JPH09240255A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate maintenance work when a part or the whole of an air conditioner for an automobile is housed below a floor face of a vehicle room in a side wall in the middle of the vehicle and to use the air conditioner in common for a right-handed handle car and for a left-handed handle car. SOLUTION: An air conditioning case 17 for a blower unit 3 and an air conditioning case 18 for an air conditioning unit 6 are constructed separately. In the air conditioning case 17 for the blower unit 3, a lid 20 extended on the air conditioning unit 6 side and an engaging plate 23 vertical to the end face of a connecting outlet 19 in the blower unit 3 are arranged. In the air conditioning case 18 for the air conditioning unit 6, an opening part, 25 which is connected to a connecting inlet 24 in the air conditioning unit 6 so as to be opened to the upper side of an evaporator is arranged, while an engaging groove 27 is formed on the lower side of the connecting inlet 24. Therefore, the connecting inlet 24 is closed by means of the engaging plate 23 when the blower unit 3 is lowered after the engaging plate 23 is inserted into the engaging groove 27 from the upper side, and at the same time, the air conditioning cases 17, 18 can be connected together only when the lid 20 and the opening part 25 are screwed to each other by means of a screw 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of an air conditioner for an automobile, which is arranged in a side wall in the middle of a vehicle having a relatively large vehicle interior space such as a one-box car.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an air conditioner used for a vehicle of this type, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-76510, an air blower 1 and an evaporator for cooling the air blown by the blower 1. An air conditioner 10 including an air conditioner unit 15 and a heater unit 11a for heating the blown air, and the blower unit and the heater unit housed in one air conditioning casing 2 is known. It has become.

The air conditioner 10 disclosed in the above publication is
Since the blower 1, the evaporator 15 and the like are housed in one air conditioning casing 2, a blower unit 13 housing the blower and a heater unit 11 housing the heater 11a are provided in a part of the air conditioning casing 2 for maintenance and the like. The duct portion 20 is provided between the two, and the insertion hole 21 is formed in the side wall of the duct portion 20, and the evaporator 15 has a detachable structure by the insertion hole 21.

On the other hand, in a vehicle such as a one-box car having a relatively large vehicle interior space, in addition to air conditioning by a front seat side air conditioner provided below the instrument panel, rear seat side air conditioning is performed. In the middle of the side wall of the vehicle
In some cases, the air conditioner 1 having the structure shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58414 is arranged.

The air conditioner 1 disclosed in the above publication has a fan 3 arranged in an air-conditioning duct 2 having a narrow width so as to be orthogonal to a side wall surface of a vehicle from an upstream side, a cooler 5 including an evaporator, and an engine cooling. A heater 6 that is heated by water, and an air mix door 10 that is arranged in front of the heater 6 and that adjusts a ratio of air heated by the heater 6 and air bypassed.
In addition, the upper and lower outlets 19 and 20 that are opened on the most downstream side and the outlet mode door 23 that appropriately selects the outlets 19 and 20 are provided.

The air conditioner for an automobile arranged in the middle side wall of a vehicle such as this one-box car is not particularly shown in the above publication, but in the space inside the side wall,
It is general that a part of them is stored below the floor surface of the vehicle compartment.

Even in an automobile air conditioner installed in the side wall in the middle of a vehicle such as this one-box car, it is necessary to take measures for maintenance of the evaporator. That is, a hole for maintenance is formed on the side surface of the air-conditioning duct, and the hole is closed with a lid and then screwed.

[0008]

Therefore, at the time of maintenance, the trim board constituting the side wall is removed from the vehicle interior side,
Once the air conditioning duct is exposed, the screw must be removed with a tool to remove the lid that closes the maintenance hole. Especially when the air-conditioning duct is below the floor of the passenger compartment to remove the lid as described above, a special tool suitable for working in a limited space (for example, the shaft can be bent freely). There is a problem that a driver that does not work or a shaft having a bent L-shape must be used. In addition, as a matter of course, the work of attaching the lid with the screw for closing the maintenance hole at the end of the maintenance was troublesome as in the above.

Further, an automobile air conditioner installed in a side wall in the middle of a vehicle such as a one-box car has a maintenance hole facing the inside of the vehicle as shown in the above-mentioned publication. If the vehicle-mounted type is mounted on a left-hand drive vehicle, the maintenance hole on the side faces the side opposite to the passenger compartment side, which makes maintenance impossible. Therefore, for right-hand drive cars and left-hand drive cars,
The air conditioner for automobiles has to be manufactured separately, which is not versatile.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even in an automobile air conditioner which is housed in the side wall in the middle of a vehicle such as a one-box car, the evaporator and the like can be easily maintained, and a right-hand drive vehicle can be used. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile air conditioner that can be shared with a left-hand drive vehicle.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air conditioner for an automobile according to the present invention, therefore, includes a blower unit for introducing air by using a blower, the blower unit being excluded, and at least a cooling unit and a heating unit. An air conditioner for an automobile, which is configured separately from an air conditioner unit that controls the temperature and blows out into the passenger compartment, wherein the blower unit is provided with a suction port and a connection outlet and extends in the air conditioning case of the blower unit. And an engaging plate, the air conditioning unit is provided with a connection inlet for connection with the connection outlet, the air conditioning case of this air conditioning unit is connected to the connection inlet, and cooling means is provided in the air conditioning case. The opening formed to the upper side of the air conditioner and the engaging groove formed in the connection inlet, and the lid formed on the air conditioning case of the blower unit is attached to the air conditioning unit. A structure in which the blower unit is connected to the air conditioning unit by fixing the blower unit to the opening of the air conditioning case and inserting the engagement plate formed in the air conditioning case of the blower unit into the engagement groove formed in the air conditioning case of the air conditioning unit. (Claim 1)

Thus, by removing the blower unit from the air conditioning unit, the opening of the air conditioning unit is opened, and the evaporator and the like can be maintained through this opening. In addition, the opening is closed by the lid attached to the air conditioning case of the blower unit, which has the advantage that it also serves as the attachment of the blower unit, and the blower unit is secured by attaching the lid and inserting the engaging piece into the engaging groove. Can be attached to the air conditioning unit. In particular, since the lid is attached and detached in the vertical direction from above, even if a part or all of the air conditioning unit is below the floor surface, it is easy to attach or detach the lid.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Although not shown, the automobile air conditioner 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is provided in the middle side wall of a vehicle such as a one-box car, for example, part or all of which is provided below the floor surface. It is a thing.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 can be roughly divided into two parts, a blower unit 3 and an air conditioner unit 6, from the upstream side of the air conditioning duct 2.

The blower unit 3 is provided with at least a suction port 4 for introducing air from the passenger compartment and a blower 5. Among them, the blower 5 includes a fan 5a for a blower and a motor 5 for driving the fan 5a.
The air is sucked into the air conditioning duct 2 from the suction port 4 and is blown to the downstream side. Normally, a sirocco fan is used as the fan 5a and a brushless motor is used as the motor 5b, but if the air can be introduced into the air conditioning duct 2 and the width of the air conditioning duct 2 can be reduced, the type of The shape is not limited.

The air conditioning unit 6 following the blower unit 3 at least has an evaporator 7 as a cooling means. The evaporator 7 is connected to a compressor, a condenser, and the like (not shown) by piping to form a refrigeration cycle, thereby cooling the air passing through the evaporator 7. In addition, the evaporator 7
A discharge port portion 8 for discharging drain water generated on the downstream side of the evaporator 7 is provided behind the.

Further, the air conditioning unit 6 is provided with a heater core 9 as a heating means on the downstream side of the evaporator 7 and an air mix door 10 between the evaporator 7 and the heater core 9. Of these, the heater core 9 is adapted to heat the air cooled by the evaporator 7 using the cooling water of the engine.
On the other hand, the evaporator 10 adjusts the ratio of the air passing through the heater core 9 and the air bypassing the heater core 9 depending on the opening degree. The heater core 9
The air that has passed through and the air that has bypassed the heater core 9
Are mixed and temperature-controlled in the following mix chamber 11 located on the downstream side.

The mixing chamber 11 is arranged on the most downstream side of the air conditioning duct 2, and two outlets 12 and 13 are opened at the rearmost end, and the outlets 12 and 13 are connected via a communication duct (not shown). And communicates with the passenger compartment. A mode door (not shown) is rotatably provided at the boundary between the outlets 12 and 13, and the opening and closing of the outlets 12 and 13 is appropriately selected by the mode door. It is possible to do it.

According to the above construction, the air introduced from the suction port 4 by the operation of the blower 5 is first transferred to the evaporator 7
Is cooled by passing through. Then, the cooled air is divided by the air mix door 10 into air passing through the heater core 9 and bypass air, and then both of the air are mixed in the mix chamber 11 to be adjusted to a desired temperature. It becomes air. And the temperature-controlled air is
The air will be blown out from the air outlets 12 and 13 into the vehicle compartment through the communication duct.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning case 16 of the automobile air conditioner 1 is configured such that the air conditioning case 17 of the blower unit 3 and the air conditioning case 18 of the air conditioning unit 6 are separately formed. ing.

Among these, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air conditioning case 17 is provided with a connection outlet 19 on the side of the air conditioning unit 6 and the connection outlet 1
A lid 20 extends horizontally from above the air conditioning unit 6 side. The lid 20 has a screw hole 22 formed in a square, into which a screw 21 is inserted. In addition, the air conditioning case 17
Is provided with an engagement plate 23 that extends perpendicularly to the open end of the connection outlet 19 from below the connection outlet 19.

The air-conditioning case 18 has an upper mold 18b and a lower mold 18 which are divided by a joining line 18a which crosses the side in the ventilation direction.
and c. In addition, this air conditioning case 18
Has a connection inlet 24 connected to the connection outlet 19 of the blower unit 6, and an opening 25 that is continuous with the connection inlet 24 and opens to above the evaporator 7. There is. The opening 25 has an opening width that is closed by a lid 20 that extends from the blower unit 6, and its periphery is fixed so that the lid 20 can be fixedly fixed to the upper surface of the air conditioning unit 6 by a screw 21. A screw hole 26 is formed in the. Air conditioning case 1
An engaging groove 27 is formed on the side edge of the connection inlet 24 of FIG. The engaging groove 27 is formed so that the lower end of the engaging plate 23 of the blower unit 3 can be inserted from above the air conditioning unit 6 and lowered as it is, and finally contacted.
It is configured by a side groove portion that is notched on the upper end side and is open on the opposite side, and a lower groove portion that is continuous with the lower end portion of the side groove portion and that is open on the upper side.

Based on the above construction, the connection between the air conditioning case 17 and the air conditioning case 18 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. First, the lower end of the engaging plate 23 of the air conditioning case 17 is inserted into the side groove portion of the engaging groove 27 of the air conditioning case 18, and the fan unit 3 is slid so that the engaging plate 23 slides downward in the engaging groove 27. The air-conditioning case 17 is lowered to bring the engagement plate 23 into contact with the lower groove portion of the engagement groove 27, and at the same time,
The lid 20 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 25. As a result, the lower side of the connection inlet 24 of the air conditioning unit 6 is closed by the engagement plate 23, and the screw hole 22 of the lid 20 and the screw hole 26 at the peripheral edge of the opening 25 are in communication with each other.
Next, the screw 22 is inserted into the screw hole 22 of the lid 20 and the screw hole 26 at the periphery of the opening 25, and the lid 20 is screwed onto the upper surface of the air conditioning case 18 of the air conditioning unit 6. As a result, the air conditioning case 17 and the air conditioning case 18 are connected. To remove the air conditioning case 17 from the air conditioning case 18, the screws 21 may be removed, the air conditioning case 17 may be lifted above the air conditioning case 18, and the engagement plate 23 may be pulled out from the engagement groove 27.

However, in this automobile air conditioner 1, since the evaporator 7 can be attached and detached through the opening 25 of the air conditioning case 18 of the air conditioning unit 6, the evaporator 7 is maintained on the side of the air conditioning case 18. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a maintenance hole.

Further, in this automobile air conditioner,
The connection work between the air conditioning case 17 and the air conditioning case 18 by the screw 21 is performed by the opening 2 located on the upper surface side of the air conditioning case 17.
Since there are only 5 and the lid 20, the automobile air conditioner 1
Even in the case where a part or the whole of the one-box car or the like is stored in the side wall in the middle of the vehicle so as to be below the floor surface of the passenger compartment, the work is simple and special No tools required.

In the above description of the automobile air conditioner 1, it has been explained that the evaporator 7 can be attached / detached from the opening 25 side of the air conditioner case 18, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, from the connection inlet 24. The structure may be removable.

[0028]

As described above, according to the automobile air conditioner of the first aspect, the evaporator is attached / detached by the opening provided in the case of the air conditioning unit having at least the cooling means and the heating means. Therefore, it is not necessary to form an insertion hole for attaching and detaching the evaporator on the side of the air conditioning case, and at least the air conditioning unit of the automobile air conditioner is shared by the right-hand drive car and the left-hand drive car. can do.

According to the vehicle air conditioner of the first aspect, the vehicle air conditioner is located below the floor of the passenger compartment in the middle side wall of the vehicle such as a one-box car. Even if it is stored like this, the connection work between the air conditioner case of the blower unit and the air conditioner case of the air conditioner unit is simply by screwing the lid to the peripheral edge of the opening,
Connection work is simple and no special tools are required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a step of connecting a blower unit of an air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention to an air conditioning unit from the side.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the above-mentioned automobile air conditioner from above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a structure for connecting the blower unit of the above-described automobile air conditioner to the air conditioning unit.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which a blower unit that constitutes the above-mentioned automobile air conditioner is viewed from a connection outlet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Automotive Air Conditioner 3 Blower Unit 5 Blower 6 Air Conditioning Unit 7 Evaporator 9 Heater Core 16 Air Conditioning Case 17 Air Conditioning Case 18 Air Conditioning Case 19 Connection Outlet 20 Lid 23 Engagement Plate 24 Connection Outlet 25 Opening 27 Engagement Groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A blower unit for introducing air by using a blower, and this blower unit is excluded, and at least a cooling unit and a heating unit are provided, and an air conditioning unit for controlling the temperature and blowing the air into a passenger compartment is separately provided. A vehicle air conditioner configured, wherein the blower unit is provided with a suction port and a connection outlet,
A lid extending to the air conditioning case of the blower unit is provided and an engaging plate is formed, and the air conditioning unit is provided with a connection inlet connected to the connection outlet, and the air conditioning case of the air conditioning unit is provided with the connection inlet. An opening is formed in the air-conditioning case that is connected to the cooling means, and an engaging groove is formed in the connection inlet, and a lid formed on the air-conditioning case of the blower unit is attached to the air-conditioning unit. The blower unit is connected to the air conditioning unit by being fixed to the opening of the case and inserting the engagement plate formed on the air conditioning case of the blower unit into the engagement groove formed on the air conditioning case of the air conditioning unit. Automotive air conditioner.