New energy truck air conditioning box

Abstract

According to the new energy truck air handling unit, by adopting the mechanism that the half-middle type compact shell design and the single-mode disc are used for controlling the two core mode air doors in a linkage mode, switching of five air outlet modes can be completed only through the two air doors, the internal structure and control logic are greatly simplified, the number of parts and the cost are reduced, and the structure is simple. Meanwhile, the system reliability is improved; the foot blowing air door is ingeniously designed to serve as the boundary of the flow channel in the closed state, and the guidance quality and the space utilization rate of internal airflow are further optimized. Besides, due to the reasonable arrangement of the cold and warm air door and the heater core body and the shielding effect of the cold and warm air door on the air inlet face of the heater core body, the electrical safety problem possibly caused by the fact that condensate water of the evaporator splashes to the PTC heating unit and the hidden danger that a cab drips water are fundamentally avoided, and the safety and durability of products are improved. According to the overall scheme, the same air handling unit can be matched with left-rudder and right-rudder vehicle models without mirror image modification, and the development and mold cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air conditioning technology, and in particular to an air conditioning unit for a new energy truck. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy vehicle technology, vehicle thermal management systems have become a core component of vehicle design. Traditional gasoline vehicles' air conditioning systems primarily handle cooling and heating of the passenger compartment, with relatively low energy consumption. However, in new energy vehicles, the air conditioning system (or thermal management system) not only needs to provide a comfortable environment for the passenger compartment but also needs to manage the temperature of critical components such as the battery and electric drive system. Its energy efficiency directly affects the vehicle's range and safety. Therefore, the air conditioning system has become one of the main energy-consuming units in new energy vehicles, and its structural optimization and efficiency improvement have become a key focus of technological competition.

[0003] In terms of specific layout forms of air conditioning systems, common structures include centrally located, semi-centrally located, split, and segmented structures. Existing air conditioning units, especially those used in commercial vehicles (such as trucks and buses), typically face the following problems: First, the overall structure occupies a large space, especially with limited space behind the dashboard (X and Y directions), making it difficult to meet the design requirements of a compact cockpit; second, due to the different left and right steering wheel positions in the cockpit, two mirror-symmetrical air conditioning unit assemblies often need to be developed, resulting in poor parts interchangeability, high development costs, and redundant mold investment; third, existing air conditioning units have a large number of internal dampers (usually requiring more than three mode dampers). The implementation of multiple airflow modes, such as blowing air to the face, feet, and defrosting, leads to a complex drive mechanism, cumbersome control logic, and increased failure rate. Furthermore, the numerous dampers result in fragmented internal flow channels, increased airflow resistance, and noticeable noise. In addition, during cooling operation, condensate generated on the evaporator surface can easily be carried by airflow and splashed onto downstream PTC heaters or other electrical components, posing a risk of electric leakage or causing water dripping in the cabin, affecting safety and user experience. Finally, the easily damaged parts of existing air conditioning units (such as filters and damper motors) are usually inconvenient to disassemble and assemble, and maintenance is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field to develop an air conditioning unit solution that is compact, universal for both left- and right-hand drive vehicles, has a simplified mode switching mechanism, and can effectively prevent the effects of condensate, in order to meet the higher requirements of new energy vehicles for space layout, cost control, and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an air conditioning unit for new energy trucks to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: This invention provides an air conditioning unit for a new energy truck, comprising: The inner and outer circulation housing assembly includes a left inner and outer circulation housing and a right inner and outer circulation housing, which are connected to form an independent outer circulation air duct and an inner circulation air duct. The blower assembly is located within the space formed by the left inner and outer circulation housing and the right inner and outer circulation housing; A heating and cooling housing assembly, comprising a left heating housing and a right heating housing, which are connected to form a main air duct and are connected to the left inner and outer circulation housing and the right inner and outer circulation housing; The face-blowing defrosting damper is located inside the left and right warm air housings; The foot-blowing damper is located inside the left and right warm air housings and forms part of the inner wall of the main air duct when closed. A mode dial is rotatably mounted on the left or right heater housing; The face blowing defrosting rotating shaft is connected to the face blowing defrosting damper and cooperates with the trajectory structure on the mode plate; A foot blowing shaft, which is connected to the foot blowing damper; A foot-blowing rocker arm, which connects the foot-blowing pivot to the trajectory structure on the mode disc; A mode servo motor is connected to the mode disk. When the mode servo motor drives the mode disk to rotate, it synchronously drives the face defrosting shaft and the foot blowing rocker arm through the trajectory structure to adjust the opening and closing state of the face defrosting damper and the foot blowing damper.

[0007] Preferably, it further includes: Hot and cold air dampers are installed inside the left and right heating air housings; The heater core is disposed inside the left and right heating housings and is located downstream of the hot and cold air damper; A heating and cooling servo motor, connected to the heating and cooling damper, is used to block the air inlet surface of the heater core when closed.

[0008] Preferably, the heater core includes a PTC heating unit.

[0009] Preferably, it further includes: An internal and external circulation damper is rotatably disposed between the left internal and external circulation housing and the right internal and external circulation housing; An internal and external circulation servo motor is connected to the internal and external circulation damper.

[0010] Preferably, it further includes: The evaporator core is located downstream of the blower assembly and within the left and right heater housings.

[0011] Preferably, it further includes: A water tray is located below the evaporator core.

[0012] Preferably, it further includes: An air filter is installed in the air duct formed by the left inner and outer circulation housing and the right inner and outer circulation housing.

[0013] Preferably, it further includes: The filter cover is connected to the left inner and outer circulation housing or the right inner and outer circulation housing to fix the air filter.

[0014] Preferably, the left heater housing, right heater housing, left internal and external circulation housing, and right internal and external circulation housing are fixedly connected by self-tapping screws.

[0015] Preferably, the mode servo motor is mounted on the left or right heater housing via a mode servo motor mounting plate.

[0016] The present invention achieves the following beneficial technical effects compared to the prior art: This invention provides an air conditioning unit for new energy trucks, characterized by its compact structure, strong versatility with both left and right steering wheels, efficient and reliable mode switching, and effective avoidance of condensate water impact. Specifically, by employing a semi-centralized compact shell design and a single mode panel to control two core mode dampers (a face defrost damper and a foot damper), five air outlet modes can be switched using only two dampers. This greatly simplifies the internal structure and control logic, reduces the number of parts and cost, and improves system reliability. In particular, the ingenious design of the foot damper, which also functions as a flow channel boundary when closed, further optimizes the internal airflow guidance and space utilization. Furthermore, the rational arrangement of the hot and cold air dampers and the heater core, as well as the shielding effect of the hot and cold air dampers on the air inlet surface of the heater core, fundamentally avoids potential electrical safety issues and water dripping hazards in the cab caused by evaporator condensate splashing onto the PTC heating unit, thus improving the product's safety and durability. This integrated solution allows the same air conditioning unit to be adapted to both left-hand drive and right-hand drive vehicles without mirroring modifications, meeting the platform development needs of OEMs, reducing development and mold costs, while its compact X / Y dimensions provide greater flexibility for the cockpit layout, especially suitable for space-constrained models such as new energy trucks. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air conditioning unit for a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 2 Exploded view of the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided for this invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the air damper control section of the air conditioning unit for a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the logic panel structure of the air conditioning unit for a new energy truck provided by the present invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the face-blowing mode of the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the foot-blowing mode of the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the face-blowing and foot-blowing mode of the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the defrosting mode for the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided by the present invention; Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the defrosting and foot blowing mode of the air conditioning unit of a new energy truck provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Unless otherwise specified, the terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application include both direct and indirect connections (linkages). In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention.

[0020] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] The purpose of this invention is to provide an air conditioning unit for new energy trucks, which aims to solve the problems of bulky structure, incompatibility between left-hand drive and right-hand drive models, complex mode switching mechanism, and improper condensate management in the existing air conditioning unit technology.

[0023] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Example 1: Please see Figures 1 to 4 The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks in this embodiment of the invention adopts a semi-central layout and has a compact size on both the X-axis (front-to-back direction) and Y-axis (left-to-right direction) of the vehicle. This allows it to be flexibly adapted to the space-constrained area behind the dashboard of the truck cab, without the need for a mirror-symmetrical redesign for left-hand drive or right-hand drive models. This significantly improves the versatility of the parts and reduces development and manufacturing costs.

[0025] Specifically, the air conditioning unit mainly consists of three parts: an air intake module, an air handling module, and a mode distribution module. The air intake module includes a left internal / external circulation housing 26 and a right internal / external circulation housing 29, which are connected by flanges and self-tapping screws 31, forming a cavity with independent external and internal circulation ducts. At a specific location within this cavity, a rotatable internal / external circulation damper 28 is installed. This damper is driven by an internal / external circulation servo motor 30, and its rotation angle adjusts or switches the air intake ratio of external circulation (introducing fresh air from outside the vehicle) and internal circulation (circulating air inside the vehicle). Downstream of the internal / external circulation damper 28, a removable and replaceable air filter 32 is installed to purify the air entering the air conditioning unit. The filter 32 is pressed and fixed by a filter cover 33 for easy daily maintenance.

[0026] Furthermore, the air handling module is the core of the air conditioning unit for temperature regulation. The blower assembly 6 is installed at the outlet of the cavity formed by the left and right internal and external circulation housings 26 and 29. Its high-speed rotating impeller draws in filtered air, pressurizes it, and sends it into the subsequent heating and cooling housing assembly. The heating and cooling housing assembly is formed by connecting the left heating housing 15 and the right heating housing 24 with self-tapping screws 31, creating a continuous main air duct inside. In the main air duct, the evaporator core 5 and the heater core 4 are arranged sequentially along the airflow direction. The evaporator core 5 is used for cooling; when the air conditioning system is in cooling mode, the air flowing over its surface is cooled and dehumidified. A water tray 34 is located directly below the evaporator core 5 to collect condensate generated during condensation operation and discharge it into the housing through a drain pipe. The heater core 4 is located downstream of the evaporator core 5 and integrates a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heating unit for heating the air in heating mode.

[0027] Furthermore, to precisely control the airflow temperature, a hot and cold air damper 3 is installed on the air inlet side of the heater core 4 (i.e., the side closest to the evaporator core 5). This hot and cold air damper 3 is driven by an independent hot and cold servo motor 13. When heating is required, the hot and cold air damper 3 opens, and the airflow passes through the heater core 4 and is heated; when cooling or ventilation is required, the hot and cold servo motor 13 drives the hot and cold air damper 3 to rotate to the closed position. At this time, the surface of the hot and cold air damper 3 precisely blocks the entire air inlet surface of the heater core 4, forcing the airflow to bypass the heater core 4 through the bypass channel (i.e., the channel formed by the first temperature air inlet and the second temperature air inlet, not shown in the figure). This arrangement has two key advantages: First, in cooling mode, it avoids the airflow carrying condensate droplets on the surface of the evaporator core 5 from blowing directly onto the heater core 4, especially its internal PTC electrical components, fundamentally eliminating the risk of leakage and short circuit caused by condensate splashing and the potential water dripping problem in the driver's cab; Second, it reduces airflow resistance and improves system efficiency.

[0028] Furthermore, the mode allocation module is responsible for directing the temperature-treated airflow to different air outlets within the cockpit, such as the face outlet (towards the occupant's face), the defrost outlet (towards the windshield), and the foot outlet (towards the occupant's feet). The innovation of this module lies in its ability to switch between five airflow modes using only two mode dampers and their ingenious linkage mechanism. These two dampers are the face-blowing defrost damper 1 and the foot-blowing damper 2, both rotatably mounted within the cavity formed by the left heater housing 15 and the right heater housing 24 via a pivot. The design of the foot-blowing damper 2 is particularly ingenious; when fully closed, its damper plate itself forms part of the sidewall of the flow channel leading to the foot outlet in the main air duct, serving both as a guide and a space divider.

[0029] Furthermore, the core of driving and controlling the synchronous movement of these two air dampers is a mode disc 10. The mode disc 10 is rotatably mounted on the outside of the right heater housing 24 (or left heater housing 15) via bearings and is driven to rotate by a mode servo motor 12. The mode servo motor 12 is fixed to the housing via a mode servo motor mounting plate 11. Specific curved track grooves are designed on the surface of the mode disc 10. The face defrost damper 1 is connected to the mode disc 10 via a face defrost rotating shaft 7, while the foot defrost damper 2 is connected to the mode disc 10 via a foot defrost rotating shaft 8 and a foot rocker arm 9 fixed to the foot defrost rotating shaft 8. Pins are provided at the ends of the face defrost rotating shaft 7 and the foot rocker arm 9, respectively inserted into different track grooves on the mode disc 10.

[0030] When a user selects different airflow modes via the vehicle's air conditioning panel, the controller sends a command to the mode servo motor 12. The mode servo motor 12 drives the mode disk 10 to rotate by a specific angle. At this time, the curved track groove on the mode disk 10 drives the pin inserted therein to move, which is converted into the rotation of the face defrost shaft 7 and the swing of the foot blower rocker arm 9. The swing of the foot blower rocker arm 9 further drives the foot blower shaft 8 to rotate. Finally, the rotation of the face defrost shaft 7 controls the opening angle of the face defrost damper 1, and the rotation of the foot blower shaft 8 controls the opening angle of the foot blower damper 2. Through a precise design of a set of tracks, the unidirectional rotation of the mode disk 10 can make the two dampers work together according to a preset logic, combining different opening and closing states, corresponding to different airflow modes.

[0031] The following is combined Figures 5 to 9 This section details the airflow path and damper status under five typical operating modes: Blowing in face mode ( Figure 5This mode is suitable for rapid cooling in summer. In this mode, the face defrost damper 1 rotates to open the air duct leading to the face outlet while simultaneously closing the air duct leading to the defrost outlet; the foot damper 2 is completely closed, its panel acting as a flow channel wall to block airflow to the foot outlet and direct airflow towards the face defrost damper 1 area. All airflow is directed towards the occupant's face through the face outlet. Typically, in this mode, internal recirculation is activated to quickly reduce the interior temperature.

[0032] face and foot blowing mode ( Figure 6 This design is suitable for scenarios requiring simultaneous temperature regulation of the upper body and feet. The face-blowing defrosting damper (part 1) opens, allowing airflow to simultaneously reach both the face-blowing outlet and the defrosting outlet (however, the defrosting outlet may be closed by a downstream damper, details not shown in the diagram); the foot-blowing damper (part 2) opens, allowing some airflow to reach the foot-blowing outlet. This achieves simultaneous airflow to the face and feet.

[0033] Foot blowing mode ( Figure 7 ): Suitable for winter heating, utilizing the principle of rising hot air to warm the entire cockpit. Face defrost damper 1 closes the air ducts leading to the face and defrost outlets; foot damper 2 is fully open. The vast majority of the airflow exits through the foot outlet.

[0034] Defrosting mode ( Figure 8 (This is used to remove frost or fog from the windshield.) The face defrost damper 1 is rotated to close the face outlet and fully open the air duct leading to the defrost outlet; the feet defrost damper 2 is fully closed, directing airflow towards the defrost outlet. This mode is often used in conjunction with external air circulation, introducing dry outside air, which is then heated and blown onto the windshield for rapid defrosting and defogging.

[0035] Foot blower defrosting mode ( Figure 9 This is suitable for situations where both foot warming and windshield defrosting are needed simultaneously in winter. The face defrost damper 1 opens the defrost duct; the foot defrost damper 2 also remains open. This allows airflow to exit from both the foot outlet and the defrost outlet simultaneously.

[0036] In summary, the new energy truck air conditioning unit of this invention, through its semi-centralized compact shell design, a mechanical program mechanism that uses a single mode disc to control two core mode dampers, and optimized relative positions of the heating and cooling dampers and the heater core, successfully achieves multiple objectives, including structural simplification, small space occupation, compatibility with both left and right steering wheels, reliable mode switching, and effective prevention of condensation damage. This solution is particularly suitable for the new energy commercial vehicle sector, where space, cost, and reliability requirements are stringent.

[0037] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0038] It should be noted that the components mentioned in the above embodiments are all general standard parts or components known to those skilled in the art. Their structures and principles can be learned by those skilled in the art through technical manuals or conventional experimental methods.

[0039] This invention has used specific examples to illustrate its principles and implementation methods. The above descriptions of the embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A new energy truck air conditioning unit, characterized in that, include: The inner and outer circulation housing assembly includes a left inner and outer circulation housing (26) and a right inner and outer circulation housing (29), which are connected to form an independent outer circulation air duct and an inner circulation air duct; The blower assembly (6) is located in the space formed by the left inner and outer circulation housing (26) and the right inner and outer circulation housing (29); The heating and cooling housing assembly includes a left heating housing (15) and a right heating housing (24), which are connected to form a main air duct and are connected to the left inner and outer circulation housing (26) and the right inner and outer circulation housing (29); The face-blowing defrosting damper (1) is located inside the left warm air housing (15) and the right warm air housing (24); Foot-blowing damper (2) is located inside the left warm air housing (15) and the right warm air housing (24), and forms part of the inner wall surface of the main air duct when closed; The mode dial (10) is rotatably mounted on the left heater housing (15) or the right heater housing (24); The face blowing defrosting rotating shaft (7) is connected to the face blowing defrosting damper (1) and cooperates with the trajectory structure on the mode disk (10); Foot blowing shaft (8), which is connected to the foot blowing damper (2); Foot blowing rocker arm (9), which is connected between the foot blowing shaft (8) and the trajectory structure on the mode disk (10); The mode servo motor (12) is connected to the mode disk (10). When the mode servo motor (12) drives the mode disk (10) to rotate, it synchronously drives the face defrosting shaft (7) and the foot blowing rocker arm (9) through the trajectory structure to adjust the opening and closing state of the face defrosting damper (1) and the foot blowing damper (2).

2. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The hot and cold air damper (3) is located inside the left heating housing (15) and the right heating housing (24); The heater core (4) is disposed in the left warm air housing (15) and the right warm air housing (24), and is located downstream of the hot and cold air damper (3); A heating and cooling servo motor (13) is connected to the heating and cooling damper (3) and is used to block the air inlet surface of the heater core (4) when closed.

3. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heater core (4) includes a PTC heating unit.

4. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An internal and external circulation damper (28) is rotatably disposed between the left internal and external circulation housing (26) and the right internal and external circulation housing (29); The internal and external circulation servo motor (30) is connected to the internal and external circulation damper (28).

5. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The evaporator core (5) is located downstream of the blower assembly (6) and within the left heating housing (15) and the right heating housing (24).

6. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A water tray (34) is located below the evaporator core (5).

7. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An air filter (32) is disposed in the air duct formed by the left inner and outer circulation housing (26) and the right inner and outer circulation housing (29).

8. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: The filter cover (33) is connected to the left inner and outer circulation housing (26) or the right inner and outer circulation housing (29) to fix the air filter (32).

9. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left heater housing (15), right heater housing (24), left internal and external circulation housing (26) and right internal and external circulation housing (29) are fixedly connected by self-tapping screws (31).

10. The air conditioning unit for new energy trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mode servo motor (12) is mounted on the left heater housing (15) or the right heater housing (24) via the mode servo motor mounting plate (11).

Images