JP3872184B2 - Evaporator mounting structure of air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an evaporator mounting structure for an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Among air conditioning apparatuses for automobiles, there is known an apparatus in which an evaporator is disposed horizontally in a lower side portion of a unit case because of a mounting layout in a vehicle interior.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When servicing the evaporator, either remove the entire unit from the passenger compartment, or provide a working hole in the bottom wall of the unit case that is closed by the lid, and remove the lid while the unit is still installed in the passenger compartment. A method of detaching the evaporator from the work hole is conceivable.
[0004]
However, in the former case, the maintenance work becomes large, so it goes against the demand for reduction in work man-hours and labor, and in the latter case, the space between the bottom of the unit case and the vehicle body floor is narrow. Even in this case, it is not easy to attach and remove the evaporator, and it is impossible to improve the workability by forcing the worker with much labor and unreasonable posture.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention provides an evaporator mounting structure for an air conditioner that can easily attach and detach an evaporator and improve maintainability even with a unit mounted in a vehicle interior.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In claim 1, the unit case is divided into an upper case and a lower case, and a rectangular evaporator having an elastic material pasted on the peripheral side surface is straddled across the parting line between the upper case and the lower case. An elastic material is compressed and deformed between the left and right side walls of both cases and elastically held horizontally. The inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the upper case and the lower case are connected to the upper and lower edges of the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator. A stepped portion is formed, and when the evaporator is slid rearward on the rear inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the upper case, the evaporator is held by engaging with the upper and lower edges of the rear portions of the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator. While providing upper and lower guide rails, on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case, there are a plurality of longitudinal ribs in the front and rear direction that bite into the elastic material on the left and right sides of the evaporator. It is characterized in that digit.
[0007]
According to claim 2, the upper and lower guide rails according to claim 1 are formed one step lower than the upper case and lower case steps, and the front end of the lower guide rail is connected to the rear side of the evaporator. It is characterized by an extended arrangement on the lower side.
[0008]
According to claim 3, the parting line between the upper case and the lower case according to claims 1 and 2 is formed substantially horizontally, and the upper case, the stepped portion of the lower case, and the upper and lower guide rails of the upper case are inclined forward. The evaporator is inclined downward so that the evaporator is held in a forward inclined state across the parting line.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the right and left side surfaces of the evaporator according to the first to third aspects are provided with vertical ribs that engage with the vertical ribs of the lower case in the front-rear direction via an elastic material.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a step portion that engages with the lower edge of the front side surface of the evaporator is formed on the front side portion of the lower case according to the first to fourth aspects.
[0011]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect, when the evaporator is removed from the unit case, the evaporator is elastic in a state where the elastic material is compressed and deformed between the left and right side walls of both cases across the parting line between the upper case and the lower case. Since the upper case is held, both the evaporator and the lower case are maintained in the upper case by the frictional force of the elastic material contact portion even if the lower case is released from the upper case. Therefore, the lower case is slid rearward together with the evaporator. Then, the rear side portion of the evaporator is elastically held between the upper and lower guide rails on the rear side portion of the upper case via an elastic material.
[0012]
Therefore, if the lower case is removed from the evaporator, the evaporator remains held between the upper and lower guide rails of the upper case. Therefore, the lower case can be easily removed to the rear of the passenger compartment, and after the lower case is removed, the upper case A working space is secured on the lower side, and the evaporator can be slightly slid forward and removed from the upper and lower guide rails, and can be easily taken out from the lower side of the upper case to the rear of the vehicle compartment.
[0013]
When reassembling the evaporator, the above-described operation is reversed, and when the lower case is slid forward with respect to the upper case, the vertical ribs on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case bite into the elastic material on the side surface of the evaporator. Therefore, the evaporator can be reliably captured and slid forward together with the evaporator to a fixed position, and therefore, the evaporator can be easily reassembled.
[0014]
According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the upper and lower guide rails are formed one step lower than the upper case and the lower case, and the front end portion of the lower guide rail is the rear side portion of the evaporator. The lower guide rail is supported by the lower guide rail, even if the evaporator slightly deviates due to its own weight when the lower case is released. Moving and holding the evaporator between the upper and lower guide rails by sliding is easy.
[0015]
In addition, since the upper and lower guide rails are formed one step lower than the steps on the left and right side walls of the upper case and lower case, the evaporator should be in the lower case when the lower case and evaporator are slid forward when the evaporator is reassembled. If the upper side of the evaporator is not aligned with the upper case while the upper surface of the rear side of the evaporator remains engaged with the upper guide rail, the evaporator will not move to the fixed position. It can be easily determined that the process has not been completed, and incomplete assembly of the evaporator can be prevented.
[0016]
According to claim 3, in addition to the effects of claims 1 and 2, when removing and reassembling the evaporator, the lower case can be slid in the front-rear direction substantially horizontally with respect to the upper case, and can be attached and detached. The lower case and the evaporator can be attached and detached more easily in a narrow place.
[0017]
In addition, since the step portion of the lower case is inclined forward, the length of the vertical rib can be formed sufficiently long at the front part of the inner surface of the left and right side walls of the lower case, so that the trapping action of the evaporator by the vertical rib can be ensured. Can be done.
[0018]
According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, the vertical ribs on the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator engage with the vertical ribs on the inner surface of the left and right side walls of the lower case in the front-rear direction via the elastic member. The trapping action of the evaporator by the vertical ribs on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case can be more reliably performed.
[0019]
According to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects, when the lower case is slid rearward, the stepped portion of the front side portion of the lower case engages with the lower edge of the front side surface of the evaporator. Can be slid rearward together with the lower case.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 5 shows a heat exchanger unit. The heat exchanger unit 1 has an evaporator 3 in a unit case 2 and a heater core 4 on the upper side thereof, which are horizontally arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction.
[0022]
The portions where the evaporator 3 and the heater core 4 are disposed are vertically separated, and the air blown from the blower unit (not shown) to the blower connection port 6 provided on one side wall of the unit case 2 is shown in FIG. As indicated by the arrows, it is circulated from the upper side to the lower side of the evaporator 3 to be cooled, and this cooled air is circulated upward in the air passage 5 formed along the rear side wall of the unit case 2. .
[0023]
The air flowing upward in the air passage 5 is bypassed to the lower side of the heater core 4 and can flow from the lower side to the upper side of the heater core 4, and the temperature is adjusted by the evaporator 3 and / or the heater core 4. The air is supplied to various ducts (not shown) from the vent outlet 7 or the defroster outlet 8 provided on the upper wall of the unit case 2 or the foot outlet 9 provided on the upper side walls of the unit case 2. It has become.
[0024]
The bypass flow of air to the heater core 4 and the blowing of air from the various outlets 7, 8, 9 are performed by air distribution control of various doors (not shown).
[0025]
The evaporator 3 is formed in a rectangular shape as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and a known laminate-type single tank type with a refrigerant tank 11 attached to one side thereof is used. The upper tank 11 a of the refrigerant tank 11 is used as the upper tank 11 a. An expansion valve 12 is assembled.
[0026]
The unit case 2 is divided into an upper case 2A and a lower case 2B with a substantially horizontal parting line as a boundary, and the evaporator 3 is slightly extended so as to straddle the parting line between the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B. The unit case 2 is placed horizontally in a forward tilted state.
[0027]
Thus, in order to place the evaporator 3 in the unit case 2 in a forward-tilt state, the front diagonally engaged with the upper and lower edges of the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator 3 on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B. Step portions 13 and 14 that are inclined downward are formed, and step portions 15 and 16 that are connected to the front and rear end portions of the step portion 13 and engage with the upper edges of the front and rear sides of the evaporator 3 are formed in the upper case 2A. The lower case 2B is formed with a stepped portion 17 that is connected to the front end of the stepped portion 14 and engages with the lower edge of the front side surface of the evaporator 3.
[0028]
Further, upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 for holding the evaporator 3 when the evaporator 3 is slid rearward as will be described later are provided on the inner surfaces of the rear portions of the left and right side walls of the upper case 2A.
[0029]
The upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 are formed so as to be lower by one step than the step portions 13 and 14 of the side walls of the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B, and are inclined at the same inclination angle as the step portions 13 and 14. The front end portion of the side guide rail 19 is arranged to extend below the rear side portion of the evaporator 3.
[0030]
In this way, in order to establish the positional relationship between the lower guide rail 19 and the rear side portion of the evaporator 3, the rear side portions of the left and right side walls of the upper case 2A are in sliding contact with the inner sides of the left and right side walls of the upper case 2B. The protruding portion 2a to be inserted is extended, and a lower guide rail 19 is provided on the protruding portion 2a.
[0031]
On the other hand, on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case 2B, a plurality of vertical ribs 20 extending from the upper edge toward the stepped portion 14 are provided in the front-rear direction.
[0032]
The evaporator 3 is positioned in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction with the step portions 13, 15, 16 on the upper case 2A side and the step portions 14, 17 on the lower case 2B side with the side surface with the refrigerant tank 11 facing forward. The expansion valve 12 is placed horizontally so as to face the opening 10 provided on the front side wall of the unit case 2.
[0033]
A sheet-like elastic material 21 is pasted on the peripheral side surfaces extending from the left and right side surfaces and the rear side surface except for the front side surface to which the refrigerant tank 11 of the evaporator 3 is attached, and the elastic material 21 is attached to the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator 3. And the left and right side walls of the unit case 2 and between the step portions 13, 16, and 14, respectively, and the evaporator 3 is damped to the peripheral side wall of the unit case 2 through the elastic material 21. I support it.
[0034]
The elastic member 21 is compressed and deformed as described above, and its elastic modulus and thickness dimension are arbitrarily set so as to obtain an excellent vibration-proof property and an appropriate frictional force between the inner surface of the unit case 2. Has been.
[0035]
A seal member 22 that is in close contact with the lower surface of the step 15 on the front side of the upper case 2A is attached to the upper edge of the front side surface of the evaporator 3, and condensed water generated on the upper surface side of the evaporator 3 leaks to the opening 10 side. I'm trying not to get it.
[0036]
In addition, cushion materials 23 that are elastically in contact with the rising surfaces 17a of the step portions 17 on the front side portion of the lower case 2B are attached to the left and right side portions of the front side surface of the lower tank 11b of the refrigerant tank 11.
[0037]
The bottom portion of the lower case 2B is formed so as to be inclined so that condensed water generated and dripped on the surface of the evaporator 3 can be collected and easily drained out of the case.
[0038]
FIG. 6 shows a procedure for detaching the evaporator 3 from the unit case 2 while the heat exchanger unit 1 having the above-described configuration is mounted in the vehicle interior.
[0039]
When the evaporator 3 is taken out from the unit case 2, the screw 26 that fastens the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B is removed first. At this time, the evaporator 3 straddles the parting line between the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B. Since the elastic member 21 is compressed and deformed between the left and right side walls of the two cases 2A and 2B and elastically held, the evaporator 3 and the lower case 2B are caused by the frictional force of the contact portion of the elastic member 21 even if the screw 26 is removed. In both cases, the state held in the upper case 2A is maintained.
[0040]
Although the evaporator 3 and the lower case 2B are slightly displaced by the dead weight of the evaporator 3, the front end portion of the lower guide rail 19 extends to the lower side of the rear portion of the evaporator 3, so that the front end portion of the guide rail 19 Is held in, and further slip down is regulated.
[0041]
Therefore, when the lower case 2B is horizontally slid rearward and pulled out as shown in (a), the longitudinal ribs 20 on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case 2B bite into the elastic material 21, and the front side portion. Since the rising surface 17a of the step portion 17 is engaged with the lower tank 11b of the refrigerant tank 11 of the evaporator 3 via the cushion material 23, the evaporator 3 is also slid rearward together so that the rear side portion is the upper side. It is guided between the upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 of the case 2A and is elastically held between the upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 via an elastic material 21.
[0042]
Therefore, the lower case 2B can be easily removed even in a narrow space with the dash lower panel 24 by pulling the lower case 2B to the rear of the passenger compartment with the rear end slightly lifted as shown in FIG.
[0043]
When the lower case 2B is removed, a large working space is generated below the upper case 2A. Therefore, the evaporator 3 held between the upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 is slightly slid forward and pulled out as shown in FIG. As shown in d), it can be easily taken out from the lower side of the upper case 2A to the rear of the passenger compartment.
[0044]
Next, when reassembling the evaporator 3, the lower work case 2 </ b> B is slid forward by reversing the above-mentioned work procedure from (d) to (a). Since the rib 20 bites into the elastic material 21 on the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator 3, the evaporator 3 can be surely captured and slid forward together with the evaporator 3 to a fixed position. Reassembly can be performed easily.
[0045]
In particular, in the present embodiment, as described above, the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B are divided into upper and lower parts by a substantially horizontal parting line. Therefore, when the evaporator 3 is taken out and reassembled, the lower case 2B is used as the upper case. Since it can be detached and attached by sliding it horizontally in the front-rear direction with respect to 2A, it is easy to attach and detach the lower case 2B and the evaporator 3 in a narrow place where the bottom of the lower case 2B is close to the dash lower panel 24. Yes.
[0046]
Further, since the step portions 14 on the left and right side walls of the lower case 2B are inclined forward in the same manner as the step portion 13 on the upper case 2A side, the length of the vertical rib 20 is sufficiently long at the front side portion of the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case 2B. Therefore, the trapping action of the evaporator 3 by the vertical rib 20 can be surely performed.
[0047]
Further, since the upper and lower guide rails 18 and 19 are formed one step lower than the step portions 13 and 14 of the left and right side walls of the upper case 2A and the lower case 2B, the lower case 2B and the evaporator 3 when the evaporator 3 is reassembled If the evaporator 3 is displaced in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower case 2B and does not reach a fixed position during the forward sliding operation, the lower case 2B is kept in the state where the upper surface of the rear side portion of the evaporator 3 is engaged with the upper guide rail 18. Since it is inconsistent with the upper case 2A, it can be easily determined that the movement of the evaporator 3 to the fixed position is not completed, and incomplete assembly of the evaporator 3 can be prevented.
[0048]
Here, as shown in FIG. 7, one or more longitudinal ribs 25 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator 3 so as to protrude in the front-rear direction, and are engaged with the longitudinal ribs 20 on the lower case 2 </ b> B side in the front-rear direction via the elastic material 21. If comprised, the capture | acquisition effect | action of the evaporator 3 by the vertical rib 20 of the left-right side wall inner surface of this lower case 2B at the time of reassembly can be performed still more reliably.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the side of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same embodiment as viewed from the front.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the upper case and the lower case of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state between a vertical rib of the lower case of the embodiment and an elastic material on an evaporator side surface.
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing the order of attaching / detaching the lower case and the evaporator according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4, showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Unit case 2A Upper case 2B Lower case 3 Evaporator 13 Steps on the inner surface of the left and right side walls of the upper case 14 Steps on the inner surface of the left and right side walls of the lower case 17 Steps on the front side of the lower case 18 Upper guide rail 19 Lower guide rail 20 Left and right of the lower case Vertical rib 25 on the inner wall of the side wall Vertical rib on the inner surface of the left and right side walls of the evaporator

Claims (5)

The unit case (2) is divided into an upper case (2A) and a lower case (2B), and a rectangular evaporator (3) in which an elastic material (21) is pasted on the peripheral side surface is formed into the upper case (2A). The elastic material (21) is compressed and deformed between the left and right side walls of the two cases (2A) and (2B) across the parting line between the lower case (2B) and elastically held horizontally. Steps (13) and (14) are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the upper case (2A) and the lower case (2B) to engage with the upper and lower edges of the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator (3). The evaporator (3) is engaged with the upper and lower edges of the rear part of the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator (3) when the evaporator (3) is slid rearward on the rear inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the upper case (2A). Hold on Guide rails (18) and (19) are provided, and longitudinal ribs (20) that bite into the elastic members (21) on the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator (3) are provided in the front-rear direction on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower case (2B). An evaporator mounting structure for an air conditioner characterized in that a plurality of strips are provided in the air conditioner. The upper and lower guide rails (18) and (19) are formed one step lower than the step portions (13) and (14) of the upper case (2A) and the lower case (2B), and the lower guide rail (19) The evaporator mounting structure for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the front end portion is arranged to extend below the rear side portion of the evaporator (3). A parting line between the upper case (2A) and the lower case (2B) is formed substantially horizontally, and the upper case (2A), the steps (13) and (14) of the lower case (2B), and the upper case (2A) The upper and lower guide rails (18), (19) are formed so as to be inclined obliquely forward and downward so as to hold the evaporator (3) in a forward inclined state across the parting line. 3. An evaporator mounting structure for an air conditioner according to 2. The vertical rib (25) engaged with the vertical rib (20) of the lower case (2B) in the front-rear direction via the elastic material (21) is provided on the left and right side surfaces of the evaporator (3). The evaporator attachment structure of the air conditioning apparatus in any one of -3. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a step portion (17) that engages with a lower edge of the front side surface of the evaporator (3) is formed on a front side portion of the lower case (2B). Equipment evaporator mounting structure.

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