JP2006082694A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem wherein an evaporator and a case for storing the evaporator are not easily taken out of a vehicle body when replacing the evaporator in an air conditioner for a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner is constituted of an upper unit 45 constituted by storing a heater core 30 in an upper case 11 having an opened lower end, a lower unit 58 stored with the evaporator 55 in a lower case 50 having an opened upper end and separable from the upper case 11, and a mounting bracket 60 which is separate from the lower case 50, has the one end 61 detachably fixed to the lower case 50, and has the other end 63 detachably fastened to a part 70 of a vehicle body, and fixes the lower unit 58 to the part 70 of the vehicle body. A mounting space 73 is formed between the lower case 50 and the part 70 of the vehicle body. When replacing the evaporator 5, the one end 61 of the mounting bracket 60 is removed from the lower case 50, the other end 63 is removed from the part 70 of the vehicle body, and the lower unit 58 is lowered to be separated from the upper unit 45. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner, and more particularly to a unit that can take out a lower unit in which an evaporator may be housed separately from an upper unit in which a heater core is housed.

The vehicle air conditioner includes an evaporator that generates cold air and a heater core that generates hot air in a case having a plurality of air outlets and air conditioning doors. After the air conditioner is once fixed to the vehicle body, it may be necessary to remove the evaporator, for example, for replacement or maintenance of the evaporator. In a conventional vehicle air conditioner (see Patent Document 1), an elastic holder that is compressible in the height direction is disposed between a lower case in which a part of an evaporator is accommodated and a floor panel. When removing the evaporator, the elastic holding plate is compressed and the lower case is pushed down to a predetermined position, and then the evaporator and the lower panel are slid sideways together and removed.
JP 2003-11644 A

  In the above conventional example, the lower part of the air conditioner is only placed on the floor panel via an elastic holding plate, so that there is a possibility that it will be shifted when vibrations are applied, which is unstable. Here, as a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 3, a lower unit 85 in which a heater core is accommodated in an upper case (not shown) and an entire evaporator 82 is accommodated in a lower case 80 is attached to a part of the vehicle body by a mounting bracket 90. Consider an air conditioner fixed at 95.

  A mounting bracket 90 extends from the corner portion 81 of the lower case 80 mounted in an inclined state so as to be integrated therewith. A stud bolt 96 is erected in a lateral direction on a part 95 of the vehicle body, and the mounting bracket 90 and the stud bolt 95 are fastened by a nut 97. In this case, due to the mounting bracket 90 extending downward from the corner 81 and the stud bolt 96 protruding laterally, the lower case 80 cannot be lowered below a predetermined position, and the lower case 80 is separated from the upper case. Is not easy.

  Particularly in a small car, the mounting space 86 is narrow, and this tendency becomes remarkable. As a result, in the worst case, it is necessary to replace the evaporator 82 in a state where the instrument panel is removed, the air conditioner is taken out upward, and is once lowered from the vehicle body. This increases the man-hours required for maintenance and replacement of the evaporator 82.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and it aims at providing the vehicle air conditioner which can remove easily the lower unit which an evaporator can accommodate in a lower case from a part of vehicle body.

  The inventor of the present application has conceived that the lower case is fixed to a part of the vehicle body by a separate mounting member. Thus, the present invention has been completed. The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention includes an upper unit including a heater core housed in an upper case opened at the lower end and a lower case opened at the upper end. A possible lower unit and a mounting member for fixing the lower unit to a part of the vehicle body separately from the lower case and having one end detachably fastened to the lower case and the other end detachably fastened to a part of the vehicle body Consists of. A mounting space is formed between the lower unit and a part of the vehicle body.

  In this vehicle air conditioner, when replacing the evaporator that may be accommodated in the lower case, after removing one end of the mounting member from the lower case and the other end from a part of the vehicle body, removing the mounting member, The lower unit is lowered downward in the installation space and separated from the upper unit.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the lower unit can be greatly lowered in the mounting space when replacing the evaporator that may be accommodated in the lower case, and a part of the vehicle body of the lower unit It is easy to remove from and attach to a part of the vehicle body. This is because one end and the other end of the mounting member are detachably fastened to the lower case and a part of the vehicle body, and the mounting member is removed from the mounting space prior to the separation of the lower unit. As a result, the number of steps required for replacing the evaporator can be reduced.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the second aspect, the lower unit can be rotated around the lower corner when the lower unit, in which the evaporator is accommodated in the lower case, is separated from the upper unit. The unit can be removed more easily. According to the vehicle air conditioner of the third aspect, the lower unit can be easily removed even when the bolt is erected in advance in a lateral direction on a part of the vehicle body.

(A) Upper unit and lower unit The vehicle air conditioner of the present invention has a vertical configuration as a whole, and includes an upper unit positioned above and a lower unit positioned below. In the upper unit, a heater core is accommodated in an upper case made of resin or the like, and a lower end is opened. A heating unit that generates hot air and is fixed to the vehicle body by appropriate fixing means.

  The lower unit is a cooling unit in which an evaporator can be housed in a lower case made of resin or the like and generates cold air. The entire evaporator is accommodated in the lower case, and is located below the heater core (upstream in the air flow direction). However, the evaporator can be housed in the upper case of the upper unit and not in the lower case. The lower case includes a lower wall portion, a side wall portion, and the like, and an upper end is open. The upper unit and the lower unit can be coupled and separated by a clip member or the like.

  A mounting space is formed between the lower unit and a floor surface and a wall surface of a part of the vehicle body (for example, a floor panel). The mounting space is necessary for fastening work of one end of the mounting member to the lower case and fastening work of the other end to a part of the vehicle, and for mounting and removing the lower unit. The height of the mounting space may be uniform as a whole, but it is desirable that the side opposite to the wall surface be higher than the wall surface side. The higher side is the take-out side space of the lower unit unit. Usually, the floor is almost horizontal, and the lower unit is usually mounted in an inclined state in order to collect condensed water at one end of the evaporator. Therefore, the mounting space often has such a shape.

(B) Mounting member The mounting member is separate from the lower case of the lower unit, and is made of, for example, metal. It has a longitudinal shape and is disposed vertically in the mounting space of the vehicle body as a whole. One end (upper end) of the lower case is detachably attached to the lower corner of the lower case with bolts and nuts. The other end (lower end) of the attachment member is detachably fastened to a part of the vehicle body that divides the attachment space with bolts and nuts. For example, as a bolt, a stud bolt standing in advance can be used in order to make the vehicle body common to a vehicle on which an evaporator is mounted and a vehicle not to be mounted in a lateral direction on a wall surface that is a part of the vehicle body. .

(C) Replacing and maintaining the evaporator Normally, the evaporator is installed in the vehicle when it is sold to the market. In this case, the user removes the evaporator and the lower case together, that is, the lower unit together, replaces the evaporator, and then attaches the lower unit. Specifically, one end of the attachment member is removed from the lower case, the other end is removed from a part of the vehicle body, the lower unit is lowered downward and separated from the upper unit, and then removed from the attachment space. When the lower unit is inclined, the upper corner portion can be rotated around the lower corner portion of the lower case.

  When the vehicle is not equipped with an evaporator at the time of sale, the user attaches a lower unit including the evaporator and the lower case to the vehicle. The present invention is also applied when the user adds a lower unit to the vehicle.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Example>
(Constitution)
The vehicle air conditioner of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as “air conditioner” in the embodiment) includes a case 10, an evaporator 55, and a heater core 30. Of these, the case 10 includes an upper case 11 and a lower case 50. The upper case 11 has an upper wall portion 12, a pair of side wall portions 13 and 14, and a pair of end wall portions (only the end wall 15 on the near side is shown). The opened lower end surface is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. A defroster outlet 16 and a face outlet 17 are formed on the upper wall portion 12, and a foot outlet 18 is formed on the side wall portion 13.

  One end of the defroster door 20 is pivotally supported by the side wall portion 14, and the defroster door 16 is opened and closed by rotation. The face door 22 pivotally supported by the middle part on the side wall part opens and closes the face outlet 17, and the foot door 24 pivotally supported by the side wall part 14 includes the side wall part 13 and the partition wall part 25. The foot outlet 18 is opened and closed.

  The heater core 30 is accommodated in a substantially horizontal state on the left side of the lower end of the upper case 11. An air mix door 32 is disposed in a passage 33 between the heater core 30 and the side wall portion 14, and one end of the air mix door 32 is pivotally supported on the side wall portion 14. An air mix door 35 is pivotally supported in a passage 36 below (upstream side) of the heater core 30 so as to be rotatable. A link mechanism 40 for interlocking the defroster door 20, the face door 22 and the foot door 24 in a predetermined relationship and a supply / drain pipe 42 for supplying cooling water to the heater core 30 are disposed on the end wall portion 15. An upper unit 45 is configured by the upper case 11 and the heater core 30.

  The lower case 50 having a substantially constant height throughout has a lower wall portion 51, a pair of side wall portions 52 and 53, and a pair of end wall portions, and an upper end is opened. One end (left end) of the evaporator 55 accommodated therein is supported by the side wall 51 and is in an inclined state. The lower unit 58 includes the lower case 50 and the evaporator 55.

  The lower unit 58 is detachably attached to a part of the vehicle body (for example, a floor panel) 70 by a mounting bracket 60 separate from the lower case 50. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the floor surface 71 and the wall surface 72 of the floor panel 70 define a mounting space 73, and stud bolts 75 are erected on the wall surface 72 in the lateral direction. The height of the mounting space 73 is low on the wall 72 side (right side) and high on the opposite side (left side).

  A longitudinal mounting bracket 60 disposed vertically in the mounting space 73 is formed with a through hole (not shown) at one end (upper end) 61, and a lower case is formed by a bolt and a nut (not shown) penetrating therethrough. The lower wall portion 51 and the side wall portion 53 of the 50 are detachably attached to the lower corner portion 54a. A stud bolt 75 passes through a through hole (not shown) formed in the other end (lower end) 63 of the mounting bracket 60 and is tightened by a nut 76.

(Function)
The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

a. Defroster mode In the defroster mode, the air mix doors 35 and 32 are rotated to the neutral position. The defroster door 20 is rotated to open the defroster outlet 16, and the face door 22 and foot door 24 are rotated to close the face outlet 17 and foot outlet 18. The taken-in outside air is removed by the evaporator 55 and then blown out from the defroster outlet 16 toward the window, and the generated hot air is blown out from the defroster outlet 16 toward the window through the heater core 30. Prevents fogging of the wind with a mixture of cold and warm air with low humidity.

b. Cooling (Face) Mode In the face mode, the air mix door 35 is rotated most clockwise and the air mix door 32 is rotated most counterclockwise. The face door 22 is rotated to open the face outlet 17. The defroster door 20 and the foot door 24 are rotated to close the defroster outlet 16 and the foot outlet 18. The cool air generated by the evaporator 55 is blown out from the face outlet 17 toward the upper body of the occupant to give a cool feeling.

c. Heating (foot) mode In the foot mode, the air mix door 35 is rotated most counterclockwise, and the air mix door 32 is rotated most clockwise. The foot door 24 is rotated to open the foot outlet 18. The defroster outlet 16 is closed by a defroster door 20, and the face outlet 17 is closed by a face door 22. Thus, the warm air generated by the heater core 30 is blown out from the foot outlet 18 toward the lower body of the occupant to give a warm feeling.

d. Replacement and Maintenance of Evaporator When replacing the evaporator 55, first, a clip member (not shown) between the upper unit 45 and the lower unit 58 is removed, and the lower unit 58 is made free with respect to the upper unit 45. . Next, the nut that fastens the upper end 61 of the mounting bracket 60 is loosened, the bolt is removed, and the upper end 61 is removed from the lower case 50. Thereafter or in parallel with the removal of the upper end 61, the nut is loosened, and the lower end 63 is removed from the stud bolt 75. Thus, the mounting bracket 60 is first removed and removed.

  By removing the mounting bracket 60, the lower unit 58 containing the evaporator 55 can move downward in the mounting space 73, and the lower unit 58 is separated from the upper unit 45 by this downward movement. Thereafter, if necessary, the lower side portion 58b is rotated slightly around the lower side corner portion 54b to bring the entire lower unit 58 into a substantially horizontal state, and then the side portion (leftward) ).

  The old evaporator 55 is taken out from the lower case 50 thus taken out of the vehicle, and a new evaporator 55 is mounted on the lower case 50. Thereafter, the lower unit 58 is attached to the floor panel 70 by a procedure opposite to that described above.

(effect)
According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. First, the lower unit 58 can be easily detached from the floor panel 70 and attached to the floor panel 70 when the evaporator 55 is replaced. This is because the lower unit 58 is lowered downward at the maximum until the lower surface of the lower case 50 contacts the floor surface 71. This is because the mounting bracket 60 is configured to be detachable from both the lower unit 58 and the floor panel 70.

  Also, in this embodiment, when the inclined lower unit 58 is separated from the upper unit 45, the corner portion 54b located above the corner portion 54a located below after the lowering or in parallel with the lowering is provided. The lower unit 58 can be taken out and attached more easily. Thereby, even when the stud bolt 75 is erected in the lateral direction in advance on the wall surface 72, the lower unit 58 can be easily removed.

  Further, since the upper unit 45 is fixed to the vehicle body and the lower unit 58 is also fixed to the floor panel 70 by the mounting bracket 60, the air conditioner is stable without being displaced even when vibration is applied. .

<Modification>
In the said Example, although the evaporator was accommodated in the lower case which makes a lower unit, the Example of this invention is not limited to such an aspect. For example, the evaporator 55 may be accommodated in the upper case 11 of the upper unit 45, and the lower unit 58 including the lower case 50 in which the evaporator 55 is not accommodated may be coupled to the upper unit 45.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the Example (vehicle air conditioner) of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is principal part explanatory drawing of a comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

11: Upper case 30: Heater core 45: Upper unit 50: Lower case 55: Evaporator 58: Lower unit 60: Mounting member 61: One end 63: Other end 73: Part of the vehicle body 73: Mounting space

Claims (3)

An upper unit (45) in which a heater core (30) is housed in an upper case (11) having an open lower end;
A lower unit (58) having an upper end opened, and a lower unit (58) separable and separable from the upper case;
Separate from the lower case, one end (61) of the lower case is detachably fastened to the lower case, and the other end (63) is detachably fastened to a part of the vehicle body (70). An attachment member (60) fixed to a part of
A mounting space (73) is formed between the lower unit and a part of the vehicle body,
One end of the attachment member is removed from the lower case, the other end is removed from a part of the vehicle body, the lower unit is lowered downward in the attachment space, and separated from the upper unit. .   The lower unit further includes an evaporator (55) accommodated in the lower case, and is coupled to the upper unit in an inclined state with respect to a horizontal direction, and one end of the mounting member is a lower corner of the lower case The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle air conditioner is attached to (54a) and rotates the lower unit around the corner during separation.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the attachment member is fastened with a nut to a bolt (75) standing on a side wall defining the attachment space and extending in the lateral direction.

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