JP2006240573A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently dehumidify without requiring the large energy. <P>SOLUTION: A moisture absorption rotor 22 is rotatably disposed astride an air introduction passage 10 for introducing the air into a cabin and a regeneration passage 30 for discharging the air to the outside of the vehicle. An absorbent material is applied to the surface of the moisture absorption rotor 22, and the air can pass through. The air introduced into the air introduction passage 10 by a first fan 21 is dehumidified when it passes through the moisture absorption rotor 22, and then it is introduced in the cabin after it is made to be appropriate temperature passing through a heat exchanger 23 for cooling and a heat exchanger 24 for heating. The air introduced into the regeneration passage 30 by a second fan 31 is heated through the heat exchanger 32 for heating, and then it is discharged to the outside of the vehicle after the absorbed moisture is deprived when it passes through the moisture absorption rotor 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

  In a vehicle air conditioner, particularly an automobile air conditioner, outside air is introduced into the passenger compartment by a fan disposed in the air introduction path. A cooler for cooling and a heater for heating on the downstream side of the cooling cooler are arranged, and the air at the proper temperature is blown out into the vehicle interior by changing the ratio of the air passing through the cooler through the heater. I am doing so. For cooling, conventionally, a heat pump type equipped with a compressor for refrigerant compression driven by an engine is used, and the cooler disposed in the air introduction path passes through the expansion valve. It is comprised by the condenser (heat exchanger for cooling) which performs heat exchange between the wet steam and air. The heater for heating is generally composed of a heat exchanger in which engine coolant is circulated.

  By the way, it is desirable to sufficiently perform dehumidification in a humid season, for example, the rainy season in Japan, without changing the temperature so much (because the temperature itself is almost a comfortable temperature). For this dehumidification, conventionally, it is necessary to dehumidify the outside air whose relative humidity is close to 100% to a comfortable humidity (for example, around 50% relative humidity) that is comfortable for the passenger. In this case, in order to dehumidify to a comfortable humidity using a conventional heat pump type cooling device, the outside air is once cooled sufficiently so that the absolute humidity is greatly reduced (with an absolute humidity equivalent to the comfortable humidity). After cooling to dew point temperature), it is necessary to warm it up with a heater and return it to the original comfortable temperature. Thus, in order to dehumidify to a comfortable humidity using a conventional heat pump type cooling device, it is necessary to supercool once to a temperature sufficiently lower than the comfortable temperature. This supercooling is accompanied by condensation for liquefying water vapor in the air, so that energy consumption is extremely high. In addition to this, energy for heating the supercooled air to a comfortable temperature is also required. Is required.

Here, in Patent Document 1, air for dehumidification using a hygroscopic material is introduced into a room for general house, and the air after dehumidification is further air-conditioned by an air conditioner separately provided in the room. Such a system is disclosed. In Patent Document 1, a moisture absorption rotor (also referred to as a desiccant rotor) through which moisture is applied to the surface and through which air can pass is discharged from an outside air introduction path for introducing outside air and indoor air to the outside. It arrange | positions so that it may straddle over a path, and the part located in an external air introduction path and a discharge path is changed sequentially according to the rotation of a moisture absorption rotor. A regeneration heater is provided upstream of the moisture absorption rotor in the discharge path, and the air heated by the regeneration heater passes through the moisture absorption rotor, thereby regenerating the moisture absorption rotor. Is supposed to do. However, the thing of patent document 1 presupposes what has the separate air-conditioning apparatus which cools and heats indoors, and cannot apply as it is for vehicles use as it is.
JP-A-5-301014

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that uses a hygroscopic material so that sufficient dehumidification can be performed without requiring large energy. There is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the following solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 1 in the claims,
One end is opened outside the vehicle as an air intake and the other end is opened as an air outlet in the vehicle interior, and an air introduction path for introducing outside air into the vehicle interior;
One end is opened as an air intake to the inside or outside of the vehicle, and the other end is opened to the outside as an air discharge port.
A hygroscopic material is applied to the surface and air is allowed to pass through, and is disposed so as to be able to rotate across the air introduction path and the regeneration path, and is positioned in the air introduction path and the regeneration path according to the rotation. A hygroscopic rotor in which the parts to be changed are sequentially changed,
A cooler that is disposed on the downstream side of the moisture absorption rotor in the air introduction path, and cools the air after being dehumidified by the moisture absorption rotor;
A regeneration heater disposed on the upstream side of the moisture absorption rotor in the regeneration path, for heating air for regeneration of the moisture absorption rotor;
For air cooling, which is disposed between the moisture absorption rotor and the cooler in the air introduction path, and exchanges heat between the air heated by passing through the moisture absorption rotor and the air outside or inside the vehicle. A heat exchanger,
It is supposed to be equipped with.

  According to the above solution, the air introduced into the vehicle interior is sufficiently dehumidified when passing through the hygroscopic rotor, and the vehicle interior can be maintained at a comfortable humidity. In addition, the temperature of the air that has passed through the hygroscopic rotor is increased not a little, but the air whose temperature has been increased is then cooled by a cooler, and is introduced into the vehicle interior at an appropriate temperature. And since it is not necessary to supercool the air for dehumidification (since it does not require large energy for condensation), energy consumption for dehumidification can be reduced. Furthermore, the heated air after passing through the hygroscopic rotor is cooled in advance by the air-cooling heat exchanger using the cool air inside or outside the vehicle before being cooled by the cooler. The burden of is also small. In order to cool the air whose temperature has risen after passing through the hygroscopic rotor, energy for operating the cooler is required, and heating of the air by the regeneration heater that is performed for regenerating the hygroscopic rotor is also necessary. However, the temperature change in this case may be a sensible heat temperature change, and before the cooling by the cooler, cooling using the air inside or outside the vehicle as a cold source is performed in advance. Energy consumption can be greatly reduced as compared with the prior art.

A preferred mode based on the above solution is as described in claim 2 and the following claims. That is,
An air cooling path having one end opened as an air intake opening in the vehicle interior or exterior and the other end opened as an air discharge opening,
The air-cooling heat exchanger is a rotary type, and is disposed so as to be able to rotate across the air introduction path and the air cooling path, and is located in the air introduction path and the air cooling path according to the rotation. Are changed sequentially,
(Claim 2). In this case, the heated air immediately after passing through the moisture-absorbing rotor is cooled by exchanging heat with the cold air inside or outside the vehicle flowing through the air-cooling path through the air-cooling heat exchanger. Can do. This heat exchange requires only a small amount of energy to rotate the air-cooling heat exchanger.

  The air inlets of the air introduction path and the air cooling path are made common, and air can be taken into the air introduction path and the air cooling path by one common fan ( Corresponding to claim 3). In this case, it is preferable to reduce the number of fans forming the air flow as much as possible. In particular, since the volume occupied by the fan becomes considerably large, it is preferable to arrange the air conditioner in a narrow instrument panel.

  The air inlets of the air introduction path, the regeneration path, and the air cooling path are made common to each other, and air is taken into the air introduction path, the regeneration path, and the air cooling path by a common fan. (Claim 4). In this case, the effect corresponding to claim 3 can be obtained more sufficiently.

The regeneration path and the air cooling path are configured as a common path,
In the regeneration path, on the upstream side of the regeneration heater, a part of the rotary air cooling heat exchanger is disposed,
(Corresponding to claim 5). In this case, the air cooling path is shared by the regeneration path, which is preferable in reducing the volume occupied by the air conditioning path as much as possible. In addition, since the air is heated in advance by the air-cooling heat exchanger before the air is heated by the regeneration heater, the burden on the regeneration heater can be reduced.

The air introduction path and the regeneration path are arranged in parallel with each other over the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor and the vicinity of the air cooling heat exchanger,
In the vicinity of the moisture-absorbing rotor and the air-cooling heat exchanger, the air flow in the air introduction path and the air flow in the regeneration path are set to be in opposite directions.
(Corresponding to claim 6). In this case, the air introduction path and the regeneration path are arranged in parallel and close to each other over the air-cooling heat exchanger from the vicinity of the moisture-absorbing rotor, which is preferable as an arrangement mode in a narrow instrument panel. Further, it is preferable to dispose the moisture absorption rotor and the air-cooling heat exchanger across the air introduction path and the regeneration path without unnecessarily increasing the diameter. Further, for the hygroscopic rotor, the air flows in the air introduction path and the regeneration path are opposite to each other, which is preferable for effective moisture absorption and regeneration.

  A partition defining the air introduction path and the regeneration path from the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor to the vicinity of the air cooling heat exchanger constitutes a part of the air introduction path and a part of the regeneration path. Can be configured as a common wall (corresponding to claim 7). In this case, it is preferable to minimize the space occupied by the air introduction path and the regeneration path.

  A partition partitioning the air introduction path and the regeneration path from the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor to the vicinity of the air-cooling heat exchanger constitutes a part of the air introduction path and a part of the regeneration path. The partition wall defining the air introduction path and the air cooling path forms a part of the air introduction path and also a part of the air cooling path. It can be made to be a wall (corresponding to claim 8). In this case, it is preferable to minimize the space occupied by the air introduction path, the regeneration path, and the air cooling path.

  The regeneration heater may be a heating heat exchanger in which engine coolant is circulated (corresponding to claim 9). In this case, it is possible to regenerate the hygroscopic rotor by effectively utilizing the waste heat of the engine that has been wasted.

  The cooler may be a cooling heat exchanger in which a refrigerant cooled by an electric refrigerator is circulated (corresponding to claim 10). In this case, dehumidification and cooling can be performed even when the engine is stopped, for example, at an idle stop. It is also preferable for optimally performing the air cooling degree regardless of the operating state of the engine.

  A heating heat exchanger for heating the air by circulating the engine cooling water in the downstream side of the cooler in the air introduction path may be arranged. Correspondence). In this case, even when the outside air temperature is low and the air temperature rise by the hygroscopic rotor is insufficient, the exhaust heat of the engine can be effectively used to warm the air more sufficiently.

In the air introduction path, on the upstream side of the moisture-absorbing rotor, an air intake port for taking in the air in the passenger compartment is formed.
As the air introduced into the air introduction path, a switching damper that selectively switches between outside air and inside air is provided,
(Corresponding to claim 12). In this case, dehumidification using the hygroscopic rotor can be performed both when the inside air is circulated and when the outside air is introduced. In particular, during the inside air circulation, the humid air generated by the breathing of the occupant can be hygienically dehumidified by the moisture absorption rotor.

  According to the present invention, sufficient dehumidification can be performed without requiring large energy. In particular, the heated air generated by passing through the hygroscopic rotor is cooled by effectively using the cold air inside or outside the vehicle as a cold heat source, which is extremely preferable in terms of energy reduction.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes an air introduction path, which is configured by connecting a plurality of ducts, and is arranged in the instrument panel 1 as described later, except for its end. Yes. One end of the air introduction path 10 is an air intake 10a opened to the outside of the vehicle. The air intake port 10a can be positioned so as to open to a cowl box located at the boundary between the windshield and the hood that covers the engine room, for example, as in the prior art (FIGS. 2 and 6). reference). In the air introduction path 10, an air mix chamber 11 is formed in an intermediate portion thereof, more specifically in a substantially intermediate portion in the vehicle width direction. The air introduction path 10 is branched into a plurality of branch passages 12 to 15 on the downstream side of the air mix chamber 11, and each branch passage 12 to 15 is left as a single branch or further into a plurality of branches. The air outlets 12a to 15a and 15b are opened at appropriate positions in the passenger compartment. The air outlets 12 a to 15 a and 15 b are the other ends of the air introduction path 10.

  The air outlet 12a is opened rearward at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 1, and the air outlet 13a is opened rearward at each end in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 1. The air outlet 14a is opened at a position (low position) corresponding to a passenger's foot in the passenger compartment. The air outlet 15a is opened upward at the front end of the instrument panel 1 (for a front window glass defroster), and the air outlet 15b is slightly rearward of the end of the instrument panel 3 in the vehicle width direction. Opened to face (for side window glass defroster). In each of the branch passages 12 to 15, switching dampers 12c to 15c for mode switching are disposed as is known.

  In the air introduction path 10, on the upstream side of the air mix chamber 11, sequentially from the air intake 10 a side to the downstream side, the first fan 21, a part of the moisture absorption rotor 22, a part of the air cooling heat exchanger 35, A cooling heat exchanger 23 serving as a cooler and a heating heat exchanger 24 serving as a heater are provided. By operating the first fan 21, outside air is introduced into the air introduction path 10 from the air intake port 10 a and passes through the air mix chamber 11, and then appropriately from the air outlets 12 a to 15 a and 15 b. Will be introduced. A switching damper 25 is disposed between the cooling heat exchanger 23 and the heating heater 24. In response to the change of the switching position of the switching damper 25, the air that has passed through the cooling heat exchanger 23 bypasses the heating heat exchanger 24 and is introduced into the air mix chamber 11, and the heating heat exchange The state of being introduced into the air mix chamber 11 through the heater 24 is switched, and the ratio between the amount of passage of the heat exchanger 24 for heating and the amount of bypass is also switched continuously or stepwise. A switching damper 26 is disposed between the heating heat exchanger 24 and the air mix chamber 11, and when heating by the heating heat exchanger 24 is unnecessary, the heating heat exchanger 24 and Communication with the air mix chamber 11 is blocked. Since each switching damper 25, 26 has only the same function as the conventional one, further explanation is omitted.

  In the air introduction path 10, a circulation air inlet 27 is formed on the upstream side of the first fan 21. The circulation air inlet 27 opens into the vehicle interior. The air inlet 27 is opened and closed by the switching damper 28. It has become. That is, when the air intake 27 is closed by the switching damper 28, only the outside air is introduced into the air introduction path 10, and when the air intake 27 is opened by the switching damper 28, only the air in the passenger compartment is the air introduction path. 10 is introduced.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 30 denotes a regeneration path, which is configured by connecting a plurality of ducts. Most of the regeneration path 30 is also disposed in the instrument panel 1 except for its end. The regeneration path 30 has one end opened to the vehicle interior as an air intake 30a and the other end opened to the outside as an air exhaust 30b. The air outlet 30b can be opened in the cowl box as shown in FIG. 2, but is preferably set at a position away from the air inlet 10a. In the regeneration path 30, the second fan 31, the other part of the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 described above, and the heating heat exchanger as a regeneration heater are sequentially arranged from the air inlet 30 a side to the air outlet 30 b side. 32, the other portion of the hygroscopic rotor 32 is disposed. By operating the second fan 31, the air in the passenger compartment is introduced into the regeneration path 30 from the air intake 30 a and passes through the air-cooling heat exchanger 35, the heating heat exchanger 32, and the moisture-absorbing rotor 22. After that, the air is discharged from the air outlet 30b to the outside of the vehicle. The regeneration path 30 as described above also serves as an air cooling path for cooling the heated air immediately after passing through the moisture absorption rotor 22 using the air cooling heat exchanger 35, as will be described later. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the moisture absorption rotor 22 has a cylindrical outer periphery, and has a large number of small holes and a large surface area so that air can pass therethrough. Then, a hygroscopic material (for example, silica gel) is applied to the surface, more specifically, the entire surface serving as an air passage portion. The moisture absorption rotor 22 is held across the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30 so as to be rotatable about the center thereof, and the rotation axis of the moisture absorption rotor 22 is indicated by a symbol α. More specifically, in the vicinity of the hygroscopic rotor 22, the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30 are defined by the common partition wall 16, and a part of the common partition wall 16 is partially thickened. Both ends of the rotating shaft 22a integrated with the moisture absorption rotor 22 are rotatably held by the configured holding portion 16a.

  The moisture absorption rotor 22 is rotationally driven by an electric motor 33. The rotational drive of the moisture absorption rotor 22 by the electric motor 33 can be performed by using, for example, a frictional force generated by pressing a roller 34 made of an elastic member fixed to the drive shaft of the electric motor 33 against the outer surface of the moisture absorption rotor 22. . In addition, an appropriate drive transmission mechanism such as a belt wound around the outer peripheral surface of the moisture absorption rotor 22 may be driven by the electric motor 33 and further driven using gears. Such an electric motor 33 may be disposed either inside or outside each path 10, 30. A part of the hygroscopic rotor 22 can be partially exposed to the outside of each path 10 or 30, and the driving force from the electric motor 33 can be transmitted to the exposed part to the outside. In addition, the rotation speed of the moisture absorption rotor 22 driven by the electric motor 33 is set to be slow, for example, about 1 to 2 rpm.

  The overall shape of the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 can be formed in the same manner as the moisture-absorbing rotor 22 as shown in FIG. 3, for example, and many small holes are opened so that air can pass through. , Formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity (for example, a metal mainly composed of copper). Since the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is rotatably held and rotationally driven in the same manner as in the case of the moisture-absorbing rotor 22 described above, a duplicate description thereof is omitted. The rotational speed of the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is set to a rotational speed as small as the rotational speed of the hygroscopic rotor 22.

  The air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is heated in contact with the air heated by passing through the moisture-absorbing rotor 22 in the portion located in the air introduction path 10 while being located in the regeneration path 30. In the part, it is cooled by being brought into contact with cold air called cabin air. As the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is rotated, the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is sequentially changed between a portion located in the air introduction path 10 and a portion located in the regeneration path 30. In the air introduction path 10, the air that has passed through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is continuously cooled, and in the regeneration path 30, the air immediately before passing through the heating heat exchanger 32 is continuously heated.

  In the configuration as described above, when the first fan 21 is operated with the air intake 27 closed, the outside air is introduced into the air introduction path 10 from the air intake 10a, and finally each air outlet. It will be in the external air introduction | transduction state into which external air is introduce | transduced into a vehicle interior from 12a-15a, 15b. Further, when the first fan 21 is operated with the air intake 27 opened, the air in the vehicle compartment is introduced into the air introduction path 10 from the air intake 27 and finally the air outlets 12a to 12a. It will be in the state of the inside air circulation from which air circulates from 15a, 15b to a vehicle interior.

  When the air introduced into the air introduction path 10 passes through the hygroscopic rotor 22, it is dehumidified. In this dehumidification, energy is not specifically consumed, but due to the dehumidification, the air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is heated not a little. If the heated air is at an appropriate temperature, the air that has been heated and passed through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is introduced into the air mix chamber 11 without particularly performing heat exchange in the heat exchangers 23 and 24. Finally, it will be introduced into the passenger compartment.

  When the temperature of the air immediately after passing through the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is too high, the cooling heat exchanger 23 is operated to cool to an appropriate temperature, and this cooled air is finally supplied from the air mix chamber 11. Is introduced into the passenger compartment. In this case, the heated air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is cooled in advance by the air-cooling heat exchanger 35, and the burden on the cooling heat exchanger 23 is reduced. When the temperature of the air after passing through the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is too low, the cooling heat exchanger 23 is stopped and the heating heat exchanger 24 is activated so that the air is heated. After being heated to an appropriate temperature by the heat exchanger 24, it is finally introduced into the vehicle compartment through the air mix chamber 11.

  The portion of the moisture absorption rotor 22 positioned in the air introduction path 10 is positioned in the regeneration path 30 according to the rotation thereof. In the regeneration path 30, the air in the vehicle compartment is introduced into the regeneration path 30 by the operation of the second fan 31 and heated by the heating heat exchanger 32. Before the heating by the heating heat exchanger 32, the air is heated in advance by the air cooling heat exchanger 35, and the heating effect in the heating heat exchanger 32 is promoted. When the heated air passes through the hygroscopic rotor 22, the hygroscopic rotor 22 takes away moisture absorbed by the air introduction path 10 and is finally discharged out of the vehicle. The portion of the moisture absorption rotor 22 that has been regenerated by removing moisture by the regeneration path 30 is eventually positioned in the air introduction path 10 due to its rotation, and is dehumidified again. As described above, when the moisture absorption rotor 22 rotates, the moisture absorption rotor 22 is alternately positioned in the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30, so that moisture absorption and regeneration are performed simultaneously. When dehumidification is not required, the rotation of the hygroscopic rotor 22 and the air cooling heat exchanger 35 may be stopped, and the second fan 31 and the heating heat exchanger 32 may be stopped. However, in order to prevent the occurrence of mold and the like, the rotation of the moisture absorption rotor 22 for simultaneously performing the above-described dehumidification and regeneration may be performed periodically or irregularly (the heat exchanger 32 for heating is used during regeneration). Activated).

  Next, the use of the heat medium in each of the heat exchangers 23, 24, and 32, the cooling of the cool box provided in the passenger compartment, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the heat exchangers 24 and 32 that heat the air perform heat exchange between the cooling water and the air that have become high temperature by circulating the engine cooling water. That is, the engine cooling water is circulated by the pump 41 driven by the engine 40, but the high-temperature cooling water discharged from the engine 1 is introduced into the passage 42. The passage 42 is branched into two branch passages 43, 44, one branch passage 43 is connected to the heating heat exchanger 24, while the other branch passage 44 is used for regeneration. 32. The cooling water introduced into the heating heat exchanger 24 undergoes heat exchange with the air flowing through the air introduction path 10 while flowing through the heating heat exchanger 24, and then passes through the passages 45 and 46. After that, it is returned to the suction port of the pump 41. The cooling water introduced into the heating heat exchanger 32 undergoes heat exchange with the air flowing through the regeneration path 30 while flowing through the heating heat exchanger 32, and then the passage 47, 46 is returned to the suction port of the pump 41. An on-off valve 48 or 49 is connected to the passages 43 and 44, and the on-off valve 48 or 49 is closed when it is not necessary to heat the air using engine cooling water.

  The cooling water discharged from the engine 40 is switched by the thermostat valve 50 between a state in which it flows through the radiator 51 and a state in which it flows in the bypass passage 52 that bypasses the radiator 51. That is, when the cooling water reaches a predetermined temperature or more, the cooling water from the engine 40 is guided from the thermostat valve 51 to the passage 53 to which the radiator 51 is connected, and is radiated while flowing through the radiator 51, and then the pump 41 It is returned to the suction port. When the cooling water is lower than the predetermined temperature, the cooling water flows from the thermostat valve 50 through the bypass passage 52 and is returned to the suction port of the pump 41.

  The cooling heat exchanger 23 cools the air by using a refrigerant (brine-antifreeze) stored in the cooling basket 60. That is, on the floor panel 2, a cooling rod 60 is disposed below the passenger seat 3, and the refrigerant in the cooling rod 60 is cooled by the electric refrigerator 61. As the refrigerator 61, for example, a commercially available Stirling refrigerator can be used. The cooled refrigerant stored in the cooling rod 60 is supplied to the cooling heat exchanger 23 via the passage 63 by the pump 62 and flows through the air introduction path 10 while flowing in the cooling device heat exchanger 23. After heat exchange with the air, the air is returned to the cooling rod 60 through the passage 64.

  A cold box 65 is formed in the console box 5 disposed between the passenger seat 2 and the driver seat 4. That is, the periphery of the cool box 65, which is a drink box in which two drink cans are placed, is insulated by the heat insulating material, and the refrigerant circulates inside the heat insulating box and around the cool box 65. . That is, the branch passage 63a branched from the passage 63 serving as the refrigerant supply passage and the branch passage 64a branched from the passage 64 serving as the refrigerant return passage are connected to the cold box 65, respectively. Thus, the refrigerant supplied from the cooling basket 60 to the passage 63 is supplied from the branch passage 63a to the cold insulation box 65 to cool the cold insulation box 65, and then returned to the cooling basket 60 through the branch passage 64a and the passage 64. become. An adjusting valve 66 is connected to the branch passage 63a, and the adjusting valve 66 is closed when it is not necessary to cool the cold box 65.

  The electric refrigerator 61 that cools the cooling basket 60 described above is driven by a battery 70, and the battery 70 is charged by an alternator 71 driven by the engine 40 as known (battery 70). (See also FIG. 2 for the alternator 71). Because the refrigerant in the cooling basket 60 is cooled by the electric refrigerator 61, the refrigerator 61 can cool the engine 40 even when the engine 40 is stopped. Therefore, even when the engine 40 is stopped, Dehumidification and cooling can be performed, and the cooling box 65 can be cooled.

  The cooling rod 60 is fixed to the floor panel 2 but is positioned immediately behind the cross member 67 extending in the vehicle width direction below the front end of the passenger seat 3. A bracket 68 to which a slide rail for the passenger seat 3 is fixed is positioned near each end in the vehicle width direction in the rear end of the cooling rod 60. As described above, the cooling rod 60 is disposed in a space portion excellent in strength surrounded by the cross member 67 and bracket 68 excellent in strength. In addition, the upper side of the cooling rod 60 is covered with the passenger seat 3, which is a preferable arrangement for avoiding direct sunlight and the like (the passenger seat 3 functions as a heat insulating material).

  Here, the advantage of dehumidification using the moisture absorption rotor 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 in comparison with the conventional case of dehumidification using a heat pump type cooling device. First, the unpleasant area A as represented by the rainy season is a state in which the temperature is in the range of approximately 20 degrees C to 25 degrees C and the relative humidity is approximately 100%. On the other hand, the comfortable area B is the same as the unpleasant area A in that the temperature is in the range of approximately 20 degrees C to 25 degrees C. However, the relative humidity is approximately 50%, and the relative humidity is uncomfortable area. It is assumed to be sufficiently smaller than A. Conventionally, in order to shift from the uncomfortable area A to the comfortable area B, first, the air in the passenger compartment is cooled to the dew point temperature (β1 to β2). Thereafter, the vehicle interior temperature is decreased so as to always maintain the dew point temperature, and the vehicle interior temperature is decreased so that the absolute humidity becomes the same value as the absolute humidity in the comfort region B (β2 to β3). Thereafter, the air is heated so that the vehicle interior temperature returns to substantially the same temperature as when β1 (β3 to β4). As described above, the energy due to the passage of β1 → β2 → β3 → β4 becomes considerably large. In particular, the transition from β2 to β3 requires extremely large energy because it cools while condensing and releasing latent heat.

  On the other hand, when performing dehumidification using the hygroscopic rotor 22, the humidity itself only needs to pass the air through the hygroscopic rotor 22, and the energy itself for dehumidification is at a level that can be considered to be substantially zero. . However, since air is heated due to dehumidification, cooling energy required to return the heated air to the original temperature (temperature at β4) is required (cooling heat exchanger). This cooling can be achieved by lowering the temperature at the sensible heat level, so that the energy for cooling is not so great. In addition to this, since the cooling by the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is performed in advance using the cold air outside or inside the vehicle as a cooling source before cooling by the cooling heat exchanger 23, the energy for cooling is It will be even smaller. In order to use the moisture absorption rotor 22 continuously for a long time, energy is required to regenerate, that is, to release the moisture absorbed by dehumidification. This energy is obtained by effectively using the high heat of the engine cooling water. There is no need to separately generate energy for regeneration, and the energy can be substantially zero. Thus, by performing dehumidification using the hygroscopic rotor 22, energy required for dehumidification can be sufficiently reduced.

  FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and the same components as those of the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted (this also applies to the following other embodiments). ). In this embodiment, in addition to the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30, an air cooling path 36 is separately provided. The air cooling path 36 has an air outlet 36b opened outside the vehicle. The three paths 10, 30, and 35 are configured as one common air intake 37 having a common air intake. In other words, the air intake port 10 a of the air introduction path 10 also serves as the common air intake port 37. A common path 38 is formed from the common air inlet 37 to the downstream side over a predetermined length, and is branched into the three paths 10, 30, and 35 on the downstream side of the common path 38. In addition, an air intake 27 for circulating the inside air is opened in the common path 38, and one common fan 39 used for common to the three paths is disposed.

  A part of the rotary air-cooling heat exchanger 35 is disposed between the hygroscopic rotor 22 and the cooler 23 in the air introduction path 10, and the other part is disposed in the cold-air passage 36. It is arranged. Since the cooling air passage 36 is provided separately, the air cooling heat exchanger 35 is not disposed in the regeneration path 30 unlike the above embodiment. By operating the common fan 39, the air outside the vehicle or in the vehicle interior is discharged from the air discharge port 36 b through the cool air passage 36 to the outside of the vehicle. Heat exchange is performed between the air outside the vehicle or the passenger compartment passing through the cold air passage 36 and the heated air immediately after passing through the moisture absorption rotor 22 in the air introduction path 10 via the air cooling heat exchanger 35. As a result, the heated air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is cooled.

  Between the vicinity of the hygroscopic rotor 22 and the vicinity of the air-cooling heat exchanger 35, the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30 are partitioned by a common partition wall 16 (same as in the above embodiment), The air introduction path 10 and the air cooling path 36 are also partitioned by a common partition wall 17. Thus, it is preferable to dispose each path in the narrow instrument panel 1 by minimizing the cross-section of the path by using the partition walls constituting a certain path as well as partition walls of other paths. Become. In the present embodiment, since there is one common fan 39, the degree of moisture absorption by the moisture absorption rotor 22 and the degree of regeneration are substantially determined only by setting the cross-sectional areas of the respective paths 10, 30, and 35 (setting the passage resistance). It is also possible to appropriately balance the degree of cooling of the heated air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22.

  FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the air introduction path 10 and the regeneration path 30 is the same as that of the embodiment of FIG. 1, but an air cooling heat exchanger 35B corresponding to the air cooling heat exchanger 35 is a rotary type. As a fixed type, it is arranged only in the air introduction path 10. The air-cooling heat exchanger 35B has a fine passage through which air for air-cooling is formed, and the air flowing through the air introduction path 10 passes therethrough (a kind of radiator). The air-cooling heat exchanger 35B is connected to a supply passage 55 for supplying air-cooling air from the outside of the vehicle or the vehicle interior and a discharge passage 56 for discharging the air-cooling air to the outside of the vehicle. Connected to the supply passage 55 are a switching valve 57 for selectively switching between intake of outside air and vehicle interior air, and a small compressor 58 for pumping air cooling air to the air cooling heat exchanger 35B. In the present embodiment, the heated air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22 is cooled by the air outside or inside the vehicle that is pumped to the air-cooling heat exchanger 35B.

  As a modification of FIG. 10, the air-cooling heat exchanger 35 </ b> B can be substantially constituted by a heat pipe (one end portion thereof). That is, one end of the heat pipe may be disposed in the air introduction path 10 as the air-cooling heat exchanger 35B shown in FIG. 10, and the other end may be disposed in the vehicle interior or exterior. As a result, the heated air immediately after passing through the hygroscopic rotor 22 and the cold air outside the vehicle or in the vehicle interior are efficiently heat-exchanged via the heat pipe, and a fan is used for this heat exchange. It does not require energy for driving. As is well known, a heat pipe is a sealed container (for example, made of copper and not limited to a pipe shape) that is evacuated and has excellent thermal conductivity. Heat is exchanged between both ends, and in order to smoothly return the heat medium, a wick (a member that returns the heat medium using a capillary phenomenon) is often provided inside. At each end, the heat exchange between the heat medium and the external air surrounding it is a heat exchange using latent heat, and the transmission speed of the heat medium in the heat pipe is extremely fast. Can be done effectively.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the scope of claims. For example, the invention includes the following cases. . The air intake path 10 and the air cooling path 35 may be shared, and the fans of the two paths 10 and 35 may be configured as one common fan. In order to cool the refrigerant flowing through the cooling heat exchanger 23, a heat pump type cooling device generally used in a conventional vehicle may be used (in this case, the cooling rod 60 may be unnecessary), Alternatively, the refrigerator 61 may be driven by the engine 40. However, the use of the electric refrigerator 61 can perform dehumidification and cooling even when the engine 40 is stopped, and the operation state of the refrigerator 61 is optimal in accordance with the air condition in the passenger compartment regardless of the operation state of the engine 40. It is preferable because it can be controlled. The cooling rod 60 can be disposed under a seat other than the passenger seat 3, for example, below the driver's seat 4 and the rear seat, or can be disposed at a portion other than the lower portion of the seat. Of course, the object of the present invention is not limited to what is explicitly stated, but also implicitly includes providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as an advantage.

1 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, showing an air introduction path, a regeneration path, and an arrangement relationship of devices disposed therein; FIG. The partial cross-sectional simplified view which looked at the vehicle interior from upper direction. The perspective view which shows an example of a moisture absorption rotor with the motor for a drive. The plane sectional view showing the example of structure which holds a moisture absorption rotor so that rotation is possible. The system diagram which shows the example of the transmission path of the heat medium with respect to the heat exchanger etc. which were arrange | positioned at the air introduction path and the regeneration path. FIG. 2 is a simplified side cross-sectional view of a vehicle showing a relationship among an air introduction path, a regeneration path, a cooling rod, and a cold box. The simplified perspective view in the state which removed the sheet | seat which shows a cooling box, a cool box, and the air-conditioning path. The characteristic view for demonstrating the energy required for dehumidification by the conventional method. The principal part systematic diagram which shows another embodiment of this invention. The principal part systematic diagram which shows another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

α: Rotational axis of the hygroscopic rotor 1: Instrument panel 10: Air introduction path 10a: Air intake 12-12: Branch passages 12a-15a, 15b: Air outlet 16: Common partition (air introduction path and regeneration path Common wall)
17: Common partition wall (common wall for air introduction path and air cooling path)
21: First fan 22: Hygroscopic rotor 22a: Rotating shaft of the hygroscopic rotor 23: Heat exchanger for cooling 24: Heat exchanger for heating 27: Air intake (for indoor air circulation)
28: Switching damper (for switching between outside air introduction and inside air circulation)
30; Regeneration path 30a: Air intake port 30b: Air discharge port 31: Second fan 32: Heat exchanger for heating (for regenerating the hygroscopic rotor)
33: Electric motor (for rotationally driving the moisture-absorbing rotor)
35: Air-cooling heat exchanger 35B: Air-cooling heat exchanger 36: Air-cooling path 37: Common air inlet 38: Common path 39: Common fan 40: Engine 41: Pump (for engine coolant circulation)
51: Radiator (for cooling engine cooling water)
60: Cooling bowl 61: Refrigerator (electric type)

Claims (12)

One end is opened outside the vehicle as an air intake, the other end is opened as an air outlet in the vehicle interior, and an air introduction path for introducing outside air into the vehicle interior;
One end is opened as an air intake to the inside or outside of the vehicle, and the other end is opened to the outside as an air discharge port.
A hygroscopic material is applied to the surface and air is allowed to pass through, and is disposed so as to be able to rotate across the air introduction path and the regeneration path, and is positioned in the air introduction path and the regeneration path according to the rotation. A hygroscopic rotor in which the parts to be changed are sequentially changed,
A cooler that is disposed on the downstream side of the moisture absorption rotor in the air introduction path, and cools the air after being dehumidified by the moisture absorption rotor;
A regeneration heater disposed on the upstream side of the moisture absorption rotor in the regeneration path, for heating air for regeneration of the moisture absorption rotor;
For air cooling, which is disposed between the moisture absorption rotor and the cooler in the air introduction path, and exchanges heat between the air heated by passing through the moisture absorption rotor and the air outside or inside the vehicle. A heat exchanger,
A vehicle air conditioner characterized by comprising: In claim 1,
An air cooling path having one end opened as an air intake opening in the vehicle interior or exterior and the other end opened as an air discharge opening,
The air-cooling heat exchanger is a rotary type, and is disposed so as to be able to rotate across the air introduction path and the air cooling path, and is located in the air introduction path and the air cooling path according to the rotation. Are changed sequentially,
An air conditioner for a vehicle. In claim 2,
The vehicle is characterized in that the air inlets of the air introduction path and the air cooling path are made common, and air is taken into the air introduction path and the air cooling path by one common fan. Air conditioner. In claim 2,
The air inlets of the air introduction path, the regeneration path, and the air cooling path are made common to each other, and air is taken into the air introduction path, the regeneration path, and the air cooling path by a common fan. A vehicle air conditioner characterized by that. In claim 2,
The regeneration path and the air cooling path are configured as a common path,
In the regeneration path, on the upstream side of the regeneration heater, a part of the rotary air cooling heat exchanger is disposed,
An air conditioner for a vehicle. In claim 5,
The air introduction path and the regeneration path are arranged in parallel with each other over the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor and the vicinity of the air cooling heat exchanger,
In the vicinity of the moisture-absorbing rotor and the air-cooling heat exchanger, the air flow in the air introduction path and the air flow in the regeneration path are set to be in opposite directions.
An air conditioner for a vehicle. In claim 5 or claim 6,
A partition defining the air introduction path and the regeneration path from the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor to the vicinity of the air cooling heat exchanger constitutes a part of the air introduction path and a part of the regeneration path. A vehicle air conditioner characterized in that it is a common wall that also comprises In claim 4,
A partition partitioning the air introduction path and the regeneration path from the vicinity of the moisture absorption rotor to the vicinity of the air-cooling heat exchanger constitutes a part of the air introduction path and a part of the regeneration path. The partition wall defining the air introduction path and the air cooling path forms a part of the air introduction path and also a part of the air cooling path. A vehicle air conditioner characterized by being a wall.
A vehicle air conditioner characterized by that. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 8,
The vehicle air conditioner, wherein the regeneration heater is a heating heat exchanger in which engine coolant is circulated. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 9,
The vehicle air conditioner, wherein the cooler is a cooling heat exchanger in which a refrigerant cooled by an electric refrigerator is circulated. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 10,
A vehicle air conditioner characterized in that a heating heat exchanger for heating engine air by circulating engine cooling water is disposed downstream of the cooler in the air introduction path. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11,
In the air introduction path, on the upstream side of the moisture-absorbing rotor, an air intake port for taking in the air in the passenger compartment is formed.
As the air introduced into the air introduction path, a switching damper that selectively switches between outside air and inside air is provided,
An air conditioner for a vehicle.

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