JPH11180135A - Cooling unit structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling unit structure that ensures easy assembly and sufficient sealability. SOLUTION: In this cooling unit structure, a cylindrical part 6 is extruded for accommodating an expansion valve 18, an annular flange 15 is extended from a member formed with an aperture 10 of a dash panel 1 toward a chamber 3, a first annular seal member 20 to be fit with the flange 15 is disposed between the dash panel 1 and a tip 6T of the cylindrical part 6. The first seal member 20 helps prevent water from entering the chamber 3 from an engine compartment 2 through an aperture 9. Since the flange 15 is fit in the first seal member 20, sealability is increased so that entry of water into the chamber 3 is reliably prevented. Because the prevention of water entry is achieved by laying the seal member between the dash panel 1 and the cooling unit case 5, assembly of the cooling unit case 5 is easier compared to that of grommet type.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling unit structure used in an automobile air conditioning system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a vehicle air conditioning system, a cooling unit case is disposed near a dash panel on the vehicle interior side to connect the cooling unit case and the engine room side (communicate a refrigerant conduit). There is a hole in the dash panel. And to prevent water from entering through this hole,
A rubber grommet was fitted to the edge of the hole, and a refrigerant conduit was inserted through the hole of the grommet (an example of this type is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-176016). This type (for convenience, called grommet type)
In the cooling unit structure, the diameter of the hole of the grommet is smaller than the outer diameter of the refrigerant conduit, so that the assembling property is not good.

As another example of preventing water intrusion, a pipe inlet / outlet portion for inserting a refrigerant conduit into a cooling unit case is formed so as to protrude, and a refrigerant conduit is provided between the pipe inlet / outlet portion and a dash panel. There is also a device in which a plate-shaped seal member is inserted to allow the insertion of a seal (this type is hereinafter referred to as a pressing type for convenience. An example of this type is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-16413). The expansion valve used in the automotive air conditioning system is housed in, for example, a cylinder protruding from the cooling unit case, and is supported by the evaporator core via a mounting block through which a refrigerant conduit is inserted. .

[0004]

By the way, in the cooling unit structure described above, only the plate-shaped sealing member is pressed against the dash panel, and the sealing performance is not always sufficient. In the above-described cooling unit structure of the type in which the expansion valve is housed in a cylinder formed so as to protrude from the cooling unit case, if no countermeasures are taken, water will flow through the gap between the cylinder and the mounting block. There was a risk of intrusion into the case.

In addition, a dash silencer including a pad and a skin is attached to the dash panel with a clip or the like so as to cover substantially the entire dash panel as a measure against noise from the engine room. In this case, a hole is formed in a part for attaching parts to the dash panel of the dash silencer and a part for communicating between the engine room and the vehicle interior.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 9, for example, a dash silencer 32, which is composed of a pad (felt) 30 and a skin (sheet) 31, is attached to the dash panel 1.
In the communication part between the engine room 2 and the interior of the passenger compartment 3,
The hole 33 (hereinafter, the hole of the pad 30 is appropriately replaced with the pad hole 33)
a, the hole in the skin 31 is called a skin hole 33b. ), Since the dash silencer 32 is flexible, the dash silencer 3
It is necessary to take a measure such as holding the dash silencer 32 so that the position of the dash silencer 2 can be positioned in a desired state, which causes a problem such as a reduction in assembling workability.

That is, for example, in order to properly align the hole 33 with the dash panel, the flexible dash silencer 32 must be appropriately held.
As a result, the number of working steps increases, and the assembling workability decreases.
In addition, special management is required to maintain the dimensions of the assembled device in a good condition. In FIG. 9, 5 is a cooling unit case in which the evaporator core 4 is stored, 6 is a cylinder provided in the cooling unit case 5, and 20 is a sealing member interposed between the cylinder 6 and the dash panel 1 ( (First sealing member).

In order to favorably position the dash silencer 32 described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the skin 31 extends toward the center of the hole 33 and projects from the pad hole forming edge of the pad 30 as shown in FIG. A projection 31a is formed, and the front end of the cylinder 6 is extended until it reaches the skin-side projection 31a.
The extended portion of the upper cylindrical portion 6b is indicated by 6b1. ), The skin 31 (skin-side protruding portion 31a) of the dash silencer 32 is pressed in a state of surface contact, whereby the dash silencer 32 is supported and positioned.

However, in this case, the mounting position of the dash silencer 32 is shifted as shown in FIG.
For example, when the pad 30 shown in the lower part of FIG. 10 (for convenience, referred to as the lower part pad 30) is in a state of being wrapped with the cylindrical body 6 (extended part 6 a 1), the extension in the surface contact state with the lower pad 30. When the portion 6a1 receives the force (indicated by the arrow E) from the pad 30 on the lower portion, the cooling unit case 5 moves and the force for pressing the first seal member 20 is reduced, whereby the first seal member 20 is pressed. May deteriorate the sealing performance. For this reason, the fact is that it has not been possible to properly achieve both the above-described good positioning of the dash silencer 32 and the securing of good sealing performance.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling unit structure which can ensure good assembling property and sufficient sealing property. Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to appropriately position a dash silencer.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In the cooling unit case, a cylindrical body for housing the expansion valve is formed so as to protrude, an annular flange extending toward the indoor side is formed around a hole formed in the dash panel, and between the dash panel and the tip of the cylindrical body. An annular first seal member into which the flange is fitted is interposed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the expansion valve is supported by the evaporator core through a mounting block through which the refrigerant conduit is inserted, and has an annular convex shape inside the cylindrical body. And a second seal member into which the projection is fitted is interposed between the tubular body and the mounting block.

[0013] The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the configuration described above, the dash panel includes a pad hole in which the first seal member is arranged inside, a pad formed with a skin hole, and a dash silencer composed of a skin. And a plurality of ribs are provided on the cooling unit case so as to press the skin-side projection toward the dash panel side.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the third aspect, the skin side is smaller than the length between the dash panel on which the first seal member is interposed and the tip of the cylindrical body. The length between the rib and the dash panel in the portion that presses the protruding portion is set to be large.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cooling unit structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, the interior of the vehicle is controlled by an engine room 2 and a passenger compartment (hereinafter referred to as a room) 3 by a dash panel 1.
Is defined. A cooling unit case 5 in which the evaporator core 4 is stored is disposed on the chamber 3 side. The cooling unit case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body by a fixing member (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, a hole 9 through which two refrigerant conduits 7, 8 are inserted is formed in a portion of the dash panel 1 facing the later-described cylindrical body 6 of the cooling unit case 5. The portion where the holes 9 are formed is hereinafter referred to as a hole forming portion 10.

A dash silencer 32 including a pad 30 and a skin 31 is attached to the dash panel 1 with the pad 30 facing the dash panel 1. The dash silencer 32 has holes 33 corresponding to the holes 9.
(Hereinafter, a hole in the pad 30 is referred to as a pad hole 33a and a hole in the skin 31 is referred to as a skin hole 33b, as appropriate.)
The pad hole 33 a is set to be larger than the skin hole 33 b, and the edge of the skin 31 where the skin hole 33 b is formed (skin hole forming edge) projects from the pad 30 toward the center side of the hole 33 and is closed. A side projection 31a is formed. In this case, the skin-side protruding portion 31a is inclined toward the dash panel 1 side.

The cooling unit case 5 is formed hollow by joining a lower case 5a shown in FIG. 3 and an upper case 5b shown in FIG. 6, and houses the evaporator core 4 and the like inside. Air is introduced into the internal space of the cooling unit case 5 from an inlet 11 provided in the lower case 5a, and air cooled by the evaporator core 4 is formed by an outlet formed by joining the lower case 5a and the upper case 5b ( (Formed on the front side of the paper in FIGS. 3 and 6)
2 is discharged.

The lower case 5 on one side of the cooling unit case 5 (the dash panel 1 side, right side in FIG. 3).
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a substantially trough-shaped lower cylindrical body 6a is formed in the upper case a, and the upper case on one surface side (right side in FIG. 6) of the cooling unit case 5 is formed. 5b
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a substantially trough-shaped upper cylindrical body 6b is formed in the upper part of the upper part. By joining the lower case 5a and the upper case 5b, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower cylinder 6a and the upper cylinder 6b constitute the cylinder 6 that houses the expansion valve 18. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of plate-like ribs 34 extending to the dash panel 1 side are provided on a lower portion of the lower cylindrical body 6a of the lower case 5a (for convenience, A plurality of plate-shaped ribs 34 (referred to as upper ribs 34b for convenience) extending toward the dash panel 1 are provided on an upper portion of the upper cylindrical body 6b in the upper case 5b. ) Is provided. The lower rib 34a and the upper rib 34b are connected to the cylinder 6 (the lower cylinder 6a and the upper cylinder 6b).

The length of the lower rib 34a (the length from the base end on the cooling unit case 5 side to the front end on the dash panel 1 side) gradually decreases from lower to upper in the lower portion, The size is set so that it temporarily increases in the middle part, and gradually decreases upward from the bottom in the upper part connected to the middle part. In this case, the front end 35 of the lower portion of the lower rib 34a
d, the front end portion 35u of the upper portion is substantially parallel to the dash panel 1 when the cooling unit case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body.

The front end 35u of the upper portion of the lower rib 34a contacts the first seal member 20 with the dash panel 1 (the first seal member 20 is connected to the lower rib 34a).
Between the front end 35u of the upper portion of the dash panel 1 and the dash panel 1. ), The front end 35d of the lower portion presses the skin 31 (skin-side protruding portion 31a) of the dash silencer 32. In this case, the first seal member 2
0 at the front end 35 of the upper part of the lower rib 34a
u and the dash panel 1 (bending portion 1 described later)
3 is substantially equal to the length between the front end surface portion 13a and the dash panel 1. ), The length between the front end portion 35d (the portion pressing the dash silencer 32) of the lower portion of the lower rib 34a and the dash panel 1 (substantially equivalent to the thickness of the dash silencer 32) is set to be larger. doing.

The length of the upper rib 34b (the length from the base end on the cooling unit case 5 side to the front end on the dash panel 1 side) is uniform in the lower part, and once increased in the middle part. The dimension is set so as to gradually decrease from the bottom to the top in the upper part connected to the middle part. In this case, when the cooling unit case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body, the front end 36d of the lower portion of the upper rib 34b faces the bent portion 13 and the front end 36u of the upper portion is substantially parallel to the dash panel 1. It has been like that.

The front end 36u of the upper portion of the upper rib 34b presses the skin 31 of the dash silencer 32. In addition, the bent portion 1 in which the first seal member 20 is interposed
3 (the length is substantially equal to the length between the upper front end 35u of the lower rib 34a and the dash panel 1) between the tip surface 13a and the dash panel 1. The length between the front end portion 36u (the portion that presses the dash silencer 32) of the upper portion of the dash panel 34b and the dash panel 1 is set large.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the distal end 6T of the cylindrical body 6 composed of the lower cylindrical body 6a and the upper cylindrical body 6b is
The lower end is formed to be longer than the upper end. When the cooling unit case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body by a fixing member (not shown), the dash panel 1
Through the hole 9 of the lower end portion 6T of the tip portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6.
D projects to the engine room 2 side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the bent portion 13 is formed on the distal end side of the upper cylindrical portion 6b so as to form a substantially V-shape in a sectional view. The distal end surface portion 13a of the bent portion 13 extends toward the center of the cylindrical body 6, and is formed so as to face substantially in parallel with the dash panel 1 when the cooling unit case 5 is fixed to the vehicle body.

At the edge of the hole forming portion 10 of the dash panel 1, an annular flange 15 projecting toward the chamber 3 is formed. This flange 15 is a distal end surface portion 13a of the bent portion 13.
It faces in a direction substantially perpendicular to.

An expansion valve 18 is supported on the evaporator core 4 via a substantially cylindrical mounting block 17. The expansion valve 18 is connected to the evaporator core 4 via a refrigerant conduit 19, and the evaporator core 4 is connected via a cooling conduit 7 to a compressor not shown, and the compressor is connected to a condenser and a receiver dryer not shown. The expansion valve 18 is connected to a receiver dryer via the refrigerant conduit 8.

A refrigeration cycle is formed by the evaporator core 4, the compressor, the condenser, the receiver dryer, and the like. A high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant from the receiver dryer is injected from a small hole of the expansion valve 18 to rapidly expand the refrigerant. A low-temperature, low-pressure atomized refrigerant.
Then, a low-temperature, low-pressure mist-like refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator core 4.
, And the gasified refrigerant heated by the evaporator core 4 is returned to the compressor via the refrigerant conduit 7. The expansion valve 18 has a function of controlling the amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator according to the cooling load, in addition to the above function (for convenience, referred to as a refrigerant expansion function).

In the mounting block 17, the refrigerant conduits 7, 19
Is inserted. Also, the cooling unit case 5
When the is fixed to the vehicle body, the hole 9 of the dash panel 1
Refrigerant conduits 7 and 8 are inserted therethrough.

An annular seal member (hereinafter referred to as a first seal member for convenience) 20 is interposed between the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6 and the hole forming portion 10. In this case, the first
The flange 15 is fitted into the seal member 20.

The lower cylindrical portion 6a and the upper cylindrical portion 6b face the mounting block 17 and are formed with two inwardly projecting lower projecting portions 21a and two upper projecting portions 21b, respectively. I have. Lower case 5a and upper case 5b
Are joined, the two lower projecting portions 21a and the two upper projecting portions 21b are joined, and the two annular projecting portions 21 are formed.
Is configured. An annular seal member (hereinafter, referred to as a second seal member for convenience) 2 is provided between the lower convex portion 21a, the upper convex portion 21b, and the mounting block 17.
2 are interposed. In this case, the second seal member 22
, The convex portion 21 is fitted therein.

In the cooling unit structure configured as described above, the annular first seal member 20 is interposed between the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6 and the hole forming portion 10, whereby the engine room Water is prevented from entering the chamber 3 from the side 2 through the hole 9. In this case, the flange 15 is fitted into the first seal member 20, so that the sealing performance is improved and the intrusion of water into the chamber 3 can be reliably prevented. Further, in the present embodiment, a seal member is interposed between the dash panel 1 and the cooling unit case 5 to prevent water from entering the chamber 3.
Since the so-called pressing type is used, the cooling unit case 5 is more easily assembled than the grommet type.

Further, since the second sealing member 22 is interposed between the lower convex portion 21a, the upper convex portion 21b and the mounting block 17, water flows from the cylindrical body 6 into the cooling unit case 5. Prevent intrusion. In this case, the second
The convex portion 21 is fitted into the seal member 22, so that the sealing property is improved, and it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering the cooling unit case 5.

As described above, dew condensation occurs when the expansion valve 18 performs the refrigerant expansion function. In the present embodiment, the cooling unit case 5 is fixed (assembled) to the vehicle body. The lower end portion 6TD of the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6 projects toward the engine room 2 through the hole 9 of the dash panel 1, and the moisture generated by the above-described dew condensation flows into the lower end side portion 6TD of the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6. Since the water is guided, the water is easily discharged to the engine room 2 side, and the influence of the water can be minimized.

The lower end portion 6 of the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6
Since the TD protrudes toward the engine room 2 through the hole 9 of the dash panel 1, the portion can be used as a guide when the cooling unit case 5 is assembled to the vehicle body. Can be improved.

The front end 35d of the lower portion of the lower rib 34a
Is the skin 31 of the dash silencer 32 (the skin-side projection 3
1a) and press the front end 3 of the upper part of the upper rib 34b.
6u presses the skin 31 (skin-side protruding portion 31a) of the dash silencer 32. For this reason, the dash silencer 32 is reliably supported, positioning can be appropriately performed, and the skin-side protrusion 31a can be prevented from being turned up.

When the mounting position of the dash silencer 32 is shifted and the pad 30 in the lower portion wraps with the lower rib 34a, the plurality of lower ribs 34a partially sink into the skin-side protrusion 31a of the skin 31. Thereby, a part of the force from the dash silencer 32 is absorbed. For this reason,
The pressing force of the first seal member 20 by the cylindrical body 6 of the cooling unit case 5 does not need to be reduced, and the sealing performance of the first seal member 20 can be maintained at a high level.

That is, in the prior art shown in FIG. 10 described above, the dash silencer 32 and the skin 31 (skin-side protruding portion 31a) come into surface contact, and almost all the force from the dash silencer 32 is transmitted from the first seal member 20. This acts to separate the cylindrical body 6 to reduce the sealing performance of the first seal member 20, but in the present embodiment,
Since a part of the force from the dash silencer 32 is absorbed as described above, the contact portion of the cooling unit case 5 with respect to the first seal member 20 (the upper front end 35u of the lower rib 34a) is in the first position. Separation from the seal member 20 is suppressed, and a decrease in the sealing performance of the first seal member 20 can be minimized.

The lower part of the lower rib 34a is smaller than the length between the front end 35u of the upper part of the lower rib 34a on which the first seal member 20 is interposed and the dash panel 1. The length between the front end portion 36d (the portion pressing the dash silencer 32) and the dash panel 1 is set to be large, and the distal end surface portion 13 in which the first seal member 20 is interposed is provided.
The length between the front end of the upper portion of the upper rib 34b (the portion pressing the dash silencer 32) and the dash panel 1 is set to be larger than the length between the dash panel 1 and the dash panel 1. So, dash silencer 32
Can be increased, and the use of the thick dash silencer 32 can improve soundproofing.

In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the lower end portion 6TD of the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6 is configured to protrude toward the engine room 2 through the hole 9 of the dash panel 1, but instead of this, Thus, the portion between the lower end portion 6TD and the upper end portion 6TU of the distal end portion 6T of the cylindrical body 6 may be configured to protrude toward the engine room 2 through the hole 9 of the dash panel 1.

In the above embodiment, the lower case 5
a and lower ribs 34 extending from upper case 5b, respectively.
a and the upper rib 34b are connected to the cylinder 6 (the lower cylinder 6a and the upper cylinder 6b), but the lower rib 34a and the upper rib 34b are replaced with the cylinder 6 instead. (Lower cylinder part 6a, upper cylinder part 6b) may not be connected. Also, the lower rib 34a and the upper rib 34b
Are provided continuously from the cylinder 6 (the lower cylinder 6a, the upper cylinder 6b), while the lower case 5a or the upper case 5b is provided.
May be formed so as to be separated from the substrate.

[0042]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the cooling unit is configured as described above, the first seal member is interposed between the dash panel and the tip of the cylindrical body. In addition, the intrusion of water into the room is prevented, and the intrusion of water can be more reliably prevented since the flange is fitted into the first seal member. Further, the prevention of water intrusion into the room is achieved by a so-called pressing type by interposing a sealing member (first sealing member) between the dash panel and the cooling unit case side, so that it is compared with the grommet type. Thus, the cooling unit case can be easily assembled.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the second seal member is interposed between the cylinder and the mounting block, and the projection formed on the cylinder is fitted into the second seal member. Water can be reliably prevented from entering the cooling unit case.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the dash silencer, a skin-side protruding portion protruding from a pad hole forming edge of a pad is formed in a skin-hole forming portion of a skin, and the skin-side protruding portion is formed in a cooling unit case. Are provided so as to press the dash panel toward the dash panel side, so that the plurality of ribs press the protruding portion of the epidermis on the epidermis side, and the dash silencer is reliably supported and positioning can be appropriately performed. In addition, since the plurality of ribs press the protruding portion on the epidermis side of the epidermis, and the plurality of ribs partially indent into the protruding portion on the epidermis side of the epidermis, a part of the force from the dash silencer is absorbed. Therefore, the pressing force of the first seal member by the cylindrical member does not need to be reduced, and the sealing performance of the first seal member can be maintained at a high level.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the rib at the portion for pressing the skin-side protruding portion is provided in comparison with the length between the dash panel on which the first seal member is interposed and the tip of the cylindrical body. Since the length between the dash panel and is set large,
The dash silencer can be made thicker, and the sound insulation can be improved by using a thicker dash silencer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vehicle using a cooling unit structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a lower case of the cooling unit case of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an upper case of the cooling unit case of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the related art.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional example and its problems.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dash panel 5 Cooling unit case 6 Cylindrical body 9 Hole 15 Flange 18 Expansion valve 20 First seal member 22 Second seal member

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cooling unit case having a cylindrical body for housing an expansion valve protrudingly formed therein, and an annular flange extending inwardly of a room formed around a hole formed in a dash panel, wherein a dash panel and a tip of the cylindrical body are formed. A cooling unit structure, wherein an annular first seal member into which the flange is fitted is interposed between the first sealing member and the first portion. 2. The expansion valve is supported by the evaporator core through a mounting block through which the refrigerant conduit is inserted, and has an annular convex portion formed inside the cylindrical body, and is provided between the cylindrical body and the mounting block. 2. The cooling unit structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second seal member into which the projection is fitted. 3. A dash panel includes a pad hole in which a first seal member is arranged, a pad formed with a skin hole, and a dash silencer composed of a skin. The skin hole forming part of the skin includes the pad. And a plurality of ribs are provided on the cooling unit case so as to press the skin-side protrusion toward the dash panel side. 2. The cooling unit structure according to 2. 4. A gap between a rib and a dash panel in a portion for pressing a skin-side protruding portion, as compared with a length between a dash panel on which a first seal member is interposed and a distal end portion of a cylindrical body. 4. The cooling unit structure according to claim 3, wherein the length of the cooling unit is set large.