KR102666736B1 - Air conditioning apparatus for automotive vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an air conditioning device for a vehicle, including a seat that moves within a vehicle compartment, an air conditioning case that discharges air conditioning wind, and a circulation duct that supplies the air conditioning wind to the seat along the movement path of the seat.

Description

Vehicle air conditioning system {AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE}

The embodiment relates to a vehicle air conditioning system.

Recently, various technologies have been applied to vehicle seats to consider passenger convenience. For example, this is the case with ventilated seats that emit air-conditioned air.

Ventilated seats can be largely divided into thermoelectric element-type ventilated seats and air conditioning-linked ventilated seats.

The thermoelectric element-type ventilated seat is a structure that draws in cabin air directly from the seat, converts it into air-conditioned wind, and then discharges it, and cooling and heating are generally achieved by thermoelectric elements.

However, thermoelectric-type ventilated seats not only have lower energy efficiency than air-conditioning-linked ventilated seats, but also, when applied to autonomous vehicles, there is a problem in securing space for installation of air-conditioning and heating devices inside the seat due to the trend of applying slim seats. .

On the other hand, the air conditioning-linked ventilated seat has a structure that receives and discharges air-conditioned wind from the air conditioning device mounted on the vehicle, and has many advantages such as not only being more energy efficient than the thermoelectric element-type ventilated seat, but also not requiring a large installation space. Have.

However, the conventional air conditioning-linked ventilated seat has a fixed seat position due to a connecting duct that directly connects the air conditioning case and the seat of the air conditioning device, or a part of the connecting duct is made in the form of an expandable corrugated pipe, so it can be moved within an extremely limited range. , there is a problem that it is difficult to apply to types of autonomous vehicles that require relatively free seat movement.

(Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1887779 (August 13, 2018, ventilation module of ventilation seat)

(Patent Document 2) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1745139 (2017. 06. 08, air conditioner interlocking seat device)

The embodiment provides a vehicle air conditioning device capable of seat air conditioning for movable seats.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned here will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a seat that moves within a vehicle cabin; An air conditioning case that discharges air conditioning wind; An air conditioning device for a vehicle is provided that includes a circulation duct that supplies the air conditioning wind to the seat in a movement path of the seat.

Preferably, the circulation duct may be formed along a rail to which the seat is movably coupled.

Preferably, a connection duct connected to the circulation duct; and an air conditioning case including a first vent for discharging first air conditioning wind into the vehicle compartment, and a second vent for discharging second air conditioning wind into the connection duct, wherein the circulation duct is configured to allow the plurality of seats to a plurality of first discharge ports disposed in positions corresponding to the plurality of seats when arranged in one arrangement; and a plurality of second discharge ports disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seats when the plurality of seats are in a second arrangement different from the first arrangement.

Preferably, the first vent may discharge the first air-conditioning wind into the vehicle interior from the front of the vehicle interior.

Preferably, the circulation duct may be characterized as having a ring shape.

Preferably, doors installed in each of the first vent, the second vent, the plurality of first discharge openings, and the plurality of second discharge openings; A sensor unit that detects the position and direction of each of the plurality of seats; and a control unit that determines the driving mode of the vehicle according to the sensing value of the sensor unit and controls the plurality of doors according to the driving mode of the vehicle.

Preferably, the control unit may determine the manual driving mode when one of the plurality of seats is placed in the driver's seat position and faces the front of the vehicle.

Preferably, the control unit may control the discharge air volume of the first vent to be greater than the discharge air volume of the second vent in the manual driving mode.

Preferably, the plurality of seats are in the first arrangement in which one pair of seats is arranged side by side on the front side and the other pair of seats are arranged side by side on the rear side in the manual driving mode, and the control unit is configured to operate the manual driving mode. In this mode, only the first plurality of discharge ports may be opened among the plurality of first discharge ports and the plurality of second discharge ports.

Preferably, the control unit may determine the autonomous driving mode when one of the plurality of seats is placed in the driver's seat position and faces the rear of the vehicle, or when all of the plurality of seats are arranged away from the driver's seat position. there is.

Preferably, the control unit may open only the second vent among the first vent and the second vent in the autonomous driving mode.

Preferably, the autonomous driving mode includes: a first submode in which one seat among the plurality of seats is placed at the driver's seat position; and a second submode in which all of the plurality of seats are arranged away from the driver's seat position.

Preferably, the plurality of seats are in the first arrangement in which one pair of seats is arranged side by side on the front side and another pair of seats are arranged side by side on the rear side in the first submode, and the control unit is configured to: In the first submode, the air volume discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports may be controlled to be greater than the volume of air discharged from the plurality of second discharge ports.

Preferably, the plurality of seats are arranged in the second submode where one seat is arranged at the front side, another seat is arranged at the rear side, and the remaining pair of seats are arranged side by side in the middle. In the second submode, the control unit may control the air volume discharged from the plurality of second discharge ports to be greater than the air volume discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports.

Preferably, the seat may form a flow path through which air discharged from the circulation duct passes to cool the test rider.

According to an embodiment, when the seating arrangement is changed, only the discharge port of the circulation duct that supplies air conditioning wind to the seats is changed, and the flow path connecting the air conditioning case and the seats can be maintained.

The various and beneficial advantages and effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described content, and may be more easily understood through description of specific embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the circulation duct of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a first arrangement example of a plurality of seats in Figure 1,
Figure 4 is a modified example of Figure 3,
Figure 5 is a second arrangement example of a plurality of seats in Figure 1,
FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the control logic of the vehicle air conditioning system of FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to some of the described embodiments, but may be implemented in various different forms, and as long as it is within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, one or more of the components may be optionally used between the embodiments. It can be used by combining and replacing.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention, unless explicitly specifically defined and described, are generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It can be interpreted as meaning, and the meaning of commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, can be interpreted by considering the contextual meaning of the related technology.

Additionally, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular may also include the plural unless specifically stated in the phrase, and when described as “at least one (or more than one) of A and B and C”, it is combined with A, B, and C. It can contain one or more of all possible combinations.

Additionally, when describing the components of an embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used.

These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and are not limited to the essence, sequence, or order of the component.

And, when a component is described as being 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled or connected to that other component, but also is connected to that component. It can also include cases where other components are 'connected', 'combined', or 'connected' due to another component between them.

Additionally, when described as being formed or disposed “above” or “below” each component, “above” or “below” refers not only to cases where two components are in direct contact with each other, but also to one This also includes cases where another component described above is formed or placed between two components. In addition, when expressed as “top (above) or bottom (bottom)”, it can include not only the upward direction but also the downward direction based on one component.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, but identical or corresponding components will be assigned the same reference numbers regardless of reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention includes a seat that moves within the cabin, an air conditioning case (100) that discharges air conditioning wind, and a circulation duct that supplies the air conditioning wind to the seat along the movement path of the seat. The circulation duct is maintained even when the seat is moved. The purpose of the air supplied is to cool the test rider.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the vehicle 1 may include an air conditioning device 10, a plurality of seats 20, and a rail 30 to which the plurality of seats 20 are movably coupled.

The air conditioning device 10 can supply air conditioning wind to the cabin of the vehicle 1, that is, the passenger space.

The seat 20 can move along the rail 30 and rotate around a vertical rotation axis.

For example, the seat 20 disposed toward the front of the vehicle 1 in the driver's seat position can be moved between the driver's seat position and the passenger seat position and rotated to face the rear of the vehicle 1.

In the present invention, the seat 20 may form a flow path through which air-conditioning wind supplied from the circulation duct 200 passes through the seat to cool the test rider.

In one embodiment, the flow path (not shown) may have a mesh-shaped structure on the bottom of the seat, and the air-conditioning wind may cool the test driver by passing through the flow path formed by the mesh-shaped seat.

The rail 30 may be disposed on the floor of the vehicle compartment.

The rail 30 may have a ring shape, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be divided into a plurality of sub-rails (not shown) to which each of the plurality of seats 20 is movably coupled.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the circulation duct of Figure 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a vehicle air conditioning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an air conditioning case 100, a circulation duct 200, and a connection duct 300.

The air conditioning case 100 can be placed in the front of the cabin, and a blower, evaporator, heater, etc. are placed within the air conditioning case 100 to suck in outdoor or cabin air, and cool and heat the sucked air to produce air conditioning wind, For example, it can be converted into cold or warm air.

The air conditioning case 100 may include a first vent 110 and a second vent 120 that discharge air conditioning wind.

The first vent 110 may discharge the first air conditioning wind into the vehicle interior.

The first vent 110 may be a center vent connected to the center fascia side of the dashboard.

Accordingly, the first vent 110 can discharge the first air conditioning wind into the vehicle interior from the front of the vehicle interior.

However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and the first vent 110 is a defrost vent connected to the front window side of the dashboard, a side vent connected to the side mirror side of the dashboard, and/or a bottom side of the cabin of the dashboard. It may also include a floor vent connected to .

The second vent 120 may discharge the second air conditioning wind to the connection duct 300 connected to the second vent 120.

The second vent 120 may branch from the first vent 110, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The circulation duct 200 may extend along the rail 30.

The circulation duct 200 may be formed integrally with the rail 30, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be separated from the rail 30 and extend in parallel.

The circulation duct 200 may have a ring shape, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

A plurality of first discharge ports 210 and a plurality of second discharge ports 220 that discharge second air conditioning wind may be formed in the circulation duct 200.

The number of first discharge ports 210 and second discharge ports 220 may be equal to the number of seats 20, respectively.

The first discharge port 210 and the second discharge port 220 may be connected to a discharge duct (not shown) installed within the seat 20 moved onto the corresponding discharge port. To this end, the inlet of the discharge duct may be formed in the lower part of the seat 20, and the outlet of the discharge duct may be formed to face the body contact surface of the seat 20, for example, the seating surface or the backrest surface.

Accordingly, the second air conditioning wind can be supplied to the occupants seated in the seat 20 through the discharge duct.

The connection duct 300 may connect the second vent 120 of the air conditioning case 100 and the circulation duct 200.

FIG. 3 is a first arrangement example of the plurality of seats in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a modified example of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a second arrangement example of the plurality of seats in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the plurality of first discharge ports 210 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seats 20 when the plurality of seats 20 are in the first arrangement.

For example, a plurality of seats 20 may be arranged on a plurality of first discharge openings 210.

Accordingly, the plurality of seats 20 can receive the second air conditioning wind from the plurality of first discharge ports 210.

At this time, the plurality of seats 20 may be arranged side by side on the front side of the vehicle compartment with one pair of seats 20 and the other pair of seats 20 may be placed side by side on the rear side of the vehicle compartment, but it is necessarily limited to this. It doesn't work.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5 , the plurality of second discharge ports 220 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seats 20 when the plurality of seats 20 are in the second arrangement.

For example, a plurality of seats 20 may be arranged on a plurality of second discharge openings 220.

Accordingly, the plurality of seats 20 can receive the second air conditioning wind from the plurality of second discharge ports 220.

At this time, as for the plurality of seats 20, one seat 20 may be placed on the front side of the vehicle compartment, another seat 20 may be placed on the rear side of the vehicle compartment, and another pair of seats 20 may be placed on the rear side of the vehicle compartment. ) may be arranged side by side in the middle of the cabin, but are not necessarily limited to this, and the second arrangement may be sufficient as long as it is different from the first arrangement.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the control logic of the vehicle air conditioning system of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the control unit 400 may control a plurality of doors 420 according to the sensing value of the sensor unit 410.

The sensor unit 410 can detect the position and direction of each of the plurality of seats 20.

To this end, the sensor unit 410 may include a position sensor, an infrared sensor, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The door 420 is installed in each of the first vent 110, the second vent 120, the plurality of first discharge holes 210, and the plurality of second discharge holes 220 to open, close, or adjust the opening rate. there is.

Here, the door 420 can be viewed as a concept including a door actuator (not shown).

The control unit 400 may determine the driving mode of the vehicle 1 according to the sensing value of the sensor unit 410.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 400 detects that one of the plurality of seats 20 is placed in the driver's seat position A and faces the front of the vehicle 1, and the occupant It can be judged to be a manual driving mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven directly. Here, the driver's seat position (A) may mean a position where the passenger can operate the steering wheel.

As another example, the control unit 400 operates when one of the plurality of seats 20, as shown in FIG. 4, is placed at the driver's seat position A and does not face the front side of the vehicle 1, or as shown in FIG. 5. Likewise, if it is detected that all of the plurality of seats 20 are arranged away from the driver's seat position (A), it can be determined to be in autonomous driving mode by an autonomous driving system (autonomous system).

The control unit 400 may determine the autonomous driving mode by dividing it into a first sub-mode or a second sub-mode.

The plurality of seats 20 may be arranged in the driver's seat position A as shown in FIG. 4 in the first submode, and all seats 20 as shown in FIG. 5 in the second submode. This can be arranged away from the driver's seat position (A).

The control unit 400 may control a plurality of doors 420 according to the result of determining the driving mode of the vehicle 1.

For example, when determining the manual driving mode, the control unit 400 may control the air volume discharged from the first vent 110 to be greater than the air volume discharged from the second vent 120. For example, compared to the total air volume discharged, the air volume discharged from the first vent 110 may be 80%, and the air volume discharged from the second vent 120 may be 20%.

Therefore, a more comfortable environment can be provided to the driver looking toward the front of the cabin.

At this time, the plurality of seats 20 may be in the first arrangement. In this case, the control unit 400 may open only the first plurality of discharge holes 210 among the plurality of first discharge holes 210 and the plurality of second discharge holes 220.

Accordingly, air conditioning of the entire cabin may be mainly achieved by the first air conditioning wind discharged from the first vent 110, and seat air conditioning may be achieved by the second air conditioning wind discharged from the plurality of first outlets 210.

As another example, if the control unit 400 determines that the autonomous driving mode is in place, it may open only the second vent 120 among the first vent 110 and the second vent 120.

Among the plurality of seats 20, the seat 20 disposed on the front side of the cabin may be arranged to face the rear of the vehicle 1 in autonomous driving mode, and in this case, the air conditioning wind discharged from the first vent 110 This is because it is blocked by the backrest of the seat 20, making it impossible to efficiently air condition the entire cabin.

At this time, the plurality of seats 20 may be in a first arrangement (first submode) or a second arrangement (second submode).

When the plurality of seats 20 are in the first arrangement (first submode), the control unit 400 sets the air volume discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports 210 to be greater than the air volume discharged from the plurality of second discharge ports 220. This can be controlled so that when the plurality of seats 20 are in the second arrangement (second submode), the air volume discharged from the plurality of second discharge ports 220 is greater than the air volume discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports 210. It can be controlled to form.

For example, in the first submode, the air volume discharged from the first outlet 210 may be 80%, and the air volume discharged from the second outlet 220 may be 20%, compared to the total air volume discharged, in the first submode. Additionally, in the second submode, the air volume discharged from the first outlet 210 may be 20%, and the air volume discharged from the second outlet 220 may be 80% compared to the total air volume discharged.

Therefore, in the first sub-mode, the entire cabin air conditioning can be mainly achieved by the second air conditioning wind discharged from the plurality of second discharge ports 220, and the seat air conditioning can be mainly achieved by the second air conditioning wind discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports 210. It can be done by wind. Similarly, in the second submode, the entire cabin air conditioning can be mainly achieved by the second air conditioning wind discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports 210, and the seat air conditioning can be mainly achieved by the second air conditioning wind discharged from the plurality of first discharge ports 210. This can be achieved by air conditioning.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the connection duct 300 may be connected to the circulation duct 200 between the driver's seat position (A) and the passenger seat position (B), and the circulation duct 200 may include a connection duct ( It may include a pair of left and right selection doors 430 that respectively open and close the first flow path between the 300) and the driver's seat position (A) and the second flow path between the connection duct 300 and the passenger seat position (B).

The sensor unit 410 may detect whether the occupant is seated on each of the plurality of seats 20.

To this end, the sensor unit 410 may include a pressure sensor, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The control unit 400 can determine whether the occupant is seated in each of the plurality of seats 20 according to the sensing value of the sensor unit 410, and adjusts the seat so that the second air conditioning wind is supplied only to the seat 20 where the occupant is seated. The door 420 of the discharge ports 210 and 220 connected to (20) can be controlled.

Therefore, more comfortable and efficient seat air conditioning for passengers may be possible.

When the plurality of seats 20 are in the first arrangement and the passenger is seated only on the seat 20 in the driver's seat position (A), the control unit 400 controls the pair of left and right selection doors 430 to open the first flow path. can be opened while the second euro channel can be closed.

Therefore, more comfortable and efficient seat air conditioning for the driver may be possible.

Above, embodiments of the present invention have been examined in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications, changes, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. will be. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the attached drawings are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but are for illustrative purposes, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the attached drawings. . The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

1: Vehicle 10: Air conditioning system
20: Seat 30: Rail
100: air conditioning case 110: first vent
120: second vent 200: circulation duct
210: first outlet 220: second outlet
300: Connection duct 400: Control unit
410: Sensor unit 420: Door 430: Left and right selection door

Claims (15)

A plurality of seats that move within the cabin;
An air conditioning case that discharges air conditioning wind;
a circulation duct supplying the air-conditioning wind to the plurality of seats in a movement path of the plurality of seats;
A connection duct connected to the circulation duct;
A sensor unit that detects the position and direction of each of the plurality of seats; and
a control unit that determines a driving mode of the vehicle according to the sensing value of the sensor unit;
Includes,
The air conditioning case has a first vent discharging first air conditioning wind into the vehicle compartment and a second vent discharging second air conditioning wind into the connecting duct,
The circulation duct is formed along a rail to which the plurality of seats are movably coupled, and includes a plurality of first discharge ports disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seats when the plurality of seats are in a first arrangement, and the plurality of first discharge ports. When the seats are in a second arrangement different from the first arrangement, a plurality of second discharge ports are disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seats,
A door is installed at each of the first vent, the second vent, the plurality of first discharge openings, and the plurality of second discharge openings, and the control unit is configured to control the plurality of doors according to the driving mode of the vehicle. Vehicle air conditioning system. delete delete According to claim 1,
The first vent is an air conditioning device for a vehicle that discharges the first air conditioning wind into the vehicle interior from the front of the vehicle interior. According to claim 1,
The circulation duct is a vehicle air conditioning device in a ring shape. delete According to claim 1,
The control unit,
An air conditioning system for a vehicle that determines the manual driving mode when one of the plurality of seats is placed in the driver's seat position and faces the front of the vehicle. According to clause 7,
The control unit,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle that controls the air volume discharged from the first vent to be greater than the air volume discharged from the second vent in the manual driving mode. According to clause 8,
The plurality of seats are in the first arrangement in which one pair of seats is arranged side by side on the front side and another pair of seats are arranged side by side on the rear side in the manual driving mode,
The control unit,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle that opens only the first plurality of discharge ports among the plurality of first discharge ports and the plurality of second discharge ports in the manual driving mode. According to claim 1,
The control unit,
An air conditioning system for a vehicle that determines the autonomous driving mode when one of the plurality of seats is placed in the driver's seat position and faces the rear of the vehicle, or when all of the plurality of seats are arranged away from the driver's seat position. According to claim 10,
The control unit,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle that opens only the second vent among the first vent and the second vent in the autonomous driving mode. According to claim 10,
The autonomous driving mode is,
a first submode in which one seat among the plurality of seats is placed at the driver's seat position; and
An air conditioning system for a vehicle including a second submode in which all of the plurality of seats are arranged away from the driver's seat position. According to claim 12,
The plurality of seats are in the first arrangement in which one pair of seats is arranged side by side on the front side and another pair of seats are arranged side by side on the rear side in the first submode,
The control unit,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle that controls the discharge air volume of the plurality of first discharge ports to be greater than the discharge air volume of the plurality of second discharge ports in the first submode. According to claim 12,
The plurality of seats are arranged in the second submode, where one seat is arranged at the front side, another seat is arranged at the rear side, and the remaining pair of seats are arranged side by side in the middle,
The control unit,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle that controls the discharge air volume of the plurality of second discharge ports to be greater than the discharge air volume of the plurality of first discharge ports in the second submode. According to claim 1,
An air conditioning device for a vehicle in which air discharged from a circulation duct passes through the plurality of seats to form a flow path for cooling the test driver.

Images