JP3686191B2 - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automotive air conditioner, and more particularly to an automotive air conditioner in which an evaporator and a heater core are provided in one unit case.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a general automobile air conditioner, as shown in FIG. 5, an intake unit 10 for taking in outside air or inside air, a cooler unit 12 provided with an evaporator 11 for cooling the taken-in air, and the taken-in air A heater unit 14 provided with a heater core 13 for heating and conditioned air at a desired temperature is attached to the lower part of the instrument panel in the vehicle compartment so as to extend in the vehicle left-right direction.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a small car with a narrow interior, there is a problem that if the above-described automobile air conditioner is extended and attached in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the passenger's foot space becomes narrower. Development of a compact automobile air conditioner that can be used has been desired.
[0004]
Moreover, when designing an air conditioner for automobiles, it is necessary to demonstrate the original function of supplying appropriate conditioned air as a problem before solving the layout problem. It is indispensable to ensure the arrangement for minimizing the airflow resistance and the so-called temperature control performance for adjusting the temperature of the air blown into the passenger compartment to a desired temperature.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to provide an automobile air conditioner that is compact and additionally has reduced ventilation resistance and improved temperature control performance. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a unit case, an evaporator housed in the unit case for cooling air, a heater core housed in the unit case for heating air, and the unit. A cold air outlet provided in the case for mainly leading out the cold air and blowing it out toward the upper body of the passenger in the passenger compartment, and a hot air outlet provided in the unit case for mainly leading out the hot air in the passenger compartment And a defrost outlet for blowing out toward the inner surface of the windshield and side glass, and an air passage after the evaporator is a hot air passage that passes through the heater core, and In an automotive air conditioner branched to a cool air passage that flows around the heater core,
The evaporator and the heater core are arranged substantially in parallel,
While forming the cold air passage linearly along the unit case, the warm air passage is curved with respect to the cold air passage,
In order from the cold air passage side, the cold air outlet, the foot outlet, and the defrost outlet are arranged,
A partition wall that partitions the cold air outlet and the hot air outlet and partitions the hot air outlet and the hot air passage, a first opening that mainly faces a region where cool air flows, and a second that faces the air outlet of the heater core. Forming an opening,
A first door is attached to the first opening so as to be freely opened and closed.
A second door is attached to the second opening so as to be freely opened and closed.
Depending on the air conditioning mode, the first and second doors are opened and closed or the opening is adjusted ,
Among the air conditioning modes, the second opening is opened during the hot air system air conditioning mode,
In the air conditioning mode, in the bi-level mode in which the cold air derived from the cold air outlet is blown toward the upper body of the occupant and the warm air derived from the foot outlet is directed toward the occupant's feet, An automotive air conditioner characterized in that an opening is opened and the second opening is closed .
[0007]
The automobile air conditioner having such a configuration is extremely compact because the evaporator and the heater core are arranged substantially in parallel in the unit case, and can be arranged using the excess space in the vehicle interior. . Further, by forming the cool air passage linearly along the unit case, the ventilation resistance at the time of full cool can be reduced, and the rapid cooling effect is enhanced. Furthermore, since the curved shape of the hot air passage is changed to a linear shape from the air outlet of the heater core by opening the second opening during the hot air system air conditioning mode, the airflow resistance of the path through which the hot air passes is significantly reduced. . As a result, it is possible to flow a large amount of warm air to the warm air outlet without causing an increase in noise, and it is possible to improve the heating performance and the window clearing performance. In addition, since the first opening is opened and the second opening is closed in the bi-level mode, the warm air that has passed through the heater core does not flow down from the second opening to the foot outlet, but forms a curved shape. And then flows down from the first opening to the foot outlet and is blown out toward the feet of the occupant. Therefore, since an excessive amount of hot air does not flow down to the foot outlet, the temperature difference between the cold air blown toward the passenger's upper body and the hot air blown toward the feet does not become too large. , Comfortable head cold foot type air conditioning.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the heater core is provided substantially horizontally above the evaporator.
[0009]
In the present invention, the heater core and the evaporator need only be substantially parallel, and they can be placed vertically (the air passage surface is substantially vertical), or they can be placed horizontally (the air passage surface is substantially horizontal). The heater core may be provided substantially horizontally on the top of the evaporator as in the second aspect of the invention. More preferred. As described above, when the heater core is provided in the upper portion and the evaporator is provided in the lower portion, the size of the unit case in the vehicle left-right direction or the front-rear direction can be reduced while the height of the unit case is kept within a predetermined range. The installation space in the vehicle compartment of the unit case can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the drainage structure of the condensed water generated by the evaporator is facilitated by arranging the evaporator at the lower part.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the bi-level mode, the second door is opened and closed with its opening degree adjusted.
[0015]
Since the occupant's temperature sensation and vehicle usage environment are different from each other, if configured as described above, the temperature difference at the bi-level mode can be set as desired from a wide range, It becomes possible to widely accept the user's request.
[0016]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the first door is configured integrally with a cold air outlet door provided to be openable and closable at the cold air outlet.
[0017]
According to such a configuration, since the first door can be opened and closed by diverting the drive system for the cold air outlet, the drive system for the first door is not complicated.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a unit of an automotive air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019]
An evaporator 23 and a heater core 24 are accommodated in a unit case 22 of the unit 21 shown in the figure. The heater core 24 and the evaporator 23 are accommodated so that the air passage surface is substantially horizontal and the heater core 24 is positioned above the evaporator 23. Between the evaporator 23 and the heater core 24, a curved guide plate 25 for guiding the air that has passed through the evaporator 23 is formed. A refrigerant from a cooling cycle (not shown) circulates in the evaporator 23 and cools the intake air by exchanging heat with the intake air. Further, engine cooling water circulates in the heater core 24 and heats the air by exchanging heat with the air passing through the heater core 24.
[0020]
The unit 21 is connected to an intake unit (not shown), and outside air and / or inside air taken in by the intake unit is introduced into the unit case 22 from an introduction port 26 formed on the lower side of the evaporator 23. Pass through and flow upward.
[0021]
Thus, by arranging the evaporator 23 and the heater core 24 horizontally vertically, the size of the unit case in the vehicle left-right direction or the front-rear direction can be reduced while keeping the height dimension of the unit case within a predetermined range. Can do. As a result, the unit 21 that is extremely compact is configured, and the installation space of the unit case 22 in the vehicle interior can be greatly reduced, and therefore, the excess space in the vehicle interior can be used.
[0022]
In the vicinity of the heater core 24, a hot air passage 28 that passes through the heater core 24 and flows down to the mixing chamber 27 is curved, and bypasses the heater core 24 and goes directly to the mixing chamber 27 along the unit case 22. A rising cool air passage 29 is formed. In other words, the heater core 24 is offset with respect to the cold air passage 29 formed linearly along the unit case 22, whereby the hot air passage 28 is curved and formed. A mix door 30 is rotatably provided at a branch point between the hot air passage 28 and the cold air passage 29 on the front surface of the heater core 24.
[0023]
The opening degree of the mix door 30 is adjusted by a motor actuator or the like according to the temperature set by the occupant, and a full cool position FC (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) where the hot air passage 28 is fully closed. Then, it rotates between a full hot position FH (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) where the cold air passage 29 is fully closed. The ratio of the amount of air flowing to the hot air passage 28 and the amount of air flowing to the cold air passage 29 is adjusted by the opening degree of the mix door 30. The air that has passed through the evaporator 23 is branched into the hot air passage 28 and the cold air passage 29 by the mix door 30, and the air guided to the hot air passage 28 is heated by passing through the heater core 24. On the other hand, the air guided to the cold air passage 29 maintains the temperature as it is, but when it flows down to the mixing chamber 27, it is mixed with the hot air that has passed through the hot air passage 28 to become air adjusted to a desired temperature.
[0024]
In the upper part of the unit case 22, a vent outlet 31 as a cold air outlet mainly for leading out cool air, and a foot outlet 32 and a defrost outlet 33 as hot air outlets for mainly leading out hot air are formed. . The foot outlet 32 is formed in the side surface portion of the unit case 22 in the vicinity of the vent outlet 31. These vent outlet 31, foot outlet 32, and defrost outlet 33 are respectively an outlet for supplying conditioned air toward the upper body of the passenger in the passenger compartment, and conditioned air toward the feet of the passenger in the passenger compartment. It is a blower outlet for blowing out conditioned air toward the inner surface of the blower outlet and the windshield and side glass. In addition, a vent door (corresponding to a cold air outlet door) 34 that opens and closes the vent outlet 31, a defrost outlet 33, and a diff-foot door 35 that opens and closes the foot outlet 32 are openably and closably attached. Each air outlet 31, 32, 33 is opened and closed.
[0025]
In particular, in the unit 21 of the automotive air conditioner according to the present embodiment, a cold air outlet 31 (vent outlet) and hot air outlets 32 and 33 (foot outlet and defrost outlet) are provided above the unit case 22. And a partition wall 40 for partitioning the hot air outlets 32 and 33 and the hot air passage 28. The partition wall 40 is formed with a first opening 41 that faces a region of the mixing chamber 27 where mainly cool air flows and is close to the foot outlet 32, and a second opening 42 that faces the air outlet 24 a of the heater core 24. . A first door 43 that opens and closes the first opening 41 and a second door 44 that opens and closes the second opening 42 are attached to be openable and closable so as to open and close the first opening 41 and the second opening 42 according to the air conditioning mode. It has become.
[0026]
Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the first door 43 is configured integrally with the vent door 34 and is a butterfly door 45 as a whole. In the butterfly door 45, the first door 43 also closes the first opening 41 when the vent door 34 closes the vent outlet 31, and the first door 43 opens the first opening 41 as the vent door 34 opens the vent outlet 31. To turn. Further, when the vent door 34 opens the vent outlet 31 to the maximum extent, the first opening 41 is closed by the vent door 34 rotated to this position. By integrating the first door 43 and the vent door 34 into the butterfly door 45, the first door 43 can be opened and closed by diverting the drive system of the vent door 34, so the drive system for the first door 43 is not complicated. .
[0027]
Next, the operation will be described.
[0028]
According to the unit 21 of the automobile air conditioner having the above-described configuration, the air from the intake unit is introduced into the unit case 22 from the introduction port 26 and is cooled by passing through the evaporator 23. The air that has passed through the evaporator 23 rises while being guided by the guide plate 25 and reaches the mix door 30. The air that has passed through the evaporator 23 is branched into the hot air passage 28 and the cold air passage 29 by the mix door 30, and the air guided to the hot air passage 28 passes through the heater core 24 to become hot air and becomes a mixing chamber. The air guided to the cold air passage 29 flows down to the mixing chamber 27 while being cooled. In the mixing chamber 27, warm air and cold air are mixed to form air adjusted to a desired temperature.
[0029]
The air in the mixing chamber 27 is blown out from the air outlets 31, 32, 33 corresponding to the air conditioning mode set by the passenger. The air conditioning mode is set by operating an air conditioning mode lever provided in the passenger compartment. The flow of air for each air conditioning mode will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0030]
2 (A) and 2 (B) are diagrams showing the air flow in the warm air system air conditioning mode in which mainly warm air is blown into the vehicle interior. In the hot air system air conditioning mode, there are a foot mode in which warm air is blown toward the feet of the passenger to heat the passenger compartment, and a defrost mode in which the glass is defrosted. FIG. 2 (A) shows the foot mode. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the air flow in the defrost mode.
[0031]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the hot air system air conditioning mode, the vent outlet 31 is fully closed by the vent door 34, and the first opening 41 is also fully closed by the first door 43, while the second The opening 42 is fully opened by the second door 44. When the foot mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), the foot outlet 32 is fully opened and the defrost outlet 33 is fully closed by the differential-foot door 35. When the defrost mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), the foot outlet 32 is fully closed and the defrost outlet 33 is fully opened by the differential-foot door 35.
[0032]
Since the second opening 42 is opened in the hot air system air conditioning mode, the air outlet 24a of the heater core 24 faces the second opening 42, and the hot air passing through the heater core 24 flows down toward the hot air outlets 32 and 33 as it is. To do. When the mix door 30 is in a position other than the full hot position FH where the cold air passage 29 is fully closed, the cold air flowing down the cold air passage 29 is mixed with the warm air in the mixing chamber 27, and the air adjusted to a desired temperature is heated. It flows down toward the wind outlets 32 and 33. As a result, in foot mode, warm air can be blown mainly toward the passenger's feet to heat the passenger compartment, and in defrost mode, warm air is mainly blown toward the inner surfaces of the windshield and side glass. Defrosting of the glass can be performed.
[0033]
As described above, by opening the second opening 42 in the hot air system air conditioning mode, the curved shape of the hot air passage 28 is changed to a linear shape from the air outlet 24a of the heater core 24, and therefore, the ventilation of the path through which the hot air passes. Resistance is significantly reduced. As a result, it is possible to cause a large amount of warm air to flow down to the foot outlet 32 or the defrost outlet 33 without increasing noise, and it is possible to improve heating performance and window clearing performance.
[0034]
The differential / foot mode for preventing the fogging of the window while heating the passenger compartment is also one of the hot air system air conditioning modes. In the case of this differential / foot mode, although not shown, The foot air outlet 32 is greatly opened, and the defrost air outlet 33 is slightly opened. The air flow is the same as described above, and as a result of reducing the ventilation resistance of the path through which the warm air passes, it is possible to improve the heating performance and the window clearing performance.
[0035]
FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the air flow in the vent mode.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 3A, in the vent mode, only the vent outlet 31 is fully opened by the vent door 34, the defrost outlet 33 is opened by the differential-foot door 35, and the first opening 41 connected to the foot outlet 32 is the vent door 34. Thus, the second openings 42 are each fully closed by the second door 44.
[0037]
Since both the first and second openings 41 and 42 are closed in the vent mode, air does not flow toward the foot outlet 32 and the defrost outlet 33. When the mix door 30 is located at a position other than the full cool position FC where the hot air passage 28 is fully closed, the hot air flowing down the hot air passage 28 is mixed with the cold air in the mixing chamber 27 and is adjusted to a desired temperature. Flows down toward the vent outlet 31. As a result, it is possible to cool the passenger compartment by mainly blowing cool air toward the upper body of the passenger.
[0038]
Since the second opening 42 is closed in the vent mode, the warm air passage 28 remains in a curved shape. However, in this mode, the amount of warm air is relatively small, so even if the ventilation resistance of the warm air passage 28 increases slightly, There will be no hindrance to the performance.
[0039]
In the unit 21 of the automotive air conditioner according to the present embodiment, in particular, the cool air that has passed through the evaporator 23 in the full cool mode in which the mix door 30 fully closes the hot air passage 28 and only the vent outlet 31 fully opens. Since the cool air passage 29 rises linearly along the unit case 22, the airflow resistance is small and the rapid cooling effect can be enhanced.
[0040]
In addition, when the cooling cycle is operated and the refrigerant is circulated through the evaporator 23, heat exchange is performed with the intake air, whereby condensed water adheres to the surface of the evaporator 23. The automobile according to the present embodiment In the unit 21 of the air conditioning apparatus for use, since the evaporator 23 is disposed below the unit case 22, the condensed water can be dropped into the unit case 22 as it is and drained from the drain port 36.
[0041]
FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the air flow in the bi-level mode. The bi-level mode is a head cold foot heat type air conditioning mode in which cold air derived from the vent outlet 31 is blown toward the upper body of the occupant and warm air derived from the foot outlet 32 is directed toward the occupant's feet.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 3B, in the bi-level mode, the vent outlet 31 is half-opened by the vent door 34, and accordingly, the first opening 41 is half-opened by the first door 43. The defrost outlet 33 is fully closed by the differential-foot door 35 and the second opening 42 is fully closed by the second door 44.
[0043]
Since the first opening 41 is half-opened in the bi-level mode, the warm air flowing down the warm air passage 28 mainly flows down toward the foot outlet 32 through the first opening 41 and then flows down the cold air passage 29. The cool air mainly flows down toward the vent outlet 31. As a result, cold air is blown out to the upper body of the occupant, while warm air is blown out to the feet, so that the head cold foot heat type air conditioning can be performed.
[0044]
In particular, in the unit 21 of the automotive air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the second opening 42 and the second door 44 for reducing the airflow resistance of the hot air passage 28 are provided. By controlling the opening degree of the second door 44 to open and close, the temperature difference between the foot wind blown into the passenger compartment and the vent wind can be easily controlled.
[0045]
That is, as apparent from the temperature characteristic diagram in the bi-level mode shown in FIG. 4, the temperature difference between the foot wind and the vent wind is minimized when the second opening 42 is fully closed, and the second door As the second opening 42 is weakly opened and opened in the middle by turning 44, the maximum is obtained when the second opening 42 is fully opened. The temperature difference between the foot wind and the vent wind in the bi-level mode, the so-called top / bottom differential temperature, is usually preferably set to 10 to 30 ° C., but the temperature sensation of the occupant and the vehicle usage environment differ individually. Therefore, the unit 21 of the present embodiment that can set the temperature difference between the upper and lower sides as desired from a wide range can be widely accepted by the user.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the evaporator and the heater core are disposed substantially in parallel in the unit case, the vehicle air conditioner is extremely compact. Therefore, the surplus space in the passenger compartment can be used effectively. Further, by forming the cool air passage linearly along the unit case, the ventilation resistance at the time of full cool can be reduced, and the rapid cooling effect is enhanced. Furthermore, since the second opening is opened during the hot air system air conditioning mode, the curved shape of the hot air passage is changed to a linear shape from the air outlet of the heater core, and the ventilation resistance of the path through which the hot air passes is remarkably reduced. As a result, it is possible to flow a large amount of warm air to the warm air outlet without causing an increase in noise, and it is possible to improve the heating performance and the window clearing performance. In addition, since the first opening is opened and the second opening is closed in the bi-level mode, a larger amount of hot air does not flow down to the foot outlet in the bi-level mode, and is blown out toward the upper body of the occupant. The temperature difference between the cool air and the warm air blown toward the feet does not become too large, and a comfortable head-and-foot heat type air conditioning can be realized.
[0047]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the size of the unit case in the vehicle left-right direction or the front-rear direction can be reduced while the height of the unit case is kept within a predetermined range. The installation space in the vehicle interior can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the drainage structure of the condensed water generated by the evaporator is facilitated by arranging the evaporator at the lower part.
[0050]
According to the invention described in claim 3 , the temperature difference in the bi-level mode can be set as desired from a wide range, and the temperature sensation of the occupant and the environment in which the vehicle is used are individually different. Therefore, it is possible to widely accept the user's request.
[0051]
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the first door can be opened and closed by diverting the drive system for the cold air outlet door, the drive system for the first door is not complicated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a unit of an automotive air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B) are diagrams showing the air flow in the warm air system air conditioning mode in which mainly warm air is blown into the vehicle interior. FIG. 2 (A) is a diagram in the foot mode. The flow of air is shown, and FIG. 5B is a view showing the flow of air in the defrost mode.
FIG. 3A shows the air flow in the vent mode, and FIG. 3B shows the air flow in the bi-level mode.
FIG. 4 is a graph showing a temperature characteristic diagram in the bi-level mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional automobile air conditioner.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Unit 22 of motor vehicle air conditioner ... Unit case 23 ... Evaporator 24 ... Heater core 24a ... Heater core air outlet 27 ... Mixing chamber 28 ... Hot air passage 29 ... Cold air passage 31 ... Vent air outlet (cold air outlet)
32 ... Foot outlet (hot air outlet)
33 ... defrost outlet (warm air outlet)
34 ... Vent door (cold air outlet door)
35 ... Diff-foot door 40 ... Partition wall 41 ... First opening 42 ... Second opening 43 ... First door 44 ... Second door

Claims (4)

A unit case (22); an evaporator (23) that is housed in the unit case (22) and cools air; a heater core (24) that is housed in the unit case (22) and heats the air; and the unit case A cold air outlet (31) provided in (22) for mainly leading out cool air and blowing it out toward the upper body of the passenger in the passenger compartment, and a hot air outlet (in the unit case (22) for mainly leading out hot air) 32 , 33) and a defroster outlet (33) for blowing out toward the inner surface of the windshield and side glass, and a foot outlet (32) for blowing out toward the feet of the passengers in the passenger compartment , The air passage after the evaporator (23) bypasses the warm air passage (28) passing through the heater core (24) and the heater core (24). The air-conditioning system comprising branches into the cool air passage (29) flowing Te,
The evaporator (23) and the heater core (24) are arranged substantially in parallel,
The cold air passage (29) is formed linearly along the unit case (22), while the hot air passage (28) is formed curved with respect to the cold air passage (29),
In order from the cold air passage (29) side, the cold air outlet (31), the foot outlet (32), the defrost outlet (33) are arranged,
Cold air is mainly formed in the partition wall (40) that partitions the cold air outlet (31) and the hot air outlet (32, 33) and partitions the hot air outlet (32, 33) and the hot air passage (28). Forming a first opening (41) facing the region into which the air flows and a second opening (42) facing the air outlet (24a) of the heater core (24),
A first door (43) is removably attached to the first opening (41),
A second door (44) is removably attached to the second opening (42),
Depending on the air conditioning mode, the first and second doors (43, 44) are opened / closed or adjusted in opening .
Among the air conditioning modes, the second opening (42) is opened during the hot air system air conditioning mode,
Among the air-conditioning modes, a bi-level that blows out cold air derived from the cold air outlet (31) toward the upper body of the occupant and blows warm air derived from the foot outlet (32) toward the feet of the occupant. The automotive air conditioner characterized in that, in the mode, the first opening (41) is opened and the second opening (42) is closed .   The automotive air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the heater core (24) is provided substantially horizontally above the evaporator (23). The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein, in the bi-level mode, the second door (44) is opened and closed with an opening degree adjusted . The said 1st door (43) is comprised integrally with the door (34) for cold wind outlets provided in the said vent outlet (31) so that opening and closing was possible. Air conditioner for automobiles.

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