JP2018144757A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve reduction in manufacturing cost and reduction in weight while achieving quality improvement of an air conditioning case, in an air conditioner for vehicle.SOLUTION: In first and second split cases 22, 24 which constitute an air conditioner 10 for vehicle and which can be divided in a width direction, first and second rib walls 34, 36 are provided extending toward the inside in the width direction respectively from the width direction end walls 22a, 24a. At a tip of the first rib wall 34, a first fitting part 40 having a triangular cross section is formed, and on the other hand, at a tip of the second rib wall 36, a second fitting part 42 having a triangular cross section which is a symmetrical shape with the first fitting part 40 is formed. Then, by the first fitting part 40 and the second fitting part 42 being fitted, the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36 are maintained linearly along the width direction in a state where a gap between these is suppressed, and merchantability of an air conditioning case 12 can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that is mounted on a vehicle and that adjusts the temperature of the vehicle interior by blowing air that has been temperature-adjusted by a heat exchanger into the vehicle interior.

  BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a vehicle air conditioner mounted on a vehicle has an air conditioning case in which an evaporator and a heater core are housed, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. This air-conditioning case has a pair of upper cases that can be divided in the width direction. With the evaporator and heater core housed inside, the upper case and the other upper case are brought into contact with each other along the width direction. They are connected to each other by tapping, engaging claws or the like.

  The upper case has ribs extending inward in the width direction from the inner wall surface, and one rib and the other rib are in contact with each other at the ends that are inward in the width direction. The ribs serve as seats on which the air mix damper contacts the upper portion of the heater core and adjusts the mixing ratio of the cold air and the hot air.

JP 2011-25810 A

  However, in the vehicle air conditioner according to Patent Document 1 described above, the rib has a cantilever shape extending from the width-direction wall portion of the upper case toward the center, and the ends thereof are abutted against each other. Therefore, for example, when distortion occurs due to manufacturing variations of the upper case, the end of one rib is shifted from the end of the other rib, resulting in a gap or perpendicular to the width direction. As a result, the heater core may not be sufficiently held, or the sealing performance when the air mix damper is seated may be reduced, leading to a reduction in quality of the air conditioning case.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle air conditioner capable of improving the quality of an air conditioning case and reducing the manufacturing cost and weight. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is heated by an air conditioning case having a flow path therein, a heat exchanger for cooling and heating air in the air conditioning case, and cold air cooled by the heat exchanger. An air mix damper that adjusts the mixing ratio with the warm air, and the vehicle air conditioner comprising a set of split cases in which the air conditioner case can be split in the width direction.
A first rib extending inward in the width direction from the inner wall surface of one of the split cases, and at least a part of which is inserted into the other split case;
A second rib that extends from the inner wall surface of the other split case toward the one split case that is on the inner side in the width direction, and that is formed so that at least a part thereof is inserted into the one split case and faces the first rib ,
With
A fitting portion for fitting the first rib and the second rib to each other in a direction intersecting the width direction is provided on the end portion on the inner side in the width direction of the first rib and the end portion on the inner side in the width direction of the second rib. It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the air conditioning case of the vehicle air conditioner is configured by a set of split cases that can be divided in the width direction, and the first rib extends inward in the width direction from the inner wall surface of one of the split cases. Then, the second rib extends from the inner wall surface of the other split case toward the one split case that is on the inner side in the width direction, and is formed so as to face the first rib. And the fitting part is provided in the edge part which becomes the width direction inner side of the 1st rib, and the edge part which becomes the width direction inner side of the 2nd rib, and mutually connects the 1st rib and the 2nd rib in the direction which crosses the width direction. Fit.

  Therefore, even when manufacturing variation or the like occurs in a pair of divided cases, the first rib and the second rib extending toward the inner side in the width direction are connected via the fitting portion provided at the end portion on the inner side in the width direction. Thus, the first rib and the second rib can be maintained in a straight line along the width direction in a state in which distortion and the like are suppressed and the gap between the two is suppressed.

  As a result, for example, the heat exchanger can be reliably held at a predetermined position by the first and second ribs, or the sealing performance when the air mix damper is seated on the first and second ribs can be improved. The quality of the air conditioning case can be improved by improving the distortion of the first and second ribs. Moreover, compared with the conventional vehicle air conditioner which abutted the ribs of the upper case, the strength can be improved by securely fitting the first rib and the second rib by the fitting portion. Accordingly, the first and second ribs can be made thinner to reduce the weight and reduce the manufacturing cost.

  Furthermore, a fitting part has the 1st fitting part formed in a 1st rib, and the 2nd fitting part formed in a 2nd rib, and a 1st fitting part and a 2nd fitting part Are preferably formed in a staggered manner.

  Furthermore, the first and second fitting portions may be formed in a triangular cross section inclined with respect to the width direction of the first and second ribs.

  Still further, the first fitting portion has a recess that is recessed in a direction away from the other split case, and the second fit portion protrudes toward the one split case and is inserted into the recess. It is good to have a part.

  Furthermore, the second fitting portion may be extended to the inner wall surface of one of the split cases.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, in a set of split cases that can be divided in the width direction, the first rib extends inward in the width direction from the inner wall surface of one of the split cases, and the second rib has a width from the inner wall surface of the other split case. Extending toward one side of the split case, which is the inner side in the direction, provided with a fitting portion at an end portion which is the inner side in the width direction of the first rib, and an end portion which is the inner side in the width direction of the second rib, By fitting the second ribs to each other in the direction intersecting the width direction, for example, even when manufacturing variation or the like occurs in a pair of divided cases, the first ribs and the second ribs are interposed via the fitting portions. Thus, the first rib and the second rib can be kept in a straight line along the width direction. As a result, it is possible to improve the quality of the air conditioning case by improving the distortion of the first and second ribs, and at the same time, compared with the conventional vehicle air conditioner that abuts the ribs of the upper case, Since the strength of the first rib and the second rib can be improved, the weight can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

1 is a partially cutaway front view of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is whole sectional drawing of the vehicle air conditioner shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded enlarged view of the vicinity of first and second rib walls showing a state in which a first divided case and a second divided case in the vehicle air conditioner of FIG. 1 are disassembled. It is a partially notched front view of the vehicle air conditioner to which the air conditioning case which concerns on a modification is applied.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle air conditioner 10 is configured to cool an air conditioner case 12 that constitutes each air passage, a blower 14 that is disposed inside the air conditioner case 12, and the air. An evaporator (heat exchanger) 16 that heats the air, a heater core (heat exchanger) 18 that heats the air, and a damper mechanism 20 that switches the flow of air flowing through the passages.

  The air conditioning case 12 includes, for example, first and second divided cases (divided cases) 22 and 24 having substantially symmetrical shapes, and the first and second divided cases 22 and 24 are arranged in the vehicle width direction (arrows A1 and A2). Direction).

  Further, above the air conditioning case 12 (in the direction of the arrow B1), a vent air blowing port 26 that blows air in the vicinity of the occupant's face, and a defroster air blowing port that blows air in the vicinity of the front window of the vehicle adjacent to the vent air blowing port 26. 28 is open. On the other hand, a foot blower opening 30 is opened on the side surface of the air conditioning case 12 on the vehicle rear side (arrow C1 direction), and air is blown to the vicinity of the feet of the occupant in the passenger compartment.

  Inside the air conditioning case 12, the blower 14 is housed in an upper position so that the axial direction of the blower 14 is substantially parallel to the width direction of the air conditioning case 12 (the directions of arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 1). Placed in. The blower 14 includes, for example, a fan 32 that rotates under an energizing action of a motor or the like.

  The air conditioning case 12 is formed with a spiral air passage 12a so as to surround the outer peripheral side of the air blower 14, and the air passage 12a is clockwise from the lower side of the air blower 14 when viewed from the width direction of the air conditioning case 12. It is formed and extends from the vehicle rear side toward the vehicle front side (arrow C2 direction) while the passage cross-sectional area gradually increases.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning case 12 has a first rib wall (first wall) extending from the width direction end wall 22 a of the first divided case 22 toward the inner side in the width direction (arrow A <b> 2 direction). 1 rib) 34 and a second rib wall (second rib) 36 extending from the width direction end wall 24a of the second divided case 24 toward the inner side in the width direction (arrow A1 direction). And the 2nd rib walls 34 and 36 are formed in the position which becomes the downward direction (arrow B2 direction) of the ventilation path 12a (refer FIG. 1).

  For example, the first and second rib walls 34 and 36 are formed to have the same cross-sectional shape, and are formed in a straight line when viewed from the width direction of the air conditioning case 12, and the vehicle rear side (in the direction of the arrow C <b> 1). A seating portion 38 on which a second air mix damper 48 described later is seated is formed on the upper portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the seating portion 38 is formed in a triangular cross section that tapers upward.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first rib wall 34 has a tip that is on the inner side in the width direction extending to the second divided case 24 side (in the direction of arrow A <b> 2), and the width direction end wall 24 a side. It has the 1st fitting part 40 which becomes tapering toward. The first fitting portion 40 has the longest upper side (arrow B1 direction), that is, the width direction end wall 24a side (arrow A2 direction) of the second divided case 24, and the lower side (arrow B2 direction) is the longest. The first split case 22 is formed to be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction so as to be closer to the width direction end wall 22a side (arrow A1 direction). In other words, the first fitting portion 40 is formed in a triangular cross section so that the width dimension gradually decreases toward the second divided case 24 side (arrow A2 direction).

  The second rib wall 36 has a second fitting that has a tip on the inner side in the width direction extending to the first divided case 22 side (arrow A1 direction) and is tapered toward the width direction end wall 22a. A portion 42 is provided. The second fitting portion 42 has the longest lower side (arrow B2 direction), that is, the width direction end wall 22a side (arrow A1 direction) of the first divided case 22, and the upper side (arrow B1 direction) is the first. The two split cases 24 are formed so as to be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction so as to be on the width direction end wall 24a side (arrow A2 direction). In other words, the second fitting portion 42 is formed in a triangular cross section so that the width dimension becomes smaller toward the first divided case 22 side (the direction of the arrow A1).

  The inclination angle of the second fitting portion 42 and the inclination angle of the first fitting portion 40 are substantially the same with respect to the extending direction of the first and second rib walls 34, 36 (width direction, arrow A1, A2 direction). The first fitting portion 40 and the second fitting portion 42 have a substantially symmetrical shape, and the inclined tips are provided so as to contact each other.

  The evaporator 16 is provided, for example, so as to stand upright below the blower 14 (in the direction of arrow B2), and the refrigerant is circulated through a plurality of tubes (not shown). The evaporator 16 passes through fins (not shown) provided between the tubes, so that air from the upstream side passes through the heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant. ) Is supplied downstream of the evaporator 16.

  A first air mix damper 44 constituting the damper mechanism 20 is provided on the downstream side of the evaporator 16, and a heater core 18 is provided on the further downstream side thereof.

  In the heater core 18, hot water is circulated through a plurality of tubes (not shown). When air passes through fins provided between the tubes, heat exchange is performed between the air and the hot water, and the heated air is heated. (Hot air) is supplied to the downstream side of the heater core 18.

  The damper mechanism 20 is, for example, at a junction between a first air mix damper 44 that is rotatably provided between the evaporator 16 and the heater core 18, a downstream side of the heater core 18, and a bypass passage 46 that bypasses the heater core 18. It has a second air mix damper 48 provided, a first switching damper 50 that switches the blowing state of the vent blower port 26 and the defroster blower port 28, and a second switching damper 52 that switches the blowing state to the foot blower port 30.

  The first air mix damper 44 is, for example, a butterfly type that is rotatably supported by pivotally supporting both end portions of the rotating shaft 54a on the side walls of the first and second divided cases 22 and 24, and is in a fully closed state. Then, the flow of the cold air from the evaporator 16 to the heater core 18 side is blocked, and the cold air is supplied to the heater core 18 side by rotating from the fully closed state to the opening direction (clockwise).

  Similar to the first air mix damper 44, the second air mix damper 48 is a butterfly type that is rotatably supported around the rotation shaft 54b. In the fully closed state, the second air mix damper 48 flows to the downstream side of the cold air through the bypass passage 46. The warm air which interrupted distribution | circulation and passed the heater core 18 is distribute | circulated downstream. On the other hand, the cold air that has passed through the evaporator 16 is supplied to the vent air outlet 26 side through the bypass passage 46 by rotating in the opening direction (clockwise) from the fully closed state described above.

  The first and second switching dampers 50 and 52 include shaft portions 56a and 56b that are pivotally supported by the air conditioning case 12, and a single door portion that extends radially outward with respect to the shaft portions 56a and 56b. The first switching damper 50 is pivotally supported between the vent air blowing port 26 and the defroster air blowing port 28, and is rotated by a predetermined angle under the driving action of an actuator (not shown). Either one of the air blowing port 26 and the defroster air blowing port 28 is selectively closed.

  In the second switching damper 52, the shaft portion 56b is pivotally supported above the foot air blowing port 30, and the air blowing state to the foot air blowing port 30 is switched by opening and closing the foot air blowing port 30 under the rotating action. Yes.

  The vehicle air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is basically configured as described above. Next, its operation and effects will be described.

  First, when performing a cooling operation for lowering the room temperature in the passenger compartment, an occupant (not shown) operates the operation switch or the like to select the cooling operation, and an actuator (not shown) is driven according to the operation. As shown, the first air mix damper 44 is in a fully closed state in contact with the first and second rib walls 34 and 36 and the wall portion, and the second air mix damper 48 is in a fully open state. As a result, the downstream side of the evaporator 16 communicates with the vent air blowing port 26 via the bypass passage 46 in the air conditioning case 12, and the communication between the downstream side of the evaporator 16 and the heater core 18 is blocked.

  At the same time, based on a control signal from a controller (not shown), the fan 32 of the blower 14 rotates, so that the air sucked into the air conditioning case 12 flows along the blower passage 12a and passes through the evaporator 16. After being cooled by this, after flowing upward as a cold air from the bypass passage 46, the air is blown from the vent blower opening 26 opened under the switching action of the first switching damper 50 to the vicinity of the occupant's face in the vehicle interior. The

  Next, when performing a heating operation for raising the room temperature in the passenger compartment, the first air mix damper 44 is fully opened as shown by the two-dot chain line shape shown in FIG. Then, the second air mix damper 48 is in a fully closed state in which the first and second rib walls 34 and 36 are in contact with the seat portions 38 and the wall portions. At this time, since the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36 are fitted to each other via the first and second fitting portions 40 and 42 formed at the respective tips, the first rib The wall 34 and the second rib wall 36 are maintained in a straight line along the width direction (arrows A1 and A2 directions) to suppress distortion, and between the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36. Since the gap between them is also suppressed, the sealing performance when the second air mix damper 48 is seated on the seat portion 38 is ensured.

  Thus, the air supplied under the driving action of the blower 14 is cooled by passing through the evaporator 16 in the air conditioning case 12, and then supplied to the heater core 18 and heated by passing through the heater core 18. Then, the air is blown from the foot blower opening 30 opened by the second switching damper 52 to the vicinity of the occupant's feet in the passenger compartment.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the air conditioning case 12 constituting the vehicle air conditioner 10 includes the first and second divided cases 22 and 24 that can be divided in the width direction, and the width direction end wall 22a is provided therein. , 24a and first rib walls 34, 36 extending inward in the width direction. At the tips of the first and second rib walls 34, 36, first and second fitting portions 40, 42 having a triangular cross section inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction (arrow A1, A2 direction) are formed. The first fitting part 40 and the second fitting part 42 are alternately fitted and contacted.

  Thereby, even when manufacturing variation or the like occurs in the first and second divided cases 22 and 24 constituting the air conditioning case 12, the tip of the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall extending inward in the width direction. The first rib wall 34 and the second rib are suppressed in a state in which distortion or the like is suppressed by fitting the tip of 36 with the first and second fitting portions 40 and 42 and a gap between the two is suppressed. The wall 36 can be maintained in a straight line along the substantially horizontal direction.

  As a result, the heater core 18 can be reliably held at a predetermined position in the air conditioning case 12 by the first and second rib walls 34, 36, and a gap formed between the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36. By suppressing this, the sealing performance when the second air mix damper 48 is seated on the seat portion 38 can be enhanced. That is, the quality of the air conditioning case 12 can be improved by improving the distortion of the first and second rib walls 34 and 36.

  Further, it is possible to prevent the contact sound caused by the contact between the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36 due to the contact between the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36, and the merchantability of the vehicle air conditioner 10. Can be increased.

  Further, the first rib wall 34 and the second rib wall 36 are securely fitted by the first and second fitting portions 40 and 42 as compared with the conventional vehicle air conditioner in which the ribs of the upper case are abutted against each other. Since it becomes possible to improve intensity | strength by combining, the said 1st and 2nd rib walls 34 and 36 can be made thin, and weight reduction and reduction of manufacturing cost can be aimed at.

  On the other hand, the first and second fitting portions 40 and 42 provided at the tips of the first and second rib walls 34 and 36 are limited to the case where the first and second fitting portions 40 and 42 are formed in a triangular shape that gradually tapers toward the tips. For example, first and second fitting portions 66 formed in an uneven shape, such as first and second rib walls 62 and 64 provided in the air conditioning case 60 shown in FIG. 68 may be used.

  The first rib wall 62 has a leading end 62a extending to the second split case 24 side (in the direction of arrow A2), and has a concave portion 70 recessed in the first split case 22 side (in the direction of arrow A1). doing. In other words, the tip 62a of the first rib wall 62 is formed in a convex shape with the upper and lower portions of the recess 70 extending toward the second split case 24 with respect to the recess 70.

  The second rib wall 64 has a convex portion 72 that is formed at the center of the tip and extends to the first split case 22 side (in the direction of the arrow A1). The convex portion 72 is a concave portion 70 of the first rib wall 62. Mated into Further, in the second rib wall 64, the upper and lower portions of the convex portion 72 are formed so as to be recessed from the convex portion 72 toward the width direction end wall 24 a side (arrow A <b> 2 direction) of the second divided case 24. The front ends 62a of the 62 are respectively fitted.

  As described above, the front end of the first rib wall 62 and the front end of the second rib wall 64 are misaligned by fitting the first fitting portion 66 and the second fitting portion 68 formed in an uneven shape to each other. Since the gap between the first rib wall 62 and the second rib wall 64 can be suppressed and the heater core 18 can be maintained by the first and second rib walls 62, 64. It is possible to sufficiently secure the sealing performance when the second air mix damper 48 is seated while securely holding the upper portion of the second air mix damper 48.

  Further, the concave portion 70 of the first fitting portion 66 described above is recessed to the width direction end wall 22a of the first split case 22, while the convex portion 72 of the second fitting portion 68 is extended to the width direction end wall 22a. By extending and fitting into the concave portion 70, when the seat portion 38 is provided on the convex portion 72, the seat portion 38 is not divided in the width direction (arrow A direction). The sealing performance when the 2 air mix damper 48 is seated can be further enhanced.

  Note that the first and second fitting portions 40, 42, 66, and 68 described above are not limited to being formed in a cross-sectional triangle shape or an uneven shape, and the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are not limited. The part may be any shape that can be fitted to each other in the direction intersecting the width direction.

  Further, the first and second fitting portions 40, 42, 66, 68 are not limited to being provided on the first and second rib walls 34, 36, 62, 64 that hold the upper portion of the heater core 18. There is no particular limitation as long as it is a rib wall extending inward in the width direction from the width direction end walls 22a, 24a of the first and second divided cases 22, 24.

  In addition, the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle air conditioner 12, 60 ... Air conditioning case 14 ... Air blower 16 ... Evaporator 18 ... Heater core 20 ... Damper mechanism 22 ... 1st division | segmentation case 24 ... 2nd division | segmentation case 34, 62 ... 1st rib wall 36, 64 ... 1st 2 rib wall 38 ... seating part 40, 66 ... 1st fitting part 42, 68 ... 2nd fitting part 44 ... 1st air mix damper 48 ... 2nd air mix damper 70 ... recessed part 72 ... convex part

Claims (5)

An air conditioning case having a flow path therein, a heat exchanger that cools and heats the air in the air conditioning case, and an air that adjusts a mixing ratio of the cold air cooled by the heat exchanger and the heated hot air In a vehicle air conditioner comprising a set of split cases, the mix air damper and the air conditioning case can be split in the width direction,
A first rib extending inward in the width direction from the inner wall surface of one of the split cases, and at least a part of which is inserted into the other split case;
A second portion that extends from the inner wall surface of the other split case toward the one split case side, which is the inner side in the width direction, and is formed so that at least a part thereof is inserted into the one split case and faces the first rib. Ribs,
With
The first rib and the second rib are fitted to each other in a direction intersecting the width direction at an end portion that is the inner side in the width direction of the first rib and an end portion that is the inner side in the width direction of the second rib. A vehicle air conditioner comprising a fitting portion. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
The fitting portion includes a first fitting portion formed on the first rib;
A second fitting portion formed on the second rib;
Have
The vehicle air conditioner is characterized in that the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are formed alternately. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2,
The vehicle air conditioner characterized in that the first and second fitting portions are formed in a triangular cross section inclined with respect to the width direction of the first and second ribs. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2,
The first fitting portion has a recess recessed in a direction away from the other split case, and the second fit portion protrudes toward the one split case and is inserted into the recess. The vehicle air conditioner characterized by having a convex part. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4,
The vehicle air conditioner characterized in that the second fitting portion extends to an inner wall surface of the one split case.

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