JP6958389B2 - Vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that effectively utilizes an instrument panel member as a part of an air conditioner duct.

Generally, an instrument panel member (same as a steering support member) having a hollow structure is provided to connect body side members such as hinge pillar inners forming a pair of left and right hinge pillars having a closed cross-sectional structure extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. The rigidity of the front body has been improved.

Therefore, when the air conditioner is arranged on the passenger seat side under the instrument panel, the space efficiency can be improved by effectively using the above-mentioned instrument panel member as a part of the air conditioner duct.

In Patent Document 1, a hollow instrument panel member provided along the vehicle width direction is provided on the back surface side of the instrument panel of the vehicle, and is integrally formed with the instrument panel member in the instrument panel member by blow molding. Those provided with a tubular air-conditioning duct are disclosed.
That is, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 shares the duct of the air conditioner and the instrument panel member.

Further, in Patent Document 1 described above, air-conditioning air introduction ports are formed for the instrument panel member and the air-conditioning duct, but there is room for improvement in consideration of the distributability of the instrument panel member to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction. there were.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-256379

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner capable of distributing and guiding the air introduced into the instrument panel member to the left and right sides of the vehicle substantially evenly.

The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention has an introduction duct for flowing air taken in by a blower into an instrument panel member and an instrument panel member for flowing air taken in from the introduction duct in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle air conditioner. provided, the above instrument panel member, an opening for releasing the air provided to the cabin, the connecting portion between the inlet duct and the instrument panel member, provided with a dispensing wall to guide the air in the vehicle width direction right and left sides, the introduction The duct has a lower part of the duct extending rearward through the lower part of the instrument panel member, and a rear part of the duct extending upward from the rear part of the lower part of the duct along the surface of the instrument panel member on the passenger compartment side. The upper front side of the instrument panel member is communicatively connected to the connecting portion of the instrument panel member, the distribution wall includes a vertical wall extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the vertical wall extends to the rear of the vehicle from the rear wall of the instrument panel member. It is a thing.

According to the above configuration, at the connecting portion between the introduction duct and the instrument panel member, the above-mentioned distribution wall guides air to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction, so that the air introduced into the instrument panel member is distributed substantially evenly to the left and right sides of the vehicle. Can be guided.

Further, the introduction duct has a lower part of the duct extending rearward through the lower part of the instrument panel member, and a rear part of the duct extending upward along the vehicle interior side surface of the instrument panel member from the rear part of the lower part of the duct. Since the upper front side of the rear part of the duct is communicated with the connecting part of the instrument panel member , the following effects are obtained.

That is, the mounting position of the instrument panel member (particularly, the mounting position in the front-rear direction of the vehicle) is specified corresponding to the vehicle body, and the internal structure of the air (air-conditioning wind) distribution box provided on the front side of the instrument panel member. The dimensions of are also fixed. Since the conditioned air is distributed to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction under these conditions, the introduction duct can be compactly arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction by the above configuration.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the air introduction portion of the instrument panel member is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction.
According to the above configuration, since the above-mentioned air introduction portion is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction, the air introduced from the air introduction portion can be distributed substantially evenly on the left and right sides.

According to the present invention, the air introduced into the instrument panel member can be distributed and guided substantially evenly on the left and right sides of the vehicle.

A perspective view showing the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention. Top view of vehicle air conditioner Front view showing the vehicle air conditioner as viewed from the passenger compartment side FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA. Cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. A perspective view on the right side of the vehicle showing the related structure of the instrument panel member and the reinforcing member. Top view of FIG. (A)-(f) is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the reinforcing member. Perspective view showing the arrangement structure of the distribution wall (A) and (b) are plan views showing other embodiments of the distribution wall. Cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

The purpose of guiding the air introduced into the instrument panel member by distributing it to the left and right sides of the vehicle almost evenly is from the introduction duct that allows the air taken in by the blower to flow into the instrument panel member and the introduction duct described above. An instrument panel member that allows the taken-in air to flow in the vehicle width direction is provided, the instrument panel member is provided with an opening for discharging air into the vehicle interior, and air is provided at a connecting portion between the introduction duct and the instrument panel member. The introduction duct is provided with a distribution wall that guides the air to the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction , and the introduction duct is along the lower part of the duct extending rearward through the lower part of the instrument panel member and the surface of the instrument panel member from the rear part on the passenger compartment side. The rear portion of the duct extends upward, and the upper front side of the rear portion of the duct is communicatively connected to the connecting portion of the instrument panel member. The distribution wall includes a vertical wall extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. , It was realized by the configuration that extends to the rear of the vehicle from the rear wall of the instrument panel member.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
The drawings show a vehicle air conditioner, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vehicle air conditioner, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a front view and a view showing the vehicle air conditioner as viewed from the passenger compartment side. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

In FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, a dash panel 1 for partitioning the engine room and the vehicle interior in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is provided. Although only a part of the dash panel 1 is shown in the drawing, the dash panel 1 actually extends over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction.

A cowl panel that supports the front window glass is provided on the upper part of the dash panel 1, and a floor panel that extends from the lower part to the rear of the vehicle to form the floor surface of the vehicle interior is connected to the lower part of the dash panel 1. Will be set up.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a pipe-shaped instrument panel member 2 (detailed) extending over substantially the entire width in the vehicle width direction is located below the instrument panel (not shown) located in front of the driver's seat and the passenger seat. Is provided with an instrument panel member).

In this embodiment, a square pipe (internal hollow member) is used as the instrument panel member 2, but the instrument panel member 2 may be formed by using a round pipe (internal hollow member) instead of the square pipe. In this embodiment, the instrument panel member 2 described above is shared as an air conditioning duct.
The vehicle of this embodiment is a right-hand drive vehicle, the right side of the vehicle is set to the driver's seat, and the left side of the vehicle is set to the passenger seat.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, air conditioning units 3 constituting a vehicle air conditioner are arranged in front of and behind the dash panel 1 on the passenger seat side (left side of the vehicle).
As shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioning unit 3 includes a blower 4 that takes in air into the air conditioner, a filter 10 as a filtering means for filtering the air, and a refrigeration cycle that exchanges heat with the air taken in by the blower 4. The evaporator 11 and the heater core 12 that exchange heat with high-temperature (about 90 ° C. to 100 ° C.) engine cooling water are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, the blower 4 described above has an intake box 5 provided with an outside air intake port 5a, an inside air intake port 6a facing the opening 1a formed in the dash panel 1, and an air outlet 6b. The inside and outside air that rotates around the communication portion 8 and the door shaft 9a of the duct structure that communicates the blower housing 6 provided with the air suction port 6c, the blower motor 7, the downstream end of the intake box 5 and the air suction port 6c. A switching door 9 is provided, and the communication portion 8 described above also serves as an inside / outside air switching box.
The blower 4 described above is a blower that compresses the air sucked from the air suction port 6c into a pressure ratio of 1.1 to 2.0 and discharges the air from the air outlet 6b.

A mesh member 6d is stretched at the above-mentioned inside air intake port 6a. Then, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 11, the inside / outside air switching door 9 communicates the outside air intake port 5a of the intake box 5 with the air suction port 6c of the blower housing 6, and also communicates with the air suction port 6c and the inside air intake port 6a. When the communication is cut off, the outside air intake mode is set, and as shown by a virtual line in FIG. 11, the inside / outside air switching door 9 communicates the inside air intake port 6a and the air suction port 6c of the blower housing 6 with the intake box 5. When the communication between the outside air intake port 5a and the air suction port 6c is cut off, the inside air intake mode is set.

The blower 4 described above is arranged in front of the vehicle from the vertical wall portion 1b extending in the substantially vertical direction of the dash panel 1. In this embodiment, the inside air intake port 6a and the air outlet 6b of the blower 4 are brought into contact with the front surface of the vertical wall portion 1b of the dash panel 1.

Each element (filter 10, evaporator 11, heater core 12) other than the blower 4 in the air conditioning unit 3 is internally provided in the air conditioning unit housing 13 located behind the vertical wall portion 1b of the dash panel 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the above-mentioned air-conditioning unit housing 13 has an air inlet portion 13a and an air-conditioning air outlet portion 13b, and is formed in an internal cavity. It is vertically arranged in the air conditioning unit housing 13 downstream of 6b. The filter 10 is arranged in the air conditioning unit housing 13 via a pair of upper and lower holders 14, 14.
Further, the above-mentioned filter 10 is provided with a filtration member, and the air taken in by the blower 4 is filtered by the filtration member.

The above-mentioned evaporator 11 is vertically arranged in the air conditioning unit housing 13 immediately downstream of the filter 10. The evaporator 11 (evaporator) is a cooling heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the air downstream of the filter 10 and absorbs heat from the outside.

The heater core 12 described above is horizontally arranged in the air conditioning unit housing 13 on the downstream side of the evaporator 11. The heater core 12 is a heating heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the cooling water having a high temperature of about 90 ° C. to 100 ° C. and the air downstream of the evaporator 11 by cooling the engine, and utilizes the heat of the engine cooling water. , It heats the air conditioning air.

As shown in FIG. 4, a partition member 15 is provided from the front end portion of the heater core 12 to the vicinity of the outlet portion 13b of the air conditioning unit housing 13, and the partition member 15 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction directly upstream of the partition member 15. Air-mixed door 16 is provided.

When the above-mentioned air mix door 16 is moved upward by an actuator (not shown), relatively high temperature warm air heated by the heater core 12 is supplied to the outlet portion 13b, while the air mix door 16 is moved by the actuator. When the door is moved downward, relatively low temperature cold air is supplied to the outlet portion 13b without passing through the heater core 12, so that the temperature of the air conditioning air can be controlled according to the vertical position of the air mix door 16. ..

Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the above-mentioned blower 4, the above-mentioned filter 10, the above-mentioned evaporator 11, and the above-mentioned heater core 12 are arranged in a row in this order toward the vehicle front-rear direction. As a result, the vertical dimensions of the air conditioner (see Air Conditioning Unit 3) have been made compact, the center of gravity of the vehicle has been lowered as much as possible, and the center of gravity has been lowered and steering stability has been improved. ..

The air conditioning unit 3 in which the blower 4, the filter 10, the evaporator 11, and the heater core 12 are arranged in a row from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is as far as possible from the floor panel and can be used as the instrument panel member 2. They are arranged substantially horizontally so as to be close to each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, by providing the filter 10 downstream of the blower 4, the air is filtered using the entire filter 10 as compared with the case where the filter is arranged upstream of the blower 4, whereby the filter is filtered. It is configured to extend the life of 10.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, by arranging the blower 4 in front of the vertical wall portion 1b of the dash panel 1, the air conditioner (see the air conditioning unit 3) is placed in front of the vertical wall portion 1b of the dash panel 1. It is configured to secure the foot space for the occupants (particularly the passenger seat side occupants) by suppressing the amount of protrusion that protrudes rearward.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a distribution box 18 is communicated and connected to the air conditioning air outlet portion 13b of the air conditioning unit housing 13 via a communication duct 17.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the above-mentioned distribution box 18 is located at the center in the vehicle width direction and immediately in front of the instrument panel member 2, and the above-mentioned communication duct 17 is located at the center in the vehicle width direction. It is a duct that extends and connects the located distribution box 18 and the above-mentioned outlet portion 13b located on the left end side in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle width direction.

Inside the distribution box 18, the air-conditioning air is supplied to the air-conditioning mode, and the defroster outlet 19a, the demister outlet 20a, and the left and right side vent outlets 35a as side outlets are described. , The center vent outlet 21a as the central outlet, and the distribution mechanism (not shown) that blows out to the foot outlet (not shown) are built-in.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the above-mentioned distribution box 18 has a defroster duct 19 that extends forward from the front portion thereof and then extends upward to prevent anti-fog of the front window glass and secure forward visibility. And the demista ducts 20 and 20 that extend from the front of the distribution box 18 to the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction to prevent anti-fog of the left and right side window glasses and secure the side view, and the defroster ducts are connected to each other. Defroster outlets 19a are formed at the downstream ends of 19, and demista outlets 20a and 20a are formed at both left and right ends of the demista ducts 20 and 20 in the vehicle width direction. Here, the above-mentioned defroster outlet 19a is formed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction and to be substantially the same as the upper front side of the instrument panel (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a pair of left and right center vent ducts 21 and 21 extending from the rear portion to the rear of the vehicle under the lower part of the instrument panel member 2 are spaced apart from the rear portion of the distribution box 18 in the vehicle width direction. Center vent outlets 21a and 21a are formed at the rear ends, that is, the downstream ends, of the center vent ducts 21 and 21 respectively. The center vent duct 21 described above blows air-conditioning air toward the face of the occupant.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, an introduction duct 22 is communicated between the left and right center vent ducts 21 and 21 at the rear center of the distribution box 18 described above. The introduction duct 22 is a duct that supplies the air (air conditioning air) taken in by the blower 4 into the instrument panel member 2.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the above-mentioned introduction duct 22 is formed on a duct lower portion 22a extending rearward through the lower portion of the instrument panel member 2 and a surface of the instrument panel member 2 on the vehicle interior side from the rear portion of the duct lower portion 22a. It has a duct rear portion 22b extending upward along the duct, and the upper front side of the duct rear portion 22b is communicated and connected with a connecting portion 23 (that is, a communicating connecting portion) between the introduction duct 22 and the instrument panel member 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, a U-shaped flange portion 22c abutting on the upper surface portion, the rear surface portion, and the lower surface portion of the instrument panel member 2 is made of synthetic resin on both the left and right sides of the introduction duct 22 in the vehicle width direction. Is integrally formed by. Here, both the introduction duct 22 and the instrument panel member 2 described above are made of synthetic resin, and the introduction duct 22 is adhesively fixed to the instrument panel member 2 via the flange portion 22c thereof.

The instrument panel member 2 described above is a member that allows air taken in from the introduction duct 22, specifically, air conditioning air to flow in the vehicle width direction, and the instrument panel member 2 has an air introduction unit that coincides with the above-mentioned connecting portion 23. 24 is provided. The connecting portion 23 and the air introducing portion 24 described above are provided at the center in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 4, the instrument panel member 2 is a member made of a square pipe composed of an upper wall 2a, a lower wall 2b, a front wall 2c and a rear wall 2d, and the instrument panel member 2 is attached to the instrument panel member 2 as shown in FIG. , An opening 25 for discharging air (air conditioning air) is provided in the vehicle interior.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, openings 25 are formed in the rear walls 2d at both left and right ends of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and are configured to correspond to side vents.

6 is an inclination view on the right side of the vehicle showing the related structure of the instrument panel member and the reinforcing member, FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6, and FIGS. 8A to 8F are cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the reinforcing member. , FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the arrangement structure of the distribution wall.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 7, the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2 is provided with a reinforcing member 30 made of synthetic resin to reinforce the opening 25. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5, the reinforcing members 30 are located at both left and right ends of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction.

Since the reinforcing member 30 on the left side of the vehicle and the reinforcing member 30 on the right side of the vehicle are formed symmetrically or substantially symmetrically, the reinforcing member 30 on the right side of the vehicle will be described in the following description, and the reinforcing member 30 on the left side of the vehicle will be described. Have the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the reinforcing member 30 can be attached to the end portion of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction, so that the upper wall 2a, the lower wall 2b, the front wall 2c, and the rear of the instrument panel member 2 can be mounted. From the upper wall 30a, the lower wall 30b, the front wall 30c, the rear wall 30d, the outer wall 30e that closes the end of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction, and the rear wall 2d of the instrument panel member 2 corresponding to the wall 2d. An outer frame 31 is formed by an inner side wall 30f that connects the upper wall 30a and the lower wall 30b projecting to the rear of the vehicle in the vertical direction, and inside the outer frame 31, the rear wall 30d of the instrument panel member 2 is formed. A square pipe-shaped inner frame 32 extending from the corresponding position to the rear of the vehicle is integrally formed, and the inner frame 32 is provided with a reinforcing member side opening 33 that discharges air (air conditioning air) from the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2. It is formed.

As described above, by providing the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2 with a reinforcing member 30 for reinforcing the opening 25, the peripheral edge of the opening 25 is reinforced by the reinforcing member 30 to compensate for the decrease in rigidity of the instrument panel member 2. It is configured as follows.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the outer surface of the inner frame 32 and the inner surface of the outer frame 31 are connected by a plurality of ribs 34 ... Extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the reinforcing member is formed by the plurality of ribs 34. It is configured to improve the rigidity of 30.

Further, the instrument panel member 2 by the reinforcing member 30 is formed by forming the reinforcing member side opening 33 (see FIG. 6) that discharges air (air conditioning air) from the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2 in the reinforcing member 30 described above. It is configured to ensure both the rigidity of the air-conditioning air conditioner and the air-conditioning air passage by the opening 33 on the reinforcing member side.

As shown in FIG. 5, an indoor duct 35 corresponding to a side vent duct is communicatedly connected to the outside of the inner frame 32 of the reinforcing member 30, and the rear end portion, that is, the downstream end portion of the indoor side duct 35 is connected to the outside. , The side vent outlet 35a is formed as an opening.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, attachment portions 36, 36 that can be attached to the vehicle body are provided on both the upper and lower portions of the reinforcing member 30 described above. In this embodiment, the upper mounting portion 36 protruding upward from the upper wall 30a of the reinforcing member 30 and the lower mounting portion 36 protruding downward from the lower wall 30b of the reinforcing member 30 are integrally formed. Bolt insertion holes 37 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle are formed through the upper and lower mounting portions 36.

As shown in FIG. 7, a bracket 39 on the body side extending inward in the vehicle width direction is attached to the vehicle body side member 38 such as the hinge pillar inner by spot welding or the like, and a bolt insertion hole of the attachment portion 36 is attached. The instrument panel member 2 is formed by fastening and fixing the mounting portion 36 to the bracket 39 by using a bolt 40 to be inserted from the vehicle interior side with respect to 37 and a nut 41 previously fixed to the front side of the bracket 39 described above. Is configured to be attached to the vehicle body side member 38, and the attachment portion 36 is attached to the body side by inserting bolts from the vehicle interior side to ensure assembling property.
As a result, the reinforcing member 30 and the mounting portion 36 can be shared, and the mounting of the instrument panel member 2 described above to the vehicle body is ensured via the reinforcing member 30.

Instead of the nut 41 shown in FIG. 7, a tubular portion having a screw hole formed inside is integrally formed in the bolt insertion portion of the bracket 39, and the bolt 40 is fixed by using a so-called tapping screw or the like. You may.
Further, the instrument panel member 2 and the reinforcing member 30 described above are fixed by adhesion.

Since the structure of the reinforcing member 30 may be another structure, another embodiment of the reinforcing member will be described next with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8F.
The reinforcing member 30A shown in FIG. 8A is an upper wall 30a, a lower wall 30b, a front wall 30c, and a rear wall 30d corresponding to the upper wall 2a, the lower wall 2b, the front wall 2c, and the rear wall 2d of the instrument panel member 2. An outer wall 30e that closes the end opening of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction, a duct portion 30 g having a reinforcing member side opening 33 that communicates with the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2, and a pair of upper and lower mounting portions. 36, 36 are integrally formed, and the main body portion of the reinforcing member 30A is formed in a square frame shape that can be mounted on the outside of the instrument panel member 2.

The reinforcing member 30B shown in FIG. 8B is obtained by removing the lower wall 30b and the lower mounting portion 36 from the configuration shown in FIG. 8A, and the main portion of the reinforcing member 30B is an instrument panel. It is formed in a gate shape that can be attached to the outside of the member 2.

The reinforcing member 30C shown in FIG. 8C includes an upper wall 2a, a lower wall 2b, an upper wall 30a corresponding to the rear wall 2d, a lower wall 30b, a rear wall 30d, and a vehicle width of the instrument panel member 2. An outer wall 30e that closes the end opening in the direction, a duct portion 30 g having a reinforcing member side opening 33 that communicates with the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2, and a pair of upper and lower mounting portions 36, 36 are integrally formed. At the same time, the upper locking portion 30h extending downward from the front end of the upper wall 30a and the lower locking portion 30i extending upward from the front end of the lower wall 30b are integrally formed, and the main body portion of the reinforcing member 30C is , It is formed in a U shape that can be attached to the outside of the instrument panel member 2.

The reinforcing member 30D shown in FIG. 8D is obtained by removing the lower wall 30b, the lower locking portion 30i, and the lower mounting portion 36 from the reinforcing member 30C shown in FIG. 8C. The main body of the reinforcing member 30D is formed in an inverted L shape that can be attached to the outside of the instrument panel member 2.

The reinforcing member 30E shown in FIG. 8 (e) is reinforced by removing the front portion of the upper wall 30a, the front portion of the lower wall 30b, and the front wall 30c from the reinforcing member 30A shown in FIG. The main body of the member 30E is formed in a U shape that can be attached to the outside of the instrument panel member 2.

The reinforcing member 30F shown in FIG. 8 (f) is the reinforcing member side communicating with the rear wall 30d, the outer wall 30e that closes the end opening of the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction, and the opening 25 of the instrument panel member 2. A duct portion 30g having an opening 33 is integrally formed, and the main portion of the reinforcing member 30F is formed in an I shape that can be adhesively fixed to the rear surface of the rear wall 2d of the instrument panel member 2.

The reinforcing members 30 shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 or the reinforcing members 30A to 30F shown in FIG. 8 are intermediate in the vehicle width direction on the passenger seat side of the instrument panel member 2 as shown by the virtual line α in FIG. It may be provided in the section. In this case, since the outer wall 30e of the reinforcing member 30 is unnecessary, it is preferable to remove the outer wall 30e and separately form an opening 25 on the instrument panel member 2 side so as to communicate with the reinforcing member side opening 33. Further, the mounting position of the reinforcing member 30 or 30A to 30F is not limited to the intermediate portion in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel member 2 on the passenger seat side, and may be provided at an arbitrary position.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 9, air (specifically, air-conditioning wind) is applied to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction at the connecting portion 23 and the air introduction portion 24 at the central portion of the introduction duct 22 and the instrument panel member 2 in the vehicle width direction. It is provided with a distribution wall 50 that distributes and guides the air. As a result, the air introduced into the instrument panel member 2 is configured to be distributed and guided substantially evenly on the left and right sides of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 9, the distribution wall 50 described above includes a vertical wall 51 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and left and right curved portions 52, 52 curved in an arc shape from the front end of the vertical wall 51 and extending outward in the vehicle width direction. (The so-called rounded portion) and the front wall 53 that connects the left and right curved portions 52 and 52 to each other and extends in the vehicle width direction and is used for adhering the distribution wall 50 are integrally formed of synthetic resin. It is a thing.

By adhesively fixing the front surface of the front wall 53 and the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the distribution wall 50 itself in the instrument panel member 2, the distribution wall 50 acts as a knot member, so that the strength of the instrument panel member 2 is improved. Can be planned. Further, it is preferable that the distribution wall 50 is formed in a size that can be inserted into the instrument panel member 2 from the air introduction portion 24.

Further, the above-mentioned adhesive fixing position of the distribution wall 50 into the instrument panel member 2 is such that the amount of air blown out from the air introduction portion 24 to the left and right side vent outlets 35a and 35a (see FIG. 1) is the same on the left and right sides of the vehicle. It can be set to an arbitrary position in advance within the width of the opening in the vehicle width direction of the air introduction unit 24 so as to be.

That is, the ratio of air resistance changes on the left and right sides of the vehicle due to the structure of the left and right air conditioning paths from the air introduction portion 24 of the instrument panel member 2 to the side vent outlet 35a. By shifting the air to the left and right according to the magnitude of the resistance of the path, the conditioned air can be distributed so that the amount of air blown out on the left and right is substantially equal. By offsetting the distribution wall 50 to the side with the smaller air resistance according to the ratio of the air resistance from the air introduction portion to the left and right side vent outlets 35a, the amount of the left and right air blown out can be made substantially equal.

10 (a) and 10 (b) are plan views showing other embodiments of the distribution wall.
The distribution wall 50A shown in FIG. 10A includes a vertical wall 51 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and left and right inclined walls 54 and 54 inclined outward in the vehicle width direction from the front end of the vertical wall 51 to the front. The outer ends of the left and right inclined walls 54, 54 are connected to each other and extend in the vehicle width direction, and the front wall 53, which is used for adhering the distribution wall 50A, is integrally formed of synthetic resin. ..

The distribution wall 50B shown in FIG. 10B has a vertical wall 55 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and a front wall 56 extending from the front end of the vertical wall 55 to the left and right in the vehicle width direction and being used for bonding the distribution wall 50B. The above-mentioned vertical wall 55 and the above-mentioned front wall 56 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin by combining them in a T shape in a vehicle plan view.

The distribution walls 50B and 50C shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B also have substantially the same actions and effects as those of the distribution wall 50 shown in FIG. 9, so that the distribution walls 50B and 50C of FIG. In FIG. 10B, the same parts as those in the previous figure are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, the arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow R indicates the rear of the vehicle, the arrow IN indicates the inside in the vehicle width direction, the arrow OUT indicates the outside in the vehicle width direction, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Is shown.

As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner of the above embodiment, the introduction duct 22 for flowing the air taken in by the blower 4 into the instrument panel member 2 and the instrument panel member for flowing the air taken in from the introduction duct 22 in the vehicle width direction. The instrument panel member 2 is provided with an opening 25 for discharging air into the vehicle interior, and the connecting portion 23 between the introduction duct 22 and the instrument panel member 2 is provided with air on both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction. It is provided with a distribution wall 50, 50A or 50B leading to. (See FIGS. 5, 9, and 10).

According to this configuration, in the connecting portion 23 between the introduction duct 22 and the instrument panel member 2, the above-mentioned distribution walls 50, 50A or 50B guide the air to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction, so that the air introduced into the instrument panel member 2 is introduced. It can be distributed and guided to the left and right sides of the vehicle almost evenly.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the introduction duct 22 is a duct lower portion 22a extending rearward through the lower portion of the instrument panel member 2 and a rear portion of the duct lower portion 22a on the passenger compartment side of the instrument panel member 2. It has a duct rear portion 22b extending upward along the surface, and the upper front side of the duct rear portion 22b is communicated with the connecting portion 23 of the instrument panel member 2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

According to this configuration, there are the following effects.
That is, the mounting position of the instrument panel member 2 (particularly, the mounting position in the front-rear direction of the vehicle) is specified corresponding to the vehicle body, and in the air (air conditioning wind) distribution box 18 provided on the front side of the instrument panel member 2. The dimensions of its internal structure are also fixed. Since the conditioned air is distributed to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction under these conditions, the introduction duct 22 can be compactly arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction by the above configuration.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the air introduction portion 24 of the instrument panel member 2 is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 5).
According to this configuration, since the above-mentioned air introduction unit 24 is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction, the air introduced from the air introduction unit 24 can be distributed substantially evenly to the left and right.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the vehicle air conditioner is applied to the right-hand drive vehicle is illustrated, but when the configuration is applied to the left-hand drive vehicle, the configuration may be reversed from the configuration in the embodiment.

Further, instead of the inside / outside air switching door 9 shown in FIG. 4, an intake door having a damper structure that opens and closes with a hinge portion as a fulcrum may be provided at the outside air intake port 5a and the inside air intake port 6a.

Further, instead of the air mix door 16 having a vertical slide structure shown in FIG. 4, a configuration may be adopted in which an air mix door having a damper structure that opens and closes the space above and below the heater core 12 with the hinge portion as a fulcrum is provided.

As described above, the present invention is useful for a vehicle air conditioner in which an instrument panel member is effectively used as a part of an air conditioner duct.

2 ... Instrument panel member
2d ... Rear wall 4 ... Blower 22 ... Introduction duct 22a ... Duct lower part 22b ... Duct rear part 23 ... Connecting part 24 ... Air introduction part 25 ... Openings 50, 50A, 50B ... Distribution wall
51 ... Vertical wall

Claims (2)

In vehicle air conditioners
An introduction duct that allows the air taken in by the blower to flow into the instrument panel member,
It is equipped with an instrument panel member that allows the air taken in from the above introduction duct to flow in the vehicle width direction.
The instrument panel member is provided with an opening for releasing air into the passenger compartment.
The connecting portion between the introduction duct and the instrument panel member is provided with distribution walls that guide air to both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction .
The introduction duct has a lower part of the duct extending rearward through the lower part of the instrument panel member, and a rear part of the duct extending upward along the vehicle interior side surface of the instrument panel member from the rear part of the lower part of the duct.
The upper front side of the rear part of the duct is communicated and connected with the connecting part of the instrument panel member.
The distribution wall includes a vertical wall extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.
The vertical wall extends to the rear of the vehicle from the rear wall of the instrument panel member . The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air introduction unit of the instrument panel member is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction.

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