JPH0532040U - Automotive air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] The present invention is to remove substances that are odorous components with high dust collection efficiency on the upstream side of the evaporator without adversely affecting the performance of the air conditioner for automobiles. The main feature. [Structure] An electric dust collector 12 is provided between the blow-out part of the blower fan 7 and the air introduction side of the evaporator 8. As a result, the fine particles are charged by the dust collecting action of the electric dust collector 12, that is, corona discharge, and the dust collecting plate 33 is charged.
The effect of electrically attaching to the
In the downstream area (area where water is present), the substance that becomes an odor component is removed from the air.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner for air conditioning the inside of a vehicle.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Air conditioners are installed in automobiles so that the inside of the automobile becomes a comfortable space.

In such an air system for an automobile, conventionally, a blower (blower fan), an evaporator, and an evaporator are installed from an inlet side in an air passage that communicates an inlet opening communicating with the outside and the inside of the vehicle with an air outlet opening inside the vehicle. A structure in which a heater (equipment that constitutes the refrigeration cycle) and a heater core are provided in this order is used, and the air (outside air or air inside the vehicle) introduced from the inlet is supplied to the evaporator (cooling) and heater core (heating). Predetermined conditioned air (cold air, warm air) is created by heat exchange when passing. By the way, in an automobile air conditioner, an odor may be blown into the vehicle from an outlet when starting operation. Explaining the mechanism of odor generation, it is known that the evaporator produces drain water by evaporation (refrigeration cycle operation). Although this drain water is led out of the air duct by a tube or the like, some of it is accumulated inside or adheres to the evaporator.

On the other hand, unlike the air conditioner for home use, the air conditioner for automobiles takes in outside air and changes the outside air into warm air of a predetermined temperature (humidity) or cool air by heat exchange. I'm driving. Of course, the air inside the vehicle (inside air) is heated to a specified temperature (humidity) or is cooled to cold air. In other words, the air conditioner for automobiles has a structure in which external dust, germs, etc., tend to adhere to the moist areas.

Therefore, depending on the case, various bacteria and the like propagate in the drain water to generate secretions, which cause putrid odors, dust odors, ammonia odors, etc., which are odor components. Such an odor is blown out into the vehicle together with the air-conditioned air from the air outlet when the operation of the air conditioner for the vehicle is started, and makes people in the vehicle uncomfortable. Therefore, conventionally, a technique has been adopted in which an electrostatic filter is provided on the air introduction side (upstream side) of the evaporator to eliminate the cause of odor.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in order to efficiently collect dust with the electrostatic filter, it is convenient in structure to reduce the ventilation area, and the ventilation resistance is considerably increased.

For this reason, the electrostatic filter has a poor dust collection efficiency, which adversely affects the performance of the automobile air conditioner itself (such as a decrease in the amount of blown air). Moreover, if the ventilation area is increased (ventilation resistance: large), it is not possible to prevent the emission of odors, which is not sufficient in terms of performance.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to achieve a high dust collection efficiency and a odor component without adversely affecting the performance of an automobile air conditioner. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner for a vehicle capable of removing the substance that becomes the upstream side of the evaporator.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1 is provided with an electric dust collector between the blow-out part of the blower fan and the air introduction side (upstream side) of the evaporator. There is something.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner for an automobile, in which the electric dust collector is provided with a first fitting insertion portion that opens to a blowout portion of a blower fan at one end side and an evaporation collector at the other end side. A flat cylindrical casing having a second fitting insertion portion opening to the air introduction side of the rotor, and a pre-filter fitted into the first fitting insertion portion of the casing, and An ionizer, a collector inserted into the second insertion portion of the casing in parallel with the ionizer, and a side portion of the casing, and a high voltage is applied to the ionizer and the collector. It has a flat configuration with a high-pressure supply means for supplying.

[0011]

[Action]

 The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1 is provided with an evaporative collector by the dust collecting action of an electric dust collector, that is, by electrically charging fine particles by corona discharge and electrically adhering to the dust collecting plate. -Remove substances from the air that are odorous components in the downstream area (area with water). Here, since such dust collection is of the electro-adhesive type, a large ventilation area (small ventilation resistance) can be maintained while maintaining high dust collection efficiency.

[0012] Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently remove substances that are odorous components upstream of the evaporator without adversely affecting the performance of the air conditioner for automobiles (such as a decrease in blown air volume). You can According to the automobile air conditioner of the second aspect, the electric dust collector corresponds to the automatic air conditioner.

That is, in an air conditioner for an automobile, parts are considerably close to each other due to a manufacturing-specific constraint such as making the entire vehicle body small while securing a predetermined engine room, passenger compartment, and the like. Is installed in a car. For this reason, the blower fan and the evaporator are very close to each other, and it is difficult to install them between them with the structure of a normal electric dust collector. Therefore, the whole electric dust collector was made flat and compact so that it could be installed between the blower fan and the evaporator.

[0014]

Embodiments The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 shows the front side of an automobile, and 1 is an air conditioner for a vehicle installed between a dashboard (which separates an engine room and a vehicle compartment, not shown) and an instrument panel 2. System unit.

The system unit 1 is provided, for example, from the passenger seat side along the center in the vehicle width direction. As shown in the schematic view of FIG. 6, the system unit 1 is provided with an air passage 3 from the passenger seat side along the center in the vehicle width direction, and one end of the air passage 3 on the passenger seat side is the outside of the vehicle. An outside air introduction port 4 communicating with the inside of the vehicle and an inside air introduction port 5 communicating with the inside of the vehicle (both of which correspond to the introduction port) are provided, and an air outlet 6 opening into the inside of the vehicle is provided at the other end on the center side in the vehicle width direction. A blower 7 (corresponding to a blower fan), an evaporator 8 (equipment forming a refrigeration cycle), and a heater core 9 (those that dissipate heat from the engine) are provided in this order in the air passage between them from the inlet side. It has a different structure. Further, a damper 10 for switching is provided at the inlets 4 and 5, and a damper 11 for mixed air is provided at the heater core 9, so that the damper 10 can be switched and the opening degree of the damper 11 can be changed. , The air introduced from the outside air introduction port 4 or the inside air introduction port 5 (the outside air or the air inside the vehicle) is passed through the evaporator 8 and the heater core 9 so that the air is conditioned at a predetermined temperature and humidity (cool air). , Warm air). On the other hand, an electric dust collector 12 is removably provided between the blowout portion of the blower 7 and the air introduction portion of the evaporator 8. The structure around the electric dust collector 12 is shown in two drawings in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Explaining the structure around the electric dust collector 12, reference numeral 15 is an installation portion of the dust collector 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 15 is made up of a box-shaped upper and lower split case 8a accommodating the evaporator 8.

Specifically, the case 8a has a small rectangular opening 16 connected to the blow-out portion of the blower 7 at the left end which is one end, and the right end which is the other end. The unit has a large rectangular opening (not shown) to which the units after the heater core are connected. The thickness of the case 8a is larger than that of the evaporator 8. The evaporator 8 is housed on the right side of the case 8a.

A flat opening 17 is formed on a side portion of the case 8a on the vehicle compartment side by vertically notching a portion adjacent to the evaporator 8. A seat portion 18a is formed at the edge of the opening 17 and constitutes the mounting portion 6. As a result, the electric dust collector 12 can be inserted into and removed from the case 8a through the opening 17. The reference numeral 18 designates a screw shaft for fixing which is provided on the case wall around the seat portion 18 so as to project. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the electric dust collector 12 has a flat shape corresponding to the installation portion 16. The electric dust collector 12 has a structure in which main parts are integrated into one unit.

That is, 20 is a cylindrical short casing formed of an insulating member, for example, a synthetic resin member. A fitting insertion portion 21 (corresponding to a first fitting insertion portion) formed of a rectangular frame having an opening shape corresponding to the size of the opening 16 is formed at one end of the casing 20. At the other end of the casing 20, a fitting insertion portion 22 (second fitting insertion portion) formed of, for example, an elliptical frame that inscribes a rectangular opening (not shown) on the side opposite to the opening 16 is inscribed. Equivalent to) is formed. A plate-like portion 23 having a size corresponding to the outer shape of the opening 17 is integrally formed on one side of the casing 20. In the middle of the plate-like portion 23, a rectangular flat recess 24 for accommodation is formed. That is, the case 20 can be inserted from the opening 17 in the depth direction in the case 8a so as to be pulled out. An ionizer 26 with a pre-filter 25 is fitted into the fitting portion 21 of the casing 20.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the ionizer 26 has a large opening at one side of the rectangular frame 27 that can be inserted into and removed from the fitting portion 21, and more specifically, at the left opening facing the opening 17. A prefilter 25 for removing various particles (such as dust), and an ionized portion in which a plurality of polar plates 28 and conductive wires, for example, tungsten wires 29 are alternately arranged in parallel inside the frame 27. It will be provided. The ionizer 26 is removably inserted into the insertion insertion portion 21. Reference numeral 30 denotes a claw portion provided on the frame body 27 for detachably engaging the frame body 27 with the tip of the wall portion of the fitting insertion portion 21. The collector 31 is fitted into the fitting portion 22 of the casing 20.

Specifically, the collector 31 is made of a resin strip in which, for example, a cathode plate 33 is formed in an elliptical frame 32 that can be inserted into and removed from the fitting insertion portion 22 so as to have a predetermined gap. A plate-shaped material (not shown) and a resin strip member (not shown) on which the anode plate 34 is formed are spirally wound to accommodate a laminated dust collecting portion. The collector 31 is inserted into and removed from the insertion portion 22. Although not shown, the frame body 32 is provided with a claw portion for detachably engaging the frame body 32 with the tip of the wall portion of the fitting portion 22. With such a fitting structure, both the ionizer 26 and the collector 31 are arranged in parallel via the central communication portion of the casing 20.

A flat control unit 35 (high pressure supply means) of the dust collector is installed in the recess 24. That is, the control unit 35 is provided in parallel along the direction in which the ionizer 26 and the collector 31 are arranged.

The control unit 35 includes a rectangular flat box-shaped case 36 made of an insulating member, and a high voltage generator 37 (which is a transformer) for generating a high voltage, as shown in FIG. A circuit including an output control unit 38 (constituting the control unit) for controlling the output of the high voltage generating unit 37 and an abnormality detecting unit 39 (constituting the control unit) for detecting an output abnormality is provided. It Then, different output ends of the high-voltage generator 37 are connected to the ionizer 26 and the collector 31 via a harness (not shown) and a contact 43, and the high voltage required for dust collection, for example, the ionizer. 26 and about 3500 V can be applied to the collector 31 and the collector 31, respectively.

The output control unit 38 is connected to a blower switch 41 for starting the operation of the air conditioner, which is provided on an operation panel 40 of the air conditioner on the instrument panel 2 of the automobile, via a contact 41a. When the blower switch 41 is turned on for cooling and heating operations, a high voltage is applied to the ionizer 26 and the collector 31.

The high voltage generator 37 is provided on the plate-like portion 23 of the casing 20 and is a micro switch for detecting whether or not the electric dust collector 12 is attached to the case 8a. If the ignition switch is connected to the vehicle via the 42 (detection element) and the contact 42a, the ignition switch is on, and the electric dust collector 12 is not installed properly, the ionizer 26 and the collector-31 operate. I try not to.

The abnormality detection unit 39 is connected to the ionizer 26 and the collector-31, detects whether or not an abnormal current flows through the ionizer 26 and the collector-31, and generates a high voltage when the abnormal current is detected. The operation of the part 37 is stopped.

The output control unit 38 and the abnormality detection unit 39 are connected to an indicator lamp 46 provided on the operation panel 40 via an output comparison circuit (including a transistor 44 and a resistor 45) and a contact 39a. In addition, the operation of the dust collector is displayed after the indicator lamp 46 is turned on / off.

By attaching the ionizer 26, the collector 31, and the control unit 35 to the casing 20, the thickness D of the electric dust collector 12 is minimized as shown in FIG. A flat electric dust collector 12 that can be inserted into and removed from a flat space between the evaporator 17 and the evaporator 8 is constructed.

The electric dust collector 12 thus constructed is fitted into the case 8 a through the opening 17 and fixed to the installation portion 15. Due to this installation, in the electric dust collector 12, the ionizer 26 faces the opening 16 and the collector 31 faces almost the entire surface of the evaporator 8 on the air introduction side, so that the inside of the case 8a. Be attached to.

The contact portion 43 between the collector 31 and the frame 31 is provided with a pedestal portion 47 that laterally extends to the side of the frame 31 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. Contact points 43a and 43a (only the upper side is shown) connected to the cathode plate 33 and the anode plate 34 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the base portion 47, and the frame 31 is connected to the contact points 43a and 43a in correspondence with the above-mentioned controller -A structure in which a sliding contact piece (not shown) connected to the cooling unit 35 is provided, and even if drain water may collect on the inner bottom portion of the case 8a, it is possible to remove the drain water on the anode side and the cathode side. -Keep out of contact (remove contact from water). Further, although not shown, the contact portion between the ionizer 26 and the frame 27 also has a structure in which the contact is arranged away from the drain water collected in the case 8a.

However, in the electric dust collector 12 fitted into the case 8 a, the nut 49 is screwed onto the screw shaft 18 on the case 8 a side protruding from the hole 48 provided in the plate-like portion 23. When fitted together, it is detachably fixed to the case 8a. That is, if the prefilter 25 and the collector 31 of the ionizer 26 become dirty, the electric dust collector 12 can be cleaned by taking it out of the case 8a and further out of the casing 20. .. That is, both the pre-filter 25 and the collector 31 of the ionizer 26 can be used again. Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner configured as described above will be described. After turning on the ignition switch of the automobile and starting the engine, the blow switch 41 is turned on.

Then, the output of the engine (not shown) is transmitted to the compressor forming the refrigeration cycle via the electromagnetic clutch, and the blower 7 and the dampers 10 and 11 are operated in a predetermined manner. Further, the output control unit 38 operates to boost the voltage of the high voltage generating unit 37 and apply a high voltage to the ionizer 26 and the collector 31, respectively. By the operation of the blower 7, the outside air (or the inside air) is introduced into the air passage 3 and guided to the electric dust collector 12. Here, fine particles in the air are removed. That is, in the electric dust collector 12, first, large particles (indicated by black circles in FIG. 6) mixed in the air are removed by the pre-filter 25.

Then, dust is electrically collected. That is, the boosted high-voltage power supply causes corona discharge between the electrode plate 28 of the ionizer 26 and the tungsten wire 29.

Here, in the place where the corona discharge occurs, the electrons are accelerated and move at a very high speed. For this reason, when air molecules collide, electrons fly out and positive ions and electrons are generated. In the corona region, this process continuously occurs like a natural avalanche, forming cloud clusters in which free electrons and positive ions are densely packed around the tungsten wire 29.

When the fine particles of the air (indicated by black circles in FIG. 6: substances that cause an odor (dust, dust, etc.)) pass through the corona discharge, positive ions are added to the fine particles. Are adsorbed and are charged positively. The charged fine particles are adsorbed to the cathode plate 33 when passing between the parallel electrode plates 33 and 34 of the collector 31 charged at about 3500V. As a result, the substance serving as the odor component does not reach (does not reach) the region downstream of the evaporator 8 (the region where there is water). The air from which the fine particles have been removed in this way is heat-exchanged when passing through the evaporator 8 and the heater core 9, and then blown out into the vehicle through the air outlet 6. Therefore, spoilage, dust odor, ammonia odor, etc. will not be caused by various bacteria. Therefore, the start of operation of the vehicle air conditioner does not cause odor to cause discomfort.

In addition, the electro-adhesion type dust collector 12 has a larger ventilation area than the electrostatic type dust collector 12 and therefore can obtain high dust collection efficiency. According to the experiment, when comparing the dust collecting effect between the electrostatic type and the electric type (electroadhesive type), as shown in FIG. 8, the electric type can obtain a considerably higher dust collecting effect than the electrostatic type. Met. As for ventilation resistance, the electric type had a smaller pressure loss than the electrostatic type, as shown in Fig. 9.

Therefore, the substance serving as the odor component can be added to the upstream side of the evaporator without adversely affecting the performance of the existing vehicle air conditioner installed in the vehicle (such as a decrease in the blown air volume). Then, it can be removed sufficiently.

Further, as described above, the electric dust collector 12 is provided, the ionizer 26 and the collector 31 are provided at both ends of the flat tubular casing 20, and the flat control is provided on the side of the casing 20. -By using the structure in which the parallel units 35 are provided in parallel, the dust collecting device most suitable for the automatic air conditioner can be obtained.

That is, in an automobile air conditioner, mutual parts are considerably close to each other due to manufacturing-specific restrictions such as making the entire vehicle body small while securing a predetermined engine room and passenger compartment. Installed in a car.

Specifically, the blower 7 and the evaporator 8 are very close to each other, and it is difficult to install them between them with the structure itself of an electric dust collector as is commercially available. Therefore, by adopting the above structure, the electric dust collector 12 is thin and compact and unitized.

As a result, the electric dust collector 12 can be installed between the blowout portion of the blower 7 and the air introduction side (upstream side) of the evaporator 8. Moreover, since the electric dust collector itself can be standardized, there is an advantage that it can be shared by all vehicle types.

In addition, the electric dust collector 12 including the control unit 35 is thinned into a unit, so that the high-pressure generator 37, the ionizer 26, and the collector 31 are connected together. (Not shown) can be shortened, which is also effective for preventing noise generation.

[0043]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the substance that becomes the odorous component with high dust collection efficiency is removed at the upstream side of the evaporator without adversely affecting the performance of the automobile air conditioner. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effects, it is possible to configure a dust collecting device most suitable for an automatic air conditioner. In addition, since the electric dust collector is made into a thin unit, it is possible to shorten the harness for connecting the high pressure supply means to the ionizer and the collector, which is excellent in preventing noise.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a front side of an automobile equipped with the same.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of an installation unit on which the electric dust collector is installed.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an electric dust collector that is removably installed in the installation unit shown in FIG.

4 is a side view of the electric dust collector shown in FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the electric dust collector taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric dust collector together with a schematic configuration of an automobile air conditioner.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the electric dust collector.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the dust collecting effects of the electrostatic dust collector and the electric dust collector in comparison.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the ventilation resistances of the electrostatic dust collector and the electric dust collector in comparison.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 ... Air path, 4 ... Outside air inlet, 5 ... Inside air inlet, 6 ... Air outlet, 7 ... Blower (blower fan), 8 ... Evaporator, 1
2 ... Electric dust collector, 20 ... Casing, 21 ... 1st fitting insertion part, 22 ... 2nd fitting insertion part, 25 ... Prefilter,
26 ... Ionizer, 31 ... Collector, 35 ... Control unit (high pressure supply means).

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Eiichi Ozawa Inventor, Eiichi Ozawa 5-3-8, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor, Taikichi Akamatsu 5-22-35, Hikino, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima 506 (72) Tatsuro Okui 2-8 Minamiyukicho, Mizushima, Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture (72) Fumikazu Taguchi 1651 Honjo, Kamokata-cho, Asaguchi-gun, Okayama Prefecture (72) Junji Ishii 5485 Funaho, Funaho-cho, Asaguchi-gun, Okayama Prefecture 72) Inventor Shunichi Otsuki 5-9-29, Ima 5-chome, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture (72) Inventor Masaaki Miyake 1-chome 20-41 Kitaune, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture Yoshinori Kawakami Satoyamada, Yakage Town, Oda-gun, Okayama Prefecture 1710 (72) Inventor Yoshiki Ushida 958 Ikeuchi, Konan-cho, Kagawa-gun, Kagawa Prefecture

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An air passage communicating between the inlet and the outlet, and a ventilation fan and an evaporator provided in the air passage from the inlet side for heat exchange of air introduced into the air passage. An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: an exchange unit; and an electric dust collector provided between a blowout portion of the blower fan and an air introduction side of the evaporator. 2. The electric dust collector has a first fitting and inserting portion formed at one end side to open to the blowout portion of the blower fan, and a second fitting opening portion to the other end side to the air introduction side of the evaporator. A flat tubular casing having a fitting portion formed therein, a prefilter and an ionizer fitted in the first fitting portion of the casing, and a second fitting portion of the casing. The collector is inserted into the insertion portion in parallel with the ionizer, and a flat shape is provided with high-voltage supply means provided on the side of the casing and supplying a high voltage to the ionizer and the collector. The air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein