JP2006056342A - Air-conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air-conditioner for an automobile capable of heightening the water leak preventing performance while the condensate generated in a heat exchanger for cooling is prevented from splashing into the cabin. <P>SOLUTION: A lid 72 (70) to partition a draining groove 45c from a blowing path 52 is installed in the draining groove 45c in its portion windward of an evaporator 62, which separates the draining groove 45c from the blowing path 52, whereby the condensate flowing in the groove 45c is prevented from splashing with the wind pressure in the blowing path 52 into the cabin, to cause blowing out into the cabin. Because the lid 72 (70) is formed separately from a case 41, fabricating a die can be made with the case 41 (41A and 41B) of up-and-down split type, managing without formation of a splitting line PL on the case bottom wall 45 (in particular, at its draining groove 45c), which is favorable in terms of countermeasure against water leak. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner for automobiles.

There exists a thing as disclosed by patent document 1, for example in the air conditioner for motor vehicles. This automotive air conditioner includes a cooling heat exchanger that cools the blown air, and a case that forms an air passage inside and accommodates the cooling heat exchanger in the middle of the air passage. In the cooling heat exchanger, moisture in the air is condensed to generate condensed water, and therefore, a drain pan for discharging the condensed water to the outside of the case is provided at the lower part of the case.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-058250

  However, in the above-described automotive air conditioner, there is a possibility that moisture leaks through the dividing line because the dividing line (= matching portion) exists on the bottom wall of the case. For example, moisture may leak through the dividing line in a portion other than the drain pan.

  Here, assuming that a case of a laterally divided type (upper and lower divided type) in which no dividing line is present on the bottom wall of the case is used, a wall that partitions the drain pan and the air passage may be formed in the case in terms of mold manufacture. The drain pan cannot be exposed to the air passage. For this reason, the condensed water flowing through the drain pan may fly under the wind pressure and be blown out into the passenger compartment.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an automotive air conditioner that can prevent the condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger from flying into the passenger compartment and can enhance water leakage prevention. .

The invention of claim 1 includes a cooling heat exchanger that cools the blown air, and a case that forms an air passage inside and accommodates the cooling heat exchanger in the middle of the air passage,
The case has a drain port for discharging condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger to the outside of the case, and a condensate generated in the cooling heat exchanger by being recessed from a general surface of the case bottom wall. A drain groove for flowing water toward the drain port,
The drain groove is an automotive air conditioner extending at least from directly under the cooling heat exchanger to the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger,
A lid member for partitioning the drain groove and the air passage is attached to a portion of the drain groove on the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger.

The invention of claim 2 includes a cooling heat exchanger that cools the blown air, and a case that forms an air passage inside and houses the cooling heat exchanger in the middle of the air passage,
The case has a drain port for discharging condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger to the outside of the case, and a condensate generated in the cooling heat exchanger by being recessed from a general surface of the case bottom wall. A drain groove for flowing water toward the drain port,
The drain groove is an automotive air conditioner extending at least from directly under the cooling heat exchanger to the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger,
A flange that covers the inner surface of the drain groove and allows the condensed water to flow; and a lid that divides the drain groove and the air passage in the windward portion of the cooling heat exchanger in the drain groove. Are provided with a heat insulating member integrally provided.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the automotive air conditioner according to the second aspect, wherein the heat insulating member is provided orthogonal to the flange portion and the lid portion, and the flange portion and the lid portion are integrated. It is provided with the support | pillar part connected to.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the automotive air conditioner according to the second or third aspect, wherein the heat insulating member supports a lower end of the cooling heat exchanger, and the cooling heat exchanger is a case bottom wall. It is provided with the support part which prevents that it contacts with.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the automotive air conditioner according to the fourth aspect, wherein the support portion of the heat insulating member is spaced from the cooling heat exchanger at a position directly below the cooling heat exchanger. It is provided with the dish part which is provided and is smoothly continuing with the said collar part.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the drain groove and the air passage are separated by the lid member, it is possible to prevent the condensed water flowing through the drain groove from being blown by the wind pressure of the air passage and blown into the vehicle interior. Further, since the lid member is a separate body from the case, a horizontally split type (= upper and lower split type) case that does not need to form the dividing line PL on the case bottom wall can be used, which is preferable in terms of measures against water leakage.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the drain groove and the air passage are separated by the lid portion of the heat insulating member, it is possible to prevent the condensed water flowing through the drain groove from flying on the air pressure of the air passage. Further, when the condensed water is generated in the cooling heat exchanger by the flange portion of the heat insulating member and flows through the drain groove, it is possible to prevent the case bottom wall and the condensed water from contacting each other as much as possible. Therefore, the cooling of the case bottom wall is alleviated, and condensation on the outer surface of the case bottom wall can be reduced. Moreover, since the collar part and the cover part are integral with a heat insulation member, a number of parts can be reduced and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, even if it is a heat insulating member having a two-stage structure having a flange portion and a lid portion, the strength of the heat insulating member can be maintained high by the support column.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2 or 3, it is possible to prevent the cooling heat exchanger and the case bottom wall from coming into contact with each other by the support portion. Therefore, condensation on the outer surface of the case bottom wall can be further reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 4, before the condensed water touches the case, it can be received by the dish part of the heat insulating member and flowed to the eaves part. Thereby, the quantity of the condensed water which contacts a case bottom wall can be reduced, and the dew condensation of the outer surface of a case bottom wall can further be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1-7 shows one Embodiment of the air conditioner for motor vehicles. First, the outline of the automotive air conditioner of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a front view of the automotive air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a top view of the automotive air conditioner.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automotive air conditioner 1 includes an inside / outside air switching device 2, a temperature control unit 4, and an outlet switching device 3, and an unillustrated instrument panel and a figure at the front end of the passenger compartment. It is arranged between a dash panel 5 (not shown) (virtual line in FIG. 2).

  The inside / outside air switching device 2 includes an intake box 21 having an inside air introduction port 22 and an outside air introduction port 23, an open / close door (not shown) that is disposed in the box 21 and adjusts the opening degree of both the introduction ports 22, 23, It adjusts the ratio of the inside and outside air to introduce. As will be described in detail later, the temperature adjustment unit 4 is connected downstream of the inside / outside air switching device 2 and regulates the temperature while sending air from the inside / outside air switching device 2 by the fan 61. The blower outlet switching device 3 is connected downstream of the temperature control unit 4 and is used to switch a blower outlet (for example, a face blower outlet 31, a foot blower outlet 32, a defroster outlet 33, etc.) that blows out conditioned air. In addition, the blower outlet switching device 3 is arrange | positioned in the vehicle width direction center, and the inside / outside air switching device 2 and the temperature control unit 4 are offset from the vehicle width direction center.

  Next, the temperature control unit will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature control unit, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the temperature control unit with the sirocco fan and the heater core removed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature control unit 4 includes a case 41 that forms an air passage inside. The case 41 is configured by combining a container-like main case member 41A having an upper end opening and a lid-like sub case member 41B covering the upper end opening of the main case member 41A (see FIG. 4). That is, the case 41 is of a horizontally-divided type (= upper and lower split type), and no split line PL (= a joint portion between case members) is formed on the bottom wall 45 of the case 41. The case 41 has a bell mouth-shaped inlet 42 (see FIG. 4) connected to the upstream / outside air switching device 2 and an outlet 43 connected to the downstream outlet switching device 3. In addition, air flows in the case 41 from the inlet 42 toward the outlet 43.

  In the middle of the air passage in the case 41, in order from the upstream side to the downstream side, a sirocco fan 61 as a blower means, an evaporator 62 as a heat exchanger for cooling, and an air mix door device 63 as a temperature adjustment means, A heater core 64 as a heat exchanger for heating is disposed.

  The sirocco fan 61 is for sending out the air selectively taken in by the inside / outside air switching device 2 to the downstream side, and is disposed in a scroll chamber 51 provided in the vicinity of the introduction port 42 (see FIG. 4). Yes.

  The evaporator 62 cools and dehumidifies the air ventilated by the refrigerant circulating inside. The evaporator 62 is interposed in a refrigeration cycle (not shown) so that the refrigerant circulates inside.

  The heater core 64 heats air that is ventilated by a heating medium circulating inside. The heater core 64 is interposed in a hot water line (not shown) so that a heating medium (for example, engine cooling water) circulates inside.

  The air mix door device 63 adjusts the temperature of the conditioned air blown into the passenger compartment by adjusting the ratio of the amount of cold air and the amount of hot air generated in the temperature control unit 4. On the downstream side of the air mix door device 63, there are a bypass passage 54 for flowing the cold air generated by the evaporator 62 as it is, and a hot air passage 53 for flowing the cold air generated by the evaporator 62 to the heater core 64 to make hot air. Branched. The bypass passage 54 and the hot air passage 53 join again on the downstream side 55, and continue to the downstream outlet switching device 3 through the outlet 43.

  In such a temperature control unit 4, when the sirocco fan 61 is operated, the air sucked from the inside / outside air switching device 2 is converted into the scroll chamber 51 → the passage 52 downstream of the scroll chamber 51 → the evaporator 62 → the air mix. The air flows through the door device 63 → the warm air passage 53 and / or the bypass passage 54 → the merging portion 55, and the air whose temperature is adjusted in the merging portion 55 is blown out into the vehicle interior through the outlet switching device 3. At this time, the temperature of the conditioned air is determined by adjusting the opening of the bypass passage 54 and the hot air passage 53 by the air mix door device 63.

  Next, the drainage structure of the temperature control unit 4 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 5 is a VV cross section in FIG. 4, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the insulator.

  The structure in which the evaporator 62 is disposed in the case 41 as described above requires a structure for discharging water condensed and condensed by the evaporator 62 (hereinafter referred to as condensed water). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the case 41 allows the condensed water that has fallen to the case bottom wall 45 to flow toward the drain port 45 b and the drain port 45 b that opens to the case 41 in order to discharge condensed water to the outside of the case 41. A drain groove 45c is provided. The drain groove 45c is recessed from the general surface 45a of the case bottom wall 45, and is inclined downward toward the drain port 45b.

  The drain port 45 b is located on the windward side of the evaporator 62, and accordingly, the drain groove 45 c extends from directly below the evaporator 62 to the windward side of the evaporator 62.

  The drain groove 45c is covered with an insulator 70 (heat insulating member) along its inner surface so that the condensed water generated in the evaporator 62 can flow toward the drain port 45b without contacting the case bottom wall 45. ing.

  The insulator 70 is covered along the inner surface of the drain groove 45c so as to flow the condensed water toward the drain port 45b, and the drain groove 45c in the portion of the drain groove 45c on the windward side of the evaporator 62. And a plate-like lid portion 72 that divides the air passage 52 in a sealed state into a two-stage structure integrally connected by a connecting portion 73. Insulator 70 is provided with a plurality of (three in this example) plate-like struts that are provided orthogonal to flange 71, lid 72, and connecting portion 73, and integrally connect flange 71 and lid 72. A portion 74 is provided. A support portion 75 is further extended from the flange portion 71 of the insulator 70 on the upstream side of the condensed water. The support portion 75 supports the lower end of the evaporator 62, and the condensed water generated by the evaporator 62 is removed from the case 41. It is something that is taken directly without intervention. The support portion 75 is in contact with the lower end portion of the evaporator 62 to support the lower end portion, and connects the pair of support arms 76, 76 to each other and faces the lower end portion of the evaporator 62. And a plate-shaped dish portion 77 provided at an interval at a position. The upper surface of the dish portion 77 is smoothly continuous with the upper surface of the flange portion 71 (through the opening 73a of the connecting portion 73). For this reason, the condensed water generated in the evaporator 62 is dripped onto the dish portion 77 directly below the evaporator 62 and flows to the flange portion 71 without passing through the case 41 as it is.

Effects The effects of the automotive air conditioner of this embodiment will be summarized below.

  1stly, according to the air conditioner for motor vehicles of this embodiment, since the cover member 72 (70) which divides the drain groove 45c and the ventilation path 52 was attached to the windward side of the evaporator 62 among the drain grooves 45c, drain groove 45c and the ventilation path 52 isolate | separate. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the condensed water flowing through the drain groove 45c from flying due to the wind pressure of the air passage 52 and being blown out into the vehicle interior. Further, since the lid member 72 (70) is separate from the case 41, it is not necessary to form the dividing line PL in the case bottom wall 45 (particularly, the drain groove 45c of the case bottom wall 45) in manufacturing the mold. A type (= upper and lower split type) case 41 (41A, 41B) can be used, which is preferable in terms of measures against water leakage.

  Secondly, since the lid member 72 is integrated with the insulator 70 as a heat insulating member for preventing condensation on the outer surface of the case bottom wall 45, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Thirdly, even if the insulator 70 has a two-story structure including a flange portion 71 and a lid portion 72, the insulator 70 is orthogonal to the flange portion 71 and the lid portion 72 and the flange portion 71 and the lid portion 72 are integrated. Since the supporting column portion 74 is provided, the strength can be maintained high.

  Fourth, since the insulator 70 includes a support portion 75 that supports the lower end of the evaporator 62 and prevents the evaporator 62 and the case bottom wall 45 from coming into contact with each other, the condensation on the outer surface of the case bottom wall 45 is further reduced. be able to.

  Fifthly, since the insulator 70 includes a plate portion 77 that is provided at a position directly below the evaporator 62 and is spaced apart from the flange portion 71 and smoothly continues to the flange portion 71, the condensed water dripping from the evaporator 62 is dropped on the case bottom wall 45. It can be received by the dish part 77 before being touched and flowed to the collar part 71. As a result, the amount of condensed water contacting the case bottom wall 45 can be further reduced, and condensation on the outer surface of the case bottom wall 45 can be further reduced.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automotive air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle air conditioner. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature control unit of the automotive air conditioner. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view in which some parts of the temperature control unit of the automotive air conditioner are omitted. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing an insulator attached to the temperature control unit of the vehicle air conditioner, in which FIG. 6a is a top view and FIG. 6b is a side view. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an insulator attached to the temperature control unit of the automotive air conditioner.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automotive air conditioner 41 ... Case 45 ... Case bottom wall 45a ... General surface 45b ... Drain port 45c ... Drain groove 52 ... Passage (air blower)
53 ... Warm air passage (blower passage)
54. Bypass passage (air flow path)
55 ... Merging section (air duct)
62 ... Evaporator (cooling heat exchanger)
70: Insulator (heat insulation member)
71 ... buttocks 72 ... lid (lid member)
73 ... Connecting part 74 ... Supporting part 75 ... Supporting part 76 ... Supporting arm 77 ... Dish part PL ... Dividing line

Claims (5)

A cooling heat exchanger (62) for cooling the blown air;
A case (41) which forms an air passage inside and accommodates the cooling heat exchanger (62) in the middle of the air passage;
With
The case (41) includes a drain port (45b) for discharging condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (62) to the outside of the case (41), and a general surface of the case bottom wall (45). A drain groove (45c) recessed from (45a) and allowing condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (62) to flow toward the drain port (45b),
The drain groove (45c) is an automotive air conditioner extending at least from directly below the cooling heat exchanger (62) to the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger (62),
A lid member (72) for partitioning the drain groove (45c) and the air passage (52) is attached to the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger (62) in the drain groove (45c). An automotive air conditioner. A cooling heat exchanger (62) for cooling the blown air;
A case (41) which forms an air passage inside and accommodates the cooling heat exchanger (62) in the middle of the air passage;
With
The case (41) includes a drain port (45b) for discharging condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (62) to the outside of the case (41), and a general surface of the case bottom wall (45). A drain groove (45c) recessed from (45a) and allowing condensed water generated in the cooling heat exchanger (62) to flow toward the drain port (45b),
The drain groove (45c) is an automotive air conditioner extending at least from directly below the cooling heat exchanger (62) to the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger (62),
The drain (45) is placed on the inner surface of the drain groove (45c), and the drain (71) flows the condensed water, and the drain groove (45c) has a portion on the windward side of the cooling heat exchanger (62). An automotive air conditioner comprising a heat insulating member (70) integrally including a groove (45c) and a lid (72) that partitions the air passage (52). The automotive air conditioner according to claim 2,
The heat insulating member (70) is provided perpendicularly to the flange portion (71) and the lid portion (72) and connects the flange portion (71) and the lid portion (72) integrally. 74) An air conditioner for automobiles. It is an automotive air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3,
The heat insulating member (70) supports the lower end of the cooling heat exchanger (62) and prevents the cooling heat exchanger (62) from contacting the case bottom wall (45). An automotive air conditioner comprising: The automotive air conditioner according to claim 4,
The support portion (75) of the heat insulating member (70) is provided at a position directly below the cooling heat exchanger (62) and spaced from the cooling heat exchanger (62), and the flange portion (71). And an air conditioner for an automobile, comprising a dish portion (77) that is smoothly continuous.

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