JP2004098782A - Air-conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle for preventing rain water from being stored in an intake box without installing a drain pipe to the intake box. <P>SOLUTION: There is provided with a lace (introduction passage) 35 for introducing water stored in a bottom wall part 33 of an intake box 12 into a blower 3 by differential pressure between the blower 3 and the intake box 12. Water stored in the bottom wall part 34 of the intake box 12 is introduced to the blower 3 by the differential pressure between the intake box 12 and the blower 3, and air is blown by the blower 3. Thereafter, the water is captured by a cooling heat exchanger 5, and exhausted from a drain pipe below the cooling heat exchanger 5 as condensed water. Therefore, there is no need for installing a drain pipe to the intake box 12. As a result, while the intake box 12 has a drain structure, workability for mounting the intake box 12 with the air-conditioner unit 1 is improved, so as to improve mounting workability to the vehicle body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventional vehicle air conditioners include an intake box that selectively introduces inside and outside air, a blower that blows air introduced from the intake box downstream, and a temperature control unit that dehumidifies and blows air from the blower at a controlled temperature. (For example, see Patent Document 1). The temperature control unit includes a cooling unit and a heating unit, and the cooling unit and the heating unit are formed integrally or separately. Further, the intake box, the blower and the temperature control unit are formed integrally or separately.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-79824 (FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this type of vehicle air conditioner, due consideration is not given to rainwater entering the intake box, and there is a concern that rainwater may be stored in the intake box and mold may be generated by the stored water.
[0005]
As a measure to solve this, a structure in which a drain pipe is provided in an intake box is also conceivable. However, in general, the cooling unit (temperature control unit) is provided with a drain pipe below the cooling heat exchanger in order to discharge the condensed water dehumidified and condensed in the cooling heat exchanger. Therefore, in a structure in which the drain pipe is provided in the intake box, the air conditioner is provided with two drain pipes, which not only complicates the device but also complicates the assembling work.
[0006]
The present invention has been made against such a background of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that prevents rainwater from being stored in an intake box without providing a drain pipe in the intake box. Offer.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 has an intake box for selectively introducing inside and outside air, and a blower for blowing air introduced from the intake box to the downstream, and dehumidifying air from the blower. In the air conditioner for a vehicle which blows out air in a controlled manner, a guide passage for guiding a fluid stored in a bottom wall portion of the intake box into the blower is provided.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, a through hole is provided in a partition wall that partitions the intake box and the blower, and one end of the through hole is provided with the intake box. The guide passage is formed by connecting a tube arranged in the storage section.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, the intake box and the blower are connected to each other in a substantially horizontal direction, and a partition wall for partitioning the intake box and the blower is provided. By providing a through-hole at the lower end, the bottom wall of the intake box is configured to be inclined downward toward the through-hole, and the through-hole is arranged so as to face the storage portion of the intake box, thereby providing the guide passage. Is formed.
[0010]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stored water stored in the bottom wall of the intake box is guided to the blower through the guide passage by a pressure difference between the intake box and the blower. The water guided to the blower is blown into the downstream temperature control unit by a fan in the form of mist, is captured by the cooling heat exchanger inside the temperature control unit, and is condensed into the drain below the cooling heat exchanger. Exhausted from the pipe.
[0011]
Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, by providing the guide passage, it is possible to drain rainwater that has entered the intake box without providing the drain pipe structure of the intake box.
[0012]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide passage is constituted by the through hole and the tube connected to the through hole, the invention of the first aspect can be embodied with a relatively simple configuration.
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the guide passage is formed of a through hole, the invention of the first aspect can be embodied with a simpler configuration.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to a vehicle air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
First Embodiment: FIGS. 1 to 4 show a vehicle air conditioner of a first embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a front view including a partially broken portion of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment. 2 is a side sectional view of the vehicle air conditioner, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the vicinity of the blower of the vehicle air conditioner of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of a through hole of the blower of the vehicle air conditioner. In this case, the distribution diagram a is a sectional view, and the distribution diagram b is a side view.
[0016]
The vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment includes an intake box 12 and a blower-integrated temperature control unit 1 in which a blower, a cooler, and a heater are integrated.
[0017]
Basic structure of intake box Intake box 12 includes a case 16 having an inside air inlet 13 and an outside air inlet 14, and is supported by the case 16 and selectively opens and closes the inside air inlet 13 and the outside air inlet 14. And a door 15 that adjusts the suction ratio of the inside and outside air sucked into the blower 3. The intake box 12 has a cylindrical mounting portion 31 fitted into a cylindrical mounting portion 32 protruding from the outer peripheral side of the suction port 9 a of the blower 3.
[0018]
Basic Structure of Blower-integrated Temperature Control Unit The blower-integrated temperature control unit 1 includes a blower 3, an air filter 4, an evaporator 5 as a cooling heat exchanger, an air mix door 6, and a unit case 2. It comprises a heater core 7 as a heat exchanger for heating and blow-out mode switching doors 20, 21, 22.
[0019]
The blower 3 is formed at the upstream end of the air passage in the unit case 2 and has a scroll chamber 9 having a suction port 9a in the axial direction of the spiral shaft, a fan 10 housed in the scroll chamber 9, and a fan 10 And an electric motor M (not shown) for driving the motor, and blows air introduced from the intake box 12 downstream. In this embodiment, the blower 3 is connected to the intake box 12 in such a manner that the suction port 9a of the blower 3 faces in the horizontal direction and is connected to the intake box 12 in a substantially horizontal direction.
[0020]
The air filter 4 is disposed on the upstream side of the evaporator 5 to prevent foreign matter from accumulating on fins (not shown) of the evaporator 5 and fins (not shown) of the heater core 7 to reduce cooling and heating abilities. In addition, dust is prevented from being blown into the vehicle interior.
[0021]
The evaporator 5 as a cooling heat exchanger is interposed in a refrigeration cycle (not shown) and circulates a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant therein to absorb heat. On the other hand, the heater core 7 as a heating heat exchanger is interposed in a hot water line (not shown), and generates heat by using engine cooling water, which has been heated by exhaust heat of the engine, as a heat source. Here, the evaporator 5 also has a dehumidifying performance, and dehumidifies the inside and outside air introduced from the intake box 12. For this reason, a drainage structure for draining condensed water condensed by the evaporator 5 is provided below the evaporator 5. Specifically, a water collecting part 23 for collecting condensed water of the evaporator 5 and a drain pipe (not shown) for discharging condensed water from the lower end of the water collecting part 23 to the outside of the unit case 2 are provided below the evaporator 5. Have.
[0022]
The air mix door 6 is disposed downstream of the evaporator 5 and upstream of the heater core 7, and has a hot air passage P 1 for flowing air cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 5 to the heater core 7 and a bypass passage P 2 for bypassing the heater core 7. The amount of the flowing air is adjusted so that a predetermined blowing temperature is obtained in an air mixing chamber P3 provided at a junction of the hot air passage P1 and the bypass passage P2. The air mix door 6 of this embodiment is of a slide type, and includes a door case, a door body, a slide mechanism for sliding the door body, and a driving unit.
[0023]
Downstream of the air mix chamber P3, a defroster outlet passage 17, a vent outlet passage 18, and a foot outlet passage 19 branched from the air mix chamber P3 are provided. A defroster duct (not shown) is connected to a downstream end of the defroster outlet passage 17 to blow out conditioned air to the vehicle front window glass, and a downstream end of the vent outlet passage 18 supplies conditioned air toward the occupant chest. A center vent duct (not shown) for blowing air and a side vent duct (not shown) for blowing conditioned air toward the vehicle side window glass are connected to the downstream end of the foot outlet passage 19. A front foot duct (not shown) for blowing wind and a rear foot duct (not shown) are connected.
[0024]
A defroster door 20, a vent door 21, and a foot door 22 as mode switching doors are provided at the inflow end of each of the outlet passages 17, 18, and 19. The defroster door 20 opens and closes the defroster outlet passage 17, the vent door 21 opens and closes the vent outlet passage 18, and the foot door 22 opens and closes the foot outlet passage 19. These mode switching doors 20, 21, and 22 operate in the outlet mode. The opening and closing are controlled via the control means by the setting of the temperature or the setting of the room temperature.
[0025]
Rainwater Drainage Structure of Intake Box In this embodiment, a structure capable of draining rainwater stored in the intake box 12 without forming a drain pipe in the intake box 12 is provided. The details will be described below.
[0026]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the bottom wall 33 of the intake box 12 is inclined downward toward the blower 3. That is, the lower end of the cylindrical mounting portion 32 of the blower 3 serves as a storage portion 34 for rainwater that has entered the intake box 12. The casing of the blower 3 is formed with a through hole 35 as an “induction passage” so as to face the storage portion 34. When the fan 10 is driven, a pressure difference between the inside of the scroll chamber 9 and the inside of the intake box 12 is generated. Then, rainwater stored in the storage section 34 of the intake box 12 is sucked into the scroll chamber 9 through the through hole 35. The rainwater guided to the scroll chamber 9 is blown downstream by a fan 10 in the form of a mist. The mist-like rainwater is captured by the downstream evaporator 5 and discharged as condensed water from a drain pipe (not shown) through the water collecting portion 23 below the evaporator 5.
[0027]
Thus, according to the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment, by providing the through-hole 35 (induction passage), it is possible to drain the rainwater that has entered the intake box 12 without providing the drain pipe of the intake box 12. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment has a structure in which the intake box 12 is provided with a drainage structure but is not provided with two drain pipes, so that the workability of assembling the intake box 12 and the temperature control unit 1 is improved, In addition, the workability of mounting on the vehicle body is improved.
[0028]
Further, in this embodiment, the following measures have been taken. Specifically, by utilizing the existence of the air passage just below the scroll chamber 9 of the blower 3, as shown in FIG. 3, a drain communicating with the air passage is provided at the lower end of the scroll chamber 9 of the blower 3. A hole 36 is provided. As described above, since the drain hole 36 communicating with the air passage is provided at the lower end of the scroll chamber 9 of the blower 3, the rainwater guided into the scroll chamber 9 cannot be temporarily mist-shaped and sent out to the air passage. Even at this time (for example, when the blower 3 is in a low-speed operation), the drain hole 36 allows rainwater to drop into the ventilation passage. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects, it is possible to avoid accumulation of rainwater in the blower 3 during the low wind operation.
[0029]
Second Embodiment FIGS. 5 to 7 show an air conditioner for a vehicle according to a second embodiment. 5 is a front view showing the vicinity of the intake box, FIG. 6 is a side view showing the vicinity of the mounting portion of the intake box, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the suction port of the blower, and FIG. It is a side view. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0030]
The vehicle air conditioner of the second embodiment is different from the configuration of the first embodiment in that the rainwater storage portion 42 of the intake box 41 is separated from the through-hole 43 and located at a position lower than the through-hole 43.
[0031]
In the intake box 41, the cylindrical mounting portion 44 has a tapered shape toward the front end side (the blower side), and the bottom wall portion 45 is inclined upward toward the blower 3. Therefore, the rainwater storage section 42 of the intake box 41 is separated from the blower 3.
[0032]
The through hole 43 facing the intake box 41 provided in the blower 3 has a boss 47 for attaching a tube protruding from the peripheral edge thereof into the intake box 41. A tube 48 is attached to the boss 47, and one end of the tube 48 is arranged in the storage section 42 of the intake box 41.
[0033]
According to the vehicle air conditioner of the second embodiment as described above, the pressure difference between the intake box 31 and the blower 3 causes the air to be stored in the intake box 41 through the guide hole 49 including the through hole 43, the boss 47, and the tube 48. Rainwater can be sucked into the blower 3. Thereby, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the second embodiment, although the number of components is increased because the tube 48 is used as compared with the first embodiment, the tube 48 can be relatively freely routed. As a result, the degree of freedom in designing the intake box 41 and the blower 3 is increased.
[0034]
Third Embodiment FIGS. 8 to 10 show an air conditioner for a vehicle according to a third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the vicinity of the intake box, FIG. 9 is a side view showing the vicinity of the mounting portion of the intake box, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the suction port of the blower, and FIG. It is a side view. Note that the same components as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0035]
The vehicle air conditioner of the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that a resin lid 52 having a U-shaped cross section is used instead of the tube 48.
[0036]
The lid 52 is attached to the bottom wall 45 of the intake box 41 and forms a passage 51 with the bottom wall 45. One end of the passage 51 faces the storage portion 42, and the other end is connected to a mounting portion 54 protruding from the periphery of the through hole 53 of the blower 3 into the intake box 51. Thus, the through-hole 53, the mounting portion 54, and the passage 51 form a guide passage 55 for guiding rainwater accumulated in the storage portion 42 of the intake box 41 to the blower 3.
[0037]
According to the vehicle air conditioner of the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.
[0038]
As described above, according to the present invention, since the guide path for guiding the fluid stored in the bottom wall of the intake box to the blower is provided, the rainwater stored in the bottom wall of the intake box is firstly collected by the intake box and the blower. After being guided to the blower by the pressure difference, and blown by the blower, it is captured by the cooling heat exchanger and discharged as condensed water from the drain pipe below the cooling heat exchanger. Therefore, there is no need to provide a drain pipe in the intake box. As a result, the workability of mounting the intake box and the air conditioning unit is improved while the drainage structure of the intake box is provided, and the workability of mounting to the vehicle body is improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment, including a partially broken portion.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the vicinity of a mounting portion of a blower of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of a through hole of a blower of the air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the main points of the vehicle air conditioner of the second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 7 is a view showing the vicinity of a through hole of a blower of the air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing the essential points of the vehicle air conditioner of the third embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the vehicle air conditioner.
FIG. 10 is a view showing the vicinity of a through hole of a blower of the air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Blower 12 Intake box 33 Bottom wall part 34 Storage part 35 Through-hole (induction passage)
41 Intake box 43 Through hole 45 Bottom wall 48 Tube 49 Induction passage 55 Induction passage

Claims (3)

An intake box (12, 41) for selectively introducing inside and outside air; and a blower (3) for blowing air introduced from the intake box (12, 41) downstream. In a vehicle air conditioner that blows out air by adjusting the dehumidifying temperature,
An air conditioning system for a vehicle, wherein guide paths (35, 49, 55) are provided for guiding fluid stored in bottom walls (33, 45) of the intake boxes (12, 41) into the blower (3). apparatus. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
By providing a through-hole (43) in the blower (3) and connecting a tube (48) having one end to the storage portion (34) of the intake box (41) to the through-hole (43). An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein an induction passage (49) is formed. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
Connecting the intake box (12) and the blower (3) in a substantially horizontal direction,
By making the bottom wall portion (33) of the intake box (12) inclined downward toward the blower (3), the storage portion (34) of the intake box (12) is arranged close to the blower (3). An air conditioner for a vehicle, characterized in that the guide passage (35) is formed by providing a through hole (35) at a position of the blower (3) facing the storage section (34).

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