JP2011168214A - Air conditioning device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning device for a vehicle that improves the air conditioning efficiency in a cabin. <P>SOLUTION: An air conditioning device body 32 arranged within an instrument panel 16, generates air-conditioning air blowing into the cabin 10 from air outlets (center resistor air outlet 24, side resistor air outlet 26, foot air outlet 28) provided in upper and lower parts of the instrument panel 16, while introducing external air of an outside 70 of the vehicle or internal air of the cabin 10 by the operation of a blower. One end side of a duct 64 for introducing internal air, is connected to the device body 32 whereas, the other end side of the duct 64 is arranged in an air inlet 20A provided in the center part of the instrument panel 16 in the vehicle vertical direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that air-conditions a vehicle interior.

  In the vehicle air conditioner, the air-conditioning air outlet and the vehicle interior air inlet open to the vehicle interior side. In such an apparatus, for example, in order to reduce the cooling heat load, the vehicle interior air inlet is formed above the instrument panel and above the air-conditioning air outlet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-150931 A

  However, in such a structure, the cold air from the air-conditioning air outlet shortcuts, and the air-conditioning efficiency in the passenger compartment is not good.

  In view of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can improve the air conditioning efficiency in the passenger compartment.

  In the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the air outlet is disposed inside the instrument panel provided at the upper part and the lower part, and introduces outside air outside the vehicle or inside air of the passenger compartment by operating the blower. An air conditioner main body that generates conditioned air blown out from the air outlet into the vehicle interior, and one end side connected to the air conditioner main body, and the other end of the suction port provided at the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle vertical direction A duct having a side arranged for introducing the inside air.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention described in claim 1, the air conditioner main body arranged inside the instrument panel introduces outside air outside the vehicle or inside air of the passenger compartment by operating the blower, and the instrument. Air-conditioned air blown out from the air outlets provided at the upper and lower parts of the panel to the vehicle interior is generated. One end of a duct for introducing the inside air is connected to the air conditioner body.

  Here, since the other end side of the duct is disposed in the suction port provided in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle vertical direction, the suction of the inside air from the gap of the instrument panel is suppressed, and the blowout port The distance from the inlet to the inlet is secured. For this reason, the conditioned air blown from the outlet into the vehicle interior flows through the vehicle interior with almost no shortcut. For example, a cold conditioned air blown into the passenger compartment from the air outlet at the top of the instrument panel in the summer turns around the upper part of the passenger compartment before reaching the air inlet, and from the air outlet at the bottom of the instrument panel in the winter. The warm conditioned air blown to the air travels around the lower part of the passenger compartment and reaches the inlet. Moreover, the inside air sucked from the suction port is introduced into the air conditioner body through the duct without air-conditioning the inside of the instrument panel.

  A vehicle air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner for a vehicle according to the first aspect, wherein the air conditioner main body is provided with an outside air inlet for introducing the outside air above the blower. In addition, an inside air introduction port for introducing the inside air through the duct is provided on the vehicle lower side with respect to the blower, and the blower is disposed on the vehicle upper side with respect to the suction port.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention as set forth in claim 2, the air conditioner main body is provided with an outside air introduction port for introducing outside air on the vehicle upper side from the blower, and introduces inside air through the duct. Because the internal air inlet is located on the lower side of the vehicle than the blower and the blower is located above the air inlet on the vehicle, the duct path is kept short while maintaining the efficiency of introducing the outside air. It is done. For this reason, the air conditioning efficiency is improved.

  A vehicle air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the configuration according to the first or second aspect, wherein the suction port is covered with a mesh material.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention described in claim 3, since the inside air suction port is covered with the mesh material, when the inside air is introduced into the air conditioner main body through the duct, foreign matter is sucked in. Prevented or suppressed.

  As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the first aspect of the present invention, there is an excellent effect that the air conditioning efficiency in the passenger compartment can be improved.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the second aspect, the air conditioning efficiency in the passenger compartment can be further improved.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the third aspect, when the inside air is introduced into the air conditioner main body through the duct, there is an excellent effect that inhalation of foreign matters can be prevented or suppressed.

It is a perspective view which shows the compartment front part of the vehicle by which the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is mounted. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a vehicle in which a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted in a side view. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a part of vehicle air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph for demonstrating the air_conditioning | cooling performance of the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

(Configuration of the embodiment)
A vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, an arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the vehicle front side, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front part of a vehicle compartment equipped with a vehicle air conditioner. FIG. 2 shows a vehicle equipped with a vehicle air conditioner in a schematic schematic configuration diagram in side view.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a front seat 12 is disposed in the front row and a rear seat 14 is disposed in the rear row in the passenger compartment 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the front seat 12 includes a driver seat 12A and a passenger seat 12B. An instrument panel 16 extending along the vehicle width direction is disposed on the front side (vehicle front side) of the driver seat 12A and the passenger seat 12B. The instrument panel 16 is an interior panel material that is assembled to an instrument panel reinforcement that is a vehicle body component (not shown).

  An air conditioner control panel 18 is disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction at the center in the vehicle vertical direction of the instrument panel 16. The air conditioner control panel unit 18 is an occupant operation unit for setting the temperature and air volume of the vehicle air conditioner 30 (see FIG. 2), the air blowing mode, and the like. For example, a temperature setting dial, a blower switching dial, Various switches are provided.

  A pair of left and right accessory compartments 20 (also referred to as a center multi-box) are disposed outside the air conditioner control panel 18 in the vehicle width direction. The accessory case 20 is formed in a shape opened to the vehicle compartment 10 side and recessed toward the vehicle front side. Further, on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the accessory case 20, a driver seat lower box 22A is disposed on the front side of the driver seat 12A, and a grab box 22B is disposed on the front side of the passenger seat 12B.

  On the other hand, a pair of left and right center register air outlets 24 as air conditioned air outlets are disposed on the upper side of the instrument panel 16 at the center in the vehicle width direction, and air conditioned air outlets on both sides in the vehicle width direction. A side register outlet 26 is provided. The center register outlet 24 and the side register outlet 26 are outlets from which the conditioned air is blown when the conditioned air blowing mode is set to the FACE mode.

  In addition, a pair of left and right foot outlets 28 (see FIG. 2) as air-conditioning air outlets are disposed on the lower side of the instrument panel 16 at the center in the vehicle width direction. The foot outlet 28 shown in FIG. 2 is an outlet from which conditioned air is blown when the conditioned air blowing mode is set to the FOOT mode.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower part of the instrument panel 16 has an underflow for preventing or suppressing the inflow of conditioned air from the lower side of the instrument panel 16 to the inside (inside) of the instrument panel 16. A cover 17 is arranged.

  In the space between the instrument panel 16 and the dash panel 11, in other words, inside the instrument panel 16, there is an air conditioner main body 32 (air conditioner module, HVAC (heating and venting air conditioning) of the vehicle air conditioner 30. Say). As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner main body 32 includes a case 34 (a part of which is shown in FIG. 3), and a blower 36 for cooling, an evaporator 38 for cooling, and a heating unit accommodated in the case 34. The heater core 40 and the like are included.

  The air conditioner main body 32 is formed with an outside air inlet 44 for introducing outside air outside the vehicle 70 (see FIG. 2) above the blower 36 so that the inside air of the passenger compartment 10 (see FIG. 2) can be taken. An inside air introduction port 50 for introduction is formed on the vehicle lower side than the blower 36. The blower 36 in the case 34 includes a blower motor 36 </ b> A and fans 36 </ b> B and 36 </ b> C, and introduces outside air or inside air into the air conditioner main body 32 by operating. In the drawing, the outside air dedicated fan used for introducing the outside air is indicated by reference numeral 36B, and the inside air dedicated fan used for introducing the inside air is indicated by reference numeral 36C.

  A switching door 48 that opens and closes the outside air introduction path 46 is provided in the outside air introduction path 46 that communicates from the outside air introduction port 44 to the outside air dedicated fan 36 </ b> B. A switching door 54 that opens and closes the inside air introduction path 52 is provided in the inside air introduction path 52 that leads from the inside air introduction port 50 to the inside air dedicated fan 36 </ b> C. Further, the outside air introduction path 46 and the inside air introduction path 52 are connected by a bypass 56 that allows the both to communicate with each other, and the bypass 56 is provided with a switching door 58 that opens and closes the bypass 56.

  On the other hand, a separator 60 is provided between the blower 36 and the evaporator 38 disposed on the downstream side in the air blowing direction (right side in the drawing) to partition the case 34 up and down. Thus, a first passage 62A serving as a passage for blowing air from the outside air dedicated fan 36B and a second passage 62B serving as a passage for blowing air from the inside air dedicated fan 36C are formed.

  The evaporator 38 constitutes a refrigeration cycle that circulates refrigerant together with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and the like (not shown). In this refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant is compressed by the rotational drive of the compressor, and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is liquefied by being cooled by the condenser. Further, the refrigerant sent out from the condenser is made into a mist by being rapidly decompressed by the expansion valve, sent to the evaporator 38, and vaporized by the evaporator 38. Thereby, in the air conditioner main body 32, the air passing through the evaporator 38 is cooled and dehumidified.

  Further, the heater core 40 is arranged on the downstream side of the ventilation with respect to the evaporator 38, and uses an engine coolant circulated with an engine (not shown) as a heat source. Thereby, in the air conditioner body 32, the air passing through the heater core 40 is heated. In order to control the flow rate of the air passing through the heater core 40, an air mix door 42 is disposed adjacent to the heater core 40. That is, the air conditioner main body 32 is configured to control the amount of air passing through the heater core 40 and bypassing air by the opening degree of the air mix door 42 to set the conditioned air at a desired temperature.

  In the air conditioner main body 32, a plurality of mode switching doors (not shown) are provided in the case 34 on the air blowing downstream side of the heater core 40 and the air mix door 42. The plurality of mode switching doors can be switched in position according to an air-conditioning air blowing mode set by an occupant. That is, the air that has passed or bypassed the heater core 40 is sent to the center register outlet 24, the side register outlet 26, and the foot outlet 28 (FIG. 2) according to the door positions of the plurality of mode switching doors. It is determined from which outlet (see).

  As described above, the air conditioner main body 32 generates conditioned air that blows into the passenger compartment 10 from the center register outlet 24, the side register outlet 26, and the foot outlet 28 (see FIG. 2). .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, one end side of a duct 64 that is used for introducing the inside air is connected to the inside air introduction port 50 side of the air conditioner main body 32. In other words, the air conditioner main body 32 has a connecting portion 50 </ b> A connected to the duct 64 at a position on the vehicle lower side than the blower 36. The other end side of the duct 64 is disposed in the suction port 20 </ b> A formed in the center of the instrument panel 16 in the vehicle vertical direction. Thereby, the air conditioner main body 32 has a structure in which the blower 36 is disposed on the vehicle upper side than the suction port 20A. The duct 64 preferably has a large cross-sectional area (inner diameter) from the viewpoint of suppressing noise and pressure loss.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the suction port 20 </ b> A is formed in a vertical wall portion on the vehicle front side in the accessory case 20 described above. Further, the suction port 20A is covered with a mesh material 66 for preventing suction of foreign matters (for example, dust and dust).

(Operation and effect of the embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of the above embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner main body 32 disposed inside the instrument panel 16 removes the outside air outside the vehicle 70 or the inside air of the vehicle compartment 10 from the blower 36 (see FIG. 3). ), And the conditioned air blown out from the center register outlet 24, the side register outlet 26 and the foot outlet 28 provided in the upper and lower parts of the instrument panel 16 into the passenger compartment 10 is generated. One end side of a duct 64 for introducing the inside air is connected to the air conditioner main body 32.

  Here, since the other end side of the duct 64 is disposed in the suction port 20A provided in the center of the instrument panel 16 in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the suction of the inside air from the gap of the instrument panel 16 is suppressed. At the same time, the distance from the center register outlet 24, the side register outlet 26, and the foot outlet 28 to the inlet 20A is secured. For this reason, the conditioned air blown into the passenger compartment 10 from the center register outlet 24, the side register outlet 26, and the foot outlet 28 flows in the passenger compartment 10 with almost no shortcut (direction of arrow A, arrow B). Direction).

  For example, if the air-conditioning air blowing mode is set to the FACE mode during the cooling in summer, the cold air blown into the passenger compartment 10 from the center register outlet 24 and the side register outlet 26 at the top of the instrument panel 16 ( The air-conditioning wind) travels largely in the upper part (generally upper half) of the passenger compartment 10 and then reaches the suction port 20A (see the direction of arrow A). That is, comfortable air conditioning with cold head heat that cools the upper body of the occupant P is obtained. It should be noted that a part having a low sensory priority, such as the lower body of the passenger P in summer, is gradually air-conditioned by heat transfer.

  Further, when the air-conditioning air blowing mode is set to the FOOT mode during heating in winter, the warm air (air-conditioning air) blown into the passenger compartment 10 from the foot outlet 28 at the bottom of the instrument panel 16 is After greatly turning around the lower part (generally the lower half) of the chamber 10, the suction port 20A is reached (see arrow B direction). In other words, comfortable air conditioning with cold head heat that warms the lower body of the occupant P is obtained. It should be noted that a part having a low sensory priority, such as the upper body of the passenger P in winter, is gradually air-conditioned by heat transfer.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the flow of the air-conditioning air is controlled by the position setting of the suction port 20A, the setting of the duct 64, and the like, and the place where the cooling / heating centering on the passenger P is required is surely cooled or warmed. Or As a result, the heat load is reduced and the fuel consumption is improved.

  Here, a supplementary explanation will be made while comparing with the comparison structure. For example, in the comparison structure in which the air inlet of the passenger compartment is formed above the upper air outlet of the conditioned air at the upper part of the instrument panel, for example, Even if the air-conditioning air blowing mode is set to FACE mode during cooling in summer, a lot of the cold air (air-conditioning air) blown out from the upper air outlet will enter the suction port as a shortcut without going to the passenger side. Therefore, there is a possibility that the occupant is not easily cooled. Further, during the heating in winter, even if the air-conditioning air blowing mode is set to the FOOT mode, the warm air blown from the lower air outlet (air-conditioning air) may go around the occupant's upper body, which may cause discomfort. On the other hand, in the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment, these problems can be solved.

  Further, for example, in another contrasting structure in which the interior air inlet of the passenger compartment is formed below the lower air outlet of the conditioned air at the lower part of the instrument panel, for example, the air conditioned air is blown out during summer cooling. When the mode is set to the FACE mode, the cool air (air-conditioning air) blown out from the upper air outlet goes around the entire interior of the vehicle to air-condition the air and then enters the suction port, resulting in an increase in fuel consumption. Also, during winter heating, even if the air-conditioning air blowing mode is set to the FOOT mode, most of the hot air (air-conditioning air) blown out from the lower air outlet is short-cut without entering the passenger side and enters the suction port. As a result, the occupant may not warm up easily. On the other hand, in the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment, these problems can be solved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the under cover 17 is disposed and the inside air is introduced into the air conditioner main body 32 through the duct 64, so that extra fuel consumption due to air conditioning of the inner space of the instrument panel 16 is achieved. It can be suppressed.

  Complementary explanation will be made while comparing with the comparison structure. The comparison is such that the air conditioner main body is arranged inside the instrument panel, but there are no components corresponding to the suction port (20A) and the duct (64) of the present embodiment. In the structure, when the inside air is introduced, the inside air enters the inner space of the instrument panel through the gap between the instrument panels. For this reason, in this contrast structure, the said inner space which originally does not need air conditioning will be air-conditioned, and extra fuel consumption will arise. By the way, the temperature in the passenger compartment is very high in the summer (up to 80 ° C) and very low in the winter (down to -30 ° C) unless the air conditioner is activated. The temperature inside (inside) the panel is the same as that in the passenger compartment. On the other hand, air-conditioning is required for cool-down and warm-up, but air-conditioning to the inside (inside) of the instrument panel has a very large loss from the viewpoint of air-conditioning effectiveness, which is advantageous for passengers. Absent.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, air-conditioning in the passenger compartment 10 is prioritized so that the immediate effect of air-conditioning can be improved, and the fuel efficiency during cool-down or warm-up can be improved.

  Here, the cooling performance of this embodiment is demonstrated, referring the graph of FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between temperature and time when the air conditioner is air-conditioned with the blower being HIGH in a state where the vehicle interior temperature (the temperature inside the vehicle interior and the temperature inside the instrument panel) is 50 ° C. The thick line indicates the characteristics of the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment, the thin line indicates the characteristics of the vehicle air conditioner according to the contrast structure, the two-dot chain line indicates the average temperature at the outlet, and the solid line indicates the inside air suction section. The air temperature at is shown respectively. Moreover, the contrast structure is the same as that of this embodiment except that the components corresponding to the suction port (20A) and the duct (64) of this embodiment do not exist. Note that the temperature of the air at the inside air suction portion in the comparison structure was the temperature of the air in the gap between the instrument panels.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the structure of the present embodiment, it can be seen that the temperature of the air at the inside air suction portion is lower by about 2 ° C. than in the comparison structure. Note that the slight difference in the blowout average temperature is an experimental error. That is, the temperature difference between the air temperature at the inside air suction portion and the average temperature at the blowout portion is smaller by about 2 ° C. in the structure of the present embodiment than in the comparison structure. For this reason, in the structure of the present embodiment, the power required for operating the apparatus can be reduced accordingly. Specifically, the structure of the present embodiment can reduce the power by 12% (the cooling performance can be improved by 12%) compared to the comparative structure. Incidentally, since the power can be reduced by 12%, the component parts of the apparatus can be made smaller, so that it is possible to obtain a weight reduction effect of 1.1 kg as a whole.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment, an outside air inlet 44 for introducing outside air is provided on the vehicle upper side from the blower 36, and via a duct 64. Since the inside air introduction port 50 for introducing the inside air is provided on the vehicle lower side than the blower 36 and the blower 36 is disposed on the vehicle upper side than the suction port 20A, the efficiency of introducing the outside air is maintained. The path of the duct 64 is kept short. For this reason, space efficiency is good and air-conditioning efficiency (air-conditioning performance) improves. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, since the inside air suction port 20 </ b> A is covered with the mesh material 66, when the inside air is introduced into the air conditioner main body 32 through the duct 64 shown in FIG. 2, Inhalation of foreign matters such as dust and dust is prevented or suppressed.

  As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 30 according to the present embodiment, the air conditioning efficiency in the passenger compartment 10 can be improved. In general, the weight of the fuel consumption of the air conditioner in the fuel consumption of the vehicle is very high, so that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be improved by improving the air conditioning efficiency.

(Supplementary explanation of the embodiment)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner main body 32 has an outside air introduction port 44 provided above the blower 36 on the vehicle upper side and an inside air for introducing the inside air through the duct 64. The introduction port 50 is provided on the vehicle lower side with respect to the blower 36, and the blower 36 is disposed on the vehicle upper side with respect to the suction port 20A. Although the configuration is more preferable, the air conditioner main body may be another air conditioner main body such as an air conditioner main body in which the inside air inlet is provided above the blower.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as FIG. 1 shows, although the suction inlet 20A provided in the instrument panel 16 is covered with the mesh material, for example, the suction inlet provided in the instrument panel is a slit shape. Other configurations such as formed in may be applied.

(Reference example)
In addition, as a reference example (disclosure example) that is not an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a suction port is provided in the under cover (17) on the front side of the passenger seat (12B), and one end side is connected to the air conditioner main body (32). Also, a vehicle air conditioner in which the other end of the duct for introducing fresh air is arranged at the suction port is also conceivable. In such a vehicle air conditioner, air conditioning inside the instrument panel (16) can be avoided (there is no need to cool the heat storage inside the instrument panel (16) in summer), and the suction Since the mouth is almost invisible to the passenger (P), there are almost no design restrictions. By the way, if the other end side of the duct for introducing the inside air, which is connected to the air conditioner body (32) at one end side, is arranged in the suction port provided in any part (including the upper surface part) of the instrument panel. The air conditioning inside the instrument panel (16) can be avoided.

10 Car compartment 16 Instrument panel 20A Inlet 24 Center register outlet (outlet)
26 Side register outlet (air outlet)
28 Foot outlet (air outlet)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 Vehicle air conditioner 32 Air conditioner main body 36 Blower 44 Outside air introduction port 50 Inside air introduction port 64 Duct 66 Mesh material 70 Outside the vehicle

Claims (3)

An air conditioner in which an air outlet is arranged inside an instrument panel provided at the upper part and the lower part, and introduces outside air outside the vehicle or inside air of the passenger compartment by operating a blower and generates conditioned air that blows out from the outlet into the passenger compartment. The body,
One end side is connected to the air conditioner main body, and the other end side is arranged at the suction port provided in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle vertical direction, and the duct is used for introducing the inside air,
A vehicle air conditioner.   The air conditioner main body is provided with an outside air introduction port for introducing the outside air on the vehicle upper side from the blower, and an inside air introduction port for introducing the inside air through the duct is more vehicle than the blower. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is provided on a lower side, and the blower is disposed on an upper side of the vehicle with respect to the suction port.   The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the suction port is covered with a mesh material.

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