JP6686245B2 - Drainage structure of vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drainage structure of an air conditioner for a vehicle in which an air conditioner is arranged on a ceiling of the vehicle and a curtain shield airbag is mounted.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an air conditioner is arranged at a rear portion of a vehicle ceiling. In this case, the condensed water discharged from the drainage port of the air conditioner is introduced into the pillar of the vehicle body by the drainage pipe, and then discharged from below the vehicle body to the outside of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a curtain shield airbag may be mounted on a vehicle as an SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) for protecting an occupant in a vehicle collision. The curtain shield airbag is arranged along the roof side rail of the vehicle body.

  Here, in the vehicle in which the air conditioner is arranged on the ceiling of the vehicle, it is necessary to secure a predetermined water guiding gradient in the drain pipe communicating from the drain port of the air conditioner to the pillar. When a curtain shield airbag is mounted on such a vehicle, the drain pipes are arranged below the curtain shield airbag in the vicinity of the pillars of the vehicle body so that the drain pipes intersect. For this reason, when the curtain shield airbag is about to be deployed, there is concern that the drain pipe may be obstructed and the curtain shield airbag may not be deployed smoothly and reliably.

JP, 2007-99107, A JP, 2008-62754, A

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention appropriately drains condensed water discharged from an air conditioner to the outside of the vehicle at the same time, and can deploy the curtain shield airbag smoothly and reliably in the event of a vehicle collision. The problem is to provide the drainage structure of.

  A drainage structure for a vehicle air conditioner provided by the present invention is a curtain shield air that is housed between a vehicle body interior and a roof side rail, and that expands downward in the vehicle while pushing the vehicle body interior inward when the vehicle collides. A bag, a bracket arranged between the curtain shield airbag and the roof side rail, and restricting a deployment direction of the curtain shield airbag, and a roof connected to the roof side rail in the vehicle body interior and the vehicle width direction. An air conditioning unit housed between the panel and having a drainage port for discharging condensed water, a first end connected to the drainage port, and a second end located on the opposite side of the first end. And a side portion accommodated inside a center pillar extending downward from the roof side rail toward the vehicle. A water pipe, and a socket that is located below the drainage port in the vehicle and that connects the second end portion of the ceiling drainage pipe and the upper end portion of the side drainage pipe to each other. The ceiling drain pipe has an inflow portion to which the second end portion is detachably connected, and the socket is fixed to the bracket such that the inflow portion fits into an opening formed in the bracket. It is characterized by being.

  The socket constituting the drainage structure of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is located below the drainage port of the air conditioning unit to which the first end of the ceiling drainage pipe is connected, and the second end of the ceiling drainage pipe. The part has an inflow part that is detachably connected. Moreover, the bracket which comprises the said drainage structure controls the deployment direction of a curtain shield airbag. The bracket has an opening that penetrates in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the socket is fixed to the bracket so that the inflow portion fits into the opening. With this configuration, the ceiling drainage pipe has a water guiding gradient secured, and since the curtain shield airbag deploys along the bracket, the curtain shield airbag is installed at the second end of the ceiling drainage pipe. Direct contact makes it easier for the ceiling drain to come off the inflow. Therefore, the condensed water discharged from the air conditioner (air conditioning unit) can be appropriately discharged to the outside of the vehicle at all times, and the curtain shield airbag can be smoothly and reliably deployed in the event of a vehicle collision.

  Further, since the position of the socket is determined on the basis of the vehicle body, the ceiling drain pipe and the side drain pipe connected to the socket can be reliably assembled. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem in assembling the drainage structure.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view of an example of a vehicle to which a drainage structure of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is applied, as seen from the left side of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a plan view of an example of a vehicle to which the drainage structure shown in FIG. 1 is applied (a roof panel and a roof side rail are omitted). It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is a schematic plan view of the air conditioning unit which comprises the drainage structure shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the ceiling drainage pipe which comprises the drainage structure shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the socket which comprises the drainage structure shown in FIG. It is a partially expanded perspective view of the bracket which comprises the drainage structure shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a state in which the socket shown in FIG. 7 is fixed to the bracket shown in FIG. 8.

  A mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The drainage structure of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The drainage structure of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle body 1, a vehicle interior 2, an air conditioning unit 31, a ceiling drainage pipe 34, a side drainage pipe 35, a socket 36, a curtain shield airbag 41, and a bracket 42. ing.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle to which the drainage structure of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is applied, as seen through from the vehicle left side LH. 2 is a plan view of an example of a vehicle to which the drainage structure shown in FIG. 1 is applied, and a roof panel 11 and a roof side rail 12 of a vehicle body 1 described later are omitted for convenience of understanding. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the air conditioning unit 31. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the ceiling drain pipe 34. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the socket 36. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the bracket 42. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the state where the socket 36 is fixed to the bracket 42. 1 to 9, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, RR indicates the rear of the vehicle, RH indicates the right of the vehicle, LH indicates the left of the vehicle, UPR indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and DW indicates the lower side of the vehicle. There is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the vehicle body 1 includes a roof panel 11 located above the vehicle UPR, roof side rails 12 located on both sides of the roof panel 11 in the vehicle width direction, and a vehicle lower side from the roof side rail 12. The center pillar 13 extends to the DW. The roof panel 11 is a member including a roof outer panel 111 located outside the vehicle and a roof inner panel 112 located inside the vehicle. The roof side rail 12 is a member that is connected to the roof outer panel 111 and the roof inner panel 112 in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. The center pillar 13 is a member that includes a pillar outer panel 131 located outside the vehicle and a pillar inner panel 132 located inside the vehicle, and is integrated with the roof side rail 12 in the vehicle upper UPR. The pillar outer panel 131 and the pillar inner panel 132 are joined to each other to form a closed cross section. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a stiffening member 133 is arranged inside the closed cross section formed by the pillar outer panel 131 and the pillar inner panel 132 so as to face the pillar inner panel 132. The roof panel 11, the roof side rail 12, and the center pillar 13 are all formed by pressing a thin steel plate.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle body interior 2 is an interior member arranged inside the vehicle body 1 with respect to the vehicle body 1, and includes a roof head lining 21 and a center pillar garnish 23. The vehicle body interior 2 is, for example, an injection molded product of synthetic resin. The roof head lining 21 is an interior member arranged inside the vehicle with respect to the roof inner panel 112 and the roof side rail 12. A predetermined space is formed between the roof headlining 21, the roof inner panel 112, and the roof side rail 12. The center pillar garnish 23 is an interior member arranged inside the vehicle with respect to the pillar inner panel 132. A predetermined space is formed between the center pillar garnish 23 and the pillar inner panel 132. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a side end portion 211 of the roof headlining 21 in the vehicle width direction is engaged with an upper end portion 231 of the center pillar garnish 23 located at the vehicle upper UPR.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioning unit 31 is disposed between the roof headlining 21 and the roof inner panel 112 so as to be located in the vicinity of the center pillar 13 in the vehicle front-rear direction and in the center in the vehicle width direction. It is an air conditioner housed in the space formed in. As shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioning unit 31 has a unit case 311, a blower 312, an expansion valve 313, an evaporator 314, a heater core 315, and a drain port 316.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the unit case 311 is a housing made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene that houses the blower 312, the expansion valve 313, the evaporator 314, and the heater core 315. The blower 312 is a device that takes in air inside the vehicle from an air inlet (not shown) provided in the unit case 311 and supplies the air into the unit case 311. The fan of the blower 312 according to this embodiment is a so-called sirocco fan. The expansion valve 313 and the evaporator 314 form a part of the refrigeration cycle (air cooling function) in the air conditioning unit 31. The expansion valve 313 is a device for decompressing and expanding the liquefied low-temperature refrigerant. The refrigerant according to the present embodiment is, for example, hydrofluorocarbon (R134a). The low temperature refrigerant decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve 313 is circulated to the evaporator 314. The evaporator 314 is a device that cools the air supplied into the air conditioning unit 31 by utilizing the heat of evaporation of the low-temperature refrigerant. The air cooled in the evaporator 314 is blown into the vehicle from an air outlet (not shown) via the heater core 315. The heater core 315 is a device that heats the air cooled in the evaporator 314 and controls the temperature of the air. Further, the drain port 316 provided in the vehicle lower portion DW of the unit case 311 is a part for discharging condensed water generated by cooling the air in the evaporator 314. The drainage port 316 according to the present embodiment faces the left side LH of the vehicle. The ceiling drain pipe 34 is connected to the drain port 316.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, a liquid tube 32 and a suction tube 33 are connected to the air conditioning unit 31. The liquid tube 32 is a pipe through which low-temperature refrigerant liquefied by a compressor (not shown) and a condenser (not shown) arranged in an engine room (not shown) flows to the expansion valve 313. The suction tube 33 is a tube through which the refrigerant evaporated and vaporized by the evaporator 314 flows to the compressor described above. For this reason, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 form a refrigerant circulation path between the engine room and the air conditioning unit 31 described above. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 extend from the air conditioning unit 31 toward the vehicle left side LH along the roof headlining 21, and near the roof side rail 12 the vehicle downward DW. Is bent to. As shown in FIG. 1, the bent liquid tube 32 and the bent suction tube 33 extend along the center pillar 13 toward the vehicle downward DW as they are. Then, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 reach the engine room described above toward the vehicle front FR at the vehicle lower side DW of the floor panel 14 arranged at the vehicle lower side DW of the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 are housed in a space formed between the roof headlining 21, the roof inner panel 112, and the roof side rail 12 in the vehicle upper UPR. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 are housed in the space formed between the center pillar garnish 23 and the pillar inner panel 132 in the left side LH of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the curtain shield airbag 41 is of a vehicle that is housed between the roof headlining 21 and the roof side rail 12 along the vehicle front-rear direction while being folded into a cylindrical shape. It is a type of SRS (Supplemental Restraint System). In the event of a vehicle collision, the curtain shield airbag 41 deploys so as to hang down the roof head lining 21 toward the inside of the vehicle and hang down to the vehicle lower DW, thereby protecting the occupant from the window and the like. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bracket 42 is arranged between the curtain shield airbag 41 and the roof side rail 12. The bracket 42 is a steel member fixed to the roof side rail 12, and is configured to hold the curtain shield airbag 41 from the left side LH of the vehicle. The bracket 42 is arranged in order to regulate the deployment direction of the curtain shield airbag 41 so that the curtain shield airbag 41 can be deployed normally. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33 that are bent near the roof side rail 12 are bent so as to pass between the bracket 42 and the roof side rail 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is a pipe that is connected to the drainage port 316 of the air conditioning unit 31 and causes the condensed water discharged from the air conditioning unit 31 to flow down. The ceiling drainage pipe 34 is made of, for example, a highly flexible synthetic rubber. The ceiling drainage pipe 34 has a first end 341 connected to the drainage port 316 and a second end 342 located on the opposite side of the first end 341. The second end portion 342 is inserted into the inflow portion 361 of the socket 36 described below. Like the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is housed in the space formed between the roof headlining 21, the roof inner panel 112, and the roof side rail 12. However, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is located on the vehicle lower side DW with respect to the liquid tube 32 and the suction tube 33. Further, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 passes between the roof head lining 21 and the curtain shield airbag 41, and is arranged in a meandering state in a plan view. Therefore, the portion of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 located between the first end 341 and the second end 342 is parallel to the curtain shield airbag 41. In addition, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is arranged toward the left side LH of the vehicle and inclined toward the vehicle lower side DW. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a flange portion 343 that extends in the radial direction of the ceiling drain pipe 34 is formed on the outer periphery of the ceiling drain pipe 34 on the second end 342 side. The shape of the flange portion 343 according to the present embodiment is a crescent shape along the outer circumference of the ceiling drainage pipe 34.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the side drainage pipe 35 is a pipe housed in a space formed between the pillar inner panel 132 and the stiffening member 133, which is inside the center pillar 13. Like the center pillar 13, the side drain pipe 35 extends toward the vehicle lower side DW and is arranged so as to reach the floor panel 14. The side drain pipe 35 is made of a material having a higher rigidity than the ceiling drain pipe 34, such as synthetic resin. An upper end portion 351 of the side drainage pipe 35 located in the vehicle upper UPR penetrates the pillar inner panel 132 and is connected to an outlet portion 362 of a socket 36 described later. The condensed water flowing down the ceiling drain pipe 34 flows down the side drain pipe 35 from the upper end 351 via the socket 36. The condensed water flowing down the side drain pipe 35 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle from the lower end portion 352 located near the floor panel 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the socket 36 is a member that connects the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 and the upper end 351 of the side drainage pipe 35 to each other. The socket 36 is made of synthetic resin, for example. In this embodiment, the socket 36 is fixed to the bracket 42 from the left side LH of the vehicle and is housed in the space formed between the roof headlining 21 and the pillar inner panel 132. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the socket 36 has an inflow portion 361, an outflow portion 362, and a restriction portion 363.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the inflow portion 361 is an open portion into which the second end portion 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is inserted. Since the second end 342 is not fixed inside the inflow part 361, the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is detachably connected to the inflow part 361 of the socket 36. The inflow portion 361 has a support portion 361a that supports the second end portion 342 of the ceiling drain pipe 34 from the vehicle lower side DW, and a hanging wall 361b that extends from the support portion 361a to the vehicle lower side DW. When the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is inserted into the inflow portion 361, the flange portion 343 formed on the ceiling drainage pipe 34 contacts the support portion 361a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the outflow portion 362 is a portion located outside the inflow portion 361 in the vehicle and connected to the upper end portion 351 of the side drainage pipe 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the restricting portions 363 are a pair of portions formed at both ends of the inflow portion 361 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Each regulation part 363 has a first regulation part 363a and a second regulation part 363b. The first restricting portion 363a is a portion that is located inside the vehicle with respect to the socket 36 and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The second restricting portion 363b is located on the outer side of the vehicle with respect to the first restricting portion 363a, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends toward the vehicle lower side DW from the first restricting portion 363a.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the bracket 42 is formed with an opening 421 penetrating in the vehicle width direction. The opening 421 has an opening edge 421a (a hatched area in FIG. 8) having a U shape. As shown in FIG. 9, when the socket 36 is fixed to the bracket 42, the inflow portion 361 of the socket 36 fits into the opening 421 of the bracket 42. At this time, the support portion 361a of the inflow portion 361 engages with the portion of the opening edge 421a located on the vehicle lower side DW from the vehicle upper UPR. Further, the opening edge 421a is in a state of being sandwiched by the first restricting portion 363a and the second restricting portion 363b of each restricting portion 363.

  As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3, at the time of a vehicle collision, the curtain shield airbag 41 pushes the roof head lining 21 toward the inside of the vehicle and deploys it toward the vehicle lower side DW. At this time, in the present embodiment, the curtain shield airbag 41 contacts the ceiling drainage pipe 34, and the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is pulled out from the inflow portion 361 of the socket 36 and removed. With such a structure, the curtain shield airbag 41 can be smoothly and reliably deployed without being obstructed by the ceiling drainage pipe 34.

  Next, operation effects of the drainage structure of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The ceiling drainage pipe 34 is detachably connected to the socket 36 by inserting the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 into the inflow portion 361. The socket 36 is located DW below the vehicle from the drain port 316 of the air conditioning unit 31 to which the first end 341 of the ceiling drain pipe 34 is connected. The ceiling drain pipe 34 passes between the vehicle interior 2 (roof head lining 21) and the curtain shield airbag 41, and is arranged in a meandering state in a plan view. With this configuration, the water guiding gradient of the ceiling drain pipe 34 is secured. In addition, as compared with the case where the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is arranged orthogonal to the curtain shield airbag 41 in a plan view, a section parallel to the curtain shield airbag 41 is generated in the ceiling drainage pipe 34. Therefore, when the curtain shield airbag 41 is deployed during a vehicle collision, the section of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 that contacts the curtain shield airbag 41 becomes long, and the second end portion 342 easily comes off the inflow portion 361. Therefore, according to the present invention, the condensed water discharged from the air conditioning unit 31 can be appropriately discharged to the outside of the vehicle at all times, and the curtain shield airbag 41 can be smoothly and reliably deployed at the time of a vehicle collision.

  Further, even if there are errors in the positions of the drainage port 316 of the air conditioning unit 31 to which the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is connected and the inflow portion 361 of the socket 36, the ceiling drainage pipe 34 that is arranged in a meandering manner is concerned. The error can be absorbed.

  A flange portion 343 that extends in the radial direction of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is formed on the outer periphery of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 on the second end 342 side. The socket 36 to which the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is connected has an inflow portion 361 into which the second end 342 of the ceiling drainage pipe 34 is inserted. The inflow portion 361 has a support portion 361a that supports the second end portion 342 from the vehicle lower side DW, and a hanging wall 361b that extends from the support portion 361a to the vehicle lower side DW. In this case, when the second end portion 342 is inserted into the inflow portion 361, the flange portion 343 comes into contact with the support portion 361a. With such a configuration, the second end 342 inserted into the socket 36 has a certain length, and it is possible to prevent the second end 342 from constantly falling off the inflow part 361. When the curtain shield airbag 41 deploys, the curtain shield airbag 41 comes into contact with the ceiling drainage pipe 34, and the second end 342 is pulled out from the inflow portion 361 and removed. Therefore, the curtain shield airbag 41 can be smoothly and surely deployed without being obstructed by the ceiling drainage pipe 34.

  Further, the downward wall 361b of the inflow portion 361 has an effect of preventing condensed water that has flowed into the inflow portion 361 from the ceiling drain pipe 34 from flowing backward due to a centripetal force during steering of the vehicle or the like.

  An opening 421 that penetrates in the vehicle width direction is formed in the bracket 42 that restricts the deployment direction of the curtain shield airbag 41. In this case, the socket 36 is fixed to the bracket 42 so that the inflow portion 361 of the socket 36 fits into the opening 421. With such a configuration, since the curtain shield airbag 41 deploys along the bracket 42, the curtain shield airbag 41 directly contacts the second end portion 342 of the ceiling drain pipe 34, and the ceiling drain pipe 34 flows in. It becomes easy to come off from the portion 361. Therefore, the curtain shield airbag 41 can be smoothly and surely deployed without being obstructed by the ceiling drainage pipe 34. Further, since the position of the socket 36 is determined based on the vehicle body 1, the ceiling drain pipe 34 and the side drain pipe 35 connected to the socket 36 can be properly assembled.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The specific configuration of each part of the present invention can be modified in various ways.

1: vehicle body 11: roof panel 111: roof outer panel 112: roof inner panel 12: roof side rail 13: center pillar 131: pillar outer panel 132: pillar inner panel 14: floor panel 2: vehicle interior 21: roof headlining 211: side End 23: Center pillar garnish 231: Upper end 31: Air conditioning unit 311: Unit case 312: Blower 313: Expansion valve 314: Evaporator 315: Heater core 316: Drain port 32: Liquid tube 33: Suction tube 34: Ceiling drain pipe 341: 1st end part 342: 2nd end part 343: Flange part 35: Side drain pipe 351: Upper end part 352: Lower end part 36: Socket 361: Inflow part 361a: Support part 361b: Hanging wall 362: Outflow part 363 Regulating portion 363a: first regulating portion 363 b: the second restriction portion 41: curtain shield airbags 42: Bracket 421: opening 421a: opening edge FR: vehicle front LH: left of the vehicle UPR: vehicle upper DW: vehicle lower

Claims (1)

A curtain shield airbag that is housed between the vehicle body interior and the roof side rail, and that expands downward in the vehicle while pushing the vehicle body interior inward when the vehicle collides,
A bracket that is arranged between the curtain shield airbag and the roof side rail, and that restricts the deployment direction of the curtain shield airbag,
An air conditioning unit that is housed between the interior of the vehicle body and a roof panel that is connected to the roof side rail in the vehicle width direction, and that has a drainage port for discharging condensed water;
A ceiling drain having a first end connected to the drain port and a second end opposite the first end;
A side drain pipe housed inside the center pillar extending from the roof side rail to the vehicle lower side,
A socket located below the drainage port in the vehicle and connecting the second end portion of the ceiling drainage pipe and the upper end portion of the side drainage pipe to each other;
The socket has an inflow part to which the second end of the ceiling drainage pipe is detachably connected,
A drainage structure for a vehicle air conditioner, wherein the socket is fixed to the bracket so that the inflow portion fits into an opening formed in the bracket.

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