JP7228858B1 - air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to reduce power consumption when providing heating when idling is stopped.
An air conditioner includes a cooling unit 10 composed of a heat pump including a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 14 and an evaporator 15, and a heating element 22 supported by a mica plate 23. A heater 20 including a planar heater 21, an expansion valve 14, an evaporator 15 and a heater 20 are stored, and the air in the vehicle to be air-conditioned is flowed by a fan and cooled by the evaporator 15 or heated by the heater 20, The heater 20 has an indoor unit 46 downstream of the fan.
[Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner that can be retrofitted to a vehicle such as a large truck and can provide air conditioning when idling is stopped.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicles such as large-sized trucks are idling-stopped to stop idling when taking a break or waiting for cargo. At the time of idling stop, the in-vehicle air conditioner also stops, so the in-vehicle air conditioning cannot be performed, and the comfort of the passengers in the vehicle may be impaired.

An air conditioner retrofitted to a vehicle so as to provide in-vehicle air conditioning even when idling is stopped, and provides cooling and heating by driving a heat pump with electric power supplied from an on-vehicle battery when idling is stopped. Technologies for air conditioners capable of achieving this are disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2009-154853 A JP-A-2007-50739

However, when heating is provided during idling stop, the heat pump needs to be operated in reverse cycle, resulting in large power consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is provided in view of the above circumstances, and provides an air conditioner that can provide in-vehicle air conditioning when idling stop of a vehicle such as a truck and reduces power consumption during heating. intended to

In order to solve the above-described problems, an air conditioner according to the present invention provides a cooling unit composed of a heat pump including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and a heat-resistant insulating plate supporting a heating element. A heater containing a configured planar heater, an expansion valve, an evaporator and a heater are stored and air-conditioned. indoor units located downstream.

The heater includes a plurality of stacked planar heaters, and the heating elements of adjacent planar heaters in the stacking direction may be shifted from each other in the plane including the planar heaters. The heating element may meander along the surface of the heat-resistant insulating plate.

The heating element may be supported by being sandwiched between a pair of heat-resistant insulating plates. The heating element may be a resistor with a positive temperature coefficient. The planar heater may be coated with far-infrared radiation paint. The heater may further include a heat transfer plate attached to the planar heater.

The indoor unit may include at least one of a thermostat and a thermal fuse arranged adjacent to the heater. The fan may be housed above the indoor unit.

The evaporator may be installed in an air flow path of the indoor unit from the intake through which the air to be air-conditioned in the indoor unit is drawn to the fan. In the evaporator, refrigerant may be supplied from the top and bottom and discharged from the center in the height direction of the evaporator. In the evaporator, the heat transfer tubes through which the refrigerant flows may be arranged irregularly in at least one of the height direction and the depth direction of the evaporator.

According to the present invention, heating and cooling can be provided even when a vehicle such as a truck is stopped from idling, and power consumption during heating can be reduced.

It is a figure explaining the schematic structure of an air conditioner. It is a perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner. Fig. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing members stored in the indoor unit of the air conditioner; It is a perspective view of a heater. It is a figure which shows the structure of a planar heater. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the indoor unit; 1 is a perspective view showing a cabin to which an indoor unit of an air conditioner is attached; FIG. Fig. 2 is a front view showing a controller of the air conditioner; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the track head to which the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is attached;

Hereinafter, embodiments of an air conditioner will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is assumed that the air conditioner of the present embodiment is retrofitted to the cabin of a truck head such as a large truck. However, the air conditioner of the present embodiment is not limited to large trucks, and can be similarly applied to other types of vehicles such as general trucks and vans, construction machinery, buildings such as unit houses, and the like. .

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioner according to this embodiment. The air conditioner of this embodiment has a cooling unit 10 and a heater 20 . The cooling unit 10 has a compressor 11, a condenser 12, a dryer 13, an expansion valve 14 and an evaporator 15, which are connected by piping 18 so as to form a closed flow path for the refrigerant to flow to operate the heat pump. Configure. Fluorocarbons and the like are used as refrigerants for heat pumps. Power is supplied to the compressor 11 from an onboard battery.

The condenser 12 is composed of a plurality of heat transfer fins 12a and heat transfer tubes 12b which are folded so as to pass through the heat transfer fins 12a a plurality of times so that the refrigerant exchanges heat with the air. there is A coolant supplied through a pipe 18 flows through the heat transfer pipe 12b. The heat transfer fins 12a and the heat transfer tubes 12b are made of metal with high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. The same applies to the evaporator 15 as well.

Like the condenser 12, the evaporator 15 includes a plurality of heat transfer fins 15a and a heat transfer tube 15b folded so as to pass through the heat transfer fins 15a multiple times so that the refrigerant exchanges heat with the air. consists of A coolant supplied through a pipe 18 flows through the heat transfer pipe 15b.

Refrigerant flowing through the pipe 18 in the direction indicated by the arrow is compressed by the compressor 11, condensed by releasing heat in the condenser 12, dehydrated by the dryer 13, decompressed by the expansion valve 14, and endothermically by the evaporator 15. evaporates and is sent to the compressor 11. Such a cycle constitutes a heat pump, which allows the heat absorbed from the evaporator 15 installed inside the vehicle to be discharged from the condenser 12 installed outside the vehicle.

The heater 20 is composed of a planar heater 21 in which a heating element 22 is supported by a mica plate 23 which is a heat-resistant insulating plate. Instead of the mica plate 23, a heat-resistant insulating plate made of another material may be used. Heating element 22 is assumed to be a resistor with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC), but could be other types of resistors such as Nichrome, Kanthal alloys. The heating element 22 is supported by sandwiching a layer of the heating element 22 between a set of mica plates 23 , and the layers of the heating element 22 are formed so as to meander along the surface of the mica plate 23 . The heating element 22 is not limited to such a structure, and may be supported by winding a wire made of the heating element 22 around the mica plate 23 . Although one planar heater 21 is illustrated in FIG. 1, the heater 20 may be configured by stacking a plurality of planar heaters 21 .

Heater 20 is powered by a battery through terminal 29 . A thermostat 27 and a fuse 28 are interposed in the circuit from the terminal 29 to the heater 20 . The thermostat 27 opens the circuit when the temperature of the heater 20 exceeds a predetermined temperature and closes the circuit when the temperature drops below the predetermined temperature, thereby controlling the temperature of the heater 20 to be within a certain range. The fuse 28 fuses when the temperature of the heater 20 exceeds a predetermined range to prevent the heater 20 from overheating.

The indoor unit 46 has the expansion valve 14 and the evaporator 15 of the cooling unit 10 , the heater 20 , the thermostat 27 and the fuse 28 . The indoor unit 46 is equipped with a fan (not shown), and the air in the passenger compartment is cooled by the evaporator 15 or heated by the heater 20, thereby providing air conditioning for cooling and heating. there is A thermostat 27 and a fuse 28 are arranged adjacent to the heater 20 .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the indoor unit 46. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view of the indoor unit 46. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing members stored in the indoor unit 46. As shown in FIG. The indoor unit 46 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a grid-like suction port 46a formed in most of the front surface, and an outlet port 46b formed in the upper part of the front surface. A control panel 46c for operating the air conditioner is formed on a part of the front face adjacent to the right side face. Air to be air-conditioned by the indoor unit 46 is taken in from the suction port 46a, and the air-conditioned air is discharged from the blowout port 46b.

The indoor unit 46 is provided with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped evaporator 15 facing the suction port 46a, having a width and height substantially corresponding to the size of the suction port 46a, and having a depth smaller than the width and height. It is The evaporator 15 is composed of a plurality of heat transfer fins 15a extending in the height direction and the depth direction, and heat transfer tubes 15b extending in the width direction that are folded so as to penetrate the heat transfer fins 15a a plurality of times. The heat transfer tubes 15b are arranged irregularly in the height direction and the depth direction, and the air passing through the evaporator 15 along the heat transfer fins 15a in the height direction and the depth direction comes into contact with the heat transfer tubes 15b to exchange heat. It is designed to promote In addition, the heat transfer tubes 15b are arranged so that the refrigerant is supplied from the top and bottom in the height direction of the evaporator 15 and discharged from the center, so that the temperature distribution in the height direction of the evaporator 15 is uniform. is planned. In the indoor unit 46 , an expansion valve (not shown) is provided on the upstream side of the refrigerant flow path connected to the evaporator 15 . A filter (not shown) is provided between the suction port 46a and the evaporator 15 to remove dust and the like.

Adjacent to the top surface of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped evaporator 15, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped fan 51 having the same width and depth as the evaporator 15 and the same height as the depth is provided. The fan 51 is a cross-flow blower that blows air sucked from a duct (not shown) on the far side toward the outlet 46b on the front side. Between the fan 51 and the blowout port 46b, there is provided a substantially rectangular parallelepiped heater 20 which faces the blowout port 46b adjacent to the fan 51 and has a width and height substantially corresponding to the size of the blowout port 46b. It is The heater 20 may be able to slide up or down out of the airflow path from the fan 51 to the outlet 46b when not in use for heating. A thermostat 27 and a fuse 28 are attached to the top or bottom of the heater 20 so as to be adjacent to the heater 20 .

The operation panel 46c includes dials, switches, LCD display panels, and the like for controlling the operation or stop of the air conditioner, switching between cooling and heating, setting of temperature, and the like. The operation of the air conditioner may be controlled by a control device (not shown) provided in the indoor unit 46 or the outdoor unit 33 in accordance with settings made by the operation panel 46c so as to follow a predetermined procedure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the heater 20. FIG. The heater 20 is configured by stacking five sheet heaters 21 from a first sheet heater _21-1 to a fifth sheet heater _21-5 at predetermined intervals. Each planar heater 21 has a substantially rectangular plate shape with a predetermined thickness whose longitudinal direction is the width direction of the heater 20 , and both short sides thereof are supported by a frame 25 . The frame 25 may be made of a heat-resistant inorganic material, resin, or the like. Far-infrared radiation paint is applied to the bottom and top surfaces of the planar heater 21 so as to radiate far-infrared rays as the temperature rises. A heat transfer plate 24 formed by bending a metal plate is arranged between the opposing planar heaters 21 , and the air passing between the stacked planar heaters 21 is applied to the planar heaters 21 via the heat transfer plates 24 . It is designed to efficiently transfer the heat of the The heat transfer plate 24 is made of metal with high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the planar heater 21. As shown in FIG. 6(a) and 6(b) are a top view and a cross-sectional view of the first planar heater ₂₁₁ , respectively. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 6(b) shows a cross-section taken along the cutting line BB in the plan view of FIG. 6(a). The first planar heater ₂₁₁ is supported by a PTC heating element 22 sandwiched between a pair of substantially rectangular mica plates 23 . The heating element 22 has a predetermined width and height, and is folded back at a predetermined pitch so as to meander between the opposing long sides in the longitudinal direction of the planar heater 21, and has a predetermined resistance value. is configured to have A portion between the pair of mica plates 23 where the heating element 22 is not arranged may be filled with a suitable inorganic material or the like. The configuration of the first planar heater _21-1 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B also applies to the third planar heater _21-3 and the fifth planar heater _21-5 .

6(c) and 6(d) are a top view and a cross-sectional view of the second planar heater ₂₁₂ , respectively. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 6(d) shows a cross-section taken along the cutting line DD in the plan view of FIG. 6(c). In the second planar heater _21-2 , as in the first planar heater _21-1 , the PTC heating element 22 is sandwiched between a pair of substantially rectangular mica plates 23, and the heating element 22 extends along the longitudinal direction of the planar heater 21. It has a configuration in which it is folded back at the same predetermined pitch as the heating element 22 of the first planar heater ₂₁₁ so as to meander between the long sides facing each other in the direction. However, the second planar heater _21-2 is arranged so as to be displaced over half a pitch in the longitudinal direction within the plane containing the second planar heater _21-2 . The configuration of the second planar heater _21-2 shown in FIGS. 6(c) and 6(d) also applies to the fourth planar heater _21-4 .

The heaters 20 are the first planar heater 21 ₁ , the third planar heater 21 ₃ and the fifth planar heater 21 ₅ shown in FIGS. The second planar heater _21-2 and the fourth planar heater 21-4 shown in 6(d) are configured by stacking the first planar heater _21-1 to the _fifth planar heater _21-5 in this order. For this reason, between one planar heater 21 and another planar heater 21 facing the other planar heater 21 , the heating element 22 meandering between the long sides of the planar heater 21 is planar in each plane including the planar heater 21 . They are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the heater 21 with a half pitch shift from each other. As a result, the temperature is made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the planar heaters 21 between the pair of planar heaters 21 facing each other. Therefore, the temperature becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction of the planar heater 21, that is, in the width direction of the heater 20, and heat is efficiently exchanged with the air passing through the heater 20. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the heater 20 is composed of five sheet heaters 21 from the first sheet heater _21-1 to the fifth sheet heater _21-5 . configuration. As long as the heater 20 is composed of planar heaters 21 , it may be composed of one planar heater 21 or may be composed of a plurality of planar heaters 21 other than five. Moreover, the heater 20 is not limited to the configuration configured by one heater 20 as shown in FIG. 5, and may be configured by combining two or more heater modules. In this case, each heater module may be composed of the planar heater 21 .

In the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the heater 20 is composed of a planar heater 21 in which a heating element 22 is supported by a heat-resistant insulating plate such as a mica plate 23 . Therefore, the heat capacity of the heater 20 is small, and when the heater 20 is energized, the temperature is quickly increased and the heating operation can be started. Since the heater 20 is arranged adjacent to the fan 51 so as to face the outlet 46b of the indoor unit 46, the air heated by the temperature rise of the heater is immediately blown out from the outlet 46b during heating. Further, since the mica plate 23 that supports the heating element 22 and constitutes the planar heater 21 is lightweight and has elasticity, it is strong against impact from the outside. Since the heat-resistant insulating plate such as the mica plate 23 can withstand relatively high temperatures, it is possible to improve the efficiency of heat exchange by ensuring the temperature difference between the planar heater 21 and the air.

Furthermore, since the far-infrared radiation paint is applied to the planar heater 21 constituting the heater 20, heat can be efficiently radiated by the far-infrared rays when the planar heater 21 heats up. Since the heat transfer plate 24 is arranged between the facing planar heaters 21 , the air passing between the facing planar heaters 21 passes through the heat transfer plate 24 as well as the planar heater 21 . can exchange heat.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the indoor unit 46. FIG. In the indoor unit 46, the fan 51 sends the air sucked from the suction port 46a so as to be discharged from the blowout port 46b. More specifically, dust and the like are removed from the air sucked from the grid-shaped suction port 46a formed on the front surface of the indoor unit 46 as it passes through the filter. The air that has passed through the filter passes between the heat transfer fins 15 a from the front side of the evaporator 15 to the back side of the evaporator 15 , is guided upward along a duct (not shown), and flows to the back side of the fan 51 . reach. The air reaching the fan 51 is sucked from the back side of the fan 51 and is discharged from the front surface of the fan 51 toward the outlet 46 b of the indoor unit 46 . The air discharged from the fan 51 passes through the heater 20 arranged downstream of the fan 51 in the air flow path and between the fan 51 and the discharge port 46b and is discharged from the discharge port 46b.

When the indoor unit 46 operates for cooling, the cooling unit 10 is operated to lower the temperature of the evaporator 15 and exchange heat with the air passing through the evaporator 15 to cool the air. At this time, the heater 20' may be removed from the air flow path by sliding the position of the heater 20, which is unnecessary for cooling, to the position of the lower heater 20', for example. By moving the heater 20' out of the air flow path, the air flows smoothly and the efficiency of cooling is improved.

When the indoor unit 46 performs a heating operation, the heater 20 is energized to raise the temperature and heat the air by exchanging heat with the air passing through the heater 20 . When the heater 20 is slid to the lower position of the heater 20' for cooling, when the heating starts, the heater 20 is slid to the original position and the heater 20 moves back into the air flow path. do. The heater 20 is adjacent to and immediately after the fan 51 in the air flow path, and the air heated by the heater 20 is immediately discharged from the indoor unit 46 through the blowout port 46b. Therefore, the air blown out from the indoor unit 46 immediately exhibits a heating effect due to the temperature rise of the heater 20 .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the cabin 40 of the truck head with the indoor unit 46 of the air conditioner installed. This perspective view is from a viewpoint facing the rear window 43 from the front of the driver's seat 41 of the cabin 40 . The indoor unit 46 is mounted on the rear wall 42 of the cabin 40 at a position close to the ceiling and laterally adjacent to the rear window 43 . The indoor unit 46 is connected to the outdoor unit 33 outside the vehicle by a pipe 18 through which the refrigerant flows.

A controller 47 of the indoor unit 46 is attached to the lower wall 42 of the indoor unit 46 . A cot 48 is installed along the wall 42 and below the rear window. Controller 47 may be mounted within reach of an occupant lying on cot 48 .

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the controller 47 of the air conditioner. A front surface of the controller 47 is provided with a display section 47a such as an LCD, a power switch 47b, a cooling/heating operation switching switch 47c, and a selection button 47d. The display unit 47a displays the cooling/heating operation mode, set temperature, and the like of the air conditioner. Temperature and the like can be set by operating the selection button 47d according to the display on the display section 47a. The controller 47 may be mounted on the wall directly above the cot 48 and easily operated by an occupant lying on the cot 48 .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the track head 30 to which the outdoor unit 33 of the air conditioner is attached. An outdoor unit 33 of an air conditioner is attached to the rear surface 31 of the track head 30 so as to be laterally adjacent to the rear window 32 . A discharge port 33 a for discharging air from the outdoor unit 33 is formed substantially in the center of the outdoor unit 33 . A suction port (not shown) for sucking air may be formed at the bottom of the outdoor unit 33 .

The outdoor unit 33 houses the compressor 11, the condenser 12, the dryer 13, and the like. The outdoor unit 33 is provided with a not-shown means for causing air to flow through the condenser 12 along a flow path inside the outdoor unit 33 so that the heat of condensation of the refrigerant is released from the condenser 12 by heat exchange with the air outside the vehicle. A fan is provided. This fan may be arranged inside the outlet 33a.

The air conditioner of the present embodiment comprises an indoor unit 46 , a controller 47 attached to the indoor unit 46 and an outdoor unit 33 . Therefore, it can be easily retrofitted to a vehicle such as a large truck. For installation, the indoor unit 46 and the attached controller 47 are attached to the wall 42 of the cabin 40, the outdoor unit 33 is attached to the rear surface 31 of the track head 30, and the outdoor unit 33 and the indoor unit 46 are connected to the refrigerant piping 18 and the indoor unit. It is sufficient to connect with a wire or the like that supplies electric power.

Further, in the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the cooling unit 10 composed of a heat pump is used for cooling, but the heater 20 is used for heating. Therefore, even when the air conditioner is used for heating, large power consumption is not required. Therefore, even when idling is stopped, air conditioning for cooling and heating in the vehicle can be continued without imposing a heavy load on the battery mounted on the vehicle, and the comfort given to the passengers can be maintained.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for air conditioners that are retrofitted to vehicles such as large trucks, construction machinery, and buildings such as unit houses.

10 cooling unit 11 compressor 12 condenser 14 expansion valve 15 evaporator 20 heater 21 planar heater 22 heating element 23 mica plate 27 thermostat 28 fuse 46 indoor unit

Claims (9)

An air conditioner,
a cooling unit composed of a heat pump including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator;
a heater including a planar heater configured by supporting a heating element configured by a resistor having a positive temperature coefficient with a heat-resistant insulating plate;
The expansion valve, the evaporator, and the heater are housed, and the air in the vehicle for air conditioning is flowed by a fan and cooled by the evaporator, or heated by the heater, and the heater is downstream of the fan. including machine and
The indoor unit can be retrofitted in the cabin of the vehicle and used when idling is stopped. moved away ,
The heater includes a plurality of stacked planar heaters, and in the planar heaters adjacent in the stacking direction, the positions of the heating elements are shifted from each other in the plane including the planar heaters. . 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element is formed to meander along the surface of the heat-resistant insulating plate. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element is supported by being sandwiched between a pair of the heat-resistant insulating plates. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the planar heater is coated with far-infrared radiation paint. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the heater further includes a heat transfer plate attached to the planar heater. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the indoor unit includes at least one of a thermostat and a thermal fuse arranged adjacent to the heater. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the fan is housed in an upper part of a housing of the indoor unit. 8. The evaporator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the evaporator is installed in an air flow path from an inlet through which air to be air-conditioned in the indoor unit is drawn to the fan. Air conditioner. 9. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein in the evaporator, refrigerant is supplied in the height direction of the evaporator from upper and lower portions and discharged from the center.

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