JPH10129246A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve heat exchanging efficiency by uniformalizing the evaporator passing air quantity without allowing condensed water to flow to an intake unit side even in tilting of a vehicle, in an air conditioner for an automobile, to be put in the longitudinal direction. SOLUTION: An air conditioner for an automobile is constituted of an intake unit 10 for taking in air, a cooler unit 20 in which an evaporator 21 communicated with the intake unit 10 by a passage 14 extending from a passage 14 extending from the intake unit 10 in the car width direction and for cooling air is slantly arranged, and a drain part 22 for discharging condensed water from the evaporator 21 to the outside is provided, and a heater unit 30 provided above in the vertical direction of the cooler unit 20 and in which a heater core 31 for heating air is provided. A water storage part 23 in which condensed water from the evaporator 21 is to be stored is formed on the bottom of the passage 14, and a water shutting rib 24 whose tip is projected to the upper part of the water storage part 23 is provided on the opening edge of the intake unit 10 side of the water storage part 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called vertical type air conditioner for a vehicle, in which an intake unit and a cooler unit are arranged in a horizontal direction, and a heater unit is arranged at a vertically upper position of the cooler unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an air conditioner for an automobile is composed of an intake unit, a cooler unit, and a heater unit. Each of these units has various forms or structures depending on a place to be mounted on a vehicle. is there. For example, in a vehicle having a small size in the vehicle width direction, there is a so-called vertical installation in which an intake unit and a cooler unit are arranged in a horizontal direction, and a heater unit is arranged at a vertically upper position of the cooler unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional vertical type air conditioner for a vehicle in which a heater unit component is omitted. An intake unit 10 of the automotive air conditioner includes a fan 12 that is driven to rotate by a motor 11, and selectively switches an intake door 13 to supply vehicle interior air (hereinafter, inside air) or vehicle exterior air (hereinafter, outside air). The cooler unit 20 communicates with the intake unit 10 through the passage 14 extending in the vehicle width direction, and has an evaporator 21 inclined therein.

The air introduced from the intake unit 10 flows in the vehicle width direction, flows into the cooler unit 20, and then exchanges heat with the refrigerant circulating inside the evaporator 21 to be cooled. You.

When the air is cooled by the evaporator 21, the water contained in the air is condensed and transmitted through the evaporator 21 and accumulates at the lower end of the passage 14. The condensed water is distributed to the passage 14. Drain part 22 provided
It is discharged out of the device. In addition, intake unit 1
The bottom portion 14a of the passage 14 that communicates the cooling water with the cooler unit 20 facilitates the flow of condensed water to the drain portion 22.
It is slightly downhill.

[0006] The cooled air flows upward from the evaporator 20 and is sent to the heater unit. In this heater unit, a part of the cooling air flows through the heater core and is heated. Other air is bypassed through the heater core, merged again and mixed to a predetermined temperature, and blown out into the vehicle interior.

[0007]

However, in the case of the conventional apparatus, the intake unit 10 and the cooler unit 2 are not provided.
0 is communicated with the passage 14 extending in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle is inclined left and right, and the passage 14 is inclined at an angle α toward the intake unit 10 side. Then, there is a possibility that a part of the condensed water moves to the intake unit 10 side and does not flow out of the drain portion 22 to the outside of the vehicle smoothly.

Further, in the air conditioner for an automobile, the air flow flowing through the passage 14 is bent at a right angle to the cooler unit 20. The air tends to collect on the lower side of the evaporator 21, and the distribution of the amount of air blown out from the evaporator 21 is biased to one side as shown in FIG. 6, and the heat exchange efficiency is lower than that in the case of performing heat exchange using the entire evaporator 21. There is also a risk of doing so.

The present invention solves the problems associated with the above-described conventional technology, and condensed water can be reliably discharged to the outside without moving to the intake unit side even when the vehicle is inclined.
Moreover, the object is to increase the heat exchange efficiency by equalizing the amount of air passing through the evaporator.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to the first aspect is directed to an intake unit for taking in air, which is communicated with a passage extending from the intake unit in a vehicle width direction and has an internal structure. An evaporator for cooling the air is disposed at an angle, and a cooler unit further provided with a drain portion for discharging condensed water from the evaporator to the outside, and provided at a vertically upper portion of the cooler unit and the air is provided therein. In a vehicle air conditioner having a heater unit provided with a heater core for heating, a water storage portion for storing condensed water from the evaporator is formed at the bottom of the passage, and a port on the intake unit side of the water storage portion is provided. The edge is provided with a water-blocking rib whose tip projects to the upper part of the water storage part.

With this configuration, the condensed water from the evaporator is stored in the water storage section and flows into the drain section as needed.
Then, when the vehicle is tilted left and right, it is possible to prevent the water impermeable rib from flowing out the condensed water in the water storage section to the intake unit side. In addition, since a part of the air introduced from the intake unit flows into the evaporator after its blowing state is adjusted in the water storage portion, when passing through the evaporator, the air volume distribution is uniformed and the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator is increased. be able to.

In the invention according to the second aspect, the water reservoir is formed by recessing the upper surface of the passage at least from a position corresponding to one end of the evaporator facing the passage to a position corresponding to the other end. It is characterized by having been formed.

[0013] In this case, the condensed water dripping from the evaporator does not fall on the passage and reliably accumulates in the water storage portion. Even when the vehicle is inclined left and right, the condensed water may flow out to the intake unit side. There is no.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the drain portion is
The cooler unit is provided at or near an intersection of a unit case of a cooler unit provided to have an axis orthogonal to an axis of the path.

According to this configuration, the drain portion is located at the corner of the passage and the cooler unit, and the condensed water is
It is easily pushed to the outside by being pushed by the airflow flowing inside, and the drainage property is improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the water-impervious rib is defined by a vertical line lowered from the end of the evaporator on the intake unit side facing the passage when the vehicle is inclined at the guaranteed horizontal inclination angle. It is characterized in that it is set so as not to protrude above the water storage part. By doing so, the projecting length of the water impervious rib is not unnecessarily protruded, so that the condensed water dropped from the evaporator does not fall onto the water impervious rib, all of which reliably accumulates in the water storage section and flows out to the intake unit side. There is no danger, and even if the vehicle is tilted to about the guaranteed tilt angle, leakage of condensed water can be prevented by the water-blocking ribs.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view showing an automotive air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the vehicle air conditioner is tilted by the guaranteed tilt angle of the vehicle, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a flow rate distribution of a cooler unit, which is common to the members shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals are given to the members, and the description thereof may be omitted.

The vertical type air conditioner for a vehicle shown in FIG. 1 has an intake unit 10 and a cooler unit 20.
Are connected to each other by a passage 14 extending horizontally and in the vehicle width direction.
The heater unit 30 is connected.

The heater unit 30 has a heater core 31 provided therein, and engine coolant from an engine cooling system (not shown) is circulated inside the heater core 31 to exchange heat between the engine coolant and air. By doing so, the air is heated.

At the side of the heater core 31, air cooled by the cooler unit 20 (in some cases, air that is not cooled by the cooler unit 20 but is still introduced by the intake unit 10) is provided. A bypass passage 32 is formed, which bypasses the heater core 31, and a mix door 33 is provided in the bypass passage 32 for adjusting the ratio of the amount of air introduced into the heater core 31 to the amount of air flowing bypassing the heater core 31. I have.

Therefore, when the opening of the mix door 33 is adjusted, the ratio between the amount of air heated by the heater core 31 and the amount of cool air passing through the bypass passage 32 is adjusted. The temperature state of the air mixed in the provided mixing chamber 32a is adjusted, and the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle interior is controlled.

At the upper end of the heater unit 30, a vent outlet 34 for blowing cool air during cooling, a defrost outlet 35 for blowing air for clearing fogging of windows, and a foot outlet for blowing warm air for heating. 36 are formed. Reference numeral "34a" is a vent door for opening and closing the vent outlet 34, and "35a" is a differential foot door for opening and closing the defrost outlet 35 and the foot outlet 36.
In addition, a partition wall 37 having a distal end directed toward the vent outlet 34 is provided downstream of the heater core 31 and in front of the foot outlet 36.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the passage 14 that connects the intake unit 10 and the cooler unit 20 communicates.
A water storage portion 23 is formed at the bottom. The water storage part 23 is a part that stores the condensed water generated from the evaporator 21 and also functions as a space for adjusting the air blowing state when the air received from the intake unit 10 is blown to the evaporator 21.

Therefore, the water reservoir 23 is provided at least between the position corresponding to one end A of the evaporator 21 facing the passage 14 and the position corresponding to the other end B of the evaporator 21.
It is preferable to form the upper surface 14a of the fourth member 4 by denting it downward. That is, at least in this range, the water storage unit 2
3, the condensed water dripping from the evaporator 21 does not fall onto the passage 14, but certainly falls and accumulates in the water storage portion 23. Even if the condensed water is inclined in the left and right direction of the vehicle, the condensed water Does not flow along the upper surface 14a of the passage 14 and flows toward the intake unit.

At the edge of the water storage section 23 on the side of the intake unit 10, a water-blocking rib 24 is provided horizontally, the tip of which protrudes to the upper part of the water storage section 23. The water impervious ribs 24 prevent the condensed water in the water storage section 23 from flowing out to the intake unit 10 when the vehicle is tilted left and right, and the protrusion length L of the ribs 24 is the guaranteed tilt angle θ of the vehicle shown in FIG. ,
That is, when the vehicle has a maximum inclination angle at which the vehicle can normally run when the vehicle is inclined in the left-right direction, the protruding end does not protrude beyond the perpendicular from the end point A of the evaporator 21 closest to the intake unit 10 side. It is preferable to set as follows. If the dimension exceeds the perpendicular, there is a possibility that condensed water dropped from the evaporator 21 may be received on the upper surface of the water-blocking rib 24, so that such an adverse effect is prevented.

The drain portion 22 is provided with a passage 14,
It is preferable to provide the cooler unit 20 at an intersection with the unit case 20a or in the vicinity of the unit case 20a so as to have an axis orthogonal to the axis of the passage 14. In this way, the drain portion 22 is located at the corner between the passage 14 and the cooler unit 20, and the condensed water is pushed by the air flow (solid arrow) flowing inside, and is easily drained to the outside. The performance is improved.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. For example, during the cooling operation, in the evaporator 21, heat exchange is performed between the air from the intake unit 10 and the low-temperature refrigerant flowing inside, and condensed water is generated by this heat exchange. The condensed water drops from the evaporator 21 to the water storage unit 23 and is discharged from the drain unit 22 to the outside as needed.

However, it is assumed that a large amount of the condensed water is generated so as to exceed the drainage capacity of the drain portion 22 and the vehicle is tilted in the left-right direction when the condensed water is stored in the water storage portion 23.

The condensed water in the water storage section 23 tends to move toward the intake unit 10 due to the inclination of the vehicle.
However, since the condensed water is prevented from moving by the water-blocking ribs 24 in the water storage section 23, the condensed water does not flow out to the intake unit 10 side and is discharged until it is normally discharged.
Stay within. That is, the water-impervious rib 24 is
It will also have the function of increasing the water storage capacity inside.

A part of the air introduced from the intake unit 10 is guided and flowed to some extent by the water-blocking ribs 24, and at the same time, the blowing condition such as the wind direction is adjusted in the water storage portion 23. In the introduced air, the above-mentioned drift state is corrected, and the evaporator 21
As a result, the distribution of the air volume passing through the evaporator 21 is made uniform as shown in FIG. 3, and the air is cooled using almost the entire evaporator 21. become. Therefore, not only a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator 21 is suppressed, but also an excellent heat exchange efficiency is exhibited.

The air exchanged and cooled in this way flows upward from the evaporator 20 and enters the heater unit 30. When the mix door 33 is set at the intermediate position, a part of the air is cooled. The other air heated by the heater core 31 bypasses the heater core 31, flows through the bypass passage 32, and is mixed again in the mixing chamber 32a, and the temperature is adjusted so that the air becomes a predetermined temperature. It will be blown more into the vehicle interior.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the claims. For example, as the shape of the water storage section 23,
As shown in FIG. 1, not only the one having the flat bottom surface 23a but also a considerably concave one may be used.
Any shape may be used. Further, the shape of the water-impervious ribs 24 formed at the edge of the water storage section 23 is not limited to a straight one, and may be a zigzag shape or an irregular shape so that condensed water that is dropped does not hit.

[0033]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a water storage portion for storing condensed water is formed at the bottom of the passage for sending air from the intake unit to the evaporator, and the water storage portion has a port on the intake unit side. At the edge, the water-impervious ribs with the tips projecting to the upper part of the water storage section are provided, so that even if the vehicle is inclined in the left-right direction, the water-impervious ribs can prevent the condensed water from flowing to the intake unit side. . In addition, since the water storage unit adjusts the state of blowing the introduced air to the evaporator to make the air volume distribution uniform when passing through the evaporator, the heat exchange efficiency in the evaporator can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the projected length of the water-blocking ribs is determined in consideration of the guaranteed inclination angle of the vehicle. Therefore, even when the vehicle is inclined, it is possible to prevent the condensed water from flowing out to the intake unit side. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the lower portion of the evaporator is formed as a water storage portion, the condensed water dripping from the evaporator does not fall on the passage and is reliably stored in the water storage portion. Even when the vehicle is tilted left and right, there is no possibility that condensed water will flow toward the intake unit.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the drain portion is provided at the corner, the condensed water is easily drained, and the drainage property is improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the water-impervious ribs have a predetermined length, the condensed water dropped from the evaporator does not fall onto the water-impervious ribs, but all of them are reliably collected in the water storage section, and the intake unit There is no danger that the condensed water flows out to the side, and even if the vehicle is tilted to the guaranteed tilt angle, leakage of the condensed water can be prevented by the impermeable ribs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state excluding a heater unit portion in the state of FIG. 1 and inclining at a guaranteed inclination angle θ of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a flow rate distribution of a cooler unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional air conditioner for a vehicle.

5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the device of FIG. 4 tilted in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part, showing a cooler unit in FIG. 4 together with an air volume distribution.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... intake unit, 14 ... passage, 14a ... upper surface of a passage, 20 ... cooler unit, 20a ... unit case, 21 ... evaporator, 22 ... drain pipe, 23 ... water storage part, 24 ... water-blocking rib, 30 ... heater unit, 31: Heater core θ: Guaranteed tilt angle of the vehicle in the left-right direction.

Claims (4)

[Claims] An intake unit (1) for taking in air.
0), and an evaporator (21), which communicates with the intake unit (10) through a passage (14) extending in the vehicle width direction and cools the air therein, is disposed obliquely, and furthermore, the evaporator (21) Drain section for discharging condensed water to the outside
(22), a heater unit provided at a vertically upper portion of the cooler unit (20) and provided with a heater core (31) for heating the air inside the cooler unit (20)
(20), a water reservoir (23) for storing condensed water from the evaporator (21) is formed at the bottom of the passage (14), and the water reservoir (23) An air conditioner for automobiles, characterized in that a water-impervious rib (24) having a tip protruding to the upper part of the water storage part (23) is provided at the edge of the intake unit (10). 2. The water storage section (23) includes at least the passage
From the position corresponding to one end of the evaporator (21) facing the (14) to the position corresponding to the other end, the upper surface (14
2. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a) is formed by denting a) downward. 3. The drain portion (22) is connected to the passage (14),
The cooling unit (20) provided so as to have an axis perpendicular to the axis of the passage (14) is provided at or near the intersection with the unit case (20a). The air conditioner for a vehicle according to the above. 4. The front end of the water-impervious rib (24) is connected to the passage (14) when the vehicle is inclined at a guaranteed inclination angle (θ) in the left-right direction.
The evaporator (21) facing to the intake unit (10) side of the vertical line drawn down from the end of the water storage section (23) is set so as not to protrude above the water storage section (23) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The air conditioner for a vehicle according to the above.