JPS61263822A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make improvements in air-conditioning capacity, by dividing a suction port part of a blower into two suction zones by a partition device and, upon installing each of these suction zones in a car room, interconnecting them to a lower inside air suction port, while making each independent air-conditioning air possible to be circulated through both upper and lower spaces inside the car room. CONSTITUTION:A volute blower casing 20, whose suction port part 21 is partitioned off into a cab upper air suction zone 21a and a cab lower air suction zone 21b by a partition plate 32, is installed in a blower case part A1 of an air-conditioning duct A. Each of these suction zones 21a and 21b is interconnected to upper and lower inside-air suction ports 70 and 80 via interconnecting ducts 71a and 80a. And, the inside of an air-conditioning duct casing 1 is divided into a first and second ventilating passages (a) and (b) by a partition wall 10 along a ventilating direction. This partition wall 10 is set up so as to relatively widen a cross-sectional area of the first ventilating passage (a) at the upstream side of a heat exchanger 3 for cooling air generation as well as to relatively widen a cross-sectional area of the second ventilating passage (b) at an interval ranging from the downstream side of the former to the downstream side of a heat exchanger 4 for hot air generation, respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an air conditioner for an automobile that can more finely adjust the temperature distribution inside a vehicle.

[Prior Art] In order to obtain a comfortable living space that is both sensually and physiologically desirable, it has long been said that the lower part of the body is relatively warmer than the upper part of the body, a so-called cold-head-warm-foot state. It is necessary to achieve this, and these days, there is a growing demand for such a function to cool the head and keep the feet warm in the interior air conditioning systems of automobiles. As one of the countermeasures, for example,
2, etc., it is equipped with an intake inlet and an outlet for the conditioned air, an internal blower for intake and exhaust, a heat exchanger for heating or cooling the air, and adjusting the temperature of the outlet air by adjusting the temperature of the air by adjusting the temperature of the cooled air and hot air. The interior of an air conditioning duct containing an air mix damper, etc. for adjusting A method has been proposed in which a function is provided to blow out air, and the blown air is used to perform the air conditioning work of the upper space and the lower space of the vehicle interior.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, the method of dividing the inside of the air conditioning duct into two to form two ventilation passages each having an air conditioning function is to It is effective in that the temperature of the blown air can be adjusted more precisely, but when the air blown into the vehicle interior returns to the air conditioning duct for recirculation to replenish the consumed thermal energy, the air intake is Because they are common, it has not been possible to control the circulation paths of the two air streams that are discharged from the outlet of the air conditioning duct, travel around the passenger compartment, and return to the intake port.

The present invention creates independent circulation flows of air-conditioning air in the upper space and lower space of the vehicle interior, thereby creating a more ideal air-conditioning condition with cold head and warm feet more clearly, and further improving this air-conditioning condition. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner for automobiles that can be precisely controlled.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the automotive air conditioner of the present invention includes an inlet provided with means for switching and introducing air inside or outside the vehicle, an upper outlet, a lower outlet, etc. A blower connected to the inlet, an air conditioning heat exchanger, a damper for selectively opening and closing the outlet group, an air mix damper, etc. are housed in order from the upstream side in a duct having a group of outlets. The air conditioner for an automobile includes a blower intake port partitioning means for dividing the intake port of the blower into an intake area for upper air in the width room and an intake area for air in the lower part of the vehicle interior; , an upper inside air intake port that communicates with the upper air intake area and is used in combination with the upper air outlet to generate an upper circulation air flow within the vehicle interior; and an upper inside air intake port that is provided at a lower part of the vehicle interior and communicates with the lower air intake area. and a lower internal air intake port for generating a lower circulating air flow in the vehicle interior in combination with the lower air outlet; A configuration is adopted that includes a partition wall for dividing the air passage into two parts: a first ventilation passage extending from the lower suction area to the lower air outlet; and a second ventilation passage extending from the lower suction area to the lower air outlet.

[Function] The automotive air conditioner of the present invention having the above-described configuration is capable of controlling air sucked by the blower from the upper inside air intake port when the air switching/introducing means is switched to the inside air intake side. is sucked into the upper suction area of the blower, and while passing through the first ventilation path in the air conditioning duct, the air conditioning heat exchanger, air mix damper, etc. work to achieve the desired blowout temperature and blowout. The amount is adjusted and it is discharged from the upper outlet. After the discharged air is diffused into the vehicle interior by wind pressure, it is sucked into the upper suction port provided closer to the upper air outlet, thereby forming one circulating air flow for air conditioning in the upper space of the vehicle interior.

On the other hand, the air taken in from the lower internal air intake port is similarly adjusted in temperature and air flow rate while passing through the second ventilation path, and then discharged from the lower air outlet. Another air-conditioning circulating air flow is generated in the lower space of the vehicle interior by being sucked into the lower intake port, and the upper space and lower space of the vehicle interior can be air-conditioned almost completely independently.

[Example] The structure of the present invention will be specifically described below based on the example shown in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a device as an embodiment of the device of the present invention, in which A is an air conditioning duct, B is a means for switching and introducing air inside or outside the vehicle (inside and outside air in the industry). (switching box), C1 and C2 are duct unit parts for intake of internal air, Di and C2 are duct unit parts for blowing out the air conditioned air, and the air conditioning duct A is further divided into a blower case part A1, a cooling case part A2 and a heater case part. It is constructed by connecting A3. To explain the symbols in the figure in order, 1 is the air conditioning duct casing, and 3 is the air conditioning duct casing as described above.
Consists of a combination of parts. Reference numeral 3 denotes an evaporator as a heat exchanger for generating cold air, and receives a circulating supply of refrigerant from the on-vehicle refrigeration system. Reference numeral 4 denotes a heater core for generating warm air, which receives circulating supply of engine cooling hot water. 16 and 17 are the hot water pipes, 7 is the upper outlet, 7a and 71 are the extension duct and outlet grille, 8 is the lower outlet, and 8a and 81 are the extension duct and outlet grille. 10 is a partition wall for dividing the inside of the air conditioning duct casing 1 into two along the ventilation direction, and a and b are respectively a first ventilation passage and a second ventilation passage formed by the installation of this partition wall. The first ventilation passage a has the role of heating the conditioned air in the upper space of the vehicle interior, and the second ventilation passage a has the role of controlling the temperature of the air for conditioning the lower space of the interior of the vehicle.

The position where this partition wall 10 is installed in the air conditioning duct casing 1 is such that on the upstream side of the cold air generation heat exchanger 3, the air that follows the first ventilation path a is higher than the air that follows the second ventilation path. In order to achieve stronger cooling, the cross-sectional area of the first ventilation path a is relatively widened, and from the downstream side of the cold air generation heat exchanger 3 to 1! While reaching the downstream side of the wind generation heat exchanger 4, the second ventilation path is arranged so that the air that follows the second ventilation path absorbs more heat energy than the air that follows the first ventilation path a. It is desirable that consideration be given to making the cross-sectional area of the first ventilation passage a relatively wider than that of the first ventilation passage a.

Reference numerals 5 and 6 designate air mix dampers attached to the air inlets of the heater cores 4 disposed in the first and second ventilation paths, respectively. 11 is a defrost outlet which blows out air for preventing fogging of the windshield.

Reference numeral 12 indicates first and second
13 is a damper for switching between the upper air outlet and the defrost air outlet for selectively opening and closing the upper air outlet lower and the defrost air outlet 11; 14 is a communication port between the lower air outlet 8 and the communication port 12 of the ventilation passage;
15 is a defrost damper. 20 is a spiral blower casing, 21 is an intake port thereof, and 32 is an intake port 21 that connects the intake port 21 to the intake area 2 for upper air in the vehicle interior.
This is a partition plate that serves as a partitioning means for partitioning the intake area 1a and the intake area 21b for lower air in the vehicle interior. Reference numeral 30 designates an inside/outside air switching box having a valve seat function for an inside/outside air switching valve as means for switching and introducing air inside or outside the vehicle, and is provided with a cylindrical wall surface 30C for fitting a cylindrical valve body 31, which will be described in detail later. One cylindrical end opening of this cylindrical space faces the intake port 21 of the blower casing 20.

10 is an upper inside air intake port, 80 is a lower inside air intake port,
70a and 80a are communication ducts for communicating these suction ports with the upper air suction area 21a and the lower air suction area 21b of the suction port 21 of the blower casing 20, respectively;
111 is a defrost outlet grille, and Ila is a defrost duct.

Figures 2 and 3 are a longitudinal sectional view in the front direction of the blower case portion A1 and a sectional view in the (d)-(d) direction of Fig. 2, respectively, where 22 is a compressed air discharge port, and 26 is a spiral The nose portion of the blower casing 20, 27 is a dividing guide for more clearly dividing the air flow flowing inside the casing 20 toward the discharge port 22 into two flows, and 23 is a motor for driving the blower fan 2. be.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the joined state of the blower case part A1 and the inside/outside air switching box B, and the specific structure of the inside/outside air switching valve, in which 30 is a cylindrical internal/external air switching box, 30a and 30b. are an outside air intake port and an inside air intake port provided on the peripheral wall surface of the inside/outside air switching box 30, and one open cylinder end 30d of the switching box 30 is connected to the intake port 21 of the blower casing 20 with a screw 3.
7. Reference numeral 31 denotes a cylindrical valve body, which is rotatably fitted into the inside/outside air switching box 30 with one release side cylinder end 31d facing the intake port 21 of the blower casing. The aforementioned partition wall 32 is fitted into this cylindrical valve body 31 so as to divide the inner space into two equal parts along the cylinder axis direction, and the interior is divided into two compartments 31b and 3.
1c, and the outside air inlet 30a or the inside air inlet 3 provided in the outside air switching box 30 so as to equally straddle these two compartments, and when the valve body is rotated.
A valve port 31a is provided on the cylindrical wall surface in a positional relationship that is aligned with the cylindrical valve body 31, and the other cylindrical end of the cylindrical valve body 31 is sealed by an end plate 31e. The blower casing 20, the valve body 31, and the inside/outside air switching box 30 are all made by molding hard synthetic resin or the like. 34 is a rotating shaft of the cylindrical valve body 31, and 35 is a rotating rod fixed to the rotating shaft 34.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of each component unit for facilitating the beating of the overall structure of the embodiment apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and the reference numerals in the figure are the same as those described above.

FIG. 6 is a sketch of the front part of the driver's seat of an automobile, illustrating where in the mold chamber each air outlet grill and each intake port of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 are installed,
F is an instrument panel, G is a steering wheel, and other symbols in the figure are the same as those described above.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the driver's seat of the automobile depicted in FIG.
(b) schematically shows the lower circulating air flow, and arrow (c) schematically shows the circulating air flow in the defrost blowout mode.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned apparatus will be explained below mainly with reference to FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, divided into four different air-conditioned air blowing modes: defrost, face, foot, and pie level. However, valve body 3 for introducing internal/external air switching
1 is set to the inside air intake side in any operating mode. When the valve body 31 is set on the outside air suction side, the outside air is introduced to ventilate the mold interior, and the difference is that under conditions where condensation tends to occur on the glass, an anti-fog effect on the glass can be obtained. .

Table 1 shows how the opening and closing states of each blowout lower, 8.11 and communication port 12, the operation of the defrost damper 15, and the operation of the two air mix dampers 5 and 6 are switched for each blowout mode. are shown as a list.

[Defrost Blowout Mode] Air for circulation in the vehicle interior is sucked in from the upper interior air intake lower 0 and the lower interior air intake port 80 that open toward the vehicle interior, respectively, and reaches the blower intake port 21 via the duct 70a and the duct 80a, respectively. The air is divided into the upper air intake area 21a and the lower air intake area 21b due to the presence of the partition wall 32, and is sucked into the blower by the rotational force of the blower fan 2, and flows through the blower casing 20 into the discharge port 22 as described above. While being pumped toward the air conditioner, the air is separated into two air streams and pushed into the air conditioning duct casing 1. Due to the presence of the partition wall 10 installed in the casing, the intake air from the upper intake lower 0 follows the first ventilation path a, and the intake air from the lower intake port 80 follows the second ventilation path a. Each of them first passes through the cooling heat exchanger 3 to receive the cooling and dehumidifying effects when this heat exchanger is working, and then flows into the operating area of the air mix damper 5 or 6, thereby dehumidifying the damper. Depending on the rotational position, all or part of the incoming air is passed through the heater core 4 and heated to a desired temperature. Since both air paths a and b are each provided with a bypass air path (not shown) for the heater core 4, at the outlet of the heater core 4, the air passing through the heater core and the cold air that has followed the bypass air path merge, Here the final outlet air temperature is reached. In this blowout mode, since both air mix dampers 5 and 6 are maintained in an interlocking relationship, the blowout temperatures of the air that has followed the ventilation paths a and b are the same. By setting the knob on the device operation panel to the defrost mode position, each movable part of the device
' minute is set as shown in Table 1, so
The air that has followed the second ventilation path passes through the communication port 12 and merges with the air in the first ventilation path, and the defrost outlet grille 1
11 and upward along the windshield K. After that, the air that started to descend follows the path shown by the arrow (c) in FIG. This provides an anti-fog effect on the windshield and air-conditions the interior of the vehicle.

[Face blowout mode] This is a blowout mode that generates a circulating air flow for air conditioning in the upper space of the vehicle interior, that is, the area where the upper body of the passenger is located.Since the movable parts of the device are set as shown in Table 1, it is the same as the defrost mode above. The air that joins at the ends of the two ventilation passages a and b follows the duct 7a from the only open upper blow-off lower, and is blown out from the upper blow-off grille 71 into the upper space of the vehicle interior. An upper circulating air flow as shown by the arrow (A) in the figure is generated which is sucked into the upper suction lower 0 which is the suction port closer to the outlet.

[Foot blowing mode] This is an air conditioning mode that generates a strong lower circulation air flow in the lower space of the vehicle interior, that is, the foot space below the passenger's knees, and a weaker upper circulation air flow in the upper space. The parts operate as shown in Table 1, the communication port 12 is closed,
The lower air outlet 8 is open and the defrost air outlet 11 is also opened, but the defrost damper 15, which has a surface area smaller than the opening area of this air outlet, blocks a considerable area of the defrost air outlet 11, so the lower air outlet 11 is opened. A relatively large amount of conditioned air is blown out from the outlet 8 through the duct 8a toward the lower outlet grille 81, and a relatively small amount of conditioned air is blown out from the defrost outlet 11 to the defrost outlet grille 111.
It is blown out towards. In this mode, a lower circulating air flow as shown by the arrow (b) in the figure is formed. The defrot outlet 11 can also be closed if necessary.

[Pi-level blowout mode] Temperature control and blowout amount between the first ventilation path a, which has the role of supplying conditioned air to the upper space of the vehicle interior, and the second ventilation path a, which has the role of air conditioning the lower space of the vehicle interior. By individually controlling each adjustment function, it is possible to extremely finely adjust the temperature distribution in the vehicle interior, especially the temperature difference in the vertical direction, and it is an air conditioning mode that can achieve the ideal so-called cold head and warm feet condition. The air mix dampers 5 and 6 installed in both air passages a and b, respectively, can be rotated independently by operating the operating knobs on the device control panel (path shown) attached to the instrument panel F section. Therefore, there is a gap between the conditioned air that passes through the heater core 4 in the first ventilation passage a and the air that passes through the heater core 4 in the second ventilation passage a and the air that passes through the heater core 4 in the second ventilation passage a. Any temperature difference can be provided over a wide range within the limits of heat supply capacity.

In principle, in this air conditioning mode, the upper defrost outlet switching damper 13 closes the defrost outlet 11,
The communication port 12 is also closed by the damper 14, and the movable parts of the device are set in the state shown in Table 1, so that the air conditioned in the first ventilation path a is transferred from the upper blowing lower to the duct 7a. The air is blown out from the upper blow-off grille 71 toward the upper space of the vehicle interior. In addition, the air that has been subjected to the air-conditioning effect in the second ventilation passage is transferred from the lower air outlet 8 to the duct 8.
The air is blown out from the lower blow-off grille 81 toward the upper space of the vehicle interior through the air passage a. As described above, the upper airflow circulates in the upper space of the vehicle interior and is then sucked into the upper suction lower 0, and the lower airflow is sucked into the lower intake port 80, so that both upper and lower airflows are combined into one. Unlike an air conditioner equipped with a conventional pi-level air conditioning mode that shares two intake ports, the upper circulation air flow is illustrated by the arrow (a) or (c) in FIG. It is clearly separated from the lower circulating airflow with almost no room for mixing, making it easy to create an even more pronounced cold head and warm foot condition. In this way, undesirable mixing of relatively cold air in the upper part with relatively warm air in the lower part can be avoided, which means that wasteful energy consumption in circulating and supplying the necessary hot or cold air can be avoided. This means that the device can be operated in a power-saving manner, resulting in considerable secondary effects.

In addition, in this air conditioning mode, by closing the upper blow-off lower by the upper-defrost blow-off switching damper 14 and opening the defrost damper 15 as necessary, the ventilation path is opened from the defrost blow-off grill 111 located above the upper blow-off lower. By blowing out the cold air generated in the air conditioner a, a more comfortable air-conditioning condition can be obtained in which the head is cold and the feet are warm, although it depends on the personal preferences of the occupants.

Further, in the above embodiment, the blower fan 2 is a so-called push-in type blower located at the most upstream side of the air conditioning duct casing 1, but a suction type blower may also be installed at an appropriate location on the downstream side. It goes without saying that the functional features of the device of the present invention will not be impaired even if such partial changes in the design can be made as necessary.

[Effects of the Invention] In the device of the present invention having the above configuration, the intake port of the blower is divided into two intake areas by the partitioning means,
Each intake area is connected to the upper and lower internal air intakes provided in the passenger compartment, so the temperature of the air blown into the upper part of the passenger compartment and the air blown out to the lower part of the passenger compartment can be controlled individually. Not only is it possible to control the operation mode, but compared to the conventional pie-level air conditioning system, which is equipped with only one inlet for internal air circulation, the air flow in the upper part of the vehicle interior is reduced. This makes it possible to more reliably separate the flow of the lower circulating airflow, making it easier to achieve the ideal head-cold/foot-heat air-conditioning condition, and to perform more fine-grained control of the air-conditioning condition.

In addition, unnecessary mixing of upper cold air and lower warm air is avoided, which improves the operating efficiency of the device and enables energy-saving operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural explanatory diagram of an embodiment device according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the blower case in the front direction, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view in the (d)-(d) direction of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the blower case and the inside/outside air switching box assembled to this case. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the device shown in FIG.
The figure is a sketch of the front part of the automatic driver's seat, illustrating how each air blowing grill and each intake port of the device shown in Figure 1 are arranged in the passenger compartment. FIG.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In a duct that has an inlet provided with a switching means for introducing air inside or outside the vehicle, and a group of outlets such as an upper outlet and a lower outlet, the inlet is installed in order from the upstream side. In an air conditioner for an automobile, which includes a blower connected to a blower, an air conditioning heat exchanger, a damper for selectively opening and closing the outlet group, an air mix damper, etc., (a) the intake port of the blower is (b) A blower intake port partitioning means for dividing the intake area into an intake area for upper indoor air and an intake area for lower air in the vehicle interior; (c) an upper internal air intake port for generating a circulating air flow in the upper part of the vehicle interior in combination with the outlet; (d) a first ventilation passage provided in the air conditioning duct and extending from the upper intake area to the upper air outlet in the duct; ,
An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: a second ventilation path extending from the lower intake area to the lower air outlet; and a partition wall for dividing the air passage into two parts. 2) The mounting position of the partition wall is set so that the cross-sectional area of the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage are different from each other. Automotive air conditioner.