  According to invention of Claim 1, since the ceiling part ventilation unit was provided in the ceiling part of the vehicle interior, the conditioned air blown from the blowout port of the instrument panel is compared with the case where no ventilation unit is provided. It can be efficiently guided toward the rear seat. In this case, the casing of the ceiling fan unit has a suction port facing forward at the front part and a blower outlet facing rearward at the rear part, so that the conditioned air blown out from the blower outlet of the instrument panel, It can be efficiently sucked into the casing located in the ceiling of the vehicle interior and pushed away toward the rear seat. Therefore, this suction and flow operation can positively create a flow of conditioned air from the inner surface of the windshield above the instrument panel along the inner surface of the ceiling, thereby contacting the surrounding environment of the front seat occupant The front fresh conditioned air can be smoothly supplied to the rear seat side, and the comfort of the rear seat side occupant can be increased. In order to achieve this, it is only necessary to install a ceiling air blower unit on the ceiling of the vehicle interior, and there is no need to install a duct below the floor, etc., thus saving space and reducing costs. Can be planned.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the casing of the ceiling fan unit is formed in a thin cylindrical shape having a small height compared to the lateral width, and the blower for blowing air is provided therein, the ceiling part Although it is equipped, it can reduce the protruding feeling and is not likely to disturb the passengers.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the rear seat monitor device is provided in the casing of the ceiling air blow unit so as to be unfoldable and retractable, the ceiling air blow unit is hidden in a part of the rear seat monitor device. Despite the important role of smooth air-conditioning airflow to the rear seat, it can make the ceiling air blower unit less noticeable for its function. It is possible to further eliminate the feeling that there is something in the ceiling.

  According to invention of Claim 4, since the blowing wind from an upper vent blower outlet goes to a vehicle interior ceiling part, the function of a ceiling part ventilation unit can be exhibited still more efficiently. Note that if the control system is configured so that the ceiling air blowing unit operates only when air is blown from the upper vent air outlet, the air conditioning air can be guided to the rear seat direction more effectively and without waste.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the surface blowing mode can be added to the conventional spot blowing mode, and the spot blowing and the surface blowing can be freely switched. For example, when the passenger compartment temperature environment is stable, mild air blowing can be provided to the front seat occupant by selecting the surface blowing mode. In the surface blowing mode, there is a possibility that the amount of air distribution to the rear seat side will be significantly lower than in the spot blowing mode. Therefore, the comfort of the rear seat occupant can be ensured even when the surface blowing mode corresponding to the front seat occupant is selected.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since the ceiling air blowing unit is arranged right above the front seat, the flow of air-conditioning wind over the head of the front seat occupant can be provided to the rear seat occupant. The passenger comfort can be further increased. Incidentally, if the position of the ceiling fan unit is too far behind, there is a possibility that the ceiling fan unit cannot effectively suck the air flow blown from the upper vent outlet of the instrument panel. Moreover, if the arrangement position of the ceiling fan unit is too far forward, it becomes difficult for the conditioned air blown from the ceiling fan unit to reach the rear seat. Therefore, it can be said that it is best not to arrange the ceiling air blowing unit anywhere, but to arrange it directly above the front seat.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the wind direction can be adjusted in the direction of the rear seat in the vehicle, so that the comfort of the rear seat occupant can be further improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1A is a schematic configuration diagram viewed from the side of a passenger compartment of a vehicle equipped with the air conditioning apparatus of the embodiment, FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a ceiling fan unit, and FIG. It is a perspective view of a vehicle interior part front part.

  In FIG. 1A, A is a passenger compartment, and a front seat 11 is installed in the front part of the passenger compartment A, and a rear seat 12 is installed in the rear part. 12M is a rear seat passenger. There is an instrument panel 1 in front of the passenger compartment A, and a windshield 2 that tilts backward spreads above the instrument panel 1, and the upper end of the windshield 2 reaches the front end of the ceiling part 3 of the passenger compartment.

  The instrument panel 1 is equipped with an air conditioner unit 30, and the vehicle interior ceiling 3 is equipped with a ceiling air blower unit 50. The ceiling fan unit 50 is installed almost directly above the backrest portion of the front seat 11.

  The air conditioner unit 30 includes a casing 31, a blower 32, an evaporator 33, an air mix door 34, a heater 35, and the like. Below the instrument panel 1, a foot outlet 36 that blows air-conditioned air toward the feet of the front seat occupant, and a lower vent that blows air-conditioned air toward the upper body of the front seat occupant at a position facing the front seat of the instrument panel 1. An outlet 37 (center vent outlet, side vent outlet, etc.), an upper vent outlet that blows conditioned air toward the vehicle interior ceiling 3 on the front upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and a front end of the instrument panel 1 in the vehicle traveling direction Is provided with a defroster outlet 39 for blowing conditioned air toward the inner surface of the windshield 2. The air outlets 36 to 39 for blowing the conditioned air into the passenger compartment A are connected to the air conditioner unit 30 through ducts or doors as necessary. Reference numeral 40 denotes a door for opening and closing the upper vent outlet 38 and the lower vent outlet 37.

  The ceiling fan unit 50 includes a thin cylindrical casing 51 having a small height compared to the width, and a blower 53 provided in the casing 51. The casing 51 has a suction port 52 facing the front at the front and a blow-out port 54 facing the rear at the rear. The ceiling fan unit 50 mainly drives the instrument panel by driving the blower 53. The conditioned air (arrow F) blown out from the upper vent outlet 38 toward the passenger compartment ceiling 3 is sucked from the inlet 52 at the front of the casing and directed toward the rear seat in the passenger compartment from the outlet 54 at the rear of the casing. And blow out.

  A grill 55 for adjusting the wind direction of the blown air is provided at the air outlet 54 of the ceiling fan unit 50 so that the air direction in the rear seat direction can be freely adjusted. Further, a rear seat monitor device 60 is attached to the lower surface of the casing 51 of the ceiling fan unit 50 so that it can be expanded and retracted in the vertical direction with the rear end as a fulcrum.

  Since the casing 51 of the ceiling part blower unit 50 is formed in a thin shape in this manner, the protruding feeling of the ceiling part blower unit 50 is reduced while being mounted on the ceiling part 3 and is less likely to disturb the passenger. . Further, since the rear seat monitor device 60 is integrated, it seems that the ceiling fan unit 50 is hidden and attached to a part of the rear seat monitor device 60, and as a result, the function is divided. The ceiling part ventilation unit 50 becomes inconspicuous.

  Next, the air conditioning action will be described.

  In this vehicle air conditioner, since the ceiling air blower unit 50 is provided in the vehicle interior ceiling 3, the conditioned air blown from the upper vent air outlet 38 of the instrument panel 1 is efficiently occupant of the rear seat 12 It can be directed towards 12M. In particular, in the ceiling blower unit 50, the front portion of the casing 51 has a suction port 52 facing forward, and the rear portion has a blowout port 54 with a grille 55 facing rearward. The conditioned air F blown toward the part 3 can be efficiently sucked into the casing 51 and pushed away toward the rear seat.

  Therefore, by the operation of sucking from the front and pushing it backward, the flow of the conditioned air from the inner surface of the windshield 2 on the upper side of the instrument panel 1 along the inner surface of the ceiling portion 3 can be positively created. The fresh air-conditioned air before coming into contact with the surrounding environment of the front seat occupant can be smoothly supplied to the rear seat side. In addition, since the ceiling fan unit 50 is located directly above the front seat 11, the flow of conditioned air over the front seat occupant can be provided to the rear seat occupant 12M. As a result, the rear seat The comfort of the side occupant 12M can be increased.

  In order to achieve this, only the ceiling blower unit 50 is provided in the ceiling 3 of the vehicle interior, and there is no need to provide a duct below the floor or console, so space saving is achieved. Cost reduction can be achieved.

  It should be noted that the control system is configured so that the ceiling air blowing unit 50 operates only when there is air from the upper vent air outlet 38, so that the air-conditioned air can be guided to the rear seat direction more effectively without waste. Can do.

  Moreover, the arrangement | positioning form of the blower in the ceiling part ventilation unit 50 is not specifically limited, For example, the blower 53B is arrange | positioned so that a suction surface may be located in a lower surface like the ceiling part ventilation unit 50B shown in FIG. You can also. In that case, the suction cover 52C is provided on the lower surface side of the casing 51B, and the suction port 52B is directed forward. By doing so, the same suction function as the ceiling part ventilation unit 50 can be exhibited. 54B is a blower outlet at the rear end of the casing, and 55B is a grill for adjusting the direction of the blown air.

  Further, as the lower vent outlet 37, normally, as shown in FIG. 4, only spot outlets for locally blowing conditioned air such as a center vent outlet 77A and a side vent outlet 77B are provided. In addition, you may add the surface outlet 77C which blows off an air-conditioning wind toward a wide range. The surface air outlet 77C in this case is located between the center vent air outlet 77A and the side vent air outlet 77B, and has a wider opening area than the center vent air outlet 77A and the side vent air outlet 77B. . Further, a mesh or the like is stretched on the opening surface in order to weaken the blowing wind speed.

  The spot air outlet (center vent air outlet 77A and side vent air outlet 77B) and the surface air outlet 77C can be selectively opened and closed, and can be freely switched between the spot air outlet mode and the surface air outlet mode. For example, when the vehicle interior is cooled for a long time under hot weather, the passenger and the vehicle interior are blown away with a high-speed spot blowing air. In addition, when the cool-down is finished and the interior of the vehicle is thermally stable, the wind speed is reduced by selecting the face blowing mode to prevent a part of the occupant's body from being excessively cooled.

  In such a surface blowing mode, there is a possibility that the air distribution amount to the rear seat side may be significantly reduced compared to the spot blowing mode. However, due to the above-described ceiling fan units 50 and 50B, the rear seat direction Since the air distribution to the front can be sufficiently ensured, the comfort of the rear seat occupant can be ensured even when the face blowing mode is selected in consideration of the blowing to the front seat occupant.

(A) is a schematic block diagram seen from the vehicle compartment side of the vehicle provided with the air conditioner of embodiment of this invention, (b) is an enlarged view of a ceiling part ventilation unit. It is a perspective view of the front part inside the vehicle provided with the vehicle air conditioner of the embodiment of the present invention. The other example of a ceiling part ventilation unit is shown, (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is a bottom view. It is explanatory drawing of other embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the instrument panel provided with the surface outlet.

Explanation of symbols

A Car compartment 1 Instrument panel 3 Ceiling part 11 Front seat 12 Rear seat 30 Air conditioner unit 37 Lower vent outlet 38 Upper vent outlet 50, 50B Ceiling part air unit 51, 51B Casing 52, 52B Inlet 54, 54B Outlet 60 Rear seat monitoring device 77A Center vent outlet (spot outlet)
77B Side vent outlet (spot outlet)
77C face outlet

Claims (7)

  The instrument panel (1) in front of the passenger compartment is provided with air outlets (36 to 39) for blowing the conditioned air from the air conditioner unit into the passenger compartment (A), and the instrument panel (1) is provided with the instrument panel (1). The conditioned air blown into the passenger compartment (A) from the air outlet (36 to 39) of the ment panel (1) is sucked from the suction port (52, 52B) facing the front of the front portion of the casing (51, 51A). And a ceiling fan unit (50, 50B) that blows out toward the rear seat of the passenger compartment from the outlet (54, 54B) facing the rear of the rear part of the casing (51, 51A). Air conditioner. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
The casing (51, 51A) of the ceiling fan unit (50, 50B) is formed in a thin cylindrical shape having a smaller height than the width, and a blower (53, 53B) for blowing air is provided therein. An air conditioner for a vehicle characterized by the above. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2,
The casing (51, 51A) of the ceiling fan unit (50, 50B) is formed in a thin cylindrical shape having a smaller height than the width, and a blower (53, 53B) for blowing air is provided therein. The vehicle air conditioner is characterized in that the casing (51, 51A) is integrally provided with a rear seat monitor device (60) that can be expanded and retracted. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
As an air outlet (36-39) of the instrument panel (1), it is directed to the vehicle interior ceiling (3) separately from a normal lower vent air outlet (37) that blows air-conditioned air toward the upper body of the front seat occupant. An air vent for vehicles is provided with an upper vent outlet (38) for blowing out conditioned air. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4,
As the lower vent outlet (37), there are provided a spot outlet (77A, 77B) for locally blowing conditioned air and a surface outlet (77C) for blowing the conditioned air toward a wide range. (77A, 77B) and surface air outlet (77C) can be selectively opened and closed, and the vehicle air conditioner is characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4 or 5,
The vehicle air conditioner characterized in that the ceiling fan unit (50, 50B) is arranged directly above the front seat (11). The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A vehicle air conditioner characterized in that means (55, 55B) for adjusting the direction of the blown air is provided at the air outlet (54, 54B) of the ceiling fan unit (50, 50B).

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