JP6117038B2 - Air conditioner for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner disposed below a seat.

  As a conventional technique related to a vehicle air conditioner disposed below a seat, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In a working vehicle as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a seat is provided in a cabin on which an operator gets on, and an air conditioner device is provided below the seat. Since the space below the seat is small, it is required to arrange the air conditioner in a compact manner.

JP 2008-63115 A

  This invention makes it a subject to provide the vehicle air conditioner which can be arrange | positioned compactly.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air conditioner disposed below a seat on which an occupant is seated,
An evaporator and a capacitor arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction or the front-rear direction;
A duct connecting between the evaporator and the capacitor ;
A blower fan that is attached to the top of the duct and blows air in the duct toward the seat;
A discharge fan attached to a lower portion of the duct and discharging the air in the duct to the lower side of the duct;
The duct is
A first flow path communicating with the evaporator ;
A second flow path communicating with the capacitor ;
A third flow path communicating with the blower fan;
A fourth flow path communicating with the discharge fan;
Inside the duct,
A first mode for communicating the first flow path and the third flow path, and for communicating the second flow path and the fourth flow path;
Wherein the first flow path causes a fourth communication between the flow path switching valve for switching a second mode for communicating with the second flow path and the third flow path is provided, et al is,
An operating lever for operating the switching valve is attached to the switching valve, and the operating lever is positioned below a front end or a side end of the seat, and is provided on a shaft member of the switching valve. blowing fan is disposed below the seat, the third was blown from the channel air is blown from the opened outlet on the seat near through the seat duct you characterized Rukoto.

As described in claim 2 , a butterfly valve is preferably used as the switching valve.

As described in claim 3 , preferably, one switching valve is provided in the middle of the first flow path and the second flow path.

In the invention according to claim 1, above and below the duct connecting the evaporator and the condenser , a blower fan that blows air toward the seat, and a discharge fan that discharges the air in the duct to the lower side of the duct And a switching valve for switching the flow path of the wind. That is, when a cold wind is sent toward the sheet, air that has passed through the evaporator is blown toward the sheet, and air that has passed through the condenser is discharged from below the duct. On the other hand, when warm air is sent toward the sheet, air that has passed through the condenser is blown toward the sheet, and air that has passed through the evaporator is discharged from below the duct. These flow paths are switched by a switching valve provided inside the duct. That is, since the number of ducts is one, the air conditioner apparatus can be arranged more compactly than in the case where ducts are arranged for each evaporator and condenser . Furthermore, since there is one duct, a switching valve can be provided in the duct, and the vehicle air conditioner can be more compactly arranged.

In the invention according to claim 1 , the operation lever for operating the switching valve is attached below the front end or the side end of the seat. Since the operation lever is disposed in the vicinity of the seat, it is possible to prevent an increase in the size of the vehicle air conditioner. Further, since the operation lever is attached to the end of the seat, the occupant can easily operate the operation lever. That is, it can be said that it is a compact vehicle air conditioner with high operability.

In the invention according to claim 2 , a butterfly valve is used as the switching valve. Thereby, the air which passed the evaporator or the capacitor | condenser can be smoothly guide | induced to the upper part and lower part of a duct. The butterfly valve has a simple structure and can be arranged compactly. By adopting a compact switching valve, the vehicle air conditioner as a whole can be made compact.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 3 , the switching valve is provided in the middle of the 1st flow path and the 2nd flow path. By using one switching valve, it is possible to arrange the vehicle air conditioner more compactly than when a plurality of switching valves are provided.

It is a side view of the small vehicle by which the vehicle air conditioner by the Example of this invention is mounted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat and the vehicle air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat cushion and the vehicle air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of the vehicle air conditioner apparatus when the switching valve shown by FIG. 5 is switched and it is set as the 2nd mode.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a three-wheeled small vehicle as an example. In the description, left and right refer to the left and right with respect to the passenger of the small vehicle, and front and rear refer to the front and rear with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle. In the figure, Fr indicates the front, Rr indicates the rear, L indicates the left when viewed from the occupant, R indicates the right when viewed from the occupant, Up indicates the top, and Dw indicates the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a small vehicle 10 (vehicle 10) includes a front wheel 12 attached at the front center of a vehicle body 11 and two rear wheels 13 attached at the rear part of the vehicle body 11. It has a tricycle. Only the left rear wheel 13 is shown in the figure.

  A handle 14 for steering the front wheel 12 is attached to the vehicle body 11. In addition, a seat 20 on which an occupant sits is attached to a floor panel 15 that forms the floor of the vehicle body 11. A vehicle air conditioner 40 is disposed below the seat 20. Hereinafter, the vehicle air conditioner 40 is simply referred to as “air conditioner 40”. The seat 20 and the air conditioner device 40 will be described in more detail in the following drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the seat 20 includes a frame 21 that is attached to the floor panel 15, a seat cushion 22 that is attached to an upper portion of the frame 21 and supports a passenger's buttocks, and a rear end of the seat cushion 22. The seat back 23 is lifted upward from the seat and can occupy the occupant, and the headrest 24 is attached to the upper part of the seat back 23 and abuts against the occupant's head.

  The frame 21 includes left and right raised portions 21a and 21a raised from the floor panel 15, and left and right horizontal portions 21b (which extend substantially horizontally from the upper ends of these raised portions 21a and 21a to the rear. Only the left horizontal portion 21b is shown), and a beam portion 21c that connects the rear ends of these horizontal portions 21b and is fixed to the vehicle body at both ends (see FIG. 1).

  The left and right horizontal portions 21b are attached to the outer side of the vehicle width than the seat cushion 22 and the air conditioner 40, respectively. A stay extends from the left and right horizontal portions 21b toward the inside of the vehicle width, and the seat cushion 22 is fixed to the stay.

  On the left and right of the front end portion of the seat cushion 22, there are leg outlets 26 (only the left leg outlet 26 is shown) through which air from the air conditioner 40 is blown out toward the occupant's legs. Is formed. Lumbar outlets 27 and 27 through which air from the air conditioner 40 is blown out toward the occupant's waist are formed on the left and right sides of the lower portion of the seat back 23. Shoulder outlets 28 and 28 through which air from the air conditioner 40 is blown out toward the shoulder of the occupant are formed on the left and right of the upper end of the seat back 23. The headrest 24 is formed with head outlets 29 and 29 through which air from the air conditioner 40 is blown out toward the head of the occupant.

  The air blown from the air conditioner 40 passes through the in-seat ducts 31 to 33 built in the seat 20 and reaches the blowout ports 26 to 29. The figure shows an in-seat duct 31 connected to the waist outlet 27, an in-seat duct 32 connected to the shoulder outlet 28, and an in-sheet duct 33 connected to the head outlet 29. ,It is shown. The in-seat duct connected to the leg outlet 26 is built in the lower part of the seat cushion 22. The air conditioner device 40 will be described in more detail in the following drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a so-called heat pump type air conditioner is adopted as the air conditioner 40. The main part of the air conditioner 40 includes an evaporator 41 (first heat exchanger 41) through which a low-temperature and low-pressure medium flows, a compressor 42 connected to the evaporator 41 for compressing the medium, and a high temperature connected to the compressor 42. It consists of a condenser 43 (second heat exchanger 43) through which a high-pressure medium flows, and an expansion valve 44 that is connected to the condenser 43 and expands the medium.

  A duct 50 is disposed between the evaporator 41 and the capacitor 43 so as to connect the evaporator 41 and the capacitor 43. An upper fan 46 that blows air that has passed through one of the evaporator 41 or the condenser 43 toward the seat 20 is provided at the upper portion of the duct 50. In addition, a lower fan 47 that discharges air that has passed through the other of the evaporator 41 or the condenser 43 toward the outside of the duct 50 is provided at the lower portion of the duct 50.

  A switching valve 48 capable of switching the flow path is provided inside the duct 50 so that air that has passed through one of the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43 is guided to the upper fan 46.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the evaporator 41 is disposed below the seat cushion 22 along the vehicle longitudinal direction. When the seat cushion 22 is viewed from above, the evaporator 41 partially overlaps the left side end 22 a of the seat cushion 22. The capacitor 43 is disposed below the seat cushion 22 along the vehicle front-rear direction so as to face the evaporator 41. When the seat cushion 22 is viewed from above, the capacitor 43 partially overlaps the right side end 22 b of the seat cushion 22.

  The compressor 42 is disposed between the rear part of the evaporator 41 and the rear part of the condenser 43 in the vehicle width direction. The expansion valve 44 is arranged between the front part of the evaporator 41 and the front part of the capacitor 43 in the vehicle width direction. The compressor 42 and the expansion valve 44 may be disposed in the reverse direction. That is, the compressor 42 is disposed in the vicinity of one end of the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43, and the expansion valve 44 is disposed in the vicinity of the other end of the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43.

  A butterfly valve is adopted as the switching valve 48. The switching valve 48 is configured such that a shaft member 48b is integrally formed at the center of a square plate-like valve body 48a. The shaft member 48b is supported by being inserted through the duct 50, and is prevented from being removed from the duct 50 by the ring members 48c and 48c. An operation lever 48d for rotating the shaft member 48b is attached to the front end of the shaft member 48b. The operation lever 48d is disposed at a position overlapping the front end 22c of the seat cushion 22 when viewed from the vertical direction.

  An operation lever 48 d for operating the switching valve 48 is attached below the front end 22 c (or side end) of the seat cushion 22. Since the operation lever 48d is disposed in the vicinity of the seat 20, an increase in the size of the air conditioner device 40 can be prevented. Further, since the operation lever 48d is attached to the end portion of the seat 20, the occupant can easily operate the operation lever 48d. That is, it can be said that the air conditioner 40 has high operability while being compact.

  In particular, the operation lever 48d is disposed at a position overlapping the front end 22c of the seat cushion 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. By being arranged in such a position, the occupant can easily operate the operation lever 48d. On the other hand, since it is arranged at such a position, it is prevented from interfering with the occupant's foot.

  In addition, a butterfly valve is used as the switching valve 48. Thereby, the air that has passed through the evaporator 41 or the condenser 43 can be smoothly guided to the upper part and the lower part of the duct 50. The butterfly valve has a simple structure and can be arranged compactly. By adopting the compact switching valve 48, the entire air conditioner 40 can be made compact.

  The expansion valve 44 is disposed below the operation lever 48d and overlaps the operation lever 48d with respect to the vertical direction. That is, the expansion valve 44 is disposed at the same end as the operation lever 48d with the seat 20 as a reference.

  Note that the air conditioner 40 can also be arranged in a state where the air conditioner 40 is rotated by 90 ° with respect to the seat 20 from the state shown in the figure. That is, one of the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43 is arranged in the vehicle width direction at the lower part of the front end 22c of the seat cushion 22, and the other of the evaporator 41 and the condenser 43 is arranged at the lower part of the rear end 22d of the seat cushion 22. It can also be set as the structure arrange | positioned toward a direction. In this case, the operation lever 48d is disposed below the left end 22a or the right end 22b of the seat 20, and is positioned below the passenger's hand. The occupant can easily grasp the operation lever 48d, and the operability of the switching valve 48 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the duct 50 extends from the evaporator 41 to the center of the vehicle width and passes through the first flow path 51 through which the air that has passed through the evaporator 41 passes, and the condenser 43 disposed opposite to the first flow path 51. From the first flow path 51 to the upper fan 46, the third flow path 53 communicating from the first flow path 51 to the upper fan 46, and the second flow path 52 to the lower fan 47. And a fourth flow path 54 communicating with each other.

  In the state shown in the drawing, the first flow path 51 and the third flow path 53 communicate with each other, and the second flow path 52 and the fourth flow path 54 communicate with each other. That is, the air conditioner device 40 is in the first mode.

  One switching valve 48 is provided between the first flow path 51 and the second flow path 52. By using one switching valve 48, the air conditioner 40 can be arranged more compactly than when a plurality of switching valves are provided.

  The duct 50 is configured by bending and joining a plurality of plate-like members. The tip 51a of the first flow path 51 is bent toward the center. Moreover, the front-end | tip 52a of the 2nd flow path 52 is also bent toward the center.

  The switching valve 48 has a valve box formed by the duct 50, and a square plate-like valve body 48 a is rotatably mounted in the duct 50, and the distal end 51 a of the first flow path 51 and the distal end 52 a of the second flow path 52. The valve seat is constituted by the above. The distal end of the valve body 48 a is in contact with the distal end 51 a of the first flow path 51 and the distal end 52 a of the second flow path 52.

  When the upper fan 46 is operated, air in the duct 50 is blown from the inside of the duct 50 toward the lower portion of the seat cushion 22. At this time, since the first flow path 51 and the third flow path 53 communicate with each other, the air outside the evaporator 41 passes through the evaporator 41 and is sucked into the duct 50. The outside air is cooled by passing through the evaporator 41 and becomes cold air. The cold air indicated by the solid arrows reaches the lower part of the seat 20 and is blown toward the passenger through the ducts in the seat (FIG. 2, reference numerals 31 to 33). That is, the first mode described above can also be referred to as a cooling mode.

  On the other hand, when the lower fan 47 is operated, the air in the duct 50 is discharged from the inside of the duct 50 toward the lower side of the duct 50. At this time, since the second flow path 52 and the fourth flow path 54 communicate with each other, air outside the capacitor 43 passes through the capacitor 43 and is sucked into the duct 50. When the outside air passes through the condenser 43, the condenser 43 is cooled. The warm air that has deprived the heat of the condenser 43 as indicated by the broken arrow passes through the duct 50 and is discharged to the lower side of the duct 50.

  The passenger who wants to use the heating rotates the operation lever 48d counterclockwise. Thereby, the switching valve 48 rotates and switches the air flow path. Specifically, it will be described in the next figure.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first flow path 51 communicates with the fourth flow path 54, and the second flow path 52 communicates with the third flow path 53. That is, the air conditioner device 40 is in the second mode.

  When the upper fan 46 operates, the air in the duct 50 is blown from the inside of the duct 50 toward the lower portion of the seat 20. At this time, since the second flow path 52 and the third flow path 53 communicate with each other, air outside the capacitor 43 passes through the capacitor 43 and is sucked into the duct 50. The outside air is warmed by passing through the condenser 43 and becomes warm air. The warm air indicated by the broken arrow reaches the lower part of the seat 20 and is blown toward the passenger through the in-seat duct (FIG. 2, reference numerals 31 to 33). That is, the second mode described above can also be referred to as a heating mode.

  On the other hand, when the lower fan 47 is operated, the air in the duct 50 is discharged from the inside of the duct 50 toward the lower side of the duct 50. At this time, since the first flow path 51 and the fourth flow path 54 communicate with each other, the air outside the evaporator 41 passes through the evaporator 41 and is sucked into the duct 50. When the outside air passes through the evaporator 41, the evaporator 41 is warmed. The cold air that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 41 indicated by the solid arrow passes through the duct 50 and is discharged to the lower side of the duct 50.

  5 and 6 can be summarized as follows. Above and below the duct 50 connecting the evaporator 41 and the capacitor 43, there are an upper fan 46 that blows air toward the seat 20 and a lower fan 47 that discharges the air in the duct 50 to the lower side of the duct 50. A switching valve 48 that switches the flow path of the wind is provided. That is, when a cold wind is sent toward the sheet 20, the air that has passed through the evaporator 41 is blown toward the sheet 20, and the air that has passed through the capacitor 43 is discharged from below the duct 50. On the other hand, when sending warm air toward the sheet 20, the air that has passed through the condenser 43 is blown toward the sheet 20, and the air that has passed through the evaporator 41 is discharged from below the duct 50. These flow paths are switched by a switching valve 48 provided inside the duct 50. That is, since there is one duct 50, the air conditioner device 40 can be arranged more compactly than in the case where the duct 50 is arranged for each heat exchanger. Furthermore, since the number of the ducts 50 is one, the switching valve 48 can be provided in the duct 50, and the vehicle air conditioner 40 can be more compactly arranged.

  The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention has been described by way of example when mounted on a small vehicle, but can be applied to a vehicle other than a small vehicle. That is, it can be mounted on any vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, and a work vehicle regardless of the small size and the large size. In addition, the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention can be mounted for each vehicle seat on which a plurality of seats are mounted. That is, the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is not limited to these types.

  The vehicle air conditioner of the present invention is suitable for mounting on a small vehicle.

20 ... Seat 22a ... Left side edge of seat cushion (side edge of seat)
22b ... right side edge of seat cushion (side edge of seat)
22c ... Front end of seat cushion (front end of seat)
40 ... Vehicle air conditioner 41 ... Evaporator (first heat exchanger)
43 ... Condenser (second heat exchanger)
46 ... Upper fan 47 ... Lower fan 48 ... Switching valve 50 ... Duct 51 ... First flow path 52 ... Second flow path 53 ... Third flow path 54 ... Fourth flow path

Claims (3)

A vehicle air conditioner disposed below a seat on which an occupant sits,
An evaporator and a capacitor arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction or the front-rear direction;
A duct connecting between the evaporator and the capacitor ;
A blower fan that is attached to the top of the duct and blows air in the duct toward the seat;
A discharge fan attached to a lower portion of the duct and discharging the air in the duct to the lower side of the duct;
The duct is
A first flow path communicating with the evaporator ;
A second flow path communicating with the capacitor ;
A third flow path communicating with the blower fan;
A fourth flow path communicating with the discharge fan;
Inside the duct,
A first mode for communicating the first flow path and the third flow path, and for communicating the second flow path and the fourth flow path;
Wherein the first flow path causes a fourth communication between the flow path switching valve for switching a second mode for communicating with the second flow path and the third flow path is provided, et al is,
An operating lever for operating the switching valve is attached to the switching valve, and the operating lever is positioned below a front end or a side end of the seat, and is provided on a shaft member of the switching valve. blowing fan is disposed below the sheet, the third air blown from the flow path is blown from the opened outlet on the seat near through the seat duct vehicular air-conditioner according to claim Rukoto. The said switching valve, according to claim 1 Symbol placement of the vehicle air conditioner system wherein the butterfly valve is used. The switching valve, intermediate and being provided one in claim 1 or claim 2 Symbol placement of the vehicle air conditioner system of the first flow path and the second flow path.

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