JP2005282992A - Air conditioning unit, and vehicular air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning unit, and a vehicular air conditioner provided with a humidifier preventing scattering of impurities in water to a space in a vehicle, and not needing a special heat source. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioning unit 2 for a vehicle is characterized by that it is provided with the humidifier 30 provided with a tank 31 storing water, and a moisture permeation module 33 having a plurality of moisture permeable tubes 35 vaporizing water supplied from the tank 31, and the moisture permeation module 33 is held in a duct 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning unit and a vehicle air conditioning apparatus.

As a conventional air conditioning unit, so-called HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) equipped with an ultrasonic (water spray) humidifier and a steam humidifier to improve the relative humidity inside the vehicle, especially in winter. Modules are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-310037 (FIG. 1)

However, when an ultrasonic type is used as the humidifier, impurities in the water (for example, germs, hardness components, silica components, etc.) are released into the air together with the water. There were problems such as the spread of various germs and the generation of white powder in the car.
In addition, when a steam-type humidifier is used, a heat source for boiling water is required, which increases the size of the device and increases the cost. There was a risk of doing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is provided with an air conditioning unit and a vehicle including a humidifier that does not scatter impurities in the water in a vehicle interior space and does not require a special heat source. The object is to provide an air conditioner.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The air conditioning unit according to claim 1 includes an air inlet for taking in outside air or inside air, an air outlet provided with a defrost outlet, a face outlet, and a foot outlet, the air inlet and the air A blower for taking air from the air inlet and blowing the air from the air outlet into a main body cover in which a duct communicating with the blower outlet is formed, and air that is moved in the duct by the blower An air conditioning unit comprising an evaporator for cooling the air and a heater core for heating air that is moved in the duct by the blower, and a tank for storing water, and a plurality of water for vaporizing water supplied from the tank A humidifier having a moisture permeable tube, and the moisture permeable module is disposed in the duct. Characterized in that it is housed.
According to such an air conditioning unit, the air passing through the duct is humidified by passing in the vicinity of the moisture permeable tube, and the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the air outlet, thereby The space will be maintained at an appropriate humidity, creating a comfortable in-vehicle thermal environment and suppressing virus activity.
Moreover, since the magnitude | size of the water vapor | steam which the air which passes the inside of a duct receives from a moisture-permeable tube is a nano class thing, it is hard to condense even if it blows off to the interior space of a vehicle, and the cloudiness of a glass surface is suppressed.
Furthermore, since the moisture-permeable tube transmits only molecular-level water and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass therethrough, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of bacteria into the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, there is no need to clean or replace the moisture permeable module, and unnecessary labor and cost for use are reduced.
Furthermore, since the moisture permeable module which is a part of the humidifier is disposed in the duct, the installation space for the humidifier can be reduced.

The air conditioning unit according to claim 2 includes an air inlet for taking in outside air or inside air, an air outlet provided with a defrost outlet, a face outlet, and a foot outlet, the air inlet and the air A blower for taking air from the air inlet and blowing the air from the air outlet into a main body cover in which a duct communicating with the blower outlet is formed, and air that is moved in the duct by the blower An air conditioning unit that is disposed in front of a front seat of a vehicle, and that includes an evaporator that cools the air and a heater core that heats air that is moved in the duct by the air blower, the evaporator being the air blower And the heater core is arranged at the lower front of the blower. And a humidifier comprising a tank for storing water and a moisture permeable module having a plurality of moisture permeable tubes for vaporizing water supplied from the tank, wherein the moisture permeable module is housed in the duct. It is characterized by.
According to such an air conditioning unit, the air passing through the duct is humidified by passing in the vicinity of the moisture permeable tube, and the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the air outlet, thereby The space will be maintained at an appropriate humidity, creating a comfortable in-vehicle thermal environment and suppressing virus activity.
Moreover, since the magnitude | size of the water vapor | steam which the air which passes the inside of a duct receives from a moisture-permeable tube is a nano class thing, it is hard to condense even if it blows off to the interior space of a vehicle, and the cloudiness of a glass surface is suppressed.
Furthermore, since the moisture-permeable tube transmits only molecular-level water and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass therethrough, it is possible to prevent the diffusion of bacteria into the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, there is no need to clean or replace the moisture permeable module, and unnecessary labor and cost for use are reduced.
Furthermore, since the moisture permeable module which is a part of the humidifier is disposed in the duct, the installation space for the humidifier can be reduced.

The air conditioning unit according to claim 3 is characterized in that the moisture permeable module is arranged on the downstream side of the air flowing through the heater core rather than the heater core.
According to such an air conditioning unit, air having a small absolute humidity heated by the heater core receives more water vapor from the moisture permeable tube by passing through the vicinity of the moisture permeable tube, and then passes through the air outlet. It is designed to be blown into the interior space.

The air conditioning unit according to claim 4 is characterized in that the moisture permeable module is housed in a foot passage through which air blown out from the foot outlet exits in the duct.
According to such an air conditioning unit, the humidified air is blown out from the foot outlet provided at the farthest position from the glass surface, so that the fogging of the glass surface is further suppressed. It becomes.

The air conditioning unit according to claim 5, wherein the air blown from the face air outlet to the center face air outlet provided at the center upper portion of the instrument panel located in front of the front seat at the face air outlet. A center face duct is attached, and the moisture permeable module is housed in the center face duct.
According to such an air conditioning unit, the humidified air is led through the center face duct to the center FACE outlet provided at the upper center of the instrument panel located in front of the front seat. Later, the skin of the occupant sitting on the front seat is blown toward the exposed skin (face, fingers, etc.), and the skin of the occupant sitting on the front seat is exposed. While local humidification is performed aiming at the part (face, finger, etc.) that is being performed, and humidification is performed from a position away from the side glass, fogging of the side glass is further suppressed.

A vehicle air conditioner according to claim 6 is an air conditioner unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a compressor that compresses a gaseous refrigerant, and heat exchange of high-pressure gas refrigerant with outside air. A condenser for condensing and an expansion valve for converting the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, introducing a refrigerant system for supplying low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant to the evaporator, and introducing engine cooling water into the heater core And a control unit that controls the operation of the air conditioning unit, the refrigerant system, and the heating source system.
According to such an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, the air conditioning unit including a humidifier that does not scatter impurities in the water in the vehicle interior and does not require a special heat source is provided.

According to the air conditioning unit of the present invention, the air passing through the duct is humidified by passing in the vicinity of the moisture permeable tube, and the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the air outlet. As a result, the interior space can be maintained at an appropriate humidity, a comfortable interior thermal environment can be created, and virus activity can be suppressed.
Moreover, since the size of the water vapor that the air passing through the duct receives from the moisture-permeable tube is nano-class, it is difficult to condense even if it is blown into the vehicle interior space, and the fogging of the glass surface is suppressed. .
In addition, the moisture-permeable tube allows only water at the molecular level to pass, and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass through. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the spread of bacteria in the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. be able to. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, it is not necessary to clean or replace the moisture permeable module, and unnecessary labor and cost can be reduced during use.
Furthermore, since the moisture permeable module that is a part of the humidifier is disposed in the duct, the installation space for the humidifier can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an air conditioning unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioner 1 including an air conditioner unit according to the present invention. The vehicle air conditioner 1 is largely an air conditioner that performs air conditioning such as cooling and heating. Unit 2, a refrigerant system 3 that supplies refrigerant to the air conditioning unit 2 during cooling operation, a heating source system 4 that supplies engine cooling water as a heat source to the air conditioning unit 2 during heating operation, and operation control of the entire apparatus. It is comprised by the control part 5 to perform.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of the air conditioning unit 2 including the humidifier 30, and is a partial side sectional view showing the duct and the dampers in the air conditioning unit 2. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the air conditioning unit 2 as viewed from the upper left rear.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning unit 2 is a so-called HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) module mainly composed of a main body cover 10, a blower 12, an evaporator 13, and a heater core 14. is there.

The main body cover 10 includes a main body left side cover 10a and a main body right side cover 10b. The main body left side cover 10a and the main body right side cover 10b are assembled to form the appearance of the air conditioning unit 2, and the blower 12, the evaporator 13, the heater core 14, and a damper to be described later are accommodated therein.
An opening 10d for passing a hot water pipe 14a connected to the heater core 14 is formed in the front (that is, the engine room side) center of the main body left cover 10a. A drive unit (for example, an electric motor) 12b, which will be described later, is attached to the outer side of the upper center portion of the main body left cover 10a, and a register (drive) is provided behind the drive unit 12b (that is, the vehicle compartment side). A resistor 12c for controlling the rotational speed of the portion 12 is attached.
An outside air intake (air intake) for taking in outside air and an inside air for taking in the inside air are located at an upper central portion of the main body right side cover 10b, that is, a position facing the driving unit 12b attached to the left side cover 10a. An intake (air intake) 10e is formed.
An opening (not shown) for passing a refrigerant pipe 13 a connected to the evaporator 13 is provided at the lower front part of the main body cover 10, and the lower rear part of the main body cover 10 is attached to the evaporator 13. A drain hole (not shown) is provided for discharging the dew that has been discharged to the outside of the case.
Further, a foot outlet (hereinafter referred to as a “FOOT outlet”) for blowing air toward the lower part (that is, the feet (toes) of the occupants seated in the front seat) is provided at the central part on both lower sides of the main body cover 10. 17) is provided.

  When the main body left side cover 10a and the main body right side cover 10b are combined, a duct 11 as shown in FIG. 1 is formed. The duct 11 includes an outside air intake (air intake) and an internal air intake (air intake) 10e described above, and a defrost outlet (for blowing air taken from these intakes toward a windshield of a vehicle) (Hereinafter referred to as “DEF outlet”) 15, a face outlet (hereinafter referred to as “FACE outlet”) 16 that blows out toward the passenger's face, hand, chest, and FOOT that blows out toward the passenger's feet It communicates with the air outlet 17 (see FIG. 2).

The blower 12 is a sirocco fan, for example, and mainly includes a fan 12a and a drive unit 12b (see FIG. 2). In the blower 12, the fan 12a is rotated by the rotational force from the drive unit 12b, and the air taken in from the outside air intake or the inside air intake 10e (located on the back side of the paper surface in FIG. 1) is converted into the DEF air outlet 15 , And blow out from at least one of the FACE outlet 16 and the FOOT outlet 17.
Here, in this embodiment, the blower 12 is disposed above the evaporator 13 and the heater core 14 (so-called “vertical type”), but the present invention is not limited to this. The blower 12 may be disposed on the side (vehicle width direction) of the evaporator 13 and blows air to the evaporator 13 through a duct or the like (so-called “horizontal type”).

The evaporator 13 is for cooling the air blown out from the fan 12 a described above, and is disposed on the lower rear side of the blower 12. The refrigerant pipe 13 a extends forward from both sides of the evaporator 13, is bent and bundled at the center in the width direction of the air conditioning unit 2, and is further bent to extend further forward.
In addition, the heater core 14 located on the downstream side of the evaporator 13 is for heating the air blown out from the fan 12 a described above, and is disposed on the lower front side of the blower 12 and in front of the evaporator 13. .

  An air mix damper 14b whose opening degree can be adjusted is provided on the upstream side of the heater core 14 (that is, the evaporator 13 side). When the air mix damper 14b is in the heating mode, the air blown from the fan 12a of the blower 12 passes through the heater core 14 by being fully opened as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. In the cooling mode, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, all the air blown from the fan 12a of the blower 12 bypasses the heater core 14 by being fully closed.

  The air mix damper 14b can also be used at an intermediate position between the fully open position and the fully closed position. That is, by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix damper 14b, the mixing ratio between the air bypassing the heater core 14 and the air passing through the heater core 14 is changed to obtain various air temperatures.

A damper 18 common to the air outlets 15 and 16 is provided on the inlet side of the DEF air outlet 15 and the FACE air outlet 16 (that is, the front side of the blower 12). The damper 18 controls whether or not air flows through the FACE outlet 16 or the FOOT / DEF passage.
On the other hand, a damper 19 common to the air outlets 15 and 17 is provided on the inlet side of the DEF air outlet 15 and the FOOT air outlet 17, and the movement of the damper 19 causes air to flow into the DEF air outlet 15 and / or. It is blown out from the FOOT outlet 17.
That is, when the damper 18 is at the position of the solid line in FIG. 1, air is blown out only from the FACE outlet 16, and when it is at the position of the two-dot chain line, depending on the position of the damper 19, the air is blown out from the DEF outlet 15 and / or FOOT outlet. It is blown out from the outlet 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 (the view of the humidifier 30 as viewed from the front side of the vehicle, that is, from the left side in FIG. 1), the humidifier 30 is separated from the tank 31 by a tank 31 for storing water and a pressure pump 32. The main component is a moisture permeable module 33 that vaporizes (steams) supplied water. The tank 31 is disposed at a position lower than the moisture permeable module 33, and is connected to the moisture permeable module 33 through a pipe 34 and a pressure pump 32. Thereby, the water in the tank 31 is pushed out by the pressure pump 32, and the water is supplied to the moisture permeable module 33.

  A water supply port 31 a is provided at the top of the tank 31 to replenish water from the outside that gradually decreases with the operation of the humidifier 30. In addition, a drain discharge portion 31c is provided at the bottom of the tank 31. The drain discharge portion 31c prevents the accumulation of dirt inside the humidifier 30 by forcibly discharging the old water in the tank 31 by opening the valve 31b. ing.

The pressurizing pump 32 is connected to one end (the lower end in the figure) of the pipe 34 and sends the water in the tank 31 to the moisture permeable module 33, and is supplied from a battery mounted on the vehicle or a generator mounted on the engine. It is driven by an electric motor that rotates with the supplied electric power.
In addition, the pressurizing pump 32 is configured to be able to adjust (increase or decrease) the driving amount, and the moisture-permeable tube 35 described later has a permeating amount of water depending on the water level supplied to the inside. Since it has the characteristic to change, it becomes possible to adjust the capability of the humidifier 30 by adjusting the drive amount of the pressurization pump 32. For example, when the drive amount of the pressurizing pump 32 is increased, the water level supplied to the moisture permeable module 33 is increased, and the amount of moisture that permeates the moisture permeable tube 35 is increased to generate more water vapor. Yes.
Therefore, a desired humidity environment can be created by adjusting the drive amount of the pressurizing pump 32.

  The moisture permeable module 33 is configured by dividing a moisture permeable polyurethane formed into a tube shape, that is, a flexible moisture permeable tube 35 into the same length, and connecting both ends to headers 36 and 37. It is a thing. As shown in FIG. 1, the moisture permeable module 33 is formed on the front side of the air conditioning unit 2, and the flow path of the duct 11 from the foot passage damper 19 to the FOOT outlet 17 (hereinafter referred to as “FOOT passage”). ) 11c. A header 36 (hereinafter referred to as “upper header”) 36 located above the moisture permeable tube 35 is provided with a valve 38 and a header located below the moisture permeable tube 35 (hereinafter referred to as “lower header”). 37) is connected to the other end (upper end in the drawing) of the pipe 34 described above.

  The moisture-permeable polyurethane used as the material of the moisture-permeable tube 35 is obtained by reacting at least an isocyanate component, a chain extender diol component, and a polyol component as raw materials.

  The isocyanate component is not particularly limited and various conventional ones are used. For example, 4,4′-methylenebisphenyl isocyanate (MDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, 4,4′-cyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, isophorone isocyanate, etc. are used. (MDI) is preferably used because of its low vapor pressure and excellent handleability and workability, and the mechanical properties of the resulting polyurethane are also high.

  As the chain extender, 1,4-butanediol is used. Conventionally, for example, in a moisture-permeable polyurethane resin for clothing, ethylene glycol was used as a chain extender. In this case, polymerization and molding in a solvent were performed in this manner. By using 4-butanediol, the solvent is eliminated as described later. As the chain extender used as a raw material for polyurethane, various other materials such as diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol and 1,6-hexanediol can be used. From the viewpoint of securing moldability and mechanical properties of the resulting polyurethane, 1,4-butanediol can be particularly preferably used.

  As the polyol component, polyethylene glycol (PEG) having a molecular weight of 600 or more and 4000 or less is used. This is because polyethylene glycol has better moisture permeability of the resulting polyurethane resin than, for example, a copolymer of polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG) or polypropylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol. Also, the molecular weight, that is, the weight average molecular weight is 600 or more and 4000 or less, when it exceeds 4000, the reactivity becomes low, and when it is less than 600, the reactivity becomes high and stable polymerization of the polymer occurs. This is because it becomes difficult and the moisture permeability becomes low and may become impractical. In addition, the molecular weight is preferably in the range of 2500 to 3500, in particular, ensuring stable polymerizability of the polymer and good moisture permeability of the obtained polyurethane. Can do.

  As this polyol component, a silicon-type polyol can be used in addition to the polyethylene glycol. As this silicon-type polyol, the polysiloxane carbinol modified body shown below is used in particular, and those having a molecular weight of 1000 to 3000 are preferably used.

  This silicone type polyol is added in a small amount in order to impart the property that the obtained polyurethane has a small intermolecular force (cohesive force) of silicon. Silicon-type polyol is used to increase the mold release property during molding, particularly tube molding, and to reduce the tackiness of the molding. The blending amount of such silicon-type polyol with respect to the entire polyol component is 1 wt% or more and 70 wt% or less, preferably 2 wt% or more and 4 wt% or less. If it is less than 1 wt%, the silicone content in the resulting polyurethane will be small, so that the effect of increasing the mold release and reducing the tackiness cannot be obtained sufficiently, and if it exceeds 70 wt%, an expensive silicon polyol is added. This is because the physical properties such as moldability and mechanical strength obtained are saturated. Moreover, in the range of 2 wt% or more and 4 wt% or less, the releasability at the time of tube forming can be increased, the tackiness of the molded product can be reduced, and sufficient moisture permeability can be obtained.

  The chain extender and the polyol component are prepared such that the ratio thereof, that is, the molar ratio of (chain extender / polyol component) is in the range of 1 to 11, preferably in the range of 4 to 10. Used. If the molar ratio is less than 4, the strength of the resulting polyurethane will be insufficient and the practicality will be reduced. If the molar ratio exceeds 10, the moisture permeability of the resulting polyurethane will be reduced, and polymer polymerization will be difficult. Because it becomes. Moreover, when the molar ratio exceeds 4, the strength of the resulting polyurethane is good, which is preferable.

The blending amount of the isocyanate component with respect to the polyol component is not particularly limited, but the molar ratio of (isocyanate component / polyol component) is about 2 to 12, preferably about 5 to 11. By setting it as such a range, while being able to ensure favorable polymer polymerizability, the favorable intensity | strength of the polyurethane obtained can be ensured.
The moisture-permeable polyurethane is formed by reacting the above-mentioned isocyanate component, chain extender, and polyol component as raw materials. In particular, in the reaction, a known urethanization catalyst, stabilizer, phase A solubilizer, a coloring agent, etc. can be added suitably.

  As described above, the moisture-permeable polyurethane used as the material of the moisture-permeable tube 35 uses an isocyanate component, a specific chain extender, and a polyol component as raw materials, and reacts these raw materials so that each has an appropriate blending ratio. Thus, polymerization can be performed without using a solvent. The reaction method is not particularly limited, and a known method such as a prepolymer method or a one-shot method can be employed.

  Usually, this type of moisture-permeable polyurethane is polymerized in a solvent (such as dimethylformamide), and therefore it is necessary to remove this solvent when forming into a film or the like. Generally, since the resin solid content in the solution is about 30%, the remaining 70% of the solvent is removed during molding. However, in view of VOC regulations and the like as a recent environmental problem, the treatment of the solvent that has been removed to become a vapor becomes a problem.

  Moreover, in extrusion molding and injection molding that are widely practiced, the molding temperature is high due to the need to melt the resin. Here, molding a resin containing a solvent means that solvent vapor is likely to be generated. Since the solvent vapor causes deterioration of the working environment, the cost increases due to the necessity of a separate solvent vapor removal device.

  Further, when the raw material containing 30% resin solid content is used, 70% of the charged raw material is lost in the high temperature molding process, and the yield is 30%. Such a low-yield molding machine is difficult to design and operate, and is difficult to achieve as a product.

  The moisture-permeable polyurethane obtained in this way has good high moisture permeability and mechanical properties by itself, and further has good moldability, for example, pelletization by a conventional granulation method. In the pelletization, one or more kinds of known antibacterial agents, fungicides, inorganic fillers such as talc, colorants such as pigments, and the like can be arbitrarily mixed. Furthermore, by using the pellets thus obtained, various molding methods such as an extrusion molding method can be used. As the extrusion molding method, a method of hollow extrusion using a mandrel and a molding method using an extrusion molding machine are suitably employed. In addition to the method of directly forming the tube, two sheets of moisture-permeable polyurethane 35a and 35b formed into a thin film by extrusion are stacked and heat-welded as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). (Heat-sealed) or a plurality of integrated tubes as shown in FIG. 4 (c) can be formed into one-shaped extrusion at a time, and these can be overlapped to form a moisture-permeable module. .

Next, the configuration of the refrigerant system 3 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The refrigerant system 3 supplies a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant to the evaporator 13, and includes a compressor 91, a condenser 92, and an expansion valve 93.
The compressor 91 compresses the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant that is vaporized by taking the heat in the vehicle interior by the evaporator 13 and sends it to the condenser 92 as a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. In the case of an automotive air conditioner, the compressor 91 normally receives a driving force from the engine 94 via a belt and a clutch.
The condenser 92 is disposed in the front part of the engine room and cools the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant supplied from the compressor 91 with the outside air to condense and liquefy the gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant thus liquefied is sent to a receiver (not shown) for gas-liquid separation, and then sent to the expansion valve 93 as a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant. In the expansion valve 93, the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed and expanded to form a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid (mist-like) refrigerant and supplied to the evaporator 13.

  Next, the configuration of the heating source system 4 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The heating source system 4 supplies high-temperature engine cooling water as a heat source to the heater core 14, and introduces a part of the heating core system 4 from the engine cooling water system circulating between the engine 94 and the radiator 95 to the heater core 14. It is.

  Finally, the structure of the control part 5 is demonstrated easily based on FIG. The control unit 5 controls the operation of the air conditioning unit 2, the refrigerant system 3, and the heating source system 4 constituting the air conditioning apparatus 1, and is normally controlled by an operation panel on which the occupant performs various settings. A circuit is built in and arranged in the center of the instrument panel. The control unit 5 adjusts the temperature by opening / closing the air mix damper 14b described above, and opens / closes the mode dampers 18 and 19 to operate various modes (FACE, bi-level (FACE / FOOT). B / L ”)), FOOT, DEF / FOOT, DEF, etc.) selection switching, inside / outside air switching damper switching operation, and air volume switching operation of the blower 12 can be performed.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. Only the DEF / FOOT mode and B / L mode will be described here.
First, the B / L mode will be described. When the operator sets the operation mode switching means provided in the control unit 5 of the vehicle air conditioner 1 to the B / L mode, the damper 18 moves to an intermediate position between the position of the solid line and the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. The damper 19 is moved to the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 by a damper operating means such as a link mechanism or an electric actuator.

  And the air taken in from the air intake port 10e when the fan 12a of the air blower 12 rotates passes through the fan 12a and reaches the evaporator 13. The air that has reached the evaporator 13 undergoes heat exchange while passing through the evaporator 13 and is converted into cold air.

  A part of the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 13 reaches the heater core 14 by the air mix damper 14b being substantially half open, and the air that has reached the heater core 14 is heat-exchanged while passing through the heater core 14 and is warm air. Can be changed.

  The cold air that has passed through the evaporator 13 flows along the inner wall 11 a side of the duct 11 that forms the outer peripheral wall of the blower 12, and blows out through the FACE outlet 16 toward the occupant's face, hands, and chest. Is done. The warm air that has passed through the heater core 14 flows along the inner wall 11b on the side facing the inner wall 11a described above, passes through the FOOT passage 11c, and then passes through the FOOT air outlet 17 toward the feet (toes) of the occupant. And blown out.

  That is, in the B / L mode, cold air is blown out from the FACE outlet 16 toward the occupant's face, hands, and chest, and warm air is blown out from the FOOT outlet 17 toward the occupant's feet. It becomes.

Further, when the humidifier 30 is in an operating state in this B / L mode, the warm air that has passed through the heater core 14 (warm air with a low absolute humidity) passes through the FOOT passage 11c and is permeable to moisture. Humidified by the tube 35 (receives water vapor from the moisture permeable tube 35), the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the FOOT outlet 17.
That is, when the humidifier 30 is operating in the B / L mode, the humidified air is supplied to the vehicle interior space.

  Next, the DEF / FOOT mode will be described. When the operator sets the operation mode switching means provided in the control unit 5 of the vehicle air conditioner 1 to the DEF / FOOT mode, the damper 18 is moved to the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and the damper 19 is moved to the solid line in FIG. The position is moved to an intermediate position between the position and the position of the two-dot chain line via the damper operating means.

  And the air taken in from the air intake port 10e when the fan 12a of the air blower 12 rotates passes through the fan 12a and reaches the evaporator 13. The air that has reached the evaporator 13 undergoes heat exchange while passing through the evaporator 13 and is converted into cold air.

  The main flow of the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 13 flows on the inner wall 11a side of the duct 11 that forms the outer peripheral wall of the blower 12, and mixes with the warm air that has flowed on the inner wall 11b side in the region near the damper 18 (mixing). ) The mixed air is blown out toward the windshield of the vehicle through the DEF blowout port 15 and blown out toward the passenger's feet through the FOOT blowout port 17.

  That is, in the DEF / FOOT mode, air having substantially the same temperature is blown out from the DEF air outlet 15 toward the windshield and from the FOOT air outlet 17 toward the passenger's feet.

Also in the DEF / FOOT mode, as in the B / L mode described above, when the humidifier 30 is in an operating state, the warm air that has passed through the heater core 14 passes through the FOOT passage 11c. The humidified air is humidified by the moisture permeable tube 35, and the humidified air is spread through the FOOT air outlet 17 into the vehicle interior space.
That is, even in the DEF / FOOT mode, when the humidifier 30 is operating, the humidified air is supplied to the vehicle interior space.

  Thus, by operating the humidifier 30, the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the FOOT outlet 17, so that the vehicle interior space can be maintained at an appropriate humidity and is comfortable. It is possible to create a warm interior temperature environment and to suppress virus activity.

  Further, since the water passing through the FOOT passage 11c has a nano-class water vapor size received from the moisture permeable tube 35 and is difficult to condense even when blown into the vehicle interior space, fogging of the glass surface is suppressed.

  Further, since the moisture permeable tube 35 transmits only water at a molecular level and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass therethrough, it is possible to prevent the bacteria from diffusing into the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, it is not necessary to clean or replace the moisture permeable module 33, and unnecessary labor and cost can be reduced during use.

  Furthermore, since a part of the humidifier 30, that is, the moisture permeable module 33 is disposed in the FOOT passage 11 c, the installation space for the humidifier 30 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the tank 31 is disposed at the lower end of the moisture permeable module 33, that is, below the lower header 37, when humidification by the humidifier 30 is stopped (that is, the pump 32 is stopped), The water in the moisture permeable module 33 can be quickly returned (dropped) to the tank 31 by the gravity of the air, and the humidification of the air passing through the FOOT passage 11c can be stopped almost simultaneously with the operation stop of the humidifier 30. .

  Furthermore, a valve 38 is disposed at the upper end of the moisture permeable module 33, that is, above the upper header 36, and the humidification by the humidifier 30 is stopped (that is, the pump 32 is stopped). By being opened, the water in the moisture permeable module 33 can be returned (dropped) to the tank 31 more quickly than the moisture permeable module 33 without the valve 38, and the FOOT passage is simultaneously with the operation stop of the humidifier 30. The humidification of the air passing through 11c can be stopped.

  Furthermore, by adjusting the driving amount of the pressurizing pump 32, the amount of moisture that permeates the moisture permeable tube 35 can be controlled, so that a desired humidity environment can be easily created.

  Furthermore, the moisture permeable tube of the present invention is rigid compared to a conventional humidifier using a moisture permeable resin made of a tetrafluoroethylene resin, so that water vapor is generated. Since the moisture module 33 does not require a reinforcing material or a spacer for supporting the moisture permeable material, and has a simple structure composed only of the moisture permeable tube, the manufacturing cost is low and the handling at the time of assembly is easy.

  Furthermore, since the moisture permeable tubes 35 are arranged in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 3, water vapor can be easily removed from the moisture permeable module 33, and moisture can be transmitted smoothly. Highly efficient operation is possible.

2nd Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention is described using FIG. 5 and FIG.
In the air conditioning unit 2a in the present embodiment, the humidifier 40 in which the positions of the tank 31 and the moisture permeable module 33 of the humidifier 30 described above are reversed, that is, the tank 31 is positioned higher than the moisture permeable module 33. It differs from the thing of 1st Embodiment mentioned above by the point that the arranged humidifier 40 is provided. Since other components are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, description of these components is omitted here.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above.

In this embodiment, since the tank 31 is arranged at a position higher than the moisture permeable module 33, one end of the pipe 34 is connected to the bottom of the tank 31, and the other end is the upper end of the moisture permeable module 33, that is, Are connected to the upper header 36.
Further, the pipe 34 is provided with a valve 41 for adjusting the amount of water. The amount of water supplied from the tank 31 to the moisture permeable module 33 can be adjusted by the opening degree of the valve 41, and the humidifier 40. When the humidification by is not performed (when the humidifier is stopped), the valve 41 is fully closed, and the supply of water from the tank 31 to the moisture permeable module 33 is stopped.

  On the other hand, the lower header 37 is provided with a drainage part 42. By opening the drainage valve 43 when the humidifier is stopped, the water in the pipe 34 located downstream of the valve 41 and the moisture permeable module 33 are opened. Water can be discharged to the outside (for example, outside the vehicle).

  As described above, by operating the humidifier 40, the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the FOOT outlet 17, so that the vehicle interior space can be maintained at an appropriate humidity and is comfortable. It is possible to create a warm interior temperature environment and to suppress virus activity.

  Further, since the water passing through the FOOT passage 11c has a nano-class water vapor size received from the moisture permeable tube 35 and is difficult to condense even when blown into the vehicle interior space, fogging of the glass surface is suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the moisture permeable tube 35 transmits only water at a molecular level and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass therethrough, it is possible to prevent diffusion of bacteria in the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, it is not necessary to clean or replace the moisture permeable module 33, and unnecessary labor and cost can be reduced during use.

  Furthermore, since a part of the humidifier 40, that is, the moisture permeable module 33 is disposed in the FOOT passage 11c, the installation space of the humidifier 40 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, by disposing the tank 31 above the moisture permeable module 33, the water in the tank 31 is supplied to the moisture permeable module 33 through the pipe 34 and the valve 41 by so-called gravity flow using the gravity of the earth. Thus, each moisture permeable tube 35 is filled with water. That is, since the water in the tank 31 is supplied to the moisture permeable module 33 simply by opening the valve 41, the water is supplied from the tank 31 to the moisture permeable module 33 as in the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the expensive pressurizing pump 32 can be omitted, the configuration of the humidifier 40 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the drainage part 42 is disposed at the lower end of the moisture permeable module 33, that is, below the lower header 37, and the humidification by the humidifier 40 is stopped (that is, the valve 41 is closed), the drainage part. Since the valve 43 of the valve 42 is opened, the water in the moisture permeable module 33 can be quickly drained to the outside by the gravity of the earth, and the FOOT passage 11c can be opened almost simultaneously with the stop of the operation of the humidifier 40. Humidification of the passing air can be stopped.

  Furthermore, the moisture permeable tube of the present invention is rigid compared to a conventional humidifier using a moisture permeable resin made of a tetrafluoroethylene resin, so that water vapor is generated. Since the moisture module 33 does not require a reinforcing material or a spacer for supporting the moisture permeable material, and has a simple structure composed only of the moisture permeable tube, the manufacturing cost is low and the handling at the time of assembly is easy.

  Furthermore, since the moisture permeable tubes 35 are arranged in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 3, water vapor can be easily removed from the moisture permeable module 33, and moisture can be transmitted smoothly. Highly efficient operation is possible.

A third embodiment of the air conditioning unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The air conditioning unit 2b in the present embodiment is provided with a humidifier 50 in which the valve 38 is omitted from the upper header 36 of the humidifier 30 described above, and the FOOT passage 11c is divided into a front side and a rear side. It differs from the thing of 1st Embodiment mentioned above by the point that the partition plate 51 is provided. Since other components are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, description of these components is omitted here.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above.

In the present embodiment, a partition plate 51 that bisects the FOOT passage 11c into the front side and the rear side is provided from the vicinity of the damper 19 in the FOOT passage 11c to the vicinity of the FOOT outlet 17, and the passage located on the front side. A damper 52 that is rotated by a damper operating means such as a link mechanism or an electric actuator is provided at the entrance of 11d.
When the humidification is stopped, the damper 52 is fully closed as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, so that all the air that has passed through the damper 19 and flows into the FOOT passage 11 c is located behind the partition plate 51. It passes through the passage 11e.
Further, the damper 52 is rotated to a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 7 when humidifying, for example, so that a part of the air passing through the damper 19 and flowing into the FOOT passage 11c is moved to the front side of the partition plate 51. It is made to pass through the located passage 11d.
By adjusting the opening degree of this damper 52, various air humidity is obtained by changing the mixing ratio of the air that has been humidified through the passage 11d and the air that has not been humidified that has passed through the passage 11e. Yes.

  In this way, by operating the humidifier 50 and adjusting the amount of air (air volume) passing through the moisture permeable tube 35 by the damper 52, the humidified air spreads into the vehicle interior space through the FOOT outlet 17. As a result, the interior space can be maintained at an appropriate humidity, a comfortable interior thermal environment can be created, and virus activity can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the humidification is stopped, the damper 52 only needs to be fully closed, so that the supply of humidified air to the vehicle interior space can be stopped instantaneously.

  Further, the air passing through the FOOT passage 11c has a nano-class water vapor size received from the moisture permeable tube 35, and is difficult to condense even when blown into the vehicle interior space, so that the fogging of the glass surface is suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the moisture-permeable tube 35 transmits only water at the molecular level and does not allow bacteria and scales to pass therethrough, it is possible to prevent the bacteria from diffusing into the air and to prevent performance degradation caused by clogging of micropores. Moreover, since clogging does not occur, it is not necessary to clean or replace the moisture permeable module 33, and unnecessary labor and cost can be reduced during use.

  Furthermore, since a part of the humidifier 50, that is, the moisture permeable module 33 is disposed in the FOOT passage 11c, the installation space of the humidifier 50 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the moisture permeable tube of the present invention is rigid compared to a conventional humidifier using a moisture permeable resin made of a tetrafluoroethylene resin, so that water vapor is generated. Since the moisture module 33 does not require a reinforcing material or a spacer for supporting the moisture permeable material, and has a simple structure composed only of the moisture permeable tube, the manufacturing cost is low and the handling at the time of assembly is easy.

  Furthermore, since the moisture permeable tubes 35 are arranged in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 3, water vapor can be easily removed from the moisture permeable module 33, and moisture can be transmitted smoothly. Highly efficient operation is possible.

A fourth embodiment of the air conditioning unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the air conditioning unit 2c in the present embodiment, the moisture permeable module 33 of any one of the humidifiers 30, 40, 50 described above is provided in the center FACE duct 61, not in the FOOT passage 11c. It is different from the embodiment described above. Since other components are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, description of these components is omitted here.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as embodiment mentioned above. In addition, the partition plate 51 and the damper 52 described in the second embodiment are provided in the center FACE duct 61 in this embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the moisture permeable module 33 is provided with a FACE duct (a center FACE provided at a substantially central portion of the FACE outlet 16 and an upper central portion of the instrument panel positioned in front of the front seat. It is arranged in the vicinity of the inlet in the air outlet (not shown) 61, that is, the most upstream side of the FACE duct 61, in other words, directly above the FACE air outlet 16.
In FIG. 8, reference numerals 62, 63, and 64 denote a center DEF duct, a side DEF duct, and a side FACE duct, respectively.

  As a result, the air humidified by the moisture permeable tube 35 is blown into the vehicle interior space through the center FACE outlet provided in the instrument panel, so that the occupant sitting in the front seat, While it is possible to humidify locally with the skin exposed (face, fingers, etc.), and humidification is performed from a position away from the side glass, it further suppresses fogging of the side glass. Can do.

A fifth embodiment of an air conditioning unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The air conditioning unit 2d in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment described above in that the opening 65 is provided in the inner wall 11b and the damper 66 that opens and closes the opening 65 is provided. Different. Since other components are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, description of these components is omitted here.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above.

The opening 65 is formed in a substantially central portion of the inner wall 11b on the side facing the inner wall 11a of the duct 11 forming the outer peripheral wall of the blower 12, that is, substantially in the middle between the heater core 14 and the damper 18. Warm air that has passed through the heater core 14 through 65 is directly guided into the FOOT passage 11c.
The damper 66 is rotated by a damper operating means such as a link mechanism or an electric actuator, and opens and closes the opening 65.

  By providing the opening 65 and the damper 66 as described above, the high-temperature air before being mixed with the cold air flowing along the inner wall 11a of the duct 11 forming the outer peripheral wall of the blower 12 is directly put into the FOOT passage 11c. Since it can guide | lead, the moisture-permeable tube 35 can be heated and the amount of humidification can be increased.

Further, even when the entrance of the FOOT passage 11c is closed by the damper 19 (that is, when the damper 19 is in the position of the solid line in the figure), the interior space can be humidified.
That is, humidification can be performed even in the defrost mode or the FACE mode.

In the above-described embodiment, a person directly supplies water into the tank 31 through the water supply port 31a provided at the top of the tank 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the drain from the washer liquid tank 71 and the evaporator 13, or the rainwater collected in the rain is automatically supplied to the tank 31 through the pipe. You can leave it. Since the moisture permeable tube 35 has a property of allowing only water including impurities to pass through, no problem arises even if a washer liquid, drain, rain water, or the like is used.
As a result, the number of times of water supply to the tank 31 can be reduced.

The configuration of the air conditioning unit is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment, and may be a conventionally known one in which an evaporator is disposed on the front side of the vehicle and a heater core is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle. good.
That is, even if the existing air conditioning unit is provided with a humidifier as described above, the same operational effects as those described above can be obtained.

Furthermore, a humidity sensor can be provided in the vehicle, and the humidifier can be operated or stopped based on a signal from the humidity sensor.
As a result, the humidity inside the vehicle can be automatically kept within a predetermined range.

Furthermore, instead of the humidity sensor, a switch or knob for humidification mode is arranged on the instrument panel, and the humidifier is activated or stopped based on the signal from this switch or knob. You can also
Thus, the occupant can activate or stop the humidifier according to the situation at that time.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6, a plurality of moisture permeable tubes 35 are not arranged side by side only in the width direction of the air conditioning unit (that is, the left-right direction of the vehicle). A plurality of them can also be arranged side by side in the thickness direction (that is, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle).
By arranging a plurality of the moisture permeable tubes 35 in the width direction and the thickness direction of the air conditioning unit and increasing the number of the moisture permeable tubes 35, the amount of humidification can be increased and the vehicle can be humidified quickly. Become.

  Furthermore, the moisture permeable module 33 is not limited to a structure in which a plurality of moisture permeable tubes 35 are cut into the same length and each end is connected to the headers 36 and 37. For example, A serpentine type in which a single long moisture-permeable tube 35 is meandered can also be used.

Furthermore, in the vicinity of the downstream side (exit side) of the heater core 14 and / or the upstream side of the FOOT outlet 17, for example, PTC (Positive Temperature)
More preferably, an auxiliary heat source 20 such as a heater is provided.
By providing the auxiliary heat source 20, it can be used even in cold regions.

Furthermore, if the water in the tank 31 is heated in advance by using the heat of the condenser (condenser) when the heater core 14, the auxiliary heat source 20, or the vehicle air conditioner is a heat pump type, the heat is further increased. Is preferred.
Thus, by preheating the water supplied to the moisture-permeable tube 35, the moisture-permeable effect of the moisture-permeable tube 35 can be improved, and the humidification efficiency can be improved.

It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention, Comprising: It is the partial sectional side view shown so that the mode of the duct in the said air conditioning unit and each damper could be understood. It is the whole perspective view which looked at the air harmony unit shown in Drawing 1 from the upper left back. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the humidifier shown in FIG. 1 from the vehicle front side. It is a perspective view which shows the other example which shape | molds a moisture-permeable tube. It is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention, Comprising: It is the partial sectional side view shown so that the mode of the duct in the said air conditioning unit and each damper could be understood. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the humidifier shown in FIG. 5 from the vehicle front side. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention, Comprising: It is the partial sectional side view shown so that the mode of the duct in the said air conditioning unit and each damper could be understood. It is a figure which shows 4th Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention, Comprising: It is the whole perspective view which looked at the air conditioning unit from upper left back. It is a figure which shows 5th Embodiment of the air conditioning unit by this invention, Comprising: It is the partial sectional side view shown so that the mode of the duct in the said air conditioning unit and each damper could be understood. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to supply water to a tank, Comprising: It is the schematic sectional drawing which looked at the vehicle front part from the left side. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioner.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus for vehicles 2 Air conditioning unit 2a Air conditioning unit 2b Air conditioning unit 2c Air conditioning unit 2d Air conditioning unit 3 Refrigerant system 4 Heat source system 5 Control part 10 Main body cover 10e Air intake 11 Duct 11c FOOT passage 12 Blower DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Evaporator 14 Heater core 15 DEF blower outlet 16 FACE blower outlet 17 FOOT blower outlet 30 Humidifier 31 Tank 33 Moisture permeability module 35 Moisture permeability tube 40 Humidifier 50 Humidifier 61 Center face duct 91 Compressor 92 Condenser 93 Expansion valve

Claims (6)

An air intake for taking in outside air or inside air, an air outlet provided with a defrost outlet, a face outlet, and a foot outlet, and a duct communicating with the air inlet and the air outlet were formed. In the body cover,
A blower that takes in air from the air inlet and blows out the air from the air outlet;
An evaporator for cooling air that is moved in the duct by the blower;
An air conditioning unit comprising a heater core that heats air that is moved in the duct by the blower,
A humidifier comprising a tank for storing water and a moisture permeable module having a plurality of moisture permeable tubes for vaporizing water supplied from the tank is provided, and the moisture permeable module is housed in the duct. An air conditioning unit characterized by that. An air intake for taking in outside air or inside air, an air outlet provided with a defrost outlet, a face outlet, and a foot outlet, and a duct communicating with the air inlet and the air outlet were formed. In the body cover,
A blower that takes in air from the air inlet and blows out the air from the air outlet;
An evaporator for cooling air that is moved in the duct by the blower;
An air conditioning unit that is disposed in front of a front seat of a vehicle, comprising a heater core that heats air that is moved in the duct by the blower,
The evaporator is disposed on the lower rear side of the blower, and the heater core is disposed on the lower front side of the blower.
And a humidifier comprising a tank for storing water and a moisture permeable module having a plurality of moisture permeable tubes for vaporizing water supplied from the tank, wherein the moisture permeable module is housed in the duct. An air conditioning unit characterized by   3. The air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the moisture permeable module is arranged on a downstream side of the air flowing through the heater core with respect to the heater core.   The air conditioning unit according to claim 3, wherein the moisture permeable module is housed in a foot passage through which air blown from the foot outlet exits in the duct.   A center face duct that guides air blown from the face air outlet to the center face air outlet provided at the center upper part of the instrument panel located in front of the front seat is attached to the face air outlet, The air conditioning unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moisture permeable module is housed in the center face duct. The air conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A compressor that compresses gaseous refrigerant, a condenser that condenses high-pressure gas refrigerant by heat exchange with outside air, and an expansion valve that converts high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant into low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant. A refrigerant system for supplying low-pressure liquid refrigerant;
A heating source system for introducing engine cooling water into the heater core;
A vehicle air conditioner comprising: a control unit that performs operation control of the air conditioning unit, the refrigerant system, and the heat source system.

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