JP3325427B2 - Mounting structure of unit assembly including vehicle air conditioning unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a vehicle air conditioning unit and a unit assembly for mounting on a vehicle by modularizing peripheral devices thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When assembling a vehicle, various vehicle parts manufactured in various factories are collected in one place, that is, a vehicle assembly factory, and a vehicle body composed of a floor panel, a side panel, a roof panel, and the like is provided. Attach to This assembling work involves not only installation from outside the vehicle body,
The installation work posture may not be uniform since it may be inserted into the vehicle body.

[0003] In particular, the work of mounting components in a vehicle compartment is a difficult work to be performed in a posture that makes it difficult to work. Therefore, in order to improve work efficiency, there is a strong tendency to reduce such difficult work as much as possible.

[0004] Therefore, recently, various kinds of vehicle parts are integrated, and several kinds of parts are collectively mounted, so-called modularization. This modularization has attracted attention in this type of vehicle manufacturing field because it has various advantages such as not only improving workability but also consolidating parts and reducing mold costs during manufacturing.

[0005] In this modularization, if attention is paid to the front of the front seat in the cabin, which is the most difficult part during the assembly work of the vehicle parts, the air conditioning unit for the vehicle, audio equipment, various instruments , Steering,
This module is used because many large and small vehicle components such as steering members and center consoles are concentrated and must be stored in an extremely small storage space defined by dash panels, floor panels and instrument panels. The transformation becomes extremely significant.

The structure of each component attached to the front of the front seat will be clarified with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle air conditioning unit 10 includes an intake unit 11 that selectively takes in the vehicle interior air and the vehicle exterior air, and a cooler unit 12 that cools the air flowing down from the intake unit 11. The air cooled by the cooler unit 12 is branched at a desired ratio, and a part of the air is heated to a predetermined temperature by heating with a heater core 13 or the like. Df, a defrost duct Dd, a rear duct Dr, and other various ducts D, and a heater unit 17 that blows out into the vehicle interior through a vent port 14, a foot port 15, a defrost port 16, and the like. A controller (not shown) provided in the provided instrotor 30 or the like provides air volume, temperature, and blowout. Etc. appropriately controls the vehicle interior occupant is performing air-conditioning of the vehicle interior to a desired temperature state.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral "18" denotes an evaporator, "19" denotes an inside air intake, "20" denotes an outside air intake,
"21" is a blower, and "M" is a motor.

Next, the cluster lid 31 is attached to the front surface of the instru- ment 30.
This is a frame in which the audio device 40 and the like are stored. Although there are various types of the audio device 40, the audio device 40 is generally a tape deck, a radio, a CD player, or the like.

Various instruments are a speedometer, a fuel gauge, and the like embedded in the instrument panel 1. The steering member 41 is made of an iron bar and supports an operation rod for steering. The center console 42 has a box shape in which a rear duct Dr is inserted and an accessory case is formed.

The procedure for assembling the parts attached to the front of the front seat in the vehicle cabin is generally as follows.

1) Before laying a carpet in a vehicle cabin, one member Df1 of a floor duct Df in the vehicle air conditioning unit 10 is mounted on a bracket or an angle (hereinafter, referred to as a bracket, a suffix, which is erected from a floor panel 2). B
And the other member Df2
Is installed in the same manner.

2) The heater unit 17 is mounted on the dash panel 3 or the like. As shown in FIG. 8, the heater unit 17 has a plurality of brackets 17B protruding from the unit case 17a, and is connected to brackets 3B on the vehicle body such as the dash panel 3 by bolts or the like. This connection is a difficult task.

3) The steering member 41 and the instrument panel supporting bracket 1B are mounted on the dash panel 3 and the like.

4) Attach the rear duct Dr to the floor panel 2.

5) The instrument panel 1 is mounted on the instrument panel support bracket 1B and the dash panel 3.

6) an incar sensor (not shown);
An aspirator duct Das for guiding vehicle interior air is mounted on the incar sensor.

7) Install the instroter 30.

8) Attach audio equipment 40 and ash tray (not shown).

9) The center console 42 is mounted.

10) Attach the cluster lid 31 to the instroer 30.

As described above, in the assembling work, since various parts are individually connected to the bracket on the vehicle body side by bolts or the like, there are many mounting locations and there are many difficult tasks. It takes a long time to complete, and it is extremely difficult to assemble in front of the front seat in the passenger compartment.

For this reason, conventionally, for example, Japanese Utility Model
As disclosed in JP-A-10-10945, a panel box is mounted on a case of an air-conditioning unit, and attached parts are installed on the panel box in order to collectively incorporate various parts mounted in front of a front seat in a vehicle cabin. In some cases, these accessory parts are attached to a vehicle body via an air conditioning unit.

[0023]

However, if the accessory parts are attached to such a panel box and then attached to the air-conditioning unit at a time, the size of one part in the case of mounting on a vehicle becomes large and a large number of parts are attached. There is a risk that workability may be impaired by having only weight. In particular, simply integrating components that must be stored in a small storage space in front of the front seat in the vehicle interior reduces the number of mounting operations, but makes it difficult to balance the weight of the entire unit assembly. In addition, the difficult task of having to store large heavy parts in a small space while lifting them so that they float slightly from the floor panel remains, and the difficult tasks have not been completely eliminated. It is a fact.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a mounting structure of a unit assembly including a vehicle air conditioner which can easily store large modular heavy parts in a small storage space in front of a front seat in a vehicle. With the goal.

[0025]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning unit for a vehicle, comprising: a heater unit; various ducts connected to the heater unit; A unit assembly having an opening connected to the unit case and having an opening opened toward the vehicle interior, and an audio device housed in the opening of the installation, in front of a front seat in the vehicle interior. In a mounting structure of a unit assembly housed in a space and fixed to a bracket on a vehicle body side, a support surface of a predetermined length formed in a concave shape is formed on both sides of a lower surface of a unit case of the heater unit, and a mounting piece is formed on an end of the support surface. And a unit assembly mounted on the bracket is supported by the support surface and moved to a predetermined position in the storage space. Characterized in that in a state so as to connect the fixture between the bracket and the attachment piece.
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the bulge between the support surfaces of the unit case is a part of the rear duct. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the unit assembly has a center console. The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the center console is connected to the unit case after the unit assembly is stored in the storage space. The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the center console has a rear duct inside, and the duct of the heater unit and the rear duct inside the center console are connected by connection with the unit case. I do. The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the unit assembly has the instrument panel mounting bracket. The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the instrument panel mounting bracket can be connected to the instrument panel after the unit assembly is stored in the storage space.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a modular unit assembly in which at least an instru- menter and audio equipment are attached to a heater unit is stored in a small storage space in front of a front seat. Then, once the support surface formed on the heater unit is supported by the bracket erected on the floor panel, and the entire weight is supported by the bracket, the unit assembly is moved into the storage space using the support surface as a guide. Since the mounting piece provided at the end of the support surface and the bracket are connected by a fixture, even a heavy unit assembly having a poor weight balance can be easily stored in a small storage space. It can be fixed, so that not only the workability of the mounting work is improved but also difficult work can be eliminated. According to the second aspect of the invention, since the bulging portion between the support surfaces serves as a rear duct, not only is space advantageous, but also duct connection is simplified. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the center console is included in the unit assembly, almost all of the components in the central portion in the vehicle width direction can be mounted collectively, further promoting modularization, and assembling work. The performance is greatly improved. According to this structure, the heavy unit assembly can be slid into the storage space and fixed, and then connected to the vehicle air conditioning unit and the center console. Parts can also be easily installed. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the connection between the rear duct inside the center console and the unit case side duct is performed only by the connection between the center console and the unit case, and the center console side rear duct and the unit case are connected. It is not necessary to separately connect only the side duct. According to the invention as set forth in claim 6, since the unit assembly has the instrument panel mounting bracket, modularization can be promoted, and assembling workability is improved. With this configuration, the instrument panel can be mounted on the instrument panel mounting bracket after the unit assembly is mounted, so that a relatively small storage space is provided by the instrument panel when the unit assembly is mounted. A relatively large storage space can be provided without being narrowed.

[0027]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a unit assembly including a vehicle air-conditioning unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating components of the unit assembly including the vehicle air-conditioning unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the components of the air conditioner, and FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which only a heater unit of the air conditioner for a vehicle is mounted. FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a state in which only a heater unit of the apparatus is attached for each process, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing an assembled state of a unit assembly including a heater unit. The same members as those shown in FIGS. Signs are attached.

The unit assembly A of the present embodiment generally includes a heater unit 17 in the vehicle air conditioning unit 10.
The heater unit 17 is provided with an instru- ment 30, a cluster lid 31, an audio device 40, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle air conditioning unit 1
0 is an intake unit 11, a cooler unit 12,
As shown in FIG. 1, these three units are provided in front of a front seat Fs in a vehicle compartment R formed by a dash panel 3, a floor panel 2, and the like, as shown in FIG. Moreover, it is stored in the extremely small storage space 5 below the instrument panel 1.

The vehicle air-conditioning unit 10 is generally provided with a heater unit 17 at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction so that the temperature-controlled air is equally branched and blown to the left and right in the vehicle width direction. I have. Therefore, when the modularized unit assembly A is formed, the heater unit 17 is centered, and the instro 30 provided in the center portion of the front of the front seat in the vehicle interior, the opening 30a of the instro 30 It is preferable to incorporate an audio device 40 such as a tape deck or a radio installed in the device.

Further, in addition to these, the instructor 30
The center console 42 and the instrument panel mounting bracket 1B extending rearward from the vehicle interior can be mounted on the instru- ment 30. Further, an aspirator duct Das can be added to these to further increase the size. .

In this case, the instroter 30 may be connected to the heater unit 17 by a screw or the like, and the audio device 40 may be housed in the opening 30a of the instorer 30 and fixed by a screw or the like. The center console 42 is configured so as to be connected to the instroter 30 or the heater unit 17 by means of concave-convex fitting. At this connection, a rear duct Dr provided inside the center console 42 and the unit case 17 of the heater unit 17 are connected.
If the rear duct Dr extending from the side a is connected together, the rear ducts Dr can be connected only by the connection between the center console 42 and the unit case 17a, and the connection of only the rear duct Dr can be performed. There is no need to do it separately.

However, when the center console 42 is combined with the unit assembly A, if the size becomes too large, the center console 42 alone may be separately connected to the heater unit 17 by fitting in a concave and convex manner.

Each of the unit assemblies A formed in this way is only provided at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction. Is no problem. In particular, a bulging portion, a so-called tunnel portion 2a, is formed at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel 4 in order to increase the strength of the floor panel 2, and the tunnel portion 2a has a considerable strength. Therefore, the unit assembly A is supported on the tunnel portion 2a,
In addition, there is no problem even if it is moved while being supported.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the tunnel unit 2
a, a pair of brackets 2B (see FIG. 3) for fixing the heater unit 17 and, in some cases, a pair of brackets 42B for fixing the center console 42.
(See FIG. 5), the brackets 2B and the like support the load of the unit assembly A, and the unit assembly A is transported or moved to a predetermined position. The mounting workability of the heavy unit assembly A is improved.

However, merely supporting the load of the unit assembly A on the bracket 2B or the like is not effective in improving the mounting workability. Therefore, in this embodiment, a flat support surface 17b for receiving a load is formed on the lower surface of the unit case 17a of the heater unit 17, which is a main part of the unit assembly A, so as to have a predetermined length L. At the end of the support surface 17b, a mounting piece T which is connected to the bracket 2B by a fixing tool K such as a bolt is provided.

In particular, the support surface 17b is
It is preferable to form a concave shape on both sides of the lower surface of 7a. In this manner, the bulging portion formed between the support surfaces 17b serves as a guide that slides on the bracket 2B and the like, and can move and store the unit assembly A into the storage space 5, thereby improving the mounting workability. Moreover, if the bulge between the support surfaces 17b is a part of the rear duct Dr, the unit case 1
Compared to a case where a rear duct Dr is separately provided in the 7a, not only is the space advantageous, but also the duct connection is simplified.

It is preferable that the tip of the bracket 2B be slightly inclined as shown in the figure in consideration of the workability of connection with the bolt. Is preferred.

Any number of brackets 2B and the like for fixing the heater unit 17 and the center console 42 may be provided as long as they are provided along the tunnel portion 2a. Since the heater unit 17 and the center console 42 are fixed, it is not preferable to provide an unnecessarily large number.

The operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the heater unit 17, the instructor 30, and the audio device 40
Are assembled together to form a modularized unit assembly A. The unit assembly A may be a larger unit assembly A in which an instrument panel mounting bracket 1B, an aspirator duct Das (both shown in FIG. 6), a center console 42, a rear duct Dr, and the like are combined.

The unit assembly A formed in this way is considerable in weight. However, in some cases, the unit assembly A is put into a vehicle interior using a hanging robot or the like, and is supported by a support surface 17b formed on the unit case 17a. Is placed on a bracket 2B or the like erected on the tunnel portion 2a of the floor panel 2, and the entire weight is supported by the bracket 2B or the like.

Then, the unit assembly A is slid on the bracket 2B or the like, moved into the storage space 5, and the mounting piece T provided at the end of the support surface 17b and the bracket 2B are fixed by the fixture K. With the connection, the worker does not take an unnatural posture.

In this case, therefore, even if the unit assembly A is heavy, the overall weight balance of which has been deteriorated by combining various components, the bracket 2
Since it is moved to the inside of the storage space 5 while being supported by B or the like, the work is not difficult, and the workability is remarkably improved.

After fixing, the instrument panel 1 is mounted on the instrument panel mounting bracket 1B. If the instrument panel 1 is retrofitted, the mounting work can be performed in the storage space 5 having a relatively large mounting space, so that the troublesome work is somewhat reduced.

Next, in the case of the unit assembly A in which the heater unit 17 and the center console 42 are not combined, the heater unit 17 and the center console 42 are connected and both rear ducts Dr are connected. In this case, since the unit assembly A is not initially a long part, the mounting of the unit assembly A can be relatively easily performed.

The present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified and used within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the heater unit is made into a module as a main part. However, in some cases, a cooler unit or an intake unit may be made into a module as a main part. The supporting surface 17b formed in the above may be formed on another part depending on the case.

[0047]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a modular unit assembly in which at least an instru- menter and audio equipment are attached to a heater unit is provided in a small storage space in front of a front seat. In order to store the unit assembly inside the heater unit, the support surface formed on the heater unit is temporarily placed on a bracket erected on the floor panel, and the entire weight is supported by the bracket. Since the support surface is moved into the storage space as a guide and the mounting piece provided at the end of the support surface and the bracket are connected by a fixture,
Even a unit assembly of a heavy object having a poor overall weight balance can be easily stored and fixed in a small storage space, so that not only the mounting workability is improved but also difficult work can be eliminated. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bulging portion between the support surfaces serves as a rear duct, which is advantageous not only in terms of space but also simplifies the duct connection. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the unit console has the center console, almost all of the components in the central portion in the vehicle width direction can be mounted collectively, and modularization can be further promoted.
Significantly improves assembly workability. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, after the heavy unit assembly is slid and moved into the storage space and fixed, it can be connected to the vehicle air conditioning unit and the center console. Can be mounted on According to the invention described in claim 5, the connection between the rear duct inside the center console and the duct on the unit case side is performed only by the connection between the center console and the unit case, and only the center console side rear duct and the unit case side duct are connected. There is no need to separately perform connection. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the unit assembly has the instrument panel mounting bracket, modularization can be promoted, and assembling workability is improved. According to the invention described in claim 7, the instrument panel can be mounted on the instrument panel mounting bracket after the unit assembly is mounted, so that a relatively small storage space is narrowed by the instrument panel when the unit assembly is mounted. And a relatively large storage space can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an attached state of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the embodiment and components in the vicinity thereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which only a heater unit is mounted.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic side views showing a state in which only a heater unit is mounted, for each process, in which FIG. 4A shows a state before mounting, FIG. 4B shows a state after mounting, and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view in which a heater unit and a center console are connected.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing conventional components and components in the vicinity thereof.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view of an air conditioner for a vehicle.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a mounting state of a conventional heater unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1… Instrument panel, 1B… Bracket, 2
... floor panel, 2B ... body side bracket, 5 ... storage space, 10 ... vehicle air conditioning unit, 17 ... heater unit, 17a ... unit case, 30 ... instroer, 30a
... Opening part, 40 ... Audio equipment, 42 ... Center console, A ... Unit assembly, B ... Bracket, D ... Duct, Dr ... Rear duct, K ... Fixture, L ... Length of support surface, R ... Car compartment, T ... Mounting pieces.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tomohiro Maruyama 5-24-15 Minamidai, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Calsonic Corporation (72) Inventor Toshio Ohashi 5-24-15 Minamidai, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Calsonic Corporation (56) References JP-A-7-81375 (JP, A) JP-A-7-32862 (JP, A) JP-A-7-81376 (JP, A) JP-A-57-10945 (JP, U) 58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60H 1/00 102

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heater unit (17) in a vehicle air conditioning unit (10), various ducts (D) connected to the heater unit (17), and a unit case (17a) of the heater unit (17). ) And an opening (30a) having an opening (30a) opened into the passenger compartment (R), and audio equipment stored in the opening (30a) of the opening (30).
(40) is stored in the storage space (5) in front of the front seat in the vehicle interior, and the bracket (2)
In the mounting structure of the unit assembly to be fixed to B),
A support surface (17b) of a predetermined length (L) formed in a concave shape is formed on both sides of the lower surface of the unit case (17a) of the heater unit (17), and a mounting piece (T) is attached to an end of the support surface (17b). Provided,
Unit assembly mounted on the bracket (2B)
(A) is supported by the support surface (17b) and the storage space (5)
A mounting structure for a unit assembly including a vehicle air conditioning unit, wherein the bracket (B) and the mounting piece (T) are connected by a fixing tool (K) while being moved to a predetermined position. 2. The unit assembly mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the unit case (17a) has a bulging portion between the support surfaces (17b) as a part of a rear duct (Dr). . 3. The unit assembly mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the unit assembly (A) has a center console (42). 4. The center console after the unit assembly (A) is stored in the storage space (5).
The mounting structure of the unit assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the unit case (17a) is connected to the unit case (17a). 5. The center console (42) has a rear duct (Dr) inside, and the duct (D) of the heater unit (17) and the rear duct inside the center console are connected by connection with the unit case (17a). The mounting structure of the unit assembly according to claim 3, wherein (Dr) is connected. 6. The unit assembly mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the unit assembly (A) has the instrument panel mounting bracket (1B). 7. The instrument panel (1) after the unit assembly (A) is stored in the storage space (5), wherein the instrument panel mounting bracket (1B) is provided.
7. The unit assembly mounting structure according to claim 6, wherein the unit assembly can be connected.