JPH0728011Y2 - Automotive air conditioner casing structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial field of application) The present invention is intended to improve the airtightness between two casing components constituting a cooler unit or the like used in an air conditioner for an automobile. The present invention relates to a casing structure for an automobile air conditioner.

(Prior Art) As is well known, an automobile air conditioner is configured by combining an intake unit, a cooler unit, and a heater unit. Each of these units has a cup-shaped or U-shaped cross section. It is formed by combining the casing components.

For example, a cooler unit 1 constituting an air conditioner for an automobile has a structure as shown in FIG. 4, and an evaporator 2 for cooling air is built in, and a pair of casing structure bodies 3, 4 made of resin is installed from the outside. The casing 7 and the joint portions 5 and 6 of the two casing components 3 and 4 are fastened with a clip 7 or the like.

Further, the joint portions 5 and 6 are fitted in a concavo-convex shape in order to perform positioning when the casing structures 3 and 4 are butted against each other and to prevent leakage of internal air.

At present, the casing components 3 and 4 of the automobile air conditioner are molded by an injection molding method. To outline this injection molding method, first, each casing structure 3,
Both upper and lower molds that form a cavity corresponding to the outer shape of 4 are made. Next, the upper and lower molds are clamped to each other, the material components of the casing are mixed by a mixing device, and then the molten material is injected from the mixing head into the cavity through the injection port. Then, after cooling the material for a predetermined time in this state, the upper and lower molds are opened to complete the molding of the casing structures 3 and 4.

In such an injection molding method, when the molten material is cooled, distortion occurs due to the contraction of the material. Therefore, in order to absorb this distortion, there is a slight gap between the concave and convex portions of the concave-convex fitting portion. Is making a gap. However, since this gap causes air leakage, a casing structure is proposed in which the sealing performance is improved even if there is some gap (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-136,215). .

The casing structure disclosed in this publication is as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the joint portion 6 of the lower casing structure 4 has a recess 9 having inner and outer side surfaces 9a, 9b and a bottom surface 9c. Has been formed. On the other hand, the joint portion 5 of the casing structure 3 on the upper side is provided with a protrusion 8 that fits into the recess 9. The outer surface 8a of the projection 8 has an outer surface 9a of the recess 9.
The pressing piece 10 is provided so as to abut on the inner surface 8b and press the protruding portion 8 toward the inner surface 8b. The protrusion 8 and the recess 9 serve to position the casing components 3 and 4 when they are fitted together, and the pressing force of the pressing piece 10 allows the inner surface of the protrusion 8 to be positioned.
8b and the inner surface 9b of the recess 9 are brought into surface contact with each other to improve the sealing property.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In order to improve the sealing performance with the conventional joint portions 5 and 6,
It is necessary to finish the inner side surface 8b of the protrusion 8 and the inner side surface 9b of the recess 9 to have flatness with high dimensional accuracy.

However, the injection molding method causes distortion as described above, and since the casing itself has rigidity, it cannot be said that the inner side surfaces 8b and 9b are not necessarily sealed, and reference numeral A in FIG. , B may be used for sealing. In such a case, there is a problem in that even if the pressing force of the pressing piece 10 acts on the protrusion 8, the sealing performance is not improved.

Therefore, in order to make both the inner side surfaces 8b, 9b a sealing surface,
It is conceivable to design the upper and lower molds in consideration of the amount of change in the strain, but it is practically impossible to calculate the amount of deformation, and therefore it is difficult to design the mold in consideration of the amount of deformation.

Therefore, at present, the molds for the casing structures 3 and 4 obtain the final mold by performing mold corrections several times, and the mold correction is also performed by sanding the mold wall surface with sandpaper. A certain degree of precision is required. Therefore, in order to accurately obtain flatness, it takes a long time in the mold correction process, so that not only is work efficiency poor,
It was one of the factors that increased the mold cost. In addition, molds that have been over-cut when repaired must be discarded because they no longer function as molds, which also requires strictness in mold repairs. It also caused an increase in mold costs.

On the contrary, when the mold is not rigorously corrected, an adhesive agent or the like is applied to the seal surface or an elastic seal material such as rubber is applied to the seal surface when the both structural bodies 3 and 4 are assembled. It is necessary to intervene between them, and in this case also workability is poor,
The cost was rising.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and ensures the sealing at a predetermined sealing portion to improve the sealing property, and at the same time, the design and modification of the mold. It is an object of the present invention to provide a casing structure for an automobile air conditioner that can eliminate the need for strictness.

[Means for Solving the Problem] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is to provide a cooler unit or the like in an air conditioner for an automobile by combining the joint portions of a pair of casing casing structures with each other. In a casing structure of an automobile air conditioner that forms a unit, at least the outer peripheral corners of each of the joints are chamfered, and a thin flat metal piece is chamfered at the end face of each of the joints. A casing structure for an air conditioner for an automobile, which is attached to a part so as to stick to each other so as to project, and under welding in a state where these two casing structures are combined with each other, both of the projecting metal pieces are welded.

(Operation) In the casing structure configured as described above, the seal portion is formed by welding the ends of the metal pieces, and the situation such as air leakage is prevented at the predetermined seal portion.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of two casing structures, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state after the combination of the same embodiment, and the members shown in FIGS. The same members are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is partially omitted.

The casing structures 3 and 4 of the illustrated embodiment are molded by the above-mentioned injection molding method, but the outer peripheral corners K of both connection parts 5 and 6 are chamfered 12 and 14.

At the time of injection molding, the casing component 3 on the upper side has a thin plate metal piece 11 insert-molded on the end surface 5a of the joint portion 5, and the end surface 5a and the metal piece 11 are in close contact with each other. Further, the metal piece 11 is attached so that the end thereof projects into the chamfered portion 12.

Similarly, a thin flat metal piece 13 is insert-molded on the end face 6a of the joint 6 in the lower casing structure 4 as well.

In the figure, reference numeral "15" indicates a bulge portion formed on both metal pieces 11 and 13, and the metal pieces 11 and 13 are surely brought into close contact with the respective joint portions 5 and 6. .

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, both casing components 3,
4 are combined, and both of the metal pieces 11 and 13 protruding at the chamfers 12 and 14 are welded 16 over the entire circumference of the unit.

Therefore, since both metal pieces 11 and 13 have their end portions in close contact with each other and in close contact with the respective end surfaces 5a and 6a, the seal portion 17 is reliably formed by these, and a situation such as air leakage may occur. Will be prevented.

By the way, it is generally practiced to connect two members by welding (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-37,412, etc.), but a member having a complicated shape and a large wall thickness is formed around the entire circumference. It is difficult to weld uniformly over the entire length.

On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, since it is thin, it is not only easy to weld, but also the chamfered portions 12, 14 are shaped to receive the molten metal material, so that it is uniform over the entire circumference of the casing. Moreover, it can be easily welded and is suitable for automatic assembly.

Furthermore, even if molding errors occur in the end surfaces 5a and 6a of the joint portions 5 and 6 when the casing structures 5 and 6 are resin-molded,
Since the metal pieces 11 and 13 are in close contact with the end surfaces 5a and 6a and the ends are welded, the sealing portion 17 easily absorbs the molding error.
Can be formed. As described above, since it is not necessary to provide the flatness with high dimensional accuracy to both the structural bodies 3 and 4, the mold design and the modification can be facilitated, so that the efficiency of the mold modification process can be improved and the metal mold can be improved. It is possible to achieve a reduction in the cost of manufacturing the mold.

Moreover, since the metal pieces 11 and 13 are integrally attached when the respective structural bodies 3 and 4 are molded, the assembly work is not complicated.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the protrusion 18 is formed on the joint portion 5 of the one casing structural body 3, and the joint portion 6 of the other casing structural body 4 is formed.
A concave portion 19 is formed to fit with the protrusion 18.

With this configuration, by fitting the projection 18 and the recess 19 into each other, the positioning can be easily performed when the casing structures 3 and 4 are butted.

At this time, the projections 18 and the recesses 19 that are fitted in the uneven shape do not prevent the leakage of the inside air only by performing the above-mentioned positioning, so it is not necessary to provide a flatness with high dimensional accuracy to both 18 and 19. Absent.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but the passage resistance in the cooler unit 1 is reduced.
Both joints 5 and 6 may be formed so that the inner peripheral surfaces of both casing structures 3 and 4 are flush with each other.

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the above description, according to the casing structure of the air conditioner for an automobile of the present invention, at least the outer peripheral corners of each joint are chamfered, and the end face of each joint is thin-walled. The metal piece of the flat plate is attached so that the end of the metal piece sticks to the chamfered portion so as to project, and both of the projecting metal pieces are attached under the condition that these two casing components are combined with each other. Welding has made it possible to greatly improve the sealing performance of the casing.

Further, since it is not necessary to provide flatness with high dimensional accuracy at the joint, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the mold correction process and reduce the mold cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an essential part of two casing structures according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an essential part of the same embodiment after combination, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cooler unit of an automobile air conditioner, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing a main part of a conventional casing structure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing a state in which the two casing structures are combined. 3, 4 ... Casing structure, 5, 6 ... Joint, 5a,
6a …… End face 11, 13 …… Metal piece, 12,14 …… Chamfer, 16 …… Welding, 17
…… Seal part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An air conditioner for a vehicle, which forms a unit such as a cooler unit (1) in an air conditioner for a vehicle by mutually combining joint portions (5, 6) of a pair of casing components (3, 4). In the casing structure of
At least the outer peripheral corners (K) of the joints (5, 6) are chamfered (12, 14), and the end surfaces (5a, 6) of the joints (5, 6) are
In a), attach the thin plate metal piece (11, 13) to the metal piece (11, 1).
The protruding metal part is attached to the chamfered portion (12, 14) so that the end of the protruding portion (3, 4) is in close contact with the protruding portion, and the two protruding metal parts (3, 4) are combined with each other. A casing structure for an automobile air conditioner, which is formed by welding both pieces (11, 13).