JPH0460843B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an air conditioner for an automobile.

Traditionally, automotive air conditioners mainly control the temperature of the blown air by adjusting the ratio of hot air heated by the heater core to cold air that does not pass through the heater core by adjusting the opening of the air mix damper. has been done. In this system, if the cold air and hot air are not mixed well and uniformly, the temperature of the air blown out from each outlet will vary and temperature controllability will deteriorate. Therefore, it has been proposed to provide a mixing chamber with a constriction section so that cold and hot air can be mixed well, but in this configuration, the presence of the constriction section increases ventilation resistance, so it is difficult to This will hinder the request to increase air volume.

In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to achieve both the function of improving the mixing properties of cold and hot air, and the function of reducing ventilation resistance and increasing air volume during maximum cooling or ventilation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a rotating free end located in the cold air passage, and a rotating shaft in the confluence area of the cold air passage and the hot air passage on the downstream side of the rotating free end, By rotating around this rotating shaft, the cold air flowing in the cold air passage is divided into two types: one is the cold air flowing towards the hot air passage, and the other is the cold air flowing directly towards the upper air outlet without going through the hot air passage. This air conditioner for an automobile is equipped with an auxiliary damper that guides the flow and distributes the air and controls the volume ratio of the distributed air.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
Fig. 1 shows the state in which the device of the present invention is mounted on an automobile, where 1 is the windshield of the automobile, 2 is the bonnet, 3 is the engine room, 4 is the passenger compartment, and 5 is the passenger compartment 4.
The cowl portion is formed by a space surrounded by the engine room 3 and the bonnet 2.

In this embodiment, a blower unit 6 portion of the air conditioner is installed within the cowl portion 5. The blower unit 6 has a blower fan 7 driven by a motor (not shown), and on the suction side of the blower fan 7 is provided an inside/outside switching box for selectively introducing air inside the vehicle and air outside the vehicle. .

An air main body unit 8 into which air is blown and introduced from the blower unit 6 is installed inside the vehicle compartment 4,
This unit 8 has a case 9 made up of a plurality of divided bodies joined together for assembly purposes. A cooler core 10 is installed at the most upstream side of the air passage formed in the case 9. This cooler core 1
0 consists of a refrigerant evaporator of a refrigeration cycle that operates using an automobile engine as a driving source. A drain port 11 for drain water generated in the cooler core 10 is formed at the lowest part of the case 9. Further, a heater core 12 is installed approximately in the center of the case 9, and the heater core 12 uses the cooling water (hot water) of the automobile engine as a heat source.
An air mix damper 14 for temperature control is provided which is rotatable about 3. Further, a cold air passage 1 is provided between the air inlet side 12a of the heater core 12 and the case surface 9a facing thereto at a predetermined interval.
5 is formed, and the ratio between the amount of cold air passing through this cold air passage 15 and the amount of air (hot air) flowing into the heater core 12 and heated is adjusted by the opening degree of the air mix damper 14. It's becoming like that. Moreover, the air outlet surface 12b of the heater core 12
A hot air passage 16 is formed between the case surface 9b and the case surface 9b facing each other at a predetermined distance. It also serves as a mixing chamber for mixing with wind. Further, a guide plate 9c integrally formed with the case 9 protrudes from the air outlet side 12b of the heater core 12, and this guide plate 9c directs the hot air toward the cold air side and mixes the hot air and the cold air well. It is something.

On the other hand, an auxiliary damper 17 is disposed above the heater core 12 in a region extending from the cold air passage 15 to the hot air passage 16, and this auxiliary damper 17 is rotatable around a shaft 18. . The auxiliary damper 17 is formed in a U-shape so as to guide the cold air and improve the mixing properties of the cold and hot air.

A defroster outlet 19 for blowing hot air onto the front glass 1 is provided at the top of the case 9, and the defroster outlet 19 is opened and closed by a damper 20 that is rotatable around a shaft 26. be done. Located below the defroster outlet 19 and above the auxiliary damper 17,
An upper air outlet 21 at the center is provided on the front side of the case 9. The upper air outlet 21 blows air toward the upper body of the occupant, and is opened and closed by a damper 22. The damper 22 is configured to be rotatable around a shaft 27. Also, at the lower part of the defroster outlet 19 and the auxiliary damper 17
Upper air outlets 23 on both sides are provided on both left and right sides of the case 9 so as to be located above. The upper air outlets 23 on both sides communicate with air outlet grilles provided on both left and right sides of an automobile instrument panel (not shown) via ducts (not shown), and dampers (not shown) provided on the air outlet grilles. By manually opening and closing the air vents 2), the ventilation to the upper air outlets 23 on both sides is intermittent.

Further, a lower air outlet 24 is provided in a portion of both left and right side surfaces of the case 9 that communicates with the hot air passage 16 above the heater core 12, and this lower air outlet 24 has a lower air outlet duct (not shown). This lower air outlet duct is formed to blow air toward the passenger's feet. Further, the lower air outlet 24 is opened and closed by a damper 25.

FIG. 2 shows the main parts of the air conditioning control panel 30 installed near the driver's seat in the vehicle interior. Reference numeral 14a is an operating lever for the air mix damper 14.
The shaft 13 is connected. 17a is a control lever for the auxiliary damper 17;
It is connected to the shaft 18 of. 20a is an operating lever of the damper 20, which is similarly connected to the shaft 26 of the damper 20. 25a is the damper 25
The control lever is also connected to the shaft (not shown) of the damper 25. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the panel 30 is also provided with an inside/outside air switching lever, a blower speed switching lever, and the like. Further, the damper 22 is connected to the upper air outlet 21
Direct manual operation is possible using an operating lever (not shown) provided near the.

Next, the operation of this embodiment in the above configuration will be explained. Air selected by the occupant and sucked in from the inside air suction port and the outside air suction port provided in the blower unit 6 is sent to the cooler core 10, where it is dehumidified and cooled. Next, the dehumidified and cooled air that has exited the cooler core 10 is distributed to the heater core 12 and the cold air passage 15 according to the operating position of the air mix damper 14. For example, if the air mix damper 14 is at the 14'' position, all of the cold air will flow through the cold air passage 15.
Each outlet (19, 21, 23, 24)
Blows out colder air. Also, air mix damper 1
4 is at the position 14', all of the cold air enters the heater core 12, is warmed there, becomes warm air D, and is blown out from each outlet (19, 21, 23, 24). Furthermore, when the air mix damper 14 is located at an arbitrary intermediate position between the above-mentioned 14' and 14'', the hot air and cold air are adjusted to predetermined distribution amounts, respectively, according to the damper opening degree. Therefore, when the air mix damper 14 is at any position between 14' and 14'' and the auxiliary damper 17 is at the position 17', the cold air entering the heater core 12 is warmed by the heater core 12. The hot air becomes D and enters the hot air passage 16 which also serves as a mixing chamber. Further, the air mix damper 14 is guided by the auxiliary damper 17, bypasses the side surface of the heater core 12 as shown by arrow A, enters the hot air passage 16, mixes with the hot air D that has passed through the heater core 12, and is heated to a predetermined level. The temperature is adjusted to , and guided to each outlet (19, 21, 23, 24). Here, the temperature of the outlet air is adjusted using the operating lever 14.
By operating the air mix damper 14 with a to change the damper opening and changing the blending ratio of cold air and hot air, any temperature of the blown air can be obtained continuously from low to high temperatures. Next, to describe the function of the auxiliary damper 17, when the occupant requests only cold air, such as during maximum cooling, the air mix damper 14 is at the 14'' position, and the auxiliary damper 17 is at the 17'' position. By operating the cold air, the upper air outlet 21 for blowing out cold air, as shown by arrows B and C,
23 can be reached in the shortest distance. Therefore, compared to when cold air flows bypassing the auxiliary damper 17 as shown by arrow E, ventilation resistance is much smaller when cold air flows as shown by arrows B and C, and the air volume increases accordingly. It is possible to obtain a large amount of air, and the blowing air speed can also be increased, improving the cooling effect. Here, even in the ventilation mode in which the cooler core 10 is not operated, it is recommended to operate the auxiliary damper 17 to the 17'' position to increase the air volume. When required, the ratio of cold air and hot air is adjusted by the opening degree of the air mix damper 14. At this time, the cold air passage 15 can be adjusted by operating the auxiliary damper 17 to the intermediate position or the 17'' position. A hot air passage 16 that also serves as a mixing chamber for part or all of the cold air that has passed through it.
In other words, the completely cold air can be allowed to flow into the upper outlets 21 and 23 as shown by arrows B and C without being mixed with hot air. Further, in this case, the cold air A distributed by the auxiliary damper 17 and entering the hot air passage 16 is mixed with the hot air D that has passed through the heater core 12 and is blown out from the lower air outlet 24. However, when the auxiliary damper 17 is at the 17'' position,
Only the warm air D passing through the heater core 12 is in case 9.
It is possible to blow out from the lower air outlet 24 along the inner wall of b.

From the above, the cold air mainly flows through the upper outlet 21,
23, and the hot air can be blown mainly from the lower outlet 24, and these can be blown out from the air mix damper 14.
By arbitrarily selecting the opening degree adjustment of the auxiliary damper 17 and the opening degree adjustment of the auxiliary damper 17, it is possible to continuously air-condition the vehicle interior with an arbitrary temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet. Defroster outlet 19 and lower outlet 24
Even if the wind is blown at the same time, the temperature distribution of cold head and foot heat can be obtained in the same way.

In this embodiment, as can be understood from the above description, by operating each of the dampers 20, 22, and 25 independently, the occupant can freely select the air outlet that suits his/her preference. Moreover, in addition to this, the combination of the air mix damper 14 and the auxiliary damper 17 allows for good mixing of cold and hot air, making it possible to satisfactorily adjust the temperature of the blown air over a wide range. It is possible to easily achieve an increase in air volume and a temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet during bilevel mode.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the auxiliary damper 17 has a normal flat plate shape, and instead, an air guide wall 31 is provided from the shaft 18 of the auxiliary damper 17 toward the air downstream side. This wall 31 guides the flow of cold air to improve mixing with warm air. Preferably, the wall 31 is integrally molded with the case 9.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment, in which the air mix damper 14 and the auxiliary damper 17 are operated in conjunction with one operating lever 14a. That is, the operating mechanisms of both dampers 14 and 17 are linked by an appropriate mechanism, and the operating lever 14a
In the operation range from 14' to 17' in Fig. 4, the auxiliary damper 17 is operated as shown in Figs.
7', and when the operating lever 17 is operated from 17' to 17''(14''), the auxiliary damper 17 moves to the 1 position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
According to this example, the operation lever 17a shown in FIG. 2 is not required, and the temperature of the head and feet is adjusted according to the preset temperature difference. In addition, during maximum cooling, the auxiliary damper 17
By operating it to the 17'' position, the air volume can be increased.

Further, as a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the air mix damper 14 and the auxiliary damper 17 are linked, the air mix damper 14 is at
The auxiliary damper 17 is operated to the 17" position only when the position is 4", and the auxiliary damper 1 is always operated in other states.
7 may be placed at position 17'.
When such a configuration is adopted, the upper air outlet 2 is directly connected to the cold air passage 15 during the bilevel mode.
Although the flow of cold air shown by arrows B and C toward 1 and 23 disappears, the temperature distribution of cold head and warm feet is still obtained by the flow of cold air shown by arrows A and E.

In addition, dampers 20, 22, 25 for opening and closing the air outlet
etc. may be linked by an appropriate mechanism and operated by one common operating lever.

Further, the manually operated member on the air conditioning control panel 30 is not limited to a reciprocating lever, but may of course be a dial-shaped member that is rotatably operated.

In addition, the interlocking mechanism of each damper is not limited to purely mechanical mechanisms such as links and control cables.
A mechanism may be used in which the operation of the damper drive diaphragm actuator is controlled by a solenoid valve in a negative pressure circuit, or the damper drive motor is electrically controlled.

Moreover, the present invention can be implemented in exactly the same way in an air conditioner that does not have the cooler core 10.

As described above, according to the present invention, the cold air passage 1
The cold air from 5 can be guided by the auxiliary damper 17 and mixed well with the warm air in the hot air passage 16, and the temperature controllability is good, and the auxiliary damper 17 can be operated during maximum cooling or ventilation. The cold air from the cold air passage 15 is directly directed to the upper air outlet 2.
1 and 23, this has the excellent effect of reducing ventilation resistance and increasing air volume.

In addition, the path leading directly from the cold air passage to the upper air outlet has low ventilation resistance, while the path leading to the upper air outlet via the hot air passage has relatively high ventilation resistance.
During maximum cooling or ventilation, the amount of air blown out from the upper outlet can be changed simply by rotating the auxiliary damper and adjusting the amount of air flowing through both paths.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the essential parts of the air conditioning control panel showing the operating mechanism of each damper shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a partial front view of an air conditioning control panel showing still another embodiment of the present invention. 12... Heater core, 14... Air mix damper, 15... Cold air passage, 16... Hot air passage, 1
7...Auxiliary damper, 21, 23...Upper air outlet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heater core that heats blown air; and a heater core that is rotatably disposed on the air inlet side of this heater core, and by continuously changing the rotation angle, air flows into the heater core and is heated. an air mix damper that adjusts the proportion of warm air that passes through the heater core and cold air that does not pass through the heater core; a hot air passage that allows heated air that passes through the heater core to flow; a cold air passage through which cold air bypasses the heater core; an upper air outlet for blowing air flowing through at least one of the hot air passage and the cold air passage toward the head and thorax of the occupant; and a rotatable free end of the cold air passage. A rotary shaft is located in the joint area of the cold air passage and the hot air passage on the downstream side of the rotary free end, and by rotating around this rotary shaft, the cold air The cold air flowing in the passage is guided so as to be divided into a flow of cold air flowing towards the hot air passage and a flow of cold air flowing directly towards the upper air outlet without passing through the hot air passage, and the air is divided into An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising an auxiliary damper that controls the air volume ratio of the air.