DE102021127707A1 - Air conditioning with focused air supply - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system (1) for a vehicle with a focused air supply. For this purpose, the air conditioning system (1) comprises a housing (10) with at least one air inlet (11) and a multiplicity of air outlets (12A, 12B), with the multiplicity of air outlets (12A, 12B) having at least one first outlet ( 12A) in a first area (14A) and a second outlet (12B) in a second area (14B) of the vehicle. It further comprises a first heat exchanger (17) arranged in the housing (10) downstream of the air inlet (11) and upstream of the plurality of air outlets (12A, 12B), and a partition wall (18) downstream of the first heat exchanger (17), which divides the airflow duct downstream of the heat exchanger (17) into a first section (15A) up to the first outlet (12A) and a second section (15B) up to the second outlet (12B). The air conditioner (1) is characterized in that the partition wall (18) has an openable and closable transverse passage (20) for air flowing through the first heat exchanger (17) into one of the first or second section (15A; 15B) of the airflow duct has passed, to flow over into the corresponding other section (15B; 15A) of the airflow duct.

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, particularly for an electric vehicle, having a focused air supply function.

In cars with an internal combustion engine, excess waste heat is available for heating the passenger cabin. In winter conditions, the excess of available waste heat allows the entire passenger cabin to be conditioned once the combustion engine has warmed up, with no negative consequences on the energy efficiency or the range of the vehicle. On the other hand, in the case of battery electric vehicles (BEV), the heating of the passenger cabin cannot benefit from the excess heat of the internal combustion engine. Heating could be provided using an electric heater such as a PTC element, or a heat pump system, the latter being more energy efficient.

Using heat pump systems to heat the passenger cabin can improve the range of the BEF in winter conditions. In order to further improve the range, intelligent air conditioning solutions are to be welcomed, such as air conditioning only in a desired cabin region. For example, if only the driver is in the car, then only the driver's side volume within the cabin should be conditioned. To control the temperature and airflow delivered to the particular cabin region, the air conditioner includes one or more separate air volumes and is equipped with various dampers to direct, pass, or block the air inside or outside the air conditioner. Depending on the arrangement, single-zone, two-zone or multi-zone air conditioning can be realised, for which airflow and/or temperature can be controlled independently.

A typical approach for intelligent climate control or “driver-only mode” is to separate the volume of airflow from the driver's side and the passenger's side in the air conditioning system just after the evaporator or heater. For single phase fluid heaters (typically fed by cooling water from e.g. an internal combustion engine), blocking the passenger side air flow directly downstream of the heater core does not cause any problems to the operation of the heater core. This is due to the constant flow rate and fixed temperature used in the heater core.

The US10766333 B2 discloses a smart climate/driver-only mode in which airflow is blocked on one side of the heat exchanger when driver-only or smart climate control is activated. Another solution for zonal control/driver only mode is in the US2015/0360537 A1 disclosed, with a permanently assigned heater being provided on the driver's side and the passenger's side, which leads to additional costs for the system.

For electric vehicles instead - in the absence of an internal combustion engine - cabin heating is typically carried out by means of a heat pump system. Because the phase of the refrigerant changes from condenser inlet (gas) to condenser outlet (liquid), controlling the temperature along the flow path within the condenser is much more complex than for a refrigerant heater core. As the refrigerant changes state from superheated refrigerant to a saturated liquid to a subcooled liquid, the temperature of the refrigerant changes significantly during its passage from the condenser inlet to the condenser outlet, which is further affected by the airflow through the condenser. Therefore, the partial blockage of airflow through the cabin condenser can cause an unacceptable air temperature distribution downstream of the condenser. Blocking the airflow on one side of the cabin condenser can result in the mixing of superheated refrigerant vapor with subcooled refrigerant liquid at the exit of the cabin condenser, causing bubbling in the refrigerant flow. This leads to pressure drop, reduced system efficiency and noise from vapor bubbles migrating from the condenser to the expansion device.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system with a flexible and focused air supply in a cost-effective manner while considering the overall system performance and avoiding noise impairments.

This object is achieved by an air conditioner according to the subject matter of claim 1. Advantageous training and further education result from the dependent claims.

Generic air conditioners according to the present disclosure include a housing with at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets, wherein when installed in the vehicle, the plurality of air outlets have at least a first outlet in a first area and a second outlet in a second area of the vehicle. The air conditioner further includes a first heat exchanger disposed in the housing downstream of the air inlet and upstream of the plurality of air outlets and a partition wall downstream of the first heat exchanger dividing the air flow passage downstream of the heat exchanger into a first section up to the first outlet and a second section up to the second outlet. The air conditioner according to the present disclosure is characterized in that the partition wall includes an openable and closable transverse passage for air, which has passed through the first heat exchanger in one of the first or second portion of the air flow duct, to flow into the corresponding other portion of to flow over the airflow channel. This allows the proportion of airflow between the two sections to be balanced. In particular, it is possible to allocate a larger proportion to one of the two sections, so that partial blocking of the airflow through the first heat exchanger is not necessary.

As is well known, air conditioning systems according to the present disclosure may include more than one heat exchanger. A second heat exchanger is typically located upstream of or in partial overlap with the first heat exchanger. In addition, the separation down to the air outlets does not necessarily mean a completely airtight separation of the airflow. The separation according to the present disclosure is to be understood such that no significant overflow occurs when the cross passage is closed, although there may be minor wall penetrations which do not significantly alter the independent airflow of the two sections of the airflow duct. Outlets generally include man flow and foot outlets.

The first/second area or the first/second section of the air flow channel can be oriented left/right, right/left or in another suitable direction. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the first portion of the airflow duct is the driver-side portion and the second portion is the passenger-side portion, and the cross passage is adapted to allow airflow from the passenger-side portion to the driver-side portion of the airflow duct. This allows a cost and energy efficient driver-only mode to be provided. Other divisions (top/bottom, oblique) are also possible for future cockpit designs and cabin space concepts, also with regard to autonomous driving, in which a classic "driver's position" is no longer required.

During operation, the air outlets on the passenger side are to be closed and generate a counter-pressure from the air in the closed section in such a way that the air escapes into the open section. It should be noted that still present but reduced airflow into the passenger side is not only acceptable but may have other positive contributions such as on defrosting or preventing fogging of the windshield and side window on the passenger side of the vehicle.

According to a special embodiment, the dividing wall comprises a sliding flap which can be moved in alignment with the dividing wall. This requires little space. "Sliding flap" means any type of flap that can be moved along a predefined straight or curved line, including a foil door. The predefined line may lie within the plane of the partition.

According to a special embodiment, the partition includes a pivoting flap that can be moved about a fixed point, such as a rotary or butterfly flap. The advantage of this is that in a closed position one arm of the rotary flap can close the gap in the partition, while in an open position this arm can act as an air guide for the overflow.

The pivoting flap or the sliding flap may be located downstream of the first heat exchanger and extend directly up to the heat exchanger so that in the closed position they separate the first section and the second section of the air flow duct.

The transverse passage may include an integral flap formed integrally with the bulkhead. Such integrated flaps can be achieved by cutting out part of the bulkhead. This can include a weakening line acting as a hinge. Such flaps can be operated by operating rods. Such flaps can also be understood as rotary flaps in the sense indicated above.

According to a further embodiment, the transverse passage is provided by a closable duct which collects air directly downstream of the first heat exchanger and in the open position allows overflow below the partition wall and in the closed position blocks overflow.

According to another embodiment, the partition is centered. This is advantageous for producing many variants of the same air conditioner for different purposes, eg for left or right hand drive and/or air conditioners with or without over flow function according to the present disclosure. Alternatively, the partition wall is arranged asymmetrically within the housing. This can be advantageous if there is a predefined asymmetry of the air conditioning function with respect to a preferred position within the vehicle, eg the driver's position.

The first heat exchanger can be any heat exchanger per se within the meaning of the present disclosure. This heat exchanger is in particular a refrigerant heat exchanger which can be operated in different operating modes. In particular, the first heat exchanger is an internal condenser of a heat pump refrigerant circuit - or is operable as an internal condenser at the time when the transfer function is provided from one side to the other side of the partition.

• Die 1 - 3 zeigen schematisch Draufsichten von Klimaanlagen gemäß einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung,
• die 4 zeigt schematisch eine Draufsicht einer Klimaanlage gemäß einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung,
• die 5 - 7 zeigen schematisch Klimaanlagen gemäß einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung,
• die 8 - 12 zeigen schematisch Klimaanlagen gemäß einem vierten Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung, und
• die 13 - 14 zeigen schematisch Draufsichten von Klimaanlagen gemäß einem fünften Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung.

The invention will now be explained in more detail using exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures.

• The 1 - 3 show schematic plan views of air conditioning systems according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• the 4 shows schematically a plan view of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the invention,
• the 5 - 7 show schematically air conditioning systems according to a third embodiment of the invention,
• the 8th - 12 schematically show air conditioning systems according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, and
• the 13 - 14 12 show schematic plan views of air conditioning systems according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

A first embodiment of the invention will now be described in particular with reference to FIG 1 - 3 described, which show schematic plan views of air conditioners 1 with a housing 10, as generally known from the prior art. Air enters the housing 10 via an air inlet 11 as indicated by the arrow from the left. The air inlet 11 can comprise more than just one opening and can be, for example, with a fresh air inlet and a recirculated air inlet (not shown). The specific geometry and path of the air entering the housing 10 - such as by means of a fan indicated at left - is not relevant to the present disclosure.

The air conditioning system 1 also has a large number of air outlets, of which the air outlets 12A for the driver's side 14A and the air outlets 12B for the passenger's side 14B (for the state installed in the vehicle) are specifically shown. The air outlets 12A, 12B may each comprise various openings, such as mannequin vent and foot outlet, which are openable and closable by respective panels 13A, 13B, as is well known. In the closed position, the shutters 13A, 13B block airflow significantly, but are able to provide some minimal airflow through them to maintain minimal air exchange (bleed air).

An evaporator 16 and a condenser 17 are arranged in the housing 10 between the air inlet 11 and the air outlets 12A, 12B in order to provide air conditioning for the air flow. As is well known, the evaporator 16 is placed in the upstream position and is typically fully traversed by the air entering the housing 10 through the air inlet 11 for cooling and dehumidification purposes. The condenser 17 is located further downstream. Air that has passed the evaporator 16 may be heated by passing through the condenser 17 or may pass above it to provide dry, cooled air which may be remixed further downstream (not shown in plan view).

The current embodiment considers the condenser 17 as a heating unit within the air conditioner 1. This is the typical choice for vehicles without an internal combustion engine, where no excess heat can be extracted from an internal combustion engine. The condenser 17 may be configured in the same refrigerant cycle as the evaporator 16 . More generally, evaporator 16 and condenser 17 may be operable in different modes of operation such that they are configured to both operate as a low pressure heat exchanger (evaporator) or both as a high pressure heat exchanger (condenser). They can be operated at different pressure ratings to provide different cooling, dehumidification, reheating, or heating functionalities (not shown). The configuration of separation and overflow described below can be applied to heat exchangers other than condensers 17 . Indeed, it may refer to more than one heat exchanger within an air conditioning system, e.g., two partially overlapping heat exchangers whose airflows mix further downstream, as is typically the case with an evaporator 16 and a condenser 17. Furthermore, an electric auxiliary heater such as a PTC element can be installed downstream of the condenser 17 . In such situations, the PTC element can assume the role of the first heat exchanger within the meaning of the present disclosure.

In order to improve a focused supply of conditioned air in an energy-efficient manner, downstream of the condenser 17 a centered partition 18 separates the airflow duct downstream from the condenser 17 for the driver's side 14A into a driver's side airflow duct 15A to the air outlet 12A and for the passenger's side 14B into a passenger's side airflow duct 15B up to the air outlet 12B. The partition wall 18 comprises an openable and closable transverse passage 20 for air which has passed through the condenser 17, as will be explained in detail with reference to the following exemplary embodiments. Some reference numbers have been omitted for better legibility. For omitted reference signs, let on 1 referred. The operating concept is basically the same. With the opening/closing of the transverse passage 20, the air flow can be manipulated and allow overflow from one side to the other. Depending on the open/closed position of the shutters 13A, 13B further downstream, the air can be blocked on one side and forced over to the other side via the transverse passage 20.

In the 2 the transverse passage 20 is in the closed position and in 3 shown in open position. The driver's side shade 13A is assumed to be always in the open position (“open” in this context means a position in which some airflow to the driver's side is desired). With reference to 2 For example, the passenger-side shade 13B is opened to provide conditioned air to both the driver's side 14A and the passenger's side 14B. In this situation, the transverse passage 20 is closed by means of the pivoting flap 21 in such a way that no air is let through from one side to the other.

With reference to 3 the shade 13B of the passenger's side 14B is closed and the swing door 21 on the bulkhead 18 is opened in the cross section of the passenger's side air flow duct 15B. This is a typical "driver only" scenario where there are no passengers on board the vehicle. Opening the pivoting door 21 not only allows the air from the passenger side air flow duct 15B (where it is not needed on this occasion) into the driver side part of the air flow duct 15A. In addition, uncontrolled heating of the driver's side of the condenser 17 is avoided, which could cause an imbalance within the refrigerant circuit. Some bleed air can still escape from the closed shutter 13B, as indicated by the arrows.

Related to the 4 a second exemplary embodiment is shown (for omitted reference symbols, see 1 ). Instead of a pivoting flap 21, a sliding flap 22 for opening and closing the transverse passage 20 is provided. The sliding flap 22 is movable in the direction, ie parallel to the partition wall 18 . In the open position, the sliding flap 22 is retracted into a double wall or slot 23 without disturbing air flow. When the shutter 13B is closed, the air is forced to flow into the driver's side portion of the air flow passage 15A.

The tip of the sliding flap 22 or the pivoting flap 21 can extend up to the condenser 17 so that it separates both sections 15A, 15B of the air flow duct from one another in the closed position. Alternatively, the dividing wall 18 has a separating threshold abutting the condenser 17, so that the flaps 21, 22 can close the transverse passage 20 by means of this separating threshold (not shown).

A third embodiment is with reference to the 5 - 7 shown (omitted reference numbers in 5 please refer 1 ). In this exemplary embodiment, the transverse passage 20 is provided by a closable channel, namely the transverse exchange channel 24 . As can be seen in the spatial view in Figure 6, the overflow is blocked by a rotatable flap 25 in the closed position. In the open position, the flap 25 is open towards the bottom towards the inside of the transverse exchange channel 24 . In this position, air is collected just downstream of the condenser 17 and allowed to pass under the partition 18 from side to side as indicated by the arrow ( 7 ).

A fourth embodiment is with reference to the 8th until 12 in a spatial representation in accordance with the 6 and 7 shown. The transverse passage is achieved by means of an integral flap 26 integrally formed within the bulkhead 18 . The integrated flap 26 is designed as a section of a part of the partition wall 18 with a weakening line acting as a joint 27, which with respect to the 11 and 12 be treated.

Depending on the variants of this embodiment, the integrated flap 26 can be actuated by various means, some of which with reference to FIGS 8th and 9 to be introduced. An operating rod 29 can operate along the bulkhead 18 by means of a lever 28 attached to the integrated flap 26 . This has the advantage that the actuating rod 29 works in an area of low air velocities in the boundary layer area around the partition wall 18 ( 8th ). Alternatively, it can also work perpendicularly to the partition wall 18 ( 9 ).

The weakening line acting as a hinge 27 is in a few variants in the 11 and 12 shown which cross-sections along the in the 10 indicated lines are AA. The hinge 27 can be weakened on both sides ( 11 ) or on just one side ( 12 ) of the partition wall 18 can be reached. The gap between the partition 18 and the integrated flap 26 can be just ( 11 ) or oblique ( 12 ) to be executed. An oblique angle has the advantage that the integrated flap 26 closes to one side, which may be advantageous for those applications where one of the two sides needs a particular air conditioning focus, such as in driver-only mode. In some applications, such as new cabin designs for autonomous vehicles, it may be unclear which side is actually occupied.

The features of the variants such as the design of the hinge 27 and the gap between the integrated flap 26 and the partition 18 are generally interchangeable.

A fifth embodiment is with reference to 13 and 14 shown (omitted reference numbers see 1 ). In this exemplary embodiment, the partition 18 is arranged asymmetrically within the housing 10 . In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiments, in a driver-only mode when the panel 13B on the passenger side is closed, the transverse passage 20 is also closed (see FIG. 13), because the asymmetry already enables a focused air supply to the driver's side. In the case of a normal operating mode, when both the driver's side and the passenger's side are to be supplied with conditioned air, the pivoting flap 21 is open and directs air back to the smaller passenger's side.

It should be noted that the shown air conditioners 1 according to 1 until 14 be used for left-hand drive vehicles, where a mirrored view would give the equivalent air conditioning system for a right-hand drive vehicle. It should also be noted that the two distinct areas 14A, 14B are not tied to the driver or passenger position, but can be any area or air volume of the vehicle. The key point is the focused air supply to a preferred location that is primarily to be air-conditioned. Further applications can be aimed at new space concepts, eg with less fixed seating positions in connection with autonomously driving vehicles.

It should be appreciated that portions of the exemplary embodiments may be interchangeable or combinable. The flap concept can include any suitable combination of the features shown in the exemplary embodiments. While providing just one door is most cost effective, a combination of multiple doors can also be offered. Also, the choice of a symmetrical or asymmetrical placement of the partition wall is generally independent of the choice of the flap concept.

Reference List

1

air conditioner

10

Housing

11

air intake

12A

First air outlet - driver's air outlet

12B

Second air outlet - passenger air outlet

13A,B

bezels

14A

First area - driver's side

14B

Second area - passenger side

15A

First Section of Airflow Duct - Driver Side Airflow Duct

15B

Second section of airflow duct - Passenger side airflow duct

16

Evaporator

17

capacitor

18

partition wall

20

cross passage

21

swivel flap

22

sliding flap

23

incision

24

cross exchange channel

25

flap

26

Integrated flap

27

joint

28

lever

29

operating rod

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• US10766333B2 [0005]
• US 2015/0360537 A1 [0005]

Claims (10)

Air conditioning (1) for a vehicle, comprising - a housing (10) with at least one air inlet (11) and a plurality of air outlets (12A, 12B), wherein when installed in the vehicle, the plurality of air outlets (12A, 12B) at least one first outlet (12A) in a first area (14A) and a second outlet (12B) in a second area (14B) of the vehicle, - a first heat exchanger (17) arranged in the housing (10) downstream of the air inlet (11) and upstream of the plurality of air outlets (12A, 12B), - a partition wall (18) downstream of the first heat exchanger (17) dividing the air flow channel downstream of the heat exchanger (17) into a first section (15A) up to the first outlet ( 12A) and a second section (15B) up to the second outlet (12B), characterized in that - the partition wall (18) has an openable and closable transverse passage (20) for air passing through the first heat exchanger (17) in one of the first or second section (15A; 15B) of the air flow channel to flow over into the corresponding other section (15B; 15A) of the air flow channel. Air conditioning (1) according to claim 1 , characterized in that - the first section (15A) of the airflow duct is the driver-side section (15A) and the second section (15B) is the passenger-side section (15B) and - the transverse passage (20) is adapted to allow air to flow over from the passenger-side portion (15B) to the driver-side portion (15A) of the airflow duct. Air conditioning (1) according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the partition (18) comprises a sliding flap (22) which is movable in alignment with the partition (18). Air conditioning system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition wall (18) comprises a pivoting flap (21). Air conditioning (1) according to claim 4 , characterized in that the pivoting flap (21) or the sliding flap (22) is mounted downstream of the first heat exchanger (17) and extends directly up to the heat exchanger (17) so that in the closed position it protects the first section (15A) and separates the second section (15B) of the airflow channel from each other. Air conditioning system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (18) comprises an integrated flap (26) with a weakening line acting as a hinge (27) in the partition (18). Air conditioner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse passage (20) is provided by a closable duct (24, 25) which collects air directly downstream of the first heat exchanger (17) and in the open position flowing over below allows the partition (18) and blocks overflow in the closed position. Air conditioner (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (18) is centred. Air conditioning (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that the partition (18) is arranged asymmetrically within the housing (10). Air conditioner (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first heat exchanger (17) is an internal condenser of a heat pump refrigerant circuit.

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