JPH0218242B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an air conditioner for an automobile that effectively utilizes a cowl portion of a vehicle body.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional air conditioners for automobiles, (a) the blower unit and the air conditioner main unit are assembled into an integrated unit, and then the blower unit is installed in the cowl from inside the vehicle.

(b) To prevent water from entering the blower unit,
During assembly, a seal member was inserted into the fitting part of the unit casing.

(c) A negative pressure switching valve was installed in the passenger compartment to switch the pressure supplied to the vacuum actuator that drives the internal/external air switching damper.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, conventional air conditioners for automobiles have the following drawbacks.

In the case of (A) above, since the cowl portion is separated from the vehicle interior by a partition wall, the installation workability of the device is poor. Furthermore, in order to perform maintenance on the blower unit, the entire integrated unit must be removed to the passenger compartment, which makes maintenance difficult.

Regarding (i) above, it takes time and effort to insert the seal member when assembling the blower unit.

In (c) above, since the vacuum actuator is disposed inside the cowl, it is necessary to make a hole in the body or part of the air conditioner inside the cowl to guide the negative pressure pipe from the passenger compartment. Ta. Furthermore, it is necessary to interpose a grommet to prevent water leakage from this hole, which takes time and effort to install the device.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide an air conditioner for an automobile that achieves the following.

Improving device assembly workability and maintainability.

Prevents water from entering without inserting a sealing member into the fitting part of the blower unit casing.
Improves the ease of assembling the blower unit.

To prevent water leakage without using a sealing member such as a grommet, and to improve workability in installing a negative pressure pipe.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, the scroll part is provided in the cowl part, connected to the inside/outside air switching box, and into which air is introduced from the inside/outside air switching box, and is formed by fitting the upper casing and the lower casing.

An eave that covers the fitting portion between the upper casing and the lower casing is formed at the fitting portion between the upper casing and the lower casing in the upper casing.

The connection port where the connection pipe is connected is
It is integrally formed to protrude from a portion of the upper casing or the lower casing that faces the hole formed in the partition wall, and is formed so as to communicate the inside of the cowl portion with the inside of the vehicle interior.

Adopt technical means.

[Action and effect]

The automotive air conditioner of the present invention has the following functions and effects due to the above configuration.

(a) Since the scroll part is formed by fitting the upper casing and the lower casing, it can be divided into upper and lower parts, and can be easily attached and detached from above the cowl part. Therefore, the air conditioner has excellent assembly workability and maintainability.

(b) In the upper casing, an eave is provided at the fitting part between the upper casing and the lower casing to cover the fitting part, so that water travels through the eave from the upper casing and does not reach the fitting part. .

Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering through the fitting portion, and since the fitting is performed without using a waterproof sealing material, workability is excellent.

(c) When connecting the negative pressure pipe to the internal/external air switching damper and the negative pressure servo that drives it, water leakage can be prevented by providing the negative pressure pipe connection port integrally at the part facing the hole in the bulkhead when forming the connection casing. and can be easily connected.

〔Example〕

Next, an explanation will be given based on an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 is an air conditioner for an automobile that includes a blower unit 2 and an air conditioning main unit 3; 4 is an engine room containing the engine that is the power source of the automobile; and 5 is an air conditioning system that provides comfort for the driver and passengers of the automobile. 6 is a cowl part formed in the upper part of the vehicle body between the engine room 4 and the passenger compartment 5, and the engine room 4, the passenger compartment 5, and the cowl part 6 are each partitioned by a partition wall. There is. The blower unit 2 is provided with a blower internal hole 7 in the partition wall between the vehicle compartment 5 and the bottom of the cowl part 6 to accommodate the blower unit 2, and the blower casing 8 of the blower unit 2 is provided with a blower internal hole 7. A flange portion 9 is provided to prevent water from entering, and is attached to the partition wall from above the flange portion 9 to the bottom of the cowl portion 6 with screws 10. The air conditioning main body unit 3 is installed inside the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle compartment 5 so that it communicates with the air blowing discharge duct 11 of the air blowing unit 2 installed in the cowl part 6.

The blower casing 8 of the blower unit 2 is a resin assembly that can be divided into upper and lower parts at the upper part of the flange part 9, and as shown in FIG.
A groove-shaped recess 13 provided at the lower edge of the lower casing 14 is fitted with a rail-shaped protrusion 15 provided corresponding to the recess 13 at the upper edge of the lower casing 14 on the lower side. is provided with an umbrella-shaped eave 16 that covers the fitting part to prevent water from entering from the fitting part, and the screw 17 is inserted into the screw mounting base 18 provided in the lower casing 14 from above the fitting part of the upper casing 12. It is assembled by screwing into the
Between the upper casing 12 and the lower casing 14, a blower fan 20 is attached to both shafts having left-right symmetrical axes. Upper fan casing 22 whose upper side is semi-cylindrical
The lower side is flared, and the main body casing connection part 2
3, and a blower discharge duct 11 for discharging the air sucked by the blower unit 2. A motor housing 24 containing a double-shaft motor 19 has an inner part of the scroll part 21 and an inner part of the scroll part 21 for cooling the double-shaft motor 19. The inside of the motor housing 24 is electrically connected by a cooling hose 27 having grommet portions 25 and 26. Alternatively, the cooling hose 27 may be formed integrally with the blower casing 8.
Both ends of the blower casing 8 have an air filter 28 above the fitting part, and an outside air intake duct 29.
An outside air intake port 30 consisting of an outside air intake port 30 and an inside air intake port 31 are formed below the fitting part. An inside air switching box 33 is provided so as to communicate between the outside air inlet 30 and the inside air inlet 31 and the scroll part 21, respectively. . Inside the inside/outside air switching box 33, there is an inside/outside air switching damper 34 that blocks either the outside air inlet 30 or the inside air inlet 31. The inside/outside air switching damper 34 is driven by a spring installed outside the blower casing 8. A negative pressure servo 35, which has a built-in diaphragm and expands and contracts by switching between negative pressure and atmospheric air, is attached with screws 36 and fittings 37, and the negative pressure is changed from the engine intake negative pressure to the cabin negative pressure. It is introduced into the negative pressure servo 35 in the cowl part 6 from the negative pressure switching valve in the vehicle interior. When the negative pressure pipe 38 is inserted into the cowl 6, it is conducted through a negative pressure pipe connection port 39 integrally formed on the flange portion 9, as shown in FIG. Negative pressure pipe 38 conducted into the cowl part 6
is distributed to the distribution port 40 and each negative pressure servo 35
The arrows A-A and B-B are connected to each other by a negative pressure pipe 38. A negative pressure switching valve is connected to the negative pressure pipe 38, and the negative pressure switching valve is operated by a passenger in the vehicle compartment 5. Inside/outside air switching damper 34 and negative pressure servo 35
This means that when the negative pressure servo 35 is connected to the atmosphere and expanded, the inside/outside air switching damper 34 closes the inside air inlet 31, and when the negative pressure is connected and contracted, the connecting hand is closed to close the outside air inlet 30. 41 and negative pressure servo 35
It can be driven by connection with a connecting metal fitting 42 attached to.

Due to assembly requirements, the air conditioning main body unit 3 has a main body casing 43 made of resin, metal, etc. in a plurality of assembled bodies, and is installed in an instrument panel in the passenger compartment 5. The main body casing 43 is provided with an air introduction passage 44 that communicates with the air discharge duct 11 of the air blower unit 2, and the main body casing connection portion 23 of the air discharge duct 11 and the discharge duct connection port 45 of the air introduction passage 44 are connected by screws (not shown). Alternatively, it is attached using a clamp or the like. Air introduction passage 4
4, an evaporator 46 is installed across the entire cross section. This evaporator 4
6 consists of a refrigerant evaporator of a refrigeration cycle operated by an automobile engine as a driving source. A discharge port 47 for drain water produced by the evaporator 46 is formed at the lowest portion of the main casing 43 . A heater core 48 whose heat source is automobile engine cooling water (hot water) is installed approximately in the center of the main body casing 43, and an air inlet side 49 of this heater core 48 is installed.
An air mix damper 51 for temperature control is provided which is rotatable around the shaft 50. Further, an air inlet side 49 of the heater core 48,
A cold air passage 53 is formed between this and the case surface 52 facing at a predetermined interval, and the amount of cold air passing through this cold air passage 53 and the air (warm air) flowing into the heater core 48 and being heated are The ratio of the amount is adjusted by the opening degree of the air mix damper 51. Further, a hot air passage 56 is formed between the air outlet side 54 of the heater core 48 and a case surface 55 facing thereto at a predetermined interval, and the hot air passage 56 passes through the cold air passage 53. It also serves as a mixing chamber for mixing the cold air that has passed through the heater core 48 with the warm air that has passed through the heater core 48. Further, a guide plate 57 integrally formed with the main body casing 43 protrudes from the air outlet side 54 of the heater core 48, and this guide plate 57 directs the hot air toward the cold air side and mixes the hot air and the cold air well. It is something.

On the other hand, an auxiliary damper 58 is disposed above the heater core 48 in a region extending from the cold air passage 53 to the hot air passage 56.
is rotatable around a shaft 59. The auxiliary damper 58 is formed in a U-shape so as to guide the cold air and improve the mixing properties of the cold and hot air.

A defroster outlet 61 is provided at the top of the main body casing 43 for blowing hot air onto the windshield 60 of the automobile. 63. A central vent outlet 64 is provided on the front side of the main casing 43 so as to be located below the defroster outlet 61 and above the auxiliary damper 58 . The central vent outlet 64 blows air out from the center of the instrument panel toward the upper body of the occupant, and is opened and closed by a central vent switching damper 65. The central vent switching damper 65 is configured to be rotatable around a shaft 66. In addition, side vent outlets 67 are provided on both sides of the main body casing 43 on both sides of the instrument panel so as to be located below the defroster outlet 61 and above the auxiliary damper 58 . The side vent outlets 67 on both sides communicate with outlet grilles provided on both left and right sides of the instrument panel in the vehicle compartment 5 via ducts (not shown), and side vents (not shown) provided in the outlet grilles. By manually opening and closing the switching damper, ventilation to the side vent outlets 67 on both sides is interrupted.

Further, a foot outlet 68 is provided in a portion of the left and right side surfaces of the main body casing 43 that communicates with the hot air passage 56 above the heater core 48, and this foot outlet 68 has a lower outlet duct (not shown). is connected, and this downward blowing duct is formed to blow wind toward the passenger's feet. Further, the foot outlet 68 is opened and closed by a foot outlet switching damper 69.

Each damper is operated by a main part of an air conditioning control panel (not shown) installed near the driver's seat inside the vehicle, so that the occupant can directly operate the damper manually.

Next, the operation of the above device will be explained. The air blower unit 2 takes in outside air from an outside air intake port 32 provided at the front of the cowl part 6 through an outside air introduction port 30, or sucks inside air from the vehicle interior 5 through an inside air introduction port 31, and The air passes through the air discharge duct 11 and is sent to the air conditioning unit 3, where it is first dehumidified and cooled by the evaporator 46. The dehumidified and cooled air coming out of the evaporator 46 is distributed to the heater core 48 and the cold air passage 53 according to the operating position of the air mix damper 51. For example, if the air mix damper 51 closes the air inlet side 49 of the heater core 48, all of the cold air is guided to the cold air passage 53, and the air outlets 61, 64, 67, and 68 blow out the cold air. Furthermore, when the air mix damper 51 closes the cold air passage 53, all of the cold air enters the heater core 48, where it is warmed and becomes warm air, and each air outlet 6
Warm air is blown out from 1, 64, 67, and 68. Further, when the air mix damper 51 is located at an arbitrary intermediate position, the hot air and cold air are adjusted to predetermined distribution amounts, respectively, according to the opening degree of the air mix damper 51. Therefore, if the air mix damper 51 is located at any position and the auxiliary damper 58 is located at 58a,
In the case of the position , the cold air that has entered the heater core 48 is heated by the heater core 48 to become warm air, and enters the hot air passage 56 that also serves as a mixing chamber. Further, the remaining cold air distributed by the air mix damper 51 passes through the cold air passage 53, is guided by the auxiliary damper 58, bypasses the side of the heater core 48, enters the hot air passage 56, and passes through the aforementioned heater core 48. Mixed with warm air and adjusted to a predetermined temperature, each outlet 6
It leads to 1, 64, 67, 68. Here, the temperature of the blown air can be adjusted from low temperature to low temperature by operating the emics damper 51 using a control lever provided on the instrument panel inside the passenger compartment 5, changing the damper opening degree, and changing the mixing ratio of cold air and hot air. Any desired blowing air temperature can be obtained continuously up to high temperatures.

Next, to describe the function of the auxiliary damper 58, when the occupant requests only cold air, such as during maximum cooling, the air mix damper 51 closes the air inlet side 49, and the auxiliary damper 58 is placed at the position 58b. By operating in this manner, the cold air can reach the central vent outlet 64 and the side vent outlet 67 through the shortest distance. Therefore, compared to when the cold air flows bypassing the auxiliary damper 58, the ventilation resistance is much smaller when the cold air flows, and a correspondingly larger amount of air can be obtained, and the blowing air speed can also be increased. This makes it possible to improve the cooling effect. Here, even in the ventilation mode in which the evaporator 46 is not operated, the auxiliary damper 58 is
It is a good idea to increase the air volume by operating it in the position shown below. In addition, when the occupant requests a temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet, such as in the bi-level mode, the ratio of cold air and warm air is adjusted by the opening degree of the air mix damper 51. or 58
By operating it to the position b, the cold air passage 5
A part or all of the cold air that has passed through 3 is not allowed to enter the hot air passage 56 that also serves as a mixing chamber, in other words, it is not mixed with the hot air, but is completely cooled to the central vent outlet 64 and the side vent outlet. 67. In addition, in this case, the auxiliary damper 5
The cold air that is distributed at 8 and enters the hot air passage 56 is mixed with the warm air that has passed through the heater core 48 and then flows through the foot outlet 6.
Blows out from 8. However, the auxiliary damper 58 is 58b
At the position, only the warm air that has passed through the heater core 48 can be blown out from the foot outlet 68 along the inner wall of the case surface 55.

From the above, cold air can be mainly blown out to the central vent outlet 64 and side vent outlet 67, and warm air can be blown out mainly from the foot outlet 68, and these air mix dampers 51 can be blown out to adjust their openings and assist. By arbitrarily selecting the opening degree adjustment of the damper 58,
It is possible to continuously air-condition the vehicle interior with any temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet. Even when wind is blown out from the defroster outlet 61 and the foot outlet 68 at the same time, the temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet can be obtained in the same way.

Further, each embodiment described in claims 2 to 5 has the following functions and effects.

Regarding item 2, two internal and external air switching boxes are provided, and the blower consists of a double-shaft motor installed between the two internal and external air switching boxes, and a blower fan attached to the output shaft of the double-shaft motor. Two ducts protrude downward corresponding to each blower fan. Therefore, each actuator of each internal/external air switching box can be driven separately.
Therefore, it is possible to introduce any amount of inside air or outside air.

Regarding item 3, the double-shaft motor is sandwiched between an upper casing and a lower casing. Therefore, it is excellent in mounting a double-shaft motor.

Regarding Section 4, the upper casing and lower casing of the scroll part are fitted together by fitting the upper edge of the lower casing into a groove formed along the lower edge of the upper casing, and the eaves are fitted into the upper casing. It is shaped like an umbrella that covers the entire area. Therefore, the upper casing and the lower casing can be easily fitted together and have excellent waterproof properties. Therefore, the air conditioner is easy to install, and installation work and maintenance are easy.

Regarding item 5, the main body casing is provided with various air outlets into the vehicle interior, such as a defroster air outlet, at predetermined positions on the leeward side.
A refrigerant evaporator of a refrigeration system that cools the blown air is provided in the interior close to the connection port, a heater core of a hot water heater that heats the blown air is installed downstream of the refrigerant evaporator, and the heater core is installed upwind of the heater core. An air mix damper is installed to adjust the proportion of air that passes through and is heated and air that does not pass through the heater core, and there is a hot air passage on the side of the heater core where hot air heated by the heater core flows and does not pass through the heater core. An auxiliary damper is provided to form a cold air passage through which cold air flows and a bypass passage from the cold air passage to the hot air passage, and a defroster switching damper, a ventilation switching damper, and a foot outlet switching damper are also installed. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of air passing through the air mix damper and the auxiliary damper, the temperatures and amounts of the cold air and hot air blown into the vehicle interior from the defroster outlet and the footwell outlet can be controlled.

Although the above embodiment uses the evaporator 46 for air cooling, the present invention uses the evaporator 46 for air cooling.
It can also be applied to air conditioners that only have a heating function and do not have a heating function.

Further, although the above embodiment uses a double-shaft motor 19 having symmetrical axes and a pair of blower fans 20 attached to the shaft, the present invention is not limited to such a blower. A single blower fan 20, a single outside air inlet 3
0, a blower unit 2 having a single inside air inlet 31 and a single inside/outside air switching box 33 may be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a side sectional view of an automotive air conditioner;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the blower, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a fitting portion of the blower casing, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a negative pressure pipe connection port. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Automotive air conditioner, 2... Air blower unit, 3... Air conditioner unit, 5... Vehicle interior, 6
...Cowl part, 7...Blower internal hole, 11...Blower discharge duct, 12...Upper casing, 14...
...lower casing, 16...eave, 19...double shaft motor, 20...blow fan, 21...scroll part, 30...outside air inlet, 31...inside air inlet,
33... Inside and outside air switching box, 34... Inside and outside air switching damper, 35... Negative pressure servo, 39... Negative pressure pipe connection port, 43... Main body casing, 45... Discharge duct connection port.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An outside air introduction port for introducing outside air and an inside air introduction port for introducing inside air, which are provided in a cowl portion formed in the upper part of the vehicle body between the engine room and the passenger compartment, partitioned by a partition wall. an internal/external air switching box having an internal/external air switching box; an internal/external air switching damper provided within the internal/external air switching box for switching between the external air inlet and the internal air inlet; a scroll part connected to the switching box, formed by fitting an upper casing and a lower casing, and into which air is introduced from the inside/outside air switching box; a blower provided in the scroll part to blow air; Formed in the upper casing at a fitting portion between the upper casing and the lower casing,
an eave that covers the fitting portion; and an eave that is integrally formed below the lower casing and protrudes toward the passenger compartment side from a hole formed in the partition wall;
a discharge duct for discharging air blown by the blower; a main body casing connected to the lower part of the discharge duct and having an air outlet into the vehicle interior; An air conditioning device that performs air conditioning; a vacuum actuator that is provided within the cowl and drives the inside/outside air switching damper; and a switching valve that is provided within the vehicle interior and switches the pressure supplied to the vacuum actuator. a connecting pipe connecting the switching valve and the vacuum actuator; a connecting pipe integrally formed in a portion of the upper casing or the lower casing facing the hole formed in the partition wall; An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: a connection port formed to communicate between the inside of the cowl portion and the inside of the vehicle interior, and to which the connection pipe is connected for communication. 2. Two of the internal and external air switching boxes are provided, and the blower includes a double-shaft motor installed between the two internal and external air switching boxes, and a blower fan attached to the output shaft of the dual-shaft motor. 2. The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein two of the discharge ducts are provided to protrude downward corresponding to each blower fan. 3. The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 2, wherein the double-shaft motor is sandwiched between the upper casing and the lower casing. 4. The upper casing and lower casing of the scroll portion are fitted by fitting the upper edge of the lower casing into a groove formed along the lower edge of the upper casing, and the eaves are fitted into the upper casing. An air conditioner for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is formed in an umbrella shape that covers a joint. 5 The main body casing is provided with various air outlets into the vehicle interior, such as a defroster air outlet, at predetermined positions on the leeward side, and a refrigerant evaporator of a refrigeration system that cools the blown air is provided inside the main body casing, which approaches the connection port and cools the blown air. , a heater core of a hot water heater for heating the blown air is installed on the leeward side of the heater core, and an air mix damper is installed on the upwind side of the heater core that adjusts the ratio of the air volume of the air that passes through the heater core and is heated and the air that does not pass through the heater core. is installed, and on the side of the heater core, a hot air passage through which warm air heated by the heater core flows, a cold air passage through which cold air that does not pass through the heater core flows, and a bypass passage from the cold air passage to the hot air passage are formed. 2. The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary damper for controlling the air conditioner, and further comprising a defroster switching damper, a ventilation switching damper, and a foot outlet switching damper.