JPH08295128A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To suppress the reduction of cooling capacity owing to a bypass air flow passing under the side plate of an evaporator, while securing a good draining property of a condensed water when a vehicle is inclined. CONSTITUTION: While a drain hole 3d is provided at the position positioning in the downstream of the air at a specific amount from the upstream of the air, in a side plate 3c provided at the lowermost part of an evaporator 3, the air upstream end of the side plate 3c is abutted to the bottom of a case 1. As a result, the direct flowing-in of a high temperature air not cooled by the evaporator 3 is blocked. The air cooled at a specific level by the evaporator 3 flows to the lower side of the side plate 3c from the drain hole 3d. When a condensed water B flows out to the air upstream of the evaporator 3, the condensed water is let flow to the lower side of the side plate 3c from the drain hole 3d.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle that ensures both cooling ability by an evaporator and improvement of drainage of condensed water. The air conditioner is suitable as an air conditioner for cooling the rear seats configured to blow out cool air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner for cooling a rear seat such as a wagon car (one box car) is installed on a vehicle ceiling and blows cold air to the rear of the passenger compartment. In order not to impair the comfort of the vehicle interior, it is required to minimize the amount of device protrusion from the vehicle ceiling to the lower portion of the vehicle interior.

Therefore, the air conditioner for cooling the rear seats is designed to be horizontally long and have a small vertical dimension. Therefore, the evaporator incorporated in this air conditioner is also designed to have a horizontally long thin shape as shown in FIG. Here, the evaporator 3 shown in FIG. 7 is a well-known surpain type, and has a multi-hole flat tube 3a having a plurality of refrigerant passage holes formed in parallel, a corrugated fin 3b, and upper and lower ends for protecting the corrugated fin 3b. It is integrally brazed with the side plate 3c disposed in the section.

This evaporator 3 is constructed as a so-called horizontal type in which the tube 3a extends in the horizontal direction in order to reduce the number of times the tube 3a is bent in a meandering shape and reduce the refrigerant pressure loss. The blown air is as shown in FIGS.
As indicated by the broken line A, the air is blown in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tubes 3a, and heat is exchanged with the refrigerant via the corrugated fins 3b arranged between the tubes 3a to be cooled.

A blower (not shown) is arranged at a lateral position of the case 1 so that air can flow into the case 1 from a two-dot chain line position 6 at an air upstream side portion of the evaporator 3. Blow-out port 5 for blowing out the cool air cooled by the evaporator 3.
Is open toward the rear of the passenger compartment. In the horizontal type evaporator 3 described above, the side plate 3c is inevitable,
The evaporators 3 are arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the evaporator 3 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the condensed water (solid line B) generated by the cooling action of the evaporator 3 extends along the surface of the tube 3a extending in the horizontal direction of the evaporator 3 and the surface of the side plate 3c. And moves to the air downstream side of the evaporator 3 along with the flow of blown air (broken line A).

Therefore, the side plate 3c of the evaporator 3 is
A space 8 is formed between the lower end surface on the downstream side of the air and the bottom of the air conditioner case 1, through which the condensed water B is guided to a drain pan 9 integrally formed at the bottom of the case 1, and further from a drain port 10. It is designed to be discharged to the outside of Case 1.
When the vehicle is traveling on a steeply descending slope, the air conditioner case 1 is largely inclined so that the air upstream side of the evaporator 3 faces downward as shown in FIG. 8B. Therefore, the condensed water B receives this inclination and flows toward the lower end surface of the evaporator 3 on the air upstream side.

Therefore, in order to drain the condensed water, in the conventional structure, a gap 7 is formed between the lower end surface of the evaporator 3 on the upstream side of the air and the bottom portion of the air conditioner case 1, and the gap 7 is formed.
The condensed water B is guided to the drain pan 9 at the bottom of the case 1 through the. In order to prevent the condensed water flowing toward the lower end surface of the evaporator 3 on the upstream side of the air from flowing out to the blower side (not shown), the air of the side plate 3c of the evaporator 3 is provided at the bottom of the case 1. A water leakage prevention plate 4 is arranged at a portion located on the upstream side of the air by a predetermined amount from the upstream end.

[0008]

However, in the conventional structure, the air gaps 7 and 8 are formed between the air upstream lower end surface and the air downstream lower end surface of the side plate 3c of the evaporator 3 and the bottom of the case 1, respectively. Therefore, the bypass air passage C passing through both the gaps 7 and 8 is always formed on the lower side of the evaporator 3. The air passing through the bypass air passage C is hardly cooled by the evaporator 3, which causes a decrease in cooling capacity.

Further, the high-temperature air passing through the bypass air passage C is suddenly mixed with the low-temperature air passing through the evaporator 3 on the air outlet side of the evaporator 3, and the moisture in the high-temperature air is condensed to form a white mist. There is also the problem of causing a phenomenon. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and for a vehicle that can suppress a decrease in cooling capacity due to a bypass air flow that passes below a side plate of an evaporator while ensuring good drainage of condensed water when the vehicle leans. The purpose is to provide an air conditioner.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means. According to the first aspect of the invention, the horizontally extending tube (3a), the fin (3b) joined to the tube (3a), and the horizontally extending side plate joined to the lowermost portion of the fin (3b). A horizontal type evaporator (3) having (3c), a case (1) accommodating the evaporator (3), and a blower (2) for blowing air to the evaporator (3) are provided. At the bottom of (1) is the evaporator (3)
A drainage port (10) for discharging the condensed water generated in 1. is provided, and the air upstream end of the side plate (3c) abuts the bottom of the case (1), The evaporator (3) is assembled in the case (1) such that an air gap (8) is interposed between the downstream end of the air and the bottom of the case (1). A water drain hole (3d) is formed in a portion of the plate (3c) located on the air downstream side by a predetermined amount from the air upstream side end.
The vehicle air conditioner is provided with.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tube (3a) extending in the horizontal direction, the fin (3b) joined to the tube (3a), and the fin (3b) joined to the lowermost portion of the fin (3b) are provided in the horizontal direction. Extended side plate (3c)
The case (1) is provided with a horizontal type evaporator (3) having the above, a case (1) accommodating the evaporator (3), and a blower (2) for blowing air to the evaporator (3). Is provided with a drain outlet (10) for discharging condensed water generated in the evaporator (3), and an air upstream end of the side plate (3c) is provided at the bottom of the case (1). The evaporator (3) is brought into contact with the case (1) so that the air downstream side end of the side plate (3c) and the bottom of the case (1) have a gap (8) therebetween. The air conditioner for a vehicle, which is installed in the inside of the side plate (3c), and is provided with a drainage notch (3e) in a region from the air upstream side end to the air downstream side by a predetermined amount. Characterized by the device.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first or second aspect, the case (1) is used.
Of the bottom surface of the side plate (3c) at a portion located on the air upstream side from the air upstream end of the side plate (3c) by a predetermined amount, the water leakage prevention plate for preventing the condensed water from further flowing to the air upstream side ( 4) is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air-conditioning system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the blower (2) is arranged adjacent to the side of the case (1). The air outlet side of the blower (2) is connected to the air inlet side of the case (1), and the blower (2) and the case (1) are arranged on the vehicle ceiling as an integral structure. Characterize.

The reference numerals in parentheses of the above means indicate the correspondence with the concrete means described in the embodiments described later.

[0015]

According to the inventions of claims 1 to 4,
Even if the air upstream end of the side plate of the evaporator is brought into contact with the bottom of the case to eliminate the gap at the air upstream end of the side plate, condensation that has fallen to the air upstream side of the evaporator when the vehicle leans Condensed water can be satisfactorily drained to the drain port side through the water drain hole provided in the side plate or the water drainage notch.

Therefore, as in the conventional device, the flow of hot air through the bypass air passage on the lower side of the evaporator can be prevented.
On the other hand, since the air upstream end of the side plate is brought into contact with the bottom of the case, the side plate is provided with a drain hole at a portion located on the air downstream side by a predetermined amount from the air upstream end. The air flowing into the drain hole can be cooled to some extent in advance in the fin portion of the evaporator.

Similarly, when the drainage notch is provided at the air upstream end of the side plate as in the second aspect of the invention, the air upstream end of the side plate is brought into contact with the bottom of the case. Therefore, it is possible to allow the air, which has already passed through the fin portion of the evaporator and has been cooled to some extent, to flow into the drainage notch. As a result, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the cooling capacity due to the installation of the drain hole and the notch for draining to a small value, improve the cooling capacity compared to the conventional device, and mix the hot air in the cold air. It is also possible to prevent the white fog phenomenon caused by.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a resin case of an air conditioner for rear seat cooling, and 2 is a blower, which is arranged adjacent to the side of the case 1. The blower 2 is designed to have substantially the same height as the case 1, and includes a centrifugal fan 2a, a fan driving motor 2b, and a scroll casing 2c.

An air inlet 2d for sucking air in the vehicle compartment is opened on the lower surface of the scroll casing 2c, and a motor 2b is fixed on the upper surface of the scroll casing 2c. The air outlet side of the scroll casing 2c is directly connected to the air inlet side of the case 1,
The rear-seat cooling air-conditioning system composed of the blower 2 and the case 1 is attached to the vehicle ceiling as an integral structure. It should be noted that the two-dot chain line position 6 in FIG. 2 indicates the connecting position between the air outlet side of the scroll casing 2c and the air inlet side of the case 1.

An evaporator 3 is housed in the case 1. The evaporator 3 is provided in a refrigeration cycle having a compressor (not shown) driven by a vehicle engine, and blows air by the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant. Is for cooling. At the end of the case 1 on the downstream side of the air, there is provided an air outlet 5 for blowing out the cool air cooled by the evaporator 3 into the passenger compartment. The outlet 5 is directed rearward in the passenger compartment to cool the rear seats. The air conditioner is attached to the vehicle ceiling.

The evaporator 3 may be of the same surface-pan type as the conventional structure shown in FIG. 7, and is designed in a horizontally long thin shape. This evaporator 3 has its tube 3a
Is configured as a so-called horizontal type, which extends in the horizontal direction, and the blown air is different from the longitudinal direction of the tube 3a (the left-right direction in FIG. 7) as shown by the broken line A in FIGS. The air is blown in a right angle direction and is cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant via the corrugated fins 3b arranged between the tubes 3a.

As described above, the evaporator 3 is integrally brazed with the multi-hole flat tube 3a, the corrugated fins 3b, and the side plates 3c provided at the upper and lower ends for protecting the corrugated fins 3b. In addition, these members are made of an aluminum material, and a gap 8 is formed between the air downstream side end of the lower side plate 3c and the bottom of the case 1.

The gap 8 is formed by partially providing a recess in the bottom of the case 1 corresponding to the position below the air downstream end of the side plate 3c. on the other hand,
No air gap is formed below the air upstream end of the lower side plate 3c, and the air upstream end of the lower side plate 3c is in direct contact with the bottom of the case 1. This prevents blown air from flowing into the lower side of the air upstream end of the lower side plate 3c. Of course, since the upper side plate 3c of the evaporator 3 is entirely in contact with the inner wall of the case 1, blast air does not flow into the upper side plate 3c.

The lower side plate 3c is provided with a drainage hole 3d at a position located on the downstream side of the air by a predetermined amount (for example, about 5 mm) from the end portion on the upstream side of the air. Here, the shape of the drain hole 3d is a horizontally long rectangular shape in this example, as shown in FIG. Since the evaporator 3 has the configuration described above, the air upstream end of the side plate 3c abuts the bottom of the case 1, and the air downstream end of the side plate 3c contacts the case 1.
A space 8 is provided between the case 1 and the bottom of the case 1.
It is installed inside.

Further, in order to drain the condensed water (solid line B in FIG. 2) generated in the evaporator 3, the case 1 is used as in the conventional structure.
The drain pan 9 and the drainage port 10 are integrally formed on the bottom portion, and the condensed water is discharged from the drainage port 10 to the outside of the vehicle compartment through a drain hose (not shown). In addition, the condensed water flowing toward the lower end surface of the evaporator 3 on the air upstream side is
In order to prevent the water from flowing out to the side of the blower 2, the water leakage prevention plate 4 is provided at the bottom of the case 1 at a position further upstream from the air upstream end of the side plate 3c of the evaporator 3 by a predetermined amount. Are integrally molded.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment having the above structure will be described. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the vehicle is traveling on a flat road, in which blown air flows in the evaporator 3 as indicated by a broken line A and is cooled by the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant in the evaporator 3. To be done. At this time, since the air upstream end of the side plate 3c on the lower side of the evaporator 3 is in direct contact with the bottom of the case 1, the air blown below the air upstream end of the side plate 3c on the lower side. Does not flow.

However, a part of the blown air flows into the evaporator 3 and then flows into the lower side of the side plate 3c from the water drain hole 3d, but the air flowing into the water drain hole 3d flows into the evaporator 3. After being cooled in the air upstream portion of the corrugated fin 3b, it passes through the water drain hole 3d. Also, the drain hole 3d
The amount of air flowing in the air also decreases due to the ventilation resistance of the corrugated fins 3b.

Therefore, even if there is air flowing into the water drain hole 3d, the cooling capacity drop due to it is significantly larger than the cooling capacity drop due to the high temperature air flow through the bypass air passage C in the conventional apparatus. It can be reduced. Further, the condensed water generated by the cooling action of the evaporator 3 rides on the flow of the blown air A as shown by the solid line B, moves to the air downstream side of the evaporator 3 along the surface of the tube 3a, and evaporates. It falls downward from the air downstream end of the container 3. Then, it flows into the drain pan 9 through the gap 8 and is discharged from the drainage port 10 to the outside of the case 1.

On the other hand, when the vehicle travels on a steeply descending slope, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the air upstream of the evaporator 3 is greatly inclined so as to face downward. Therefore, condensed water B
Receives this inclination, and flows against the flow of blown air toward the lower end surface of the evaporator 3 on the air upstream side. FIG.
(A) is an enlarged view of the behavior of the flow of condensed water when the air upstream side of the evaporator 3 is inclined downward as described above. The air upstream end of the evaporator 3 and the water leakage prevention are shown. The condensed water B is accumulated to some extent in the space between the plate 4 and the level (water level) of the condensed water B accumulated in this space reaches the position of the drain hole 3d of the side plate 3c on the lower side. Through this drain hole 3d, drain pan 9
To the outside of the case 1 through the drain port 10.

Here, if the water leakage prevention plate 4 is not provided, the condensed water B does not flow into the drain hole 3d and becomes lower than the drain hole 3d as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The air flows toward the most upstream end of the case 1, flows from here to the blower 2 side, and leaks into the vehicle compartment from the suction port 2d of the blower 2. In order to solve this problem, the water leak prevention plate 4 is required.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), if the distance L between the upstream end of the evaporator 3 and the drain hole 3d is increased, the condensed water B flows into the drain hole 3d. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the height of the water leakage prevention plate 4 to increase the amount of the condensed water B accumulated in the water leakage prevention plate 4 portion. If the height of the water leakage prevention plate 4 is too high, it causes an increase in air flow resistance, which leads to a decrease in the air flow rate, a decrease in the cooling capacity, etc., and must be avoided.

Therefore, it is preferable that the opening position of the water drain hole 3d be limited to a predetermined value from the air upstream side end of the side plate 3c. Further, in order to cool the air flowing into the water drainage hole 3d and suppress the deterioration of the cooling capacity, it is necessary for the air to pass through the corrugated fin 3b portion by a predetermined distance before flowing into the water drainage hole 3d. . According to the experiments and studies conducted by the present inventors, the height of the water leakage prevention plate 4 should be set to be about 5 mm from the air upstream side end of the side plate 3c. It has been found that it is the most preferable for suppressing and securing the cooling effect of the inflowing air into the water drain hole 3d.

The opening area of the drainage hole 3d may be set according to the amount of condensed water generated, and in order to suppress the amount of air flowing into the drainage hole 3d, the minimum amount of condensed water that can be discharged. It is better to set to the size of. 4A and 4B show the side plate 3c, the water drainage hole 3d and the water leakage prevention plate 4.
The unit is mm, and the prototype based on this specific size example was tested and examined. In terms of both drainage of condensed water and cooling capacity, , Good results were obtained.

When the vehicle is traveling on a steep uphill, the evaporator 3 inclines in a direction in which the air downstream side of the evaporator 3 is downward, so that the condensed water is inclined in the evaporator 3 and blows air. The flow moves to the downstream side of the evaporator 3 in the air direction. Therefore, as in the case of traveling on a flat road in FIG. 2A, the gas is discharged from the gap 8 through the drain pan 9 and the drain port 10 to the outside of the case 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, the water leakage prevention plate 4 is formed by projecting from the bottom of the case 1 into a flat plate shape as in the above-mentioned example. Not limited to this, as shown in FIG. 5, a part of the bottom of the case 1 may be bent in a convex shape to form the water leakage prevention plate 4. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, instead of the water drainage hole 3d, a drainage notch 3e may be provided in a region from the air upstream end of the side plate 3c to the air downstream side by a predetermined amount. The effect can be obtained.

That is, in another example of FIG. 6, FIG.
Two rectangular drainage notches 3e are formed at positions corresponding to the two rectangular drainage holes 3d in (a), and the specific unit of dimension is mm. Also in this example,
The side of the air upstream side of the side plate 3c (the left and right protruding portions and the middle protruding portion of the drainage notch 3e) is attached to the case 1
It is the same as the above-mentioned example that it is brought into contact with the bottom surface of.

Further, the fins 3b of the evaporator 3 are arranged up to the air upstream side end of the side plate 3c, so that the fins 3b extend to the site where the drainage notch 3e is formed. Therefore, the air cooled to some extent in the fins 3b can be made to flow into the drainage notch 3e, so that the cooling capacity deterioration due to the drainage notch 3e can be suppressed slightly.

The numbers of the water drainage holes 3d and the water drainage notches 3e are not limited to two as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and may be subdivided into three or more or one. Various modifications can be made as necessary. Further, the shapes of the water drainage hole 3d and the water drainage notch 3e may be formed in an appropriate hole shape instead of being rectangular. The evaporator 3 is not limited to the serpent type in which the multi-hole flat tube 3a shown in FIG. 7 is bent in a meandering shape, but the tube 3a is formed by laminating and joining two metal thin plates. Of course, a laminated evaporator can be used. In this case also, the laminated evaporator is the same as the horizontally placed type in which the tube 3a thereof extends in the horizontal direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan sectional view of an apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the apparatus.

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

3 (a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 2 (b),
(B), (c) is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of an example in which (a) is modified.

FIG. 4A is a plan view showing a specific example of dimensions of a lower side plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a specific example of dimensions of a water leakage prevention plate. is there.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing another example of the water leakage prevention plate according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another example of the lower side plate in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an evaporator used for explaining the present invention and a conventional device.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Air conditioner case, 2 ... Blower, 3 ... Evaporator, 3a ...
Tube, 3b ... Corrugated fin, 3c ... Side plate, 3d ... Drainage hole, 3e ... Drainage notch, 4 ...
Water leakage prevention plate, 8 ... void, 9 ... drain pan, 10 ... drainage port.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A horizontal type evaporator having a horizontally extending tube, a fin joined to the tube, and a side plate extending to the lowermost portion of the fin and extending horizontally, and the evaporator is housed. And a blower that blows air to the evaporator, the bottom of the case is provided with a drainage outlet for discharging condensed water generated in the evaporator, and the air upstream end of the side plate is provided. The evaporator is assembled in the case such that it abuts on the bottom of the case and an air downstream side end of the side plate interposes a gap between the side plate and the bottom of the case. An air conditioner for a vehicle, characterized in that a drain hole is provided in a portion of the plate that is located on the air downstream side by a predetermined amount from the air upstream side end portion. 2. A horizontal type evaporator having a horizontally extending tube, a fin joined to the tube, and a side plate extending at the bottom of the fin and extending horizontally, and the evaporator is housed. And a blower that blows air to the evaporator, the bottom of the case is provided with a drainage outlet for discharging condensed water generated in the evaporator, and the air upstream end of the side plate is provided. The evaporator is assembled in the case such that it abuts on the bottom of the case and an air downstream side end of the side plate interposes a gap between the side plate and the bottom of the case. An air conditioner for a vehicle, characterized in that a notch for draining water is provided in a region of the plate extending from an end portion on the air upstream side to a downstream side by a predetermined amount. 3. A water leak that prevents the condensed water from flowing further to the air upstream side at a portion of the bottom surface of the case that is located on the air upstream side by a predetermined amount from the air upstream side end of the side plate. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a prevention plate. 4. The blower is disposed adjacent to a side of the case, the air outlet side of the blower is coupled to the air inlet side of the case, and the blower and the case are integrated into a vehicle ceiling portion. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is provided.