JP2010089672A - Vehicular air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the invasion of water into a vehicle cabin even if water leakage occurs from a joint portion of divided cases. <P>SOLUTION: On a bottom portion 13a of an air-conditioning case 13, a drain port 19 and a drain passage 20 for draining water such as condensed water of an evaporator are provided on a left case 17 of the left case 17 and a right case 18 comprising the air-conditioning case 13. Under the joint portion 16 of the left case 17 and the right case 18, a water leading passage 30 receiving water dropping from the joint portion 16 and leading the water to the drain passage 20 is provided. At that time, walls 31b, 32b on a lower side of the drain passage 30 are configured as a part of the left case 17. Therefore, even if water leakage occurs from the joint portion 16, the leaked water is led to the drain passage 20 by the water leading passage 30 to drain to the outside of the vehicle cabin, so that the invasion of water into the vehicle cabin can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

  A conventional vehicle air conditioner has a drain outlet at the bottom of an air conditioning case that houses a cooling heat exchanger, and drains the water in the air conditioning case such as condensed water generated by the cooling heat exchanger. It discharges out of the passenger compartment from the mouth (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent water leakage from the joint between the inside / outside air switching box and the air conditioning case, a drain outlet is installed in the inside / outside air switching box. The structure which connects the drain outlet of the bottom part of a case with a hose is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-249907

  By the way, in a vehicle air conditioner configured by combining split cases divided in the left-right direction of the vehicle, as described below, water leaks from the connecting portion of the split case in the worst case, and the water leaks into the passenger compartment. Including the problem of dripping.

  FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle air conditioner having a configuration studied by the present inventors. FIG. 4 shows the bottom 13a of the air conditioning case.

  The air conditioning case shown in FIG. 4 is constituted by a combination of a left case 17 located on the left side when mounted on a vehicle and a right case 18 located on the right side, and a drain port 19 is provided in the left case 17. Here, even if the drain port 19 is provided in the bottom part 13a of the air conditioning case, if there is a gap in the coupling part 16 of both the cases 17 and 18, water will leak from the coupling part 16, so that it is shown in FIG. In the air conditioning case, a sealing means such as a packing 24 is interposed in the joint portion 16 of both cases 17 and 18 to prevent water leakage from the joint portion between the cases.

  However, if the packing 24 does not function properly due to some external force with respect to the air conditioning case, an assembly error of the air conditioning case, etc., and a sealing failure occurs, after all, water leaks from the coupling portion 16 of both cases 17 and 18. There is a risk of water entering the passenger compartment.

  As a countermeasure against this problem, it is conceivable to apply the drainage structure of Patent Document 1. However, this drainage structure alleviates water leakage from the joint by reducing the water that reaches the joint, and is not a countermeasure structure when water leaks from the joint. Cannot be resolved. Moreover, in the drainage structure of Patent Document 1, a hose having a complicated shape is required as a separate part from the case in order to connect the two drainage ports.

  The above-mentioned problem is not limited to the case where the air-conditioning case is divided into left and right, but the air-conditioning case is divided in a direction other than up and down, that is, in the horizontal direction, and the joint portion between the divided cases is formed at the bottom of the air-conditioning case Is a problem that occurs when

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner having a structure that can prevent water from entering the vehicle compartment even if water leakage occurs from the coupling portion of the split case.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the drain port (19) and the drain passage (20) have the first divided case (17) of the first and second divided cases (17, 18). Is formed only in the first and second divided cases (17, 18), under the coupling part (16), and receives water dripped from the coupling part (16), and the water is supplied to the drainage passage (20). A water guide passage (30) for guiding is provided, and the lower walls (31b, 32b) of the water guide passage (30) are configured as a part of the first divided case (17).

  According to this, even when water leaks from the joint portion (16) of the first and second split cases (17, 18), the leaked water is drained by the water guide passage (30). Since the water can be drained outside the vehicle compartment, water can be prevented from entering the vehicle compartment.

  Here, since the lower wall (31b, 32b) of this water conveyance path (30) is comprised by a part of 1st division | segmentation case (17), it is between a water conveyance path (30) and a drainage channel. There are no seams and no water leaks into the passenger compartment. In addition, the upper wall of the water guide passage is composed of first and second divided cases, and there is a coupling portion between the first and second divided cases.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the water guide passage (30) communicates the space directly below the coupling portion (16) with the drainage passage (20), and has a smaller channel cross-sectional area than the drainage passage (20). Continuing to the space part (31) and the communication space part (31), it is located on the side farther from the drainage passage (20) than the position of the coupling part (16), and accumulates water dripped from the coupling part (16). And a water reservoir space (32).

  According to this, since the flow path cross section of the communication space portion (31) is made smaller than the drainage passage (20), the communication space portion (31) is caused by the pressure difference between the communication space portion (31) and the drainage passage. 31) water can be sucked into the drainage passage.

  Furthermore, since the water guide passage (30) has the water storage space part (32), when a large amount of water leaks from the joint part (16) so that it cannot pass through the communication space part (31) at one time, After water is once stored in the water storage space (32), the stored water can be guided to the drainage passage (20) through the communication space (31).

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each means described in this column and the claim shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an indoor air conditioning unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the air conditioning main unit in FIG.

  The vehicle air conditioner includes an indoor air conditioning unit 10 shown in FIG. The indoor air conditioning unit 10 is disposed inside a vehicle instrument panel (instrument panel) (not shown) at the foremost part of the vehicle interior.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor air conditioning unit 10 includes a blower unit 11 and an air conditioning main unit 12. The air conditioning body unit 12 is disposed at the approximate center in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the blower unit 11 is disposed away from the air conditioning body unit 12 by a predetermined dimension on the passenger seat side.

  The blower unit 11 has an inside / outside air switching box and a blower for switching and introducing the inside and outside air, and the introduced air is blown to the air conditioning main unit 12 by the blower.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning main unit 12 houses an evaporator 14 and a heater core 15 inside an air conditioning case 13.

  The air conditioning case 13 forms an air passage inside, and is made of a resin material. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning case 13 is a left-right split type, and is configured by a combination of a left case 17 and a right case 18 that are split by a split surface 16 at the center in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the left case 17 corresponds to the first divided case of the present invention, and the right case corresponds to the second divided case of the present invention.

  In the joint portion of both cases, although not shown, the fitting portion provided on the joint surface of the left case 17 and the fitting portion provided on the joint surface of the right case 18 are fitted. The fitting part is constituted by a concave part, and the other fitting part is constituted by a convex part inserted into the groove.

  The evaporator 14 is a cooling heat exchanger that cools air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant passing through the inside and the air flowing through the air passage inside the air conditioning case 13. The heater core 15 is a heat exchanger for heating that heats the air by exchanging heat between the engine coolant and the air that has passed through the evaporator 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom portion 13 a of the air conditioning case 13 below the generator 14 is provided with a drainage port 19 and a drainage passage 20 extending from the drainage port 19 to the outside of the air conditioning case. By connecting a hose (not shown) to the drainage passage 20, the drainage port 19 communicates with the outside of the passenger compartment. The detailed structure of the bottom 13a of the air conditioning case 13 will be described later.

  Further, on the downstream side of the air flow of the evaporator 14 of the air conditioning case 13, the ratio between the amount of air flowing toward the heater core 15 and the amount of air flowing through the cool air bypass passage 21 that bypasses the heater core 15 and flows cool air is adjusted. An air mix door (not shown) is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning case 13 is formed with openings such as a face blowing opening 22 and a defroster blowing opening 23 at the downstream side of the air flow of the evaporator 14 and the heater core 15. A door (not shown) that selects and opens and closes these openings is provided.

  Next, the detailed structure of the bottom 13a of the air conditioning case 13 in the air conditioning main unit 12 will be described. FIG. 3A shows a view of the bottom 13a of the air conditioning case 13 from above, and FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the drain outlet 19 viewed from directly above inside the air conditioning case 13 as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), at the bottom 13a of the air conditioning case 13 on the lower side of the evaporator 14, a dividing surface 16, that is, a joint 16 between the left case 17 and the right case 18 is formed on the wall surface constituting the air passage. There is. The coupling portion 16 means a portion where the coupling surface 17a of the left case 17 and the coupling surface 18a of the right case 18 are combined.

  A sealing packing 24 is sandwiched between the coupling surface 17 a of the left case 17 and the coupling surface 18 a of the right case 18. The packing 24 is made of rubber, for example. Thereby, the water leak from the coupling | bond part 16 located in the bottom part 13a of the air-conditioning case 13 is prevented, and dripping of the water (condensed water etc.) to a vehicle interior is prevented.

  The drain port 19 and the drain passage 20 are provided only in the left case 17 of the cases 17 and 18. The drainage passage 20 extends parallel to the vertical direction.

  And in the bottom part 13a of the air-conditioning case 13, the water conveyance path 30 is provided under the connection part 16 of the left case 17 and the right case 18. As shown in FIG. The water guide passage 30 is a passage that receives water dropped from the coupling portion 16 and guides the water to the drainage passage 20. The water guide passage 30 extends in a direction orthogonal to the drainage passage 20, that is, in the horizontal direction. The end portion 30a of the water guide passage 30 is located on the side farther from the drainage passage 20 than the coupling portion 16 in the lateral direction (horizontal direction).

  Specifically, the water guide passage 30 has a communication space portion 31 and a water storage space portion 32.

  The communication space portion 31 is a portion that communicates the space directly below the coupling portion 16 and the drainage passage 20, and is located closer to the drainage passage 20 than the coupling portion 16. The communication space portion 31 communicates with a communication port 33 provided on a wall constituting the drainage passage 20.

  The communication space 31 has a wall 31a forming an upper surface and a wall 31b forming a bottom surface as shown in FIG. 3B, and a pair of side surfaces as shown in FIG. 3A. The cross-sectional shape of the flow path is a horizontally long rectangle.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the lateral width (lateral width) 31w of the communication space 31 in the lateral direction is smaller than the diameter 19d of the drain port 19, and as shown in FIG. 3B. In addition, the channel width (height) 31 h in the vertical direction of the communication space 31 is smaller than the diameter 19 d of the drain port 19, and the communication space 31 has a channel cross-sectional area larger than that of the drain passage 20. It is getting smaller. In this way, by narrowing the flow path cross section of the communication space portion 31 more than the drainage passage 20, water is sucked out from the communication space portion 31 to the drainage passage 20 due to a pressure difference between the communication space portion 31 and the drainage passage 20. Like that.

  On the other hand, the water reservoir space 32 is a portion constituting a container for temporarily storing water dripped from the coupling portion 16, and is located on the side farther from the drainage passage 20 than the position of the coupling portion 16. The water reservoir space portion 32 is continuous with the communication space portion 31 and communicates with the drainage passage 20 via the communication space portion 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the water storage space 32 has a wall 32a forming an upper surface and a wall 32b forming a bottom surface, and the extending direction of the communication space 31 is illustrated in FIG. 3A. The walls 32c and 32d form a pair of side surfaces parallel to each other, and the walls 32e and 32f form a pair of side surfaces perpendicular to the extending direction of the communication space portion 31, and the flow channel cross-sectional shape is a horizontally long rectangle.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the height 32h of the water storage space 32 is the same as the height 31h of the communication space 31, but as shown in FIG. The width 32 w of the portion 32 is larger than the width 31 w of the communication space portion 31. Thereby, the volume of the water storage space 32 is larger than that of the communication space 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the communication space portion 31 is entirely constituted by a part of the left case 17. “Partially configured” means that the left case 17 is integrally formed of the same resin material and has no joints.

  On the other hand, in the water storage space 32, a wall 32b forming a bottom surface and walls 32c, 32d, and 32e forming side surfaces are configured by a part of the left case 17, and a wall 32a forming a top surface and a wall 32f forming a side surface of the tip 30a are on the right. It is constituted by a part of the case 18. In other words, the water reservoir space 32 is formed by the flange-shaped portions 32b, 32c, 32d, and 32e that are a part of the left case 18, and the flange-shaped portions 32a and 32f that are a part of the right case 17.

  Further, claw fitting portions 34 and 35 are provided at both the front end of the left case 17 constituting the water reservoir space portion 32 and the front end of the right case 18 constituting the water sump space portion 32, and these claw fitting portions. Both cases 17 and 18 are joined by 34 and 35.

  The wall 32b that forms the bottom surface of the water reservoir space 32 is linear in a state before fitting as shown by a broken line in FIG. 3B, but is fitted as shown by a solid line in FIG. 3B. In a later state, a region within a predetermined range from the tip is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The inclination angle θ1 is 20 degrees or less. This is to prevent water from reaching the claw fitting portions 34 and 35 in consideration of the case where the vehicle is tilted in the left-right direction.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a hollow portion 36 is provided between the drain port 19 (drainage passage 20) and the coupling portion 16. The hollow portion 36 is a meat stealing portion for making the above-described structure resin-moldable.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the water guide passage 30 is provided under the joint portion 16 between the left case 17 and the right case 18, the packing 24 does not function properly and a sealing failure occurs, resulting in an air conditioning case. Even when water leaks from the coupling portion 16 located at the bottom 13a of the vehicle 13, the leaked water can be guided to the drainage passage 20 by the water guide passage 30 and drained outside the vehicle compartment, so that water can enter the vehicle compartment. Can be prevented.

  Furthermore, since the water guide passage 30 has the water storage space portion 32, when a large amount of water that cannot pass through the communication space portion 31 leaks from the coupling portion 16 at once, the water storage space portion 32 once enters the water storage space portion 32. After collecting the water, the accumulated water can be guided to the drainage passage 20 via the communication space 31.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, unlike the drainage structure described in Patent Document 1, a hose having a complicated shape constituted by separate parts from the air conditioning case is not required, and the air conditioning case 13 itself is simple. This structure can prevent water from entering the passenger compartment.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the channel cross-sectional shapes of the communication space portion 31 and the water reservoir space portion 32 are horizontally long rectangles, but may be other shapes such as squares and circles.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the packing 24 is used, but a sealing means other than the packing may be used. Further, the packing 24 may be omitted so that water always flows from the coupling portion 16 to the water guide passage 30.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the drainage passage 20 extends in the vertical direction, and the water guide passage 30 extends in the horizontal direction. However, the extending direction of the drainage passage 20 and the water guide passage 30 may be changed.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the drainage port 19 and the drainage passage 20 are provided in the left case 17, and the lower wall of the water conveyance passage 30 and the water reservoir space 32 is configured by a part of the left case 17. The left case 17 and the right case 18 may be interchanged. That is, the right case 18 may be provided with the drain port 19 and the drain passage 20, and a part of the right case 18 may constitute a lower wall of the water guide passage 30 and the water reservoir space 32.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the water guide passage 30 has the water reservoir space 32, but the water reservoir space 32 may be omitted. At this time, the end portion of the water guide passage only needs to be located on the side farther from the drainage passage 20 than the coupling portion 16.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the indoor air-conditioning unit 10 is configured by two units of the blower unit 11 and the air-conditioning main unit 12. However, when the indoor air-conditioning unit 10 is configured by one unit, that is, one air-conditioning case In addition, the present invention can be applied even when a blower, a heat exchanger for cooling, and a heat exchanger for heating are accommodated.

It is a perspective view of the indoor air-conditioning unit in a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of the air-conditioning main body unit in FIG. (A) is the top view which looked at the bottom part 13a of the air-conditioning case 13 in FIG. 1 from the top, (b) is the BB sectional drawing in (a). It is a fragmentary sectional view of the room air-conditioning unit of the composition which this inventor examined.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Air-conditioning case 13a Bottom part of air-conditioning case 14 Evaporator 16 Joint part 17 Left case 18 Right case 19 Drain outlet 20 Drainage passage 30 Water guide passage 31 Communication space part 32 Water storage space part

Claims (2)

An air conditioning case (13) that forms an air passage in the interior;
A cooling heat exchanger (14) that cools the air flowing in the air conditioning case housed in the air conditioning case (13),
A drainage port (19) for discharging water existing inside the air conditioning case to the outside of the air conditioning case (13a) and drainage extending from the drainage port (19) to the outside of the air conditioning case at the bottom (13a) of the air conditioning case (13). There is a passage (20),
The air conditioning case (13) is constituted by a combination of first and second divided cases (17, 18) divided in the horizontal direction, and a coupling part (16) of the first and second divided cases (17, 18). In the vehicle air conditioner present at the bottom (13a) of the air conditioning case (13),
The drain outlet (19) and the drain passage (20) are formed only in the first split case (17) of the first and second split cases (17, 18),
A water guide passage that receives water dropped from the joint portion (16) under the joint portion (16) of the first and second divided cases (17, 18) and guides the water to the drain passage (20). (30) is provided,
The vehicle air conditioner characterized in that the lower wall (31b, 32b) of the water guide passage (30) is configured as a part of the first split case (17). The water conduit (30) is
A communication space portion (31) that communicates the space directly below the coupling portion (16) and the drainage passage (20), and has a smaller channel cross-sectional area than the drainage passage (20);
A water reservoir space portion that is connected to the communication space portion (31), is located on a side farther from the drainage passage (20) than the position of the coupling portion (16), and stores water dropped from the coupling portion (16). The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

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