JP3621240B2 - Duct for automobile air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automobile air conditioner duct formed by blow molding.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An automotive instrument panel has multiple air outlets at appropriate locations to adjust the interior temperature to a desired temperature and to remove fogging and frost on the window glass. A plurality of air ducts for sending are extended in a required direction from an outlet of an air conditioner unit arranged inside the instrument panel.
[0003]
Conventionally, these vehicle interior ducts and defroster ducts have been generally molded separately from each other by blow molding of a synthetic resin material and then integrally joined by a rivet or the like (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-52683). reference).
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The plurality of ducts as described above can greatly increase the manufacturing man-hours if they can be integrally formed at the time of blow molding. However, the plurality of ducts may have different extending directions or different. There are many restrictions such as the need to supply air-conditioned air independently, and there are many restrictions, and it is difficult to make a shape that can be punched in one direction. Molding was extremely difficult.
[0005]
The present invention provides a duct for an automobile air conditioner that is configured so that a plurality of ducts can be integrally molded without overcoming the problems of the prior art and complicating the mold structure. It was devised for the purpose of doing.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, in the present invention, the conditioned air discharged from the air conditioner unit 3 disposed in the center of the vehicle width direction inside the instrument panel 2 is provided at the center of the instrument panel. A center vent duct 5 to be supplied to the center vent 4, a pair of side vent ducts 7 for supplying the conditioned air to a pair of side vents 6 provided on the left and right sides of the instrument panel, and a windshield glass A front defroster duct 10 that supplies the conditioned air to a front defroster nozzle 9 that faces 8 and a pair of side defroster nozzles 12 that are provided above the side vent 6 so as to face the side window glass 11 respectively. A pair of side defroster ducts 13 for supplying The air conditioner duct of an automobile, the base being joined to the discharge port of the air conditioning unit, inlet 5a of the duct for the center vent, inlet duct for the side vent, and the front defroster duct The introduction ports 10a are opened so that conditioned air from the air conditioner unit is independently supplied to the ducts, and the center vent duct and the side vent duct are rigidly connected to each other at the base. The center vent duct and the side vent duct constitute an air-conditioner duct portion 16, and the side defroster duct extends from an intermediate portion of the front defroster duct. The defroster duct and the side defroster duct rigidly connected to the defroster duct A roster duct portion 17 is configured, and a base portion of the air conditioner duct portion and a base portion of the front defroster duct are connected to each other via a thin hinge 18 extending in the vehicle width direction. The entire part is integrally formed in a form that is developed so that it can be punched out by blow molding of a synthetic resin material, and then bent into a normal shape by bending at the thin hinge 18 part and then extending in the same direction The extended side vent duct 7 and the side defroster duct 13 are rigidly connected to each other.
[0007]
According to this, since the plurality of parts can be adjusted to a desired relative angle by relatively rotating the parts with the thin hinge of the connecting portion as a fulcrum, the direction of the outlet is different in the completed state. A plurality of ducts that cannot be molded in the same die-cutting direction are blow-molded once in a state where they are connected to each other so that the die-cutting direction can be the same, and then folded at a thin hinge portion so that a predetermined shape is obtained. Thus, it is only necessary to adjust the relative angle between the plurality of ducts, and it is possible to integrally form a plurality of ducts having different outlet directions without complicating the mold structure.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0009]
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a vehicle air conditioning duct assembly to which the present invention is applied is mounted on a vehicle body. The duct assembly 1 includes a center vent duct 5 for supplying conditioned air discharged from an air conditioner unit 3 disposed inside the instrument panel 2 to a center vent 4 provided at the center of the instrument panel 2; A pair of side vent ducts 7 for supplying conditioned air to a pair of side vents 6 provided on the left and right side portions of the instrument panel 2 and a front window glass 8 are provided at the front end of the instrument panel 2. A pair of front defroster ducts 10 that supply conditioned air to the front defroster nozzle 9 and a pair of side defroster nozzles 12 that are provided above the side vent 6 so as to face the side window glass 11 and supply conditioned air. The side defroster duct 13 and Those which are integrally formed at the blow molding of synthetic resin material.
[0010]
The duct assembly 1 is joined to the discharge port of the air conditioner unit 3 through a seal plate 15 as shown in FIG. An introduction port 5a of the vent duct 5, an introduction port (not shown) of the side vent duct 7, and an introduction port 10a of the front defroster duct 10 are opened, and an air conditioner unit is provided in each of the ducts 5, 7 and 10. The conditioned air from 3 is supplied independently of each other. Further, the side defroster duct 13 extends from an intermediate portion of the front defroster duct 10, and the conditioned air flowing through the front defroster duct 10 is divided and supplied.
[0011]
The center vent duct 5 and the side vent duct 7 are formed to be rigidly connected to each other at the base. The base portion of the air-conditioner duct portion 16 composed of both the ducts 5 and 7 and the base portion of the front defroster duct 10 are connected to each other via a thin hinge 18 extending in the left-right direction. As a result, the defroster duct portion 17 and the air conditioner duct portion 16 including the front defroster duct 10 and the side defroster duct 13 rigidly connected thereto can be relatively rotated in the front-rear direction with the thin hinge 18 as a fulcrum. Yes.
[0012]
The side vent duct 7 and the side defroster duct 13 extend in the same direction in a state of being close to each other, and the middle part and the tip part are rigidly connected to each other by a rivet 19. As a result, the relative rotation between the defroster duct portion 17 and the air conditioner duct portion 16 is restricted, and the duct assembly 1 as a whole is firmly held in the attached state shown in FIG.
[0013]
The duct assembly 1 configured as described above is blow-molded into a form in which the defroster duct portion 17 and the air conditioner duct portion 16 are expanded as shown by a solid line in FIG. Die cutting is possible in the direction. The base portion of the side vent duct 7 and the front end portion of the side defroster duct 13 overlap each other in the mold release direction in FIG. 3, but this portion is in the vehicle width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3). Therefore, there is no inconvenience in die cutting.
[0014]
The duct assembly 1 blow-molded in the form shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 is subjected to necessary trimming such as cutting of the opening, and then the defroster duct portion 17 is used as an air-conditioner duct portion with a thin hinge 18 as a fulcrum. 16 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow B in the figure, and as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 3, the opening end surfaces of both the inlets 5a and 10a of the center vent duct 5 and the front defroster duct 10 are The angle is adjusted so as to be on the same plane. The duct assembly 1 is now in a form for practical use as shown in FIG. 2, and is completed by connecting the side vent duct 7 and the side defroster duct 13 to each other with the rivets 19.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the relative angle between the plurality of ducts can be appropriately adjusted by relatively rotating the thin hinge of the connecting portion with the fulcrum, the die cutting directions are different from each other in the completed form. A duct that cannot be integrally formed can be integrally formed without complicating the mold structure, and a great effect can be obtained in reducing the number of manufacturing steps. In addition, when connecting with a thin-walled hinge, there is no need for a lapping margin that is required when connecting with a rivet. The effect of reducing manufacturing costs is increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where an air conditioning duct assembly of an automobile to which the present invention is applied is mounted on a vehicle body.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the duct assembly shown in FIG. 1 cut in half.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing an initial state of blow molding of the duct assembly shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Duct assembly 2 Instrument panel 3 Air-conditioner unit 4 Center vent 5 Center vent duct 6 Side vent 7 Side vent duct 8 Front window glass 9 Front defroster nozzle 10 Front defroster duct 11 Side window glass 12 Side defroster nozzle 13 Side defroster Duct 15 Seal plate 16 Air-conditioner duct 17 Defroster duct 18 Thin hinge 19 Rivet

Claims (1)

A center vent duct for supplying conditioned air discharged from an air conditioner unit disposed in the center of the vehicle width direction inside the instrument panel to a center vent provided in the center of the instrument panel;
A pair of side vent ducts for supplying the conditioned air to a pair of side vents provided on the left and right sides of the instrument panel;
A front defroster duct for supplying the conditioned air to a front defroster nozzle facing the front window glass;
An air conditioner duct for an automobile having a pair of side defroster ducts that supply the conditioned air to a pair of side defroster nozzles provided above the side vents facing the side window glass ,
An inlet for the center vent duct, an inlet for the side vent duct, and an inlet for the front defroster duct are respectively opened at the base joined to the discharge port of the air conditioner unit. And the conditioned air from the air conditioning unit is supplied independently of each other,
The center vent duct and the side vent duct are formed to be rigidly connected to each other at a base portion, and the center vent duct and the side vent duct constitute an air conditioner duct portion, and the side defroster duct. Is extended from an intermediate portion of the front defroster duct, and the front defroster duct and the side defroster duct rigidly connected to the front defroster duct constitute a defroster duct portion, and the base of the air-conditioner duct portion and the front The base of the defroster duct is connected to each other via a thin hinge extending in the vehicle width direction,
The air conditioner duct part and the defroster duct part as a whole are integrally formed in a form that can be removed by blow molding of a synthetic resin material, and then formed into a regular form by bending at the thin hinge part. A duct for an air conditioner for an automobile, wherein the duct for a side vent and the duct for a side defroster that are extended in the same direction are rigidly connected to each other.

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