JP4371876B2 - Air conditioner for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner disposed in a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a vehicle air conditioner that includes an air conditioning unit disposed inside an instrument panel of a passenger compartment is known. Inside the casing of the air conditioning unit, an evaporator that constitutes one element of the refrigeration cycle and a heat exchanger for heating are housed as a heat exchanger for cooling. The air from the blower introduced into the casing by the evaporator and the heat exchanger for heating is used as conditioned air, and the conditioned air is supplied to each part of the vehicle compartment from each outlet of the casing.

  Moreover, the evaporator of patent document 1 is attached with the block-shaped refrigerant | coolant expansion member provided with the expansion valve for carrying out adiabatic expansion of the refrigerant | coolant condensed and liquefied. The periphery of the refrigerant expansion member is covered with a part of the casing, and the condensed water generated on the outer surface of the refrigerant expansion member is prevented from dripping out of the casing.

The base end of the refrigerant supply pipe is connected to the refrigerant expansion member on the side opposite to the evaporator, and the front end side of the supply pipe extends to the outside of the casing. When the air conditioning unit is assembled to the vehicle, a vehicle body side pipe extending from a condenser disposed in the engine room of the vehicle is connected to the leading end side of the supply pipe.
JP 2001-150941 A (3rd page, 4th page, FIG. 1, FIG. 2)

  However, when the supply pipe is extended to the outside of the casing and connected to the vehicle body side pipe as in Patent Document 1, for example, when the air conditioning unit is carried into the vehicle compartment before being assembled to the vehicle, the supply pipe There is a possibility that a vehicle-side member or the like comes into contact with the leading end side of the pipe, and the supply pipe is bent and displaced. When the supply pipe is displaced in this way, the connection with the vehicle body side pipe becomes incomplete.

  Further, the expansion valve of the refrigerant expansion member may break down. In this case, the refrigerant expansion member is removed from the evaporator and repaired or replaced with a new one. However, in Patent Document 1, since the supply pipe is connected to the opposite side of the evaporator of the refrigerant expansion member, it is difficult to take out the refrigerant expansion member from the casing because the supply pipe becomes an obstacle. Therefore, it is conceivable to remove the supply pipe and evaporator from the casing, but since other equipment is located close to the air conditioning unit, the supply pipe and evaporator can be easily removed. Therefore, the work of repairing or replacing the refrigerant expansion member becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such various points, and the object of the present invention is to devise the support structure of the supply pipe connected to the refrigerant expansion member, and at the time of assembly or the like, the tip of the supply pipe In order to simplify repair and replacement work, the refrigerant expansion member can be easily attached and detached when the expansion valve breaks down while preventing the side from being displaced.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the base end of the supply pipe is detachably attached to the refrigerant expansion member by the attachment member, and the one-side support part and the radial direction support the supply pipe from one radial side. The casing is provided with an other side support portion that is supported from the other side, and the supply pipe is configured such that the distal end side tilts with the base end portion removed from the refrigerant expansion member.

  Specifically, the present invention has taken the following solutions. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant expansion includes the evaporator constituting one element of the refrigeration cycle, and the expansion valve that is detachably attached to the evaporator and adiabatically expands the refrigerant to flow into the evaporator. A member, a casing containing the evaporator and the refrigerant expansion member, and provided with an attachment / detachment hole for attaching / detaching the refrigerant expansion member; and the attachment member so that a base end portion communicates with the expansion valve. A vehicle air conditioner that includes a supply pipe that is detachably attached to the refrigerant expansion member and has a leading end protruding outside the casing.

  The casing is provided with a one-side support portion that supports a protruding portion outside the casing of the supply pipe from one side in the radial direction, and a position shifted in the center line direction of the supply pipe with respect to the one-side support portion. A supply pipe support means having an other side support part supported from the other side in the radial direction is provided, and the protruding part outside the casing is the supply pipe with the supply pipe being removed from the refrigerant expansion member. The refrigerant expansion member is configured such that a space for attaching / detaching the refrigerant expansion member is formed on the side of the attachment / detachment hole of the refrigerant expansion member by tilting between the one side support portion and the other side support portion.

  According to this configuration, the refrigerant expansion member is accommodated in the casing together with the evaporator while being attached to the evaporator. A base end portion of the supply pipe is attached to the refrigerant expansion member via an attachment / detachment hole of the casing, and a base end portion of the supply pipe is connected to the expansion valve. The protruding portion outside the casing of the supply pipe is supported from both sides in the radial direction by the one side support portion and the other side support portion of the supply pipe support means. That is, the proximal end portion of the supply pipe is supported by the refrigerant expansion member by the mounting member, and the distal end side is supported by the casing by the one side support portion and the other side support portion.

  On the other hand, when the expansion valve fails, the refrigerant expansion member is attached to and detached from the attachment / detachment hole side of the refrigerant expansion member by removing the base end of the supply pipe from the refrigerant expansion member and tilting the supply pipe. An attachment / detachment space is formed. Then, by removing the refrigerant expansion member from the evaporator, the refrigerant expansion member can be easily taken out from the attachment / detachment hole of the casing through the attachment / detachment space. In addition, when the refrigerant expansion member is attached to the evaporator, the supply pipe is tilted to form the above-described attachment / detachment space, and the refrigerant expansion member is easily inserted into the casing through the attachment / detachment space. It becomes possible to do. Then, the supply pipe is supported by the refrigerant expansion member and the casing as described above by moving the supply pipe to the proper position and attaching the base end to the refrigerant expansion member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the refrigerant expansion member is formed with a discharge hole for discharging the refrigerant flowing through the inside of the evaporator to the outside of the evaporator, and the base end portion is the discharge hole. The supply pipe is attached to the refrigerant expansion member via the supply pipe attachment member so as to communicate with the supply pipe, and the tip end side protrudes out of the casing. A discharge pipe support having a one-side support part that is supported from one side in the direction, and an other-side support part that is supported from the other side in the radial direction at a position shifted in the center line direction of the supply pipe relative to the one-side support part Means, and with the base end portion removed from the refrigerant expansion member, the casing outer projecting portion tilts between the one side support portion and the other side support portion of the discharge pipe support means. The refrigerant expansion part is attached to the attachment / detachment hole side of the refrigerant expansion member. Configured to removably space is formed.

  According to this configuration, since the base end portion of the discharge pipe is attached to the refrigerant expansion member by the attachment member common to the supply pipe, both pipes can be attached to the refrigerant expansion member at a time. The protruding portion outside the casing of the discharge pipe is supported from both sides in the radial direction by one side support portion and the other side support portion of the discharge pipe support means, and the discharge pipe is connected to the refrigerant expansion member in the same manner as the supply pipe. Supported by the casing.

  On the other hand, when the expansion valve breaks down, the supply pipe and the discharge pipe are removed from the refrigerant expansion member, whereby both pipes can be tilted to form a space for attaching and detaching the refrigerant expansion member. Then, by using this attachment / detachment space, the refrigerant expansion member can be easily attached / detached similarly to the first aspect.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the base end portion of the supply pipe is detachably attached to the refrigerant expansion member, and the casing includes the one side support portion and the other side support portion that support the supply pipe from both sides in the radial direction. Since the supply pipe support means is provided, the base end portion and the distal end side of the supply pipe can be reliably supported by the refrigerant expansion member and the casing. Thereby, for example, when the air conditioner is assembled to the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the supply pipe, and the connection between the supply pipe and the vehicle body side pipe can be reliably performed. Then, the one side support part and the other side support part are arranged to be shifted in the direction of the center line of the supply pipe, and the supply pipe is tilted at the front end side so that the attachment / detachment space for the refrigerant expansion member is attached to the attachment / detachment hole side of the refrigerant expansion member Therefore, when the refrigerant expansion member is repaired or replaced, the refrigerant expansion member can be easily attached or detached by simply tilting the supply pipe without removing the supply pipe or the evaporator. . Thereby, repair and replacement work of the refrigerant expansion member can be simplified.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the discharge pipe is attached to the refrigerant expansion member by the common attachment member with the supply pipe, both the pipes can be attached to the refrigerant expansion member at one time, and the air conditioner Manufacturing man-hours can be reduced. And in this case, since the discharge pipe is supported by the refrigerant expansion member and the casing in the same manner as the supply pipe of claim 1, the discharge pipe and the vehicle body side pipe can be reliably connected. An attachment / detachment space can be formed during repair or replacement work of the refrigerant expansion member. Thereby, it can avoid that repair and replacement | exchange work of a refrigerant | coolant expansion member are inhibited by discharge piping.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 shows an instrument panel P of an automobile in which the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is disposed. This automobile is a so-called right-hand drive vehicle in which a driver seat and a passenger seat are provided on the right and left sides of the vehicle body, respectively, and as shown in FIGS. Is partitioned by a dash panel L made of steel plate. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the front side and the rear side of the air conditioner 1 are simply referred to as the front side and the rear side, respectively, and the left side and the vehicle width of the air conditioner 1 in the vehicle width direction. The right side of the direction is simply referred to as the left side and the right side, respectively.

  The air conditioner 1 includes an air-conditioning unit 3 located in a substantially central portion on the left and right inside the instrument panel P, and a blower unit 4 disposed adjacent to the passenger seat side of the air-conditioning unit 3. Although not shown in the drawing, an air switching box is provided in the upper half of the blower unit 4 to switch the introduced air to one of air inside the vehicle compartment and air outside the vehicle compartment. Air introduced into the blower unit 4 from the air switching box is blown to the air conditioning unit 3 by a centrifugal fan (both not shown) housed in a lower fan housing.

  The air conditioning unit 3 includes a casing 10 that is larger than the air blowing unit 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 10 is divided into a left side component member 11 and a right side component member 12 at a substantially right and left central portion, and the left side component member 11 and the right side component member 12 use fasteners, screws, or the like (not shown). Are combined. A defroster outlet 13 is formed on the front end side of the upper wall portion of the casing 10, and a vent outlet 14 is formed behind the defroster outlet 13 of the upper wall portion. The defroster outlet 13 is connected to a defroster nozzle 16 (shown in FIG. 2) of the instrument panel P via a duct (not shown), and the vent outlet 14 is connected to the instrument via a duct (not shown). It is connected to a vent nozzle 17 (shown in FIG. 2) of the ment panel P. A heat outlet 15 is formed in the lower part of the casing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an inlet 20 for introducing the air from the blower unit 4 into the inside of the casing 10 is formed at the front of the left side wall of the left component member 11. It communicates with an introduction space 21 provided inside. Although not shown, an air flow passage extending from the introduction space 21 to the air outlets 13, 14, 15 is formed inside the casing 10. An evaporator 23 as a heat exchanger for cooling and a heater core 24 as a heat exchanger for heating are arranged in this order on the upstream side of the air flow passage. Further, an air mix damper (not shown) for changing the ratio of the amount of air passing through the evaporator 23 and the heater core 24 is disposed inside the casing 10, and the temperature of the conditioned air is changed by the air mix damper. It is like that. In addition, a mode switching damper (not shown) that opens and closes the air outlets 13, 14, and 15 to switch the air outlet mode is disposed on the downstream side of the air flow passage.

  The evaporator 23 constitutes one element of the refrigeration cycle. Although not shown, the refrigerant compressor, the condenser that condenses and liquefies the refrigerant compressed by the refrigerant compressor, and the receiver that gas-liquid separates the refrigerant flowing from the condenser, which are other elements constituting the refrigeration cycle. Is disposed in the engine room E. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle body side piping 25 connected to the suction port of the refrigerant compressor and the front end side of the vehicle body side piping 26 connected to the outlet of the liquid receiver are formed in the dash panel L. The through hole 27 extends to the vicinity of the engine room E side. The front end sides of the vehicle body side pipes 25 and 26 are formed to extend substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction, and the vehicle body side pipe 25 connected to the refrigerant compressor is more than the vehicle body side pipe 26 connected to the liquid receiver. It is positioned above.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the evaporator 23 includes a pair of header tanks 28, 28 arranged at both upper and lower ends and a tube (not shown) extending in the vertical direction so as to connect the header tanks 28, 28. It is provided with a generally rectangular box shape. The evaporator 23 is inserted into the casing 10 through an evaporator insertion hole (not shown) formed in the left side wall of the left component 11 and is fixed to the casing 10. A portion of the casing 10 surrounding the evaporator 23 is a housing wall portion 10a.

  On the right side wall of the upper header tank 28 of the evaporator 23, as shown in FIG. 6, a refrigerant expansion member 30 containing an expansion valve (not shown) that constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with the air conditioners is attached. Yes. The expansion valve is a known valve that adiabatically expands the liquid refrigerant from the liquid receiver, and is operated by a diaphragm or the like provided in the refrigerant expansion member 30. The refrigerant expansion member 30 has a rectangular block shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and is housed in the housing wall portion 10 a of the casing 10 together with the evaporator 23. An attachment / detachment hole 31 for attaching / detaching the refrigerant expansion member 30 is formed at a location facing the right side surface of the refrigerant expansion member 30 in the housing wall 10a. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the attachment / detachment hole 31 is formed in a rectangular shape larger than the side shape of the refrigerant expansion member 30 in a side view.

  A refrigerant inflow hole 30a penetrating in the left-right direction is formed on the rear side of the refrigerant expansion member 30, and the expansion valve is disposed inside the refrigerant inflow hole 30a. Further, a refrigerant outflow hole 30b similar to the refrigerant inflow hole 30a is formed on the front side of the refrigerant expansion member 30. Further, a mounting hole 30c penetrating in the left-right direction is formed between the refrigerant inflow hole 30a and the refrigerant outflow hole 30b of the refrigerant expansion member 30.

  On the other hand, on the right side wall of the upper header tank 28 of the evaporator 23, there are an introduction opening and a discharge opening (both not shown) to which the refrigerant inflow hole 30a and the refrigerant outflow hole 30b of the refrigerant expansion member 30 are respectively connected. Is formed. The right header of the upper header tank 28 is formed with a female screw portion (not shown) in which a bolt 32 is screwed into a portion corresponding to the mounting hole 30c of the refrigerant expansion member 30. It is fastened and fixed to the right side wall of the header tank 28 by a bolt 32.

  The proximal ends of the refrigerant supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are connected to the right side of the refrigerant inflow hole 30a and the refrigerant outflow hole 30b of the refrigerant expansion member 30, respectively. The supply pipe 33 is for supplying a refrigerant to the evaporator 23, and as shown in FIG. 5, the tip end side is connected to the vehicle body side pipe 26 extending from the liquid receiver. Further, the discharge pipe 34 is for discharging the refrigerant inside the evaporator 23 to the outside. The discharge pipe 34 is formed thicker than the supply pipe 33, and the front end side extends from the refrigerant compressor. It is connected to the side pipe 26. The outer peripheral surfaces of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are covered with a cylindrical heat insulating member 35 made of a foam material except for the tip side, and the heat insulating member 35 is also a member constituting the pipes 33 and 34. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a flange 40 as an attachment member attached to the right side surface of the refrigerant expansion member 30 is fixed to the base end portions of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34. The flange 40 has a rectangular shape that is substantially the same as the side shape of the refrigerant expansion member 30 in a side view, and a mounting hole 40a corresponding to the mounting hole 30c is formed at the center in the front-rear direction. The refrigerant expansion member 30 is detachably attached to the refrigerant expansion member 30 with a bolt 32 for fixing the refrigerant expansion member 30.

  In a state where the refrigerant expansion member 30 and the flange 40 are attached to the evaporator 23, the refrigerant that has flowed from the supply pipe 33 to the refrigerant inflow hole 30 a of the refrigerant expansion member 30 passes through the expansion valve and passes through the opening for introduction of the evaporator 23. It flows into the tank 28. On the other hand, the refrigerant that has flowed inside the evaporator 23 flows into the discharge pipe 34 from the outlet opening through the refrigerant outlet hole 30 b of the refrigerant expansion member 30.

  5 and 6, the supply pipe 33 projects rightward from the flange 40 and is bent upward, and the tip end side of the supply pipe 33 is bent forward and substantially horizontal. And it extends substantially parallel to the right side wall of the casing 10. The discharge pipe 34 extends upward from the supply pipe 33 from the flange 40, and is then bent forward to extend substantially horizontally and substantially parallel to the right side surface of the casing 10. The protruding portion outside the casing 10 which is the front end side of the flange 40 of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 extends forward from the front wall portion of the casing 10, and the air conditioner 1 is assembled to the vehicle. Thus, it projects into the engine room E from the through hole 27 of the dash panel L. Further, the distal end side of the discharge pipe 34 is located on the left side of the distal end side of the supply pipe 33.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, an upper cover member 42 and a lower cover member 43 that cover the flange 40 and the base ends of the pipes 33 and 34 are provided outside the attachment / detachment hole 31 in the casing 10. It is attached. The upper cover member 42 extends to the right side substantially horizontally from the upper edge of the attachment / detachment hole 31 and both side edges in the front-rear direction, and has a notch corresponding to the outer shape of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 at the right end thereof. A part is formed, and the pipes 33 and 34 are located in the notch part. The lower cover member 43 extends to the right side substantially horizontally from the lower edge of the attachment / detachment hole 31 in the casing 10, and the right end portion is curved upward.

  A bracket 50 is provided on the upper right side of the casing 10 to support the protruding portion outside the casing 10 of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34. The bracket 50 is provided with the supply pipe support means of the present invention. It constitutes a discharge pipe support means. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bracket 50 is detachably attached to a plate-like fixing portion 51 that protrudes rightward from the right side wall of the casing 10 and extends in the vertical direction, and a right end portion of the fixing portion 51. It is comprised by the plate-shaped attachment / detachment part 52 extended in an up-down direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing portion 51 is entirely located on the front side of the front wall portion of the casing 10. The front surface of the fixed portion 51 is formed of an inclined surface that is positioned forward as it goes downward so as to follow the surface of the dash panel L on the vehicle compartment R side. The bottom is also thicker. As shown in FIG. 9, a semicircular upper notch 53 is formed at the right end of the fixing portion 51 corresponding to the position of the distal end side of the discharge pipe 34, and below the upper notch 53. A relatively small semicircular lower cutout 54 is formed corresponding to the position of the supply pipe 33.

  A protruding portion 55 that protrudes to the right is formed between the upper cutout portion 53 and the lower cutout portion 54 at the right end portion of the fixed portion 51. As shown in FIG. 4, a screw 56 (shown in FIG. 5) for attaching the detachable portion 52 above the upper notch 53 and below the lower notch 54 at the right edge of the fixing portion 51. A screw hole 57 is formed in which is screwed.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the upper notch 53, a one-side support 53a that supports the discharge pipe 34 from one side (left side) in the radial direction is formed. As shown in FIG. 9, the one side support portion 53 a is configured by a rib that protrudes from the rear side portion of the inner peripheral surface of the upper cutout portion 53 to the inside of the cutout portion 53 and extends in an arc shape. The front side portion of the inner peripheral surface of the upper notch 53 is constituted by a relatively large-diameter arc surface. Further, the peripheral surface of the one-side support portion 53 a is shaped to substantially match the left half of the outer peripheral surface of the discharge pipe 34, and the peripheral surface of the one-side support portion 53 a abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the discharge pipe 34. The pipe 34 is supported.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a one-side support portion 54a for supporting the supply pipe 33 from one side in the radial direction (left side) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower notch portion 54. The one side support portion 54a is configured by a rib extending in an arc shape like the one side support portion 53a. Therefore, the front side portion of the lower cutout portion 54 is configured by a relatively large-diameter arc surface. . The peripheral surface of the one-side support portion 53 a is in contact with the left half of the outer peripheral surface of the supply pipe 33 to support the pipe 33. The peripheral surface of the one-side support portion 54a is formed to have a smaller diameter than the peripheral surface of the upper one-side support portion 53a corresponding to the outer diameter of the supply pipe 33.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the front surface of the detachable portion 52 is inclined in the same manner as the front surface of the fixed portion 51, and the detachable portion 52 becomes thicker toward the lower side. As shown in FIG. 11, an upper notch 58 and a lower notch 59 are provided at the left end of the detachable part 52 in the vertical direction corresponding to the upper notch 53 and the lower notch 54 of the fixing part 51. It is formed at intervals. The cutout portions 58 and 59 of the detachable portion 52 and the cutout portions 53 and 54 of the fixing portion 51 overlap in a side view.

  A stepped portion 60 is formed between the upper cutout 58 and the lower cutout 59 at the left end of the detachable portion 52, with which the tip of the protruding portion 55 of the fixed portion 51 abuts. In addition, an upper extension 61 and a lower extension 62 for fixing are formed above the upper notch 58 and the lower notch 59 at the left end of the detachable part 52, respectively. , 62 is formed with an insertion hole 63 through which a screw 56 screwed into the screw hole 57 of the fixing portion 51 is inserted. Further, a rib 64 for reinforcing the upper extending portion 61 and the lower extending portion 62 protrudes from the rear surface of the attaching / detaching portion 52.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the upper cutout portion 58 of the detachable portion 52, an other side support portion 58a that supports the discharge pipe 34 from the other side in the radial direction (right side) is formed. The other side support portion 58a is configured by a rib that protrudes inward from the front portion of the inner peripheral surface of the upper cutout portion 58 and extends in an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the other side support portion 58 a and the one side support portion 53 a of the fixing portion 51 are shifted in the front-rear direction, which is the center line direction on the distal end side of the discharge pipe 34. In addition, the rear side portion of the inner peripheral surface of the upper notch 58 is constituted by a relatively large-diameter arc surface. Further, the peripheral surface of the other side support portion 58a is shaped to substantially coincide with the right half of the outer peripheral surface of the discharge pipe 34, and the peripheral surface of the other side support portion 58a is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the discharge pipe 34. The pipe 34 is supported. Accordingly, the discharge pipe 34 is supported at a position shifted in the center line direction by the one side support part 53a and the other side support part 58a. Further, the dimension in the center line direction of the discharge pipe 34, which is the thickness dimension of the one-side support part 53a, is set longer than the thickness dimension of the other-side support part 58a.

  Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the lower cutout portion 59 of the detachable portion 52, as shown in FIG. 12, an other side support portion 59a for supporting the supply pipe 33 from the other radial side (right side) is formed. Yes. The other side support portion 59a is configured by a rib extending in an arc shape like the other side support portion 58a. Therefore, the rear side portion of the other side support portion 59 is configured by a relatively large-diameter arc surface. Yes. The other side support portion 59a and the one side support portion 54a of the fixing portion 51 are displaced in the front-rear direction, which is the center line direction on the distal end side of the supply pipe 33. The peripheral surface of the other side support portion 59 a is in contact with the right half of the outer peripheral surface of the supply pipe 33 so as to support the pipe 33. Thereby, the supply pipe 33 is supported at a position shifted in the center line direction by the one-side support part 54a and the other-side support part 59a. Further, the dimension in the center line direction of the supply pipe 33 which is the thickness dimension of the one side support part 54a is set longer than the thickness dimension of the other side support part 59a.

  That is, the supply pipe 33 is supported at the base end portion by the refrigerant expansion member 30 and at the distal end side from both sides in the radial direction by the one side support portion 54a and the other side support portion 59a. Further, the discharge pipe 34 is supported at the base end portion by the refrigerant expansion member 30 and at the distal end side from both sides in the radial direction by the one side support portion 53a and the other side support portion 58a.

  Further, when the bolt 32 to which the flange 40 is attached is loosened and the flange 40 is removed from the refrigerant expansion member 30, the supply pipe 33 has only one side support part 54 a and the other side support part at two locations apart in the center line direction. 59a, and the discharge pipe 34 is similarly supported by the one-side support part 53a and the other-side support part 58a. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, the distal end side of the supply pipe 33 tilts between the one side support part 54a and the other side support part 59a, and at this time, the discharge pipe 34 also has one end side. It tilts between the side support part 53 a and the other side support part 58 a, and the base end sides of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are separated from the refrigerant expansion member 30. Further, the tilting angles of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are the distance between the one side support portions 54a and 53a and the other side support portions 59a and 58a in the pipe center line direction, and the notches 53, 54, 58 and 59. Of the large-diameter portion and the protruding height dimension from the inner peripheral surface of the notches 54, 53, 59, 58 of the one side support portions 54a, 53a and the other side support portions 59a, 58a.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the attachment / detachment space S for attaching / detaching the refrigerant expansion member 30 to / from the attachment / detachment hole 31 side of the refrigerant expansion member 30 in a state where the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are tilted as described above. The shapes of both the pipes 33 and 34 are set so as to be formed. Note that the dimension in the left-right direction of the detachable space S is set larger than the dimension in the left-right direction of the refrigerant expansion member 30.

  Further, in a state where the detachable portion 52 is attached to the fixed portion 51, the front surface of the detachable portion 52 and the front surface of the fixed portion 51 are located on substantially the same plane, and as shown in FIG. A seal member 67 that is pressed around the through hole 27 of the dash panel L is attached. The seal member 67 has a three-layer structure, and is compressed and deformed by a predetermined amount in the thickness direction while being pressed against the dash panel L.

  Next, a procedure for assembling the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 will be described. First, the refrigerant expansion member 30 is disposed on the right side wall of the upper header tank 28 of the evaporator 23 accommodated in the casing 10, and the flange 40 is overlapped on the right side surface of the refrigerant expansion member 30 to attach the mounting holes 40 a of the flange 40 and Bolts 32 are inserted into the mounting holes 30 c of the refrigerant expansion member 30 and screwed into the female screw portions formed in the evaporator 23. In this state, the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are located in the upper cutout 53 and the lower cutout 54 of the fixed portion 51, respectively. Thereafter, the left end portion of the fixing portion 51 is brought into contact with the right end portion of the attaching / detaching portion 52, and the screw 56 is inserted into the insertion hole 63 of the extending portions 61 and 62 and screwed into the screw hole 57. As a result, the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are supported at the base end portion by the refrigerant expansion member 30 and at the distal end side by the bracket 50. Then, the upper cover member 42 and the lower cover member 43 are attached to the casing 10.

  On the other hand, when the refrigerant expansion member 30 is taken out from the casing 10 as in the case where the expansion valve has failed with the air conditioner 1 having the above configuration assembled to the vehicle, first, the upper cover member 42 and the lower cover member 43 are moved. While removing from the casing 10, the connection state of the supply piping 33 and the discharge piping 34 and the vehicle body side piping 25 and 26 is cancelled | released. Thereafter, the bolt 32 fixing the flange 40 is loosened to remove the flange 40 from the refrigerant expansion member 30, and the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are tilted as described above to form the attachment / detachment space S. And the refrigerant | coolant expansion member 30 is taken out outside through the attachment / detachment space S from the attachment / detachment hole 31 of the casing 10, as shown by the virtual line in FIG.1 and FIG.13.

  When the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are tilted, the outer peripheral heat insulating member 35 comes into contact with the front edge portions of the one-side cutout portions 53 and 54 and the rear edge portions of the other-side cutout portions 58 and 59 and tilts. The angle is regulated. At this time, the tilt angle may be regulated by bringing the leading ends of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 into contact with the peripheral edge of the through hole 27 of the dash panel L.

  When the refrigerant expansion member 30 is attached to the evaporator 23 after repair of the removed refrigerant expansion member 30 is completed, the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are first tilted until the detachable space S is formed. Keep it. Then, the refrigerant expansion member 30 is inserted into the casing 10 through the attachment / detachment hole 31 through the attachment / detachment space S and disposed on the right side of the evaporator 23. Thereafter, the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are moved to their normal positions, the flange 40 is overlapped on the right side surface of the refrigerant expansion member 30, and the flange 40 is fastened to the evaporator 23 together with the refrigerant expansion member 30 by the bolt 32.

  As described above, according to the air conditioning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the refrigerant expansion member 30 and the base end portions of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are attached to the evaporator 23, and these supply pipes 33 are attached. Since the front end side of the discharge pipe 34 is supported from both sides in the radial direction by the one side support portions 54a and 53a and the other side support portions 59a and 58a of the bracket 50, the base end side and the front end side of both the pipes 33 and 34 are refrigerant. It can be supported by the expansion member 30 and the casing 10, respectively. Thereby, for example, when the air conditioner 1 is carried into the vehicle compartment when the air conditioner 1 is assembled to a vehicle, when the vehicle body side member contacts the supply pipe 33 or the discharge pipe 34, these pipes 33, 34 are used. Can be prevented from being displaced, and the connection to the vehicle body side pipes 25 and 26 can be reliably performed.

  Moreover, the refrigerant | coolant expansion member 30, the supply piping 33, and the discharge piping 34 are attached to the evaporator 23 so that attachment or detachment is possible, and the said 1 side support parts 54a and 53a and the other side support parts 59a and 58a are attached to a pipe centerline direction. The front end side is tilted in a state where both pipes 33 and 43 are removed from the refrigerant expansion member 30 so that an attachment / detachment space S for the refrigerant expansion member 30 is formed on the attachment / detachment hole 31 side of the refrigerant expansion member 30. Thus, when the refrigerant expansion member 30 is repaired or replaced, the refrigerant expansion member can be simply tilted without removing the supply pipe 33, the discharge pipe 34, and the evaporator 23 from the casing 10. 30 can be easily attached and detached, and the repair and replacement work of the refrigerant expansion member 30 can be simplified.

  Further, since the base end portion of the discharge pipe 34 is fixed to the refrigerant expansion member 30 by the flange 40 common to the supply pipe 33, the supply pipe 33 and the outflow pipe 34 can be attached to the refrigerant expansion member 30 at a time. It is possible to reduce the number of manufacturing steps of the air conditioner 1. In this case, since the discharge pipe 34 is tilted in the same manner as the supply pipe 33, it is possible to prevent the discharge pipe 34 from obstructing the repair or replacement of the refrigerant expansion member 30. .

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protruding heights from the inner surfaces of the cutout portions 53, 54, 58, 59 of the one side support portions 54a, 53a and the other side support portions 59a, 58a are the same as those of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34. The heat insulating member 35 is set so as to be compressed radially inward, whereby the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 can be firmly supported. Moreover, since the thickness dimension of the one side support parts 54a and 53a is set longer than the thickness dimension of the other side support parts 59a and 58a, the one side support parts 54a and 53a have a contact area to the heat insulating member 35. Become big enough. Thereby, for example, when assembling the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34, both the pipes 33, 34 are pressed against the fixed part 51 side, that is, the one side support parts 54a, 53a, respectively, and then the attachment part 52 is attached. When the work is facilitated, it is possible to prevent the two pipes 33 and 34 from being deformed by the force received from the one-side support parts 54a and 53a.

  Further, the support rigidity of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 can be freely set by the height and thickness of the one side support parts 54a and 53a and the other side support parts 59a and 58a. For example, by increasing the height of the one side support portions 54a and 53a and the other side support portions 59a and 58a, the support rigidity of both the pipes 33 and 34 is increased, and these pipes are used when the air conditioning unit 3 is assembled to the vehicle. The amount of displacement of 33 and 34 in the radial direction is suppressed. Moreover, the support area of both the piping 33 and 34 by these support parts 54a, 53a, 59a, 58a is expanded by setting the thickness dimension of the one side support parts 54a and 53a and the other side support parts 59a and 58a long. Thereby, both piping 33 and 34 can be supported stably.

  In this embodiment, the case where the distal ends of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are arranged in the vertical direction has been described. Therefore, the tilt direction of the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 is set to the base end portion. However, when the supply pipe 33 and the discharge pipe 34 are arranged in the left-right direction, the tilting direction of these pipes 33, 34 is the direction in which the base end moves in the up-down direction. You only have to set it. That is, both pipes are supported from both sides in the vertical direction by the one side support part and the other side support part, the base end part is moved in the vertical direction, and the flange is positioned above or below the attachment / detachment hole in a side view. Thereby, the attachment / detachment space S of the refrigerant expansion member 30 can be formed on the attachment / detachment hole 31 side of the refrigerant expansion member 30.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where this invention was applied to the air conditioning apparatus 1 from which the air conditioning unit 3 and the ventilation unit 4 were separate, this invention united both these units 3 and 4 and is 1 The present invention can also be applied to an air conditioner in which a blower and a heat exchanger are accommodated in one casing.

  As described above, the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is suitable for being disposed on, for example, an instrument panel of an automobile.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 showing a state where the supply pipe is tilted. It is a perspective view of the instrument panel by which the air harmony device for vehicles concerning the embodiment of the present invention is arranged. It is the perspective view which looked at the air-conditioning unit from the rear side. It is a right view of the casing of the state which removed the piping for supply, the attachment / detachment part, etc. It is a right view which expands and shows the bracket vicinity of an air conditioning unit. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of an air conditioning unit. It is a front view which expands and shows the bracket vicinity of an air conditioning unit. It is a front view which expands and shows the fixing | fixed part vicinity of a casing. It is a left view of an attaching / detaching part. (A) is a front view of an attachment / detachment part, (b) is a rear view of an attachment / detachment part. It is sectional drawing in the BB line of FIG. FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 12 showing a state in which the discharge pipe is tilted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Casing 10a Accommodating wall part 23 Evaporator 30 Refrigerant expansion member 30b Discharge hole 31 Detachment hole 33 Supply pipe 34 Discharge pipe 40 Flange (attachment member)
50 Bracket (supply pipe support means, discharge pipe support means)
53a One side support part 54a of the discharge pipe One side support part 58a of the supply pipe Other side support part 59a of the discharge pipe Other side support part S of the supply pipe

Claims (2)

An evaporator constituting one element of the refrigeration cycle;
A refrigerant expansion member that is detachably attached to the evaporator and has an expansion valve for adiabatically expanding the refrigerant to flow into the evaporator;
A casing in which the evaporator and the refrigerant expansion member are accommodated and provided with an attachment / detachment hole for attaching / detaching the refrigerant expansion member;
An air conditioner for a vehicle comprising a supply pipe that is detachably attached to the refrigerant expansion member via an attachment member so that a base end portion communicates with the expansion valve, and a distal end side of the supply pipe projects out of the casing. ,
The casing includes a one-side support portion that supports a protruding portion outside the casing of the supply pipe from one side in the radial direction, and a radial direction at a position that is shifted in the center line direction of the supply pipe with respect to the one-side support portion. A supply pipe support means having an other side support part to be supported from the other side is provided;
The supply pipe has the base end portion removed from the refrigerant expansion member, and the protruding portion outside the casing tilts between the one side support portion and the other side support portion of the supply pipe support means to expand the refrigerant. An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that a space for attaching and detaching the refrigerant expansion member is formed on an attachment / detachment hole side of the member. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
The refrigerant expansion member is formed with a discharge hole for discharging the refrigerant flowing through the inside of the evaporator to the outside of the evaporator,
A supply pipe that is attached to the refrigerant expansion member via a supply pipe attachment member so that the base end portion communicates with the discharge hole, and that has a distal end protruding out of the casing,
The casing includes a one-side support portion that supports a protruding portion outside the casing of the discharge pipe from one side in the radial direction, and a radial direction at a position that is shifted in the center line direction of the supply pipe with respect to the one-side support portion. A discharge pipe support means having an other side support part to be supported from the other side is provided,
In the exhaust pipe, with the base end portion removed from the refrigerant expansion member, the protruding portion outside the casing is tilted between the one side support portion and the other side support portion of the discharge pipe support means to expand the refrigerant. An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that a space for attaching and detaching the refrigerant expansion member is formed on an attachment / detachment hole side of the member.

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