WO2001074615A1

WO2001074615A1 - Expansion valve and vehicle air conditioning unit using the expansion valve

Info

Publication number: WO2001074615A1
Application number: PCT/JP2000/004067
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kunihiko Nishishita; Hideki Nagano
Original assignee: Zexel Corporation
Priority date: 2000-04-04
Filing date: 2000-06-22
Publication date: 2001-10-11

Abstract

Expansion valves simple in construction, less in number of parts, and high in sealability around the periphery thereof, and a vehicle air conditioning unit using these expansion valves, wherein a seal structural part (42) in contact with the inner peripheral edge of a seal member (10) closing an opening part (5) of an air conditioning duct (2) is formed integrally with the expansion valves (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 4G, 4H, 4J, and 4K) positioned at the opening part (5), whereby the number of parts can be reduced because the parts in contact with the seal member (10) need not be manufactured separately and also, because an expansion valve main body (40) is formed integrally with the seal structural part (10), the leakage of refrigerant at that portion can be prevented.

Description

Description Expansion valve and vehicle air conditioning unit using it

The present invention has a pair of passages connected to an evaporator constituting a refrigeration cycle, and an expansion valve arranged between a space where the evaporator is arranged and a space where other components of the refrigeration cycle are arranged. The present invention also relates to an air conditioning unit for a vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle using the expansion valve. Background art

Generally, in air conditioners installed in vehicles, condensers and compressors are arranged on the dash panel in the engine room, and evaporator cases (air conditioning ducts) with evaporators are arranged on the dash panel in the cabin. The condenser, compressor, expansion valve and evaporator are connected by piping to form a refrigeration cycle and circulate the refrigerant. On the other hand, the expansion valve is provided on a refrigerant pipe extending from the evaporator, or is directly connected to a pair of refrigerant inlet / outlet portions juxtaposed on the side of the evaporator. The opening is arranged near the opening of the dash panel formed at a position corresponding to the opening and the opening, and the opening is kept airtight by the sealing material and grommet near the expansion valve. ing.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-100654 discloses that an expansion valve is composed of a main body and a connecting member for connecting a refrigerant pipe to the main body, and that an expansion valve is provided between the main body and the connecting member pipe. Configuration with cover member (grommet mounting member) Is disclosed. Further, the grommet for attaching the expansion valve to the panel has a structure in which the outer peripheral portion is sandwiched and fixed between the air conditioning duct and the dash panel, and the inner peripheral portion is closely fixed to the cover member. Is doing.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-279845, a cover for covering the block (body) of the expansion valve is attached, a flange (packing) is provided on the outer periphery of the cover, and the outer periphery 緣 of the flange is attached to the dashboard. A sandwiched configuration is disclosed.

However, in the technology disclosed in the former publication, the grommet mounting member is provided separately from the main body, and the number of parts increases because the grommet mounting member is fixed to the main body. At the same time, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated because a seal structure is required for a fixing portion between the grommet mounting member and the main body.

In addition, the technique disclosed in the latter publication also requires a cover member and a flange for covering the main body, so that there is a disadvantage that the number of parts increases. Further, since the cover member covers the expansion valve, it is necessary to incorporate the diaphragm unit in the main body, and thus the structure of the expansion valve becomes complicated and the expansion valve becomes large. Disclosure of the invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an expansion valve having a simple structure, a small number of parts, and an improved sealing performance at the periphery of the expansion valve. Also, an air conditioning unit for a vehicle using the expansion valve is provided. Is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a pair of passages connected to an evaporator constituting a refrigeration cycle, and a space in which the evaporator is arranged and a space in which other components of the refrigeration cycle are arranged. And an expansion valve disposed between the evaporator and the evaporator. An expansion valve body having a valve mechanism for expanding, a control means for controlling the valve mechanism based on at least one of pressure and temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator; The passage extends in the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction and is formed integrally with the expansion valve body, and seals between a space in which the evaporator is arranged and a space in which other components of the refrigeration cycle are arranged. And a sealing structure part with which the sealing member abuts.

Thereby, the expansion valve disposed between the space in which the evaporator is disposed and the space in which the other components of the refrigeration cycle are disposed, the space in which the evaporator is disposed and the other configuration of the refrigeration cycle. Since the seal structure that makes contact with the seal member that closes the space where the components are arranged is in contact with each other, there is no need to separately manufacture the parts that the seal member contacts, and the number of components can be reduced. . In addition, since the expansion valve body and the seal structure are formed integrally, it is possible to prevent refrigerant leakage at that portion.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the seal structure has a symmetrical shape in the left-right direction and the up-down direction toward the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction. Preferably, a cross section of the seal structure section perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction is a substantially rectangular shape having four corners formed in an R shape, and a pair of sides or short sides parallel along the longitudinal direction. Any one of a pair of sides parallel in the hand direction may be formed in an R shape. Further, a cross section of the seal structure portion perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow Z outflow direction may be substantially elliptical or circular.

With this, by making the cross-sectional shape of the seal structure portion into an R shape, an elliptical shape, a circular shape, or the like, it is possible to improve the sealing property between the seal member, particularly the grommet. is there. When the four corners are rounded, the extruded material of the main body can be improved in formability and dimensional accuracy. Things.

Further, the cross section of the seal structure portion perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction may be one of a pair of sides parallel along a longitudinal direction or a pair of sides parallel along a short direction. It may have a portion formed in a straight line. By providing this linear portion, the handling and drips in the production of the expansion valve are improved, so that the production workability can be improved.

Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the expansion valve body may be the same as the seal structure. Thus, the expansion valve body and the seal structure can be easily formed. On the other hand, when the shapes of the expansion valve main body and the seal structure are made different, specifically, the seal structure is made to have the above-described shape suitable for improving the sealing property. If the main body is made as small as possible, the weight of the expansion valve can be reduced.

Further, it is preferable that the seal structure portion extends from the expansion valve body to the evaporator side. As a result, the seal structure is located on the boundary between the engine room and the air conditioning duct, and the expansion valve body is located on the engine room side, so that space in the air conditioning duct can be secured. Further, the shape of the periphery of the opening of the air conditioning duct can be simplified. In addition, since the expansion valve is located on the engine room side, maintenance of the expansion valve is easy.

Further, the expansion valve communicates the condenser side with the inflow side of the evaporator and communicates at least a first passage provided with a valve mechanism with the outflow side of the evaporator and the suction side of the compressor. And a second passage having at least temperature detection means and pressure detection means for driving the valve mechanism, wherein an outflow side of the first passage and the evaporator The inflow side of the evaporator, the outflow side of the evaporator and the inflow side of the second passage may be connected by a pipe, and the expansion valve connects the condenser side and the inflow side of the evaporator. A first passage communicating with at least a valve mechanism and communicating with an outlet side of the evaporator and a suction side of the compressor and at least a temperature detecting means and a pressure detecting means for driving the valve mechanism; A second passage having an outflow side of the first passage and an inflow side of the evaporator; an outflow side of the evaporator and an inflow side of the second passage are arranged on one side in the stacking direction of the evaporator. It may be directly connected to a pair of entrances and exits arranged in parallel. Further, in the vehicle air conditioner using the above-described expansion valve, the evaporator is disposed in an air conditioning duct disposed in a vehicle interior, the other components of the refrigeration cycle are disposed in an engine room, and The expansion valve is disposed in an opening portion opened in the air conditioning duct and a dash panel of the engine room.

Further, the seal member includes a grommet including an outer contact portion that fits and adheres to the periphery of the opening of the air conditioning duct, and an inner contact portion that contacts and adheres to the seal structure of the expansion valve. Preferably, the inner contact portion of the grommet includes a horizontal surface that contacts an outer peripheral side surface of the seal structure, and a vertical surface that contacts an end surface of the seal structure in the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction. It is desirable to be constituted by Since the inner peripheral contact portion of the grommet is formed in an L-shape that is in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the end of the seal structure, the sealing performance at the end of the seal structure can be improved. In addition, at least one slit may be formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the seal structure along the outer peripheral side, and the compatibility between the seal structure and the seal member, particularly, the grommet may be improved. Since it can be improved, the sealing property is further improved. Further, it is desirable that the external contact portion of the grommet further engages with the periphery of the opening of the dash panel to make close contact therewith. As a result, the grommet can also serve as a seal between the dash panel and the air conditioning duct, so that the number of parts can be further reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mounted state of a vehicle air conditioning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration of an expansion valve according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 (a) is a side view showing the expansion valve according to the first embodiment, FIG. 3 (b) is a back view thereof, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the grommet according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view of the grommet according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a rear view of the expansion valve according to the third embodiment, FIG. 7 is a rear view of the expansion valve according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an expansion valve according to the fourth embodiment. 9 is a rear view of the expansion valve according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a side view of the expansion valve according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing another example of a mounted state of the vehicle air conditioning unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the vehicle according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing an installation state of an expansion valve. FIG. 13 (a) is a side view showing an expansion valve according to an eighth embodiment, and FIG. 13 (b) is a side view. FIG. 14 (a) is a side view showing the expansion valve according to the ninth embodiment, and FIG. 14 (b) is a rear view thereof. FIG. 15 (a) is a side view showing the expansion valve according to the tenth embodiment, FIG. 15 (b) is a rear view thereof, and FIG. 16 (a) 1 is a side view showing an expansion valve according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 16 (b) is a rear view thereof. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

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

The vehicle air conditioning unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, constitutes a unit on the vehicle cabin side of an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle, The air-conditioning duct 2 includes an evaporator 3 provided at least with a blower and a heater unit (not shown) in the air-conditioning duct 2, and an expansion valve 4 provided on an outflow / inflow side of the evaporator 3. You.

The air conditioning duct 2 is mounted and fixed on the interior side of a dashboard 6 that divides an engine room 8 and a vehicle interior 9, and has an air conditioning duct opening 5 formed in the air conditioning duct 2 and a dash panel. The dash panel opening 7 formed in the panel 6 is arranged so as to be aligned, and the expansion valve 4 is arranged on this boundary line. The air-conditioning duct opening 5 is closed by a grommet 10 as a sealing member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the expansion valve 4 has a block main body 40 including an expansion valve main body 41 and a seal structure 42, and the block main body 40 has piping from a condenser (not shown). (Pipe 61 in FIG. 11) is connected to the liquid-phase refrigerant inflow opening 43 and the inflow side of the evaporator 3 (the inlet 63 in FIG. 1 and the inlet piping 64 in FIG. 11). A first refrigerant passage 45 communicating between the evaporator-side outlets 44 communicating with the first refrigerant passage 45 is formed, and a valve mechanism 50 is provided on the first refrigerant passage 45. Further, the block main body 40 has an evaporator-side inflow port 46 communicating with the outlet side of the evaporator (the outlet section 65 in FIG. 1 and the outlet pipe 66 in FIG. 11) and a compressor (not shown). The piping to the side (piping 6 2 in Fig. 11) A second refrigerant passage 48 communicating between the phase refrigerant outflow side openings 47 is formed. The evaporator-side outflow port 44 and the evaporator-side inflow port 46 are pipe fitting members 69 (in FIG. 1, plate joints integrally provided with entrances 63, 65 ′, It is welded to the evaporator 3 and is welded to the inlet / outlet piping 64 and 66 in FIG. 11). Incidentally, reference numeral 67 shown in FIG. 3 denotes a hole through which a bolt for fixing the mounting member 69 on the evaporator side from the engine room side passes, and 68 is provided on the engine room side and from the engine room side. It is a screw hole for fixing the pipe mounting member that connects the pipes. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 83 denotes a through hole through which a bolt 81 for fixing the pipe mounting member 69 and the block body 40 passes, and 84 a hole for fixing the pipe mounting member 80. Screw holes.

The valve mechanism 50 includes a valve seat 51 provided on the first refrigerant passage 45 and a refrigerant amount moving with respect to the valve seat 51 and passing through the first refrigerant passage 45. A valve element 52 for restricting, a valve urging mechanism including a spring 53 for urging the valve element 52 toward the valve seat 51 and a valve element contact portion 54, and the valve element 52 The valve 53 is moved against the urging force of the spring 53 and penetrates through the second refrigerant passage 48, and a diaphragm 56 to which an end of the valve rod 55 is fixed. A pressure chamber 57 defined by the diaphragm 56 and filled with a refrigerant of a predetermined density; and a second refrigerant passage 48 positioned on the valve rod 55 side of the diaphragm 56. And a communication space 58 communicating with it. Further, a valve operating portion 59 composed of the diaphragm 56 to which the valve rod 55 is fixed, a pressure chamber 57 and a communication space 58 is provided with a hole 49 formed in the block main body 40 by O. —Mounted via ring 60.

The expansion valve 4 according to the first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). As described above, the block main body 40 includes an expansion valve main body 41, and a seal structure portion 42 extending integrally from the expansion valve main body 41 toward the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction, in particular, toward the evaporator side. In this embodiment, the expansion valve body 41 and the seal structure 42 are formed in different shapes as shown in FIG. 3 (b). In particular, the seal structure 42 has a substantially rectangular shape with four cross-sections formed in an R-shape and a flat shape along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction). A pair of sides L l and L 2 are formed to bulge into an R shape. A pair of sides L 3 and L 4 parallel in the short direction (horizontal direction) is formed in a straight line. Furthermore, the cross section of the seal structure 42 is formed symmetrically in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the grommet 10 has an inner peripheral edge 11 which comes into contact with the seal structure 42, and an opening of the air conditioning duct 2. The dash panel 6 is composed of an outer peripheral edge portion 14 that is connected to the peripheral edge of the dash panel 5 and a dash panel seal portion 16 that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 7 of the dash panel 6. The inner peripheral edge 11 is provided at a horizontal seal portion 12 that abuts against an outer peripheral side surface 4 2 a of the seal structure portion 42, and at an outer peripheral edge of an extension direction end portion 4 2 b of the seal structure portion 42. The outer peripheral edge 14 has a groove 15 into which the peripheral edge of the opening 5 of the air conditioning duct 2 fits. The grommet 10 is It is possible to removably fit into the opening 5. Thus, the grommet 10 is fitted between the seal structure portion 42 of the expansion valve 4 and the peripheral edge of the opening 5 to close the opening. The dash panel seal part 16 of the grommet 10 includes a flange part 17 fitted between the dash panel 6 and the air conditioning duct 2 and an opening part 7 of the dash panel 6. An extension portion 18 abuts on the periphery, and a space between the engine room 8 and the vehicle interior 9 is provided. It shuts off.

As described above, the seal structure 42 extending from the expansion valve body 41 of the expansion valve 4 to the evaporator side is integrally provided, and the seal structure 42 is used to close the opening 5 of the air conditioning duct 2. Since the inner peripheral edge 11 of the socket 10 is made to abut, a simple structure with a reduced number of parts and a reliable sealing property can be obtained.

Hereinafter, expansion valves according to other embodiments will be described. However, the same portions or portions having similar effects are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The expansion valve 4A shown in FIG. 6 is characterized in that the sides L3 and L4 of the cross section of the seal structure 42 of the expansion valve 4 according to the first embodiment also have an R shape. It is. As described above, by forming all sides in the cross section of the seal structure portion 41 into an R shape, the sealing performance between the grommet 10 and the grommet 10 can be improved. Also, in the formation of the block body 40, the formability and dimensional accuracy of the extruded material can be improved.

The expansion valve 4B shown in FIG. 7 has an outer peripheral edge L5 of a cross section of the seal structure portion 42 formed in an elliptical shape. Similarly, the expansion valve 4C shown in FIG. 8 has a retaining portion L7 formed by linearly forming a part of a peripheral edge L6 formed in an elliptical shape. By forming the linear holding portion L7, when the seal structure 42 is gripped, the expansion valve 4C can be maintained perpendicular to the drip direction. Handling and workability at the time can be improved.

The expansion valve 4D shown in FIG. 9 has a cross section of the seal structure 42 formed in a circular shape, and the inner peripheral edge 11 of the grommet 10 is formed in a circular shape in the same manner. To minimize the peripheral distance for the same area. Since it can be set, the sealing performance can be improved.

The expansion valve 4E shown in FIG. 10 has at least one (two in this embodiment) slit (groove) 70 in the seal structure portion 42E along the outer peripheral side surface. It is formed. Also, although not shown, the horizontal seal portion 12 of the grommet 10 is formed with a ridge portion corresponding to the slit 70, and these are combined with each other to seal the surface. This is to improve the quality. Contrary to this embodiment, a convex portion is formed in the seal structure portion 42E, and a groove portion in which the convex portion is formed is formed in the horizontal seal portion 12 of the grommet 10. It is a good thing.

FIG. 11 discloses an expansion valve in which the basic configuration is the same as that of the vehicle air conditioning unit 1 shown in FIG. 1, but the expansion valve body 41 and the seal structure 42 are formed in the same shape. I do. Further, in FIG. 11, the grommet 10 closes only the portion between the west part 42 of the seal opening and the periphery of the opening part 5 of the air conditioning duct 2, and the air conditioning duct 2 It is disclosed that the seal between the dash panel 6 and the dash panel 6 is sealed by another sealing material 83. While the grommet 10 according to the above-described embodiment blocks the opening 5 of the air conditioning duct 2 and simultaneously shuts off the engine room 8 and the vehicle interior 9, the air conditioning duct 10 Since only the opening 5 of the block 2 is closed, the shape of the grommet itself can be simplified.

An expansion valve 4F shown in FIG. 12 as an embodiment formed in the same shape as the expansion valve body 41 and the seal structure 42 shown in FIG. The cross section of 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with four corners formed in an R shape. In the above-described embodiment, the expansion valve body 41 is formed to a necessary minimum, so that weight reduction is achieved. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since they have the same shape, they can be easily formed by an extruded material, and the dimensional accuracy can be further improved. The expansion valve 4G shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and (b) has the same shape as the expansion valve body 41 and the seal structure 42 of the expansion valve 4 shown in FIG. It was formed as follows. The expansion valve 4H shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and (b) is the same as the expansion valve body 41 and the sealing structure 42 of the expansion valve 4A shown in FIG. The expansion valve 4J shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and (b) is the same as the expansion valve body 41 of the expansion valve 4B shown in FIG. The expansion valve 4K shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and (b) has the same shape as that of the expansion valve 4C shown in FIG. And the seal structure 42 have the same shape. Also in these embodiments, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained. Industrial applicability

As described above, according to the present invention, the seal structure is integrally formed by extending from the expansion valve main body of the expansion valve to the evaporator side, and the grommet for closing the opening of the air conditioning duct is provided. Since the peripheral portion is brought into contact with the seal structure, the number of parts can be reduced, cost can be reduced, and refrigerant leakage at the connection portion can be eliminated, so that reliability can be improved.

In addition, the seal structure is formed so that the four corners of the cross section are R-shaped, and a pair of sides located parallel to the cross-section is formed in an R shape, and the cross-section is formed into an elliptical shape and a circular shape. Since it is formed, the formability and dimensional accuracy of the extruded material can be improved.

Furthermore, since the seal structure has an R-shaped shape and the expansion valve body has a minimum necessary shape, the weight of the expansion valve can be reduced. Also, when the expansion valve body and the seal structure have the same shape, the manufacture of the expansion valve can be facilitated. Furthermore, since the seal structure is formed so as to extend from the expansion valve main body to the evaporator side, the expansion valve main body can be positioned on the engine room side, so that the shape near the opening of the air conditioning duct is reduced. It can be simplified.

Furthermore, the grommet not only blocks the opening of the air-conditioning duct, but also shuts off the engine room and the cabin, so the number of parts can be further reduced and cost can be reduced. is there.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An expansion valve having a pair of passages connected to an evaporator constituting a refrigeration cycle and having a space in which the evaporator is arranged and a space in which other components of the refrigeration cycle are arranged. ,

An expansion valve body having at least a valve mechanism for expanding the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator, and control means for controlling the valve mechanism based on at least one of the pressure and the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator; It extends from the expansion valve main body in the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction of the pair of passages and is formed integrally with the expansion valve main body. A space in which the evaporator is disposed and other components of the refrigeration cycle are disposed. An expansion valve, comprising: a sealing member that abuts a sealing member that seals a space with a space.

2. The expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein the seal structure has a symmetrical shape in the left-right direction and the up-down direction toward the refrigerant inflow Z outflow direction.

3. The expansion according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of the seal structure perpendicular to the coolant inflow Z outflow direction is substantially rectangular with four corners formed in an R shape. valve.

4. The cross section of the seal structure perpendicular to the coolant inflow / outflow direction may be either one of a set of parallel sides along the longitudinal direction or a set of parallel sides along the transverse direction. The expansion valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the expansion valve is formed in an R shape.

5. The expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of the seal structure perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction is substantially elliptical.

6. The expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of the seal structure section perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction has a circular shape.

7. The cross section of the seal structure portion perpendicular to the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction may be any one of a set of parallel sides along a longitudinal direction or a set of parallel sides along a short direction. The expansion valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the expansion valve has a portion formed in a straight line.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one slit is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the seal structure portion along the outer peripheral side surface. An expansion valve as described.

9. The cross-sectional shape of the expansion valve body, the seal structure and the expansion valve _c 1 0 according to any one of claims paragraph 1 - paragraph 8, characterized in that the same. The seal The expansion valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the structure portion extends from the expansion valve body toward the evaporator.

11. A first passage in which the condenser side communicates with the inflow side of the evaporator and at least a valve mechanism is provided, and the outflow side of the evaporator and the suction side of the compressor communicate with each other. A second passage having at least temperature detection means and pressure detection means for driving the mechanism,

The outflow side of the first passage and the inflow side of the evaporator, and the outflow side of the evaporator and the inflow side of the second passage are connected by a pipe. Item 11. An expansion valve _{c12 according} to any one of Items 1 to 10, wherein a first passage through which the condenser side communicates with an inflow side of the evaporator and at least a valve mechanism is provided; A second passage which communicates the outlet side with the suction side of the compressor and has at least temperature detecting means and pressure detecting means for driving the valve mechanism; Have

The outflow side of the first passage and the inflow side of the evaporator, the outflow side of the evaporator and the inflow side of the second passage are a pair of entrances and exits arranged side by side on one side of the evaporator in the stacking direction. The expansion valve according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the expansion valve is directly connected to the expansion valve.

13. An air conditioner for a vehicle using the expansion valve according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

The evaporator is disposed in an air conditioning duct disposed in a vehicle compartment, the other components of the refrigeration cycle are disposed in an engine room, and the expansion valve is disposed in the air conditioning duct and the engine room. An air conditioning unit for a vehicle, which is provided in an opening that opens into a dash panel.

14. The seal member includes an outer contact portion that fits and adheres to the periphery of the opening of the air conditioning duct and an inner contact portion that contacts and closely contacts the seal structure of the expansion valve. The vehicle air conditioning unit according to claim 13, wherein the air conditioning unit is a grommet.

15. The inner contact portion of the grommet is configured by a horizontal surface contacting an outer peripheral side surface of the seal structure portion, and a vertical surface contacting an end surface of the seal structure portion in the refrigerant inflow / outflow direction. An air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the air conditioning unit is a vehicle.

16. The vehicle according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the external contact portion of the grommet further engages with and closely adheres to an opening edge of the dash panel. Air conditioning unit.