Integrated air suction tee assembly

Abstract

This invention discloses an integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly, belonging to the field of new energy vehicle air conditioning technology. The air conditioning assembly includes a middle shell and a right shell, which are joined together to form the air conditioning housing. An intake three-way structure is integrated within the air conditioning housing. This structure is formed by the joining of three-way flow channels respectively formed on the middle and right shells after the shells are closed. The intake three-way structure includes a three-way air outlet, a three-way blower air inlet, and a three-way air intake. During operation, the blower airflow increases the flow velocity at the three-way air outlet, creating a low-pressure area according to Bernoulli's principle. Air from the passenger compartment is drawn in through the three-way air intake, achieving the air intake function. This invention, by integrating the intake three-way structure with the housing, eliminates the need for separate intake three-way components, effectively reducing material and labor costs, optimizing the spatial layout of the air conditioning housing assembly, eliminating the risk of assembly aging and leakage, and improving the long-term reliability of the structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air conditioning technology for new energy vehicles, specifically to an integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly. Background Technology

[0002] In automotive air conditioning systems, the intake tee (also commonly known as the air conditioning unit return tee or fresh air return air mixing tee) is a core functional component of the air conditioning unit ventilation system. The basic working principle of the intake tee is as follows: Utilizing the airflow generated by the blower inside the air conditioning unit, the airflow velocity at the tee's outlet is increased. According to Bernoulli's principle, the higher the velocity, the lower the static pressure, thus creating a pressure difference between the tee's outlet and intake. Under this pressure difference, air from the car's cabin is drawn into the tee's ductwork through the intake and finally discharged through the outlet, guiding the cabin air to the sensor to measure the cabin temperature. This temperature detection result directly affects the control strategy and calibration parameters of the automotive automatic air conditioning system.

[0003] In existing automotive air conditioning unit designs, the intake tee is typically a separate, individual component, installed on the air conditioning unit housing via snap-fit, screw-fit, or adhesive bonding. This independent intake tee occupies installation space outside the air conditioning unit housing, increasing the overall dimensions of the air conditioning unit assembly and hindering compact layout within the vehicle's confined space. Furthermore, as a separate material, the independent intake tee involves multiple management and production stages, including procurement, warehousing, incoming material inspection, and assembly, increasing material management and labor assembly costs.

[0004] In addition, there is an assembly and fitting relationship between the independent intake tee and the air conditioning unit housing. During long-term use, factors such as vibration and temperature fluctuations may cause the connection parts to age and loosen, which may lead to air leakage in the pipeline and affect the intake efficiency and temperature detection accuracy of the intake tee.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a new type of air conditioning assembly structure that integrates the intake tee structure into the air conditioning unit housing, eliminating the need for independent intake tee components, and effectively solving the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art while ensuring the intake function. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the technical problems of existing independent intake tees, such as numerous components, high material and labor costs, large installation space requirements, and the risk of aging and leakage after long-term use, this invention provides an integrated intake tee air conditioning assembly. By integrating the intake tee structure with the air conditioning unit housing, the aforementioned technical problems are effectively solved. While ensuring the air conditioning system can perform temperature detection within the cockpit, the number of components is effectively reduced, material and labor costs are lowered, and the overall space layout of the air conditioning unit assembly is optimized.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: An integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly includes a middle housing and a right housing, which are joined together to form an air conditioning unit housing. The air conditioning unit housing has an integrated air intake tee structure, which is formed by the tee flow channel structures respectively formed on the middle housing and the right housing after the housing is closed. The three-way air intake structure includes a three-way air outlet, a three-way blower air inlet, and a three-way air intake; the three-way air outlet is located on the middle shell, the three-way blower air inlet is connected to the airflow duct of the blower inside the air conditioning unit, and the three-way air intake is located on the right shell and connected to the vehicle's driver's cabin. The middle shell has a tee cross-section structure, and the right shell has a tee cross-section structure; after the shells are closed, the tee cross-section structures of the middle shell and the right shell form a complete tee pipe flow channel.

[0008] During operation, the airflow generated by the blower inside the air conditioning unit enters the three-way pipe channel through the three-way blower inlet, increasing the airflow velocity at the three-way outlet. According to Bernoulli's principle, a low-pressure area is formed at the three-way outlet. Under the action of this pressure difference, the air in the car's cabin is drawn into the three-way pipe channel through the three-way air intake and finally discharged through the three-way outlet, thus achieving the air intake function.

[0009] Furthermore, the intake tee structure is manufactured as an integral injection molding unit with the middle shell and the right shell. During the development stage of the air conditioning unit shell mold, the flow channel structure and interface structure of the intake tee are directly integrated into the shell mold design, and the intake tee structure is formed simultaneously during the shell injection molding.

[0010] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the flow channel of the three-way pipe along the airflow direction is circular or elliptical; wherein, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel on the air outlet side of the three-way pipe is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel on the air inlet side of the three-way pipe.

[0011] Furthermore, the cross-sectional structure of the middle shell tee is a semi-sectioned tube structure integrally formed on the middle shell, and the cut end face of the semi-sectioned tube structure is located on the shell-joining surface of the middle shell and the right shell; the semi-sectioned tube structure includes, in sequence along the airflow direction: a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the tee outlet, and a semi-flared flared section extending from the semi-cylindrical section along the airflow direction and gradually expanding from the inner radial direction to the outer radial direction; a semi-sectioned branch opening is provided on the side wall of the semi-flared flared section, and the semi-sectioned branch opening constitutes part of the tee blower air inlet.

[0012] Furthermore, the right shell tee cross-sectional structure is an integrally formed half-section tube structure on the right shell. The cut-off end face of the half-section tube structure is located on the shell-joining surface of the middle shell and the right shell, and is appropriately matched with the cut-off end face of the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure. The half-section tube structure includes, along the airflow direction, a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the tee air inlet, and a half-section flared section corresponding to the semi-flared section of the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure. A half-section branch opening is provided on the side wall of the half-section flared section. After the shells are joined, the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure and the right shell tee cross-sectional structure are joined to form a complete tee pipe flow channel, and the two half-section branch openings are joined to form a complete tee blower air inlet.

[0013] Furthermore, the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure is provided with a rib groove; the rib groove is provided on the cut end face of the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure and extends circumferentially along the cut end face; the rib groove is a groove formed by recessing relative to the cut end face into the inner side of the middle shell.

[0014] Furthermore, the right shell tee cross-sectional structure is provided with guide ribs that cooperate with the rib groove; the guide ribs are provided on the cut end face of the right shell tee cross-sectional structure and extend circumferentially along the cut end face, and their positions correspond to the rib grooves; the guide ribs are protruding outward relative to the cut end face and are adapted to the shape of the rib grooves; when the shells are closed, the guide ribs are embedded in the rib grooves to form a snap-fit ​​fit, so as to prevent airflow from leaking from the shell-closing surface of the middle shell and the right shell.

[0015] Furthermore, the three-way air outlet and the three-way air intake are located on both sides of the parting surface of the middle shell and the right shell, respectively.

[0016] Furthermore, the air conditioning unit housing is a plastic housing, and the air intake tee structure is integrally injection molded with the plastic housing.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. By integrating the intake tee structure onto the air conditioning unit housing, the independent intake tee component is eliminated, reducing one independent material and effectively lowering material management costs such as procurement, warehousing, and incoming material inspection, as well as labor assembly costs; 2. The air intake tee is integrated with the housing, which optimizes the internal space layout of the housing, reduces the overall size of the air conditioning unit, makes the air conditioning unit more compact, and improves the flexibility of the vehicle layout. 3. The integrated structure eliminates the assembly interface between the independent intake tee and the housing, fundamentally avoiding air leakage caused by aging and loosening of the connection parts, and improving the long-term reliability and sealing performance of the structure. 4. By fully utilizing the combined structure of the middle and right shells of the air conditioning unit, the intake tee, which originally required separate installation, can be installed through the shell assembly. The structure is reasonably designed, the manufacturing process is mature, and it has good prospects for industrial application. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and the drawings are only used to illustrate exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the middle and right housing structures of the integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the intake tee of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the tee section of the housing in this invention; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the right shell tee of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the three-way structure at the shell junction of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 A diagram illustrating color differentiation.

[0019] The components in the diagram are labeled as follows: 10-middle shell; 20-right shell; 11-three-way air outlet; 31-three-way blower air inlet; 21-three-way air intake; 12-section structure of the three-way of the middle shell; 22-section structure of the three-way of the right shell; 13-rib groove; 23-guide rib. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The specific embodiments of the integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that not all combinations of the technical features described in this embodiment are mandatory; the technical features can be freely combined without contradiction.

[0021] Example 1 Reference Figures 1 to 6 The present invention provides an integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly, including a middle shell 10 and a right shell 20, which together form the main structure of the air conditioning unit shell.

[0022] like Figure 1As shown, an intake tee structure is integrated within the air conditioning unit housing. This intake tee structure consists of tee flow channels formed on the middle housing 10 and the right housing 20, which, after the housings are closed, align to form a complete tee pipe. Specifically, the middle housing 10 has a middle housing tee cross-sectional structure 12 (see reference). Figure 3 The right shell 20 has a right shell tee cross-section structure 22 (see reference). Figure 4 After the middle shell 10 and the right shell 20 are joined, the tee section structure 12 of the middle shell and the tee section structure 22 of the right shell are precisely aligned to form a complete tee pipe flow channel (refer to...). Figure 5 , Figure 6 ).

[0023] The three-way intake structure includes a three-way air outlet 11, a three-way blower air inlet 31, and a three-way air intake 21. The three-way air outlet 11 is located on the middle housing 10; the three-way blower air inlet 31 is connected to the airflow duct of the blower inside the air conditioning unit; the three-way air intake 21 is located on the right housing 20 and is connected to the vehicle's driver's cabin through a pipe.

[0024] In this embodiment, the intake tee structure is manufactured integrally with the middle housing 10 and the right housing 20 using injection molding. During the development stage of the air conditioning unit housing mold, the flow channel structure and interface structure of the intake tee are directly integrated into the design of the housing injection mold. During housing injection molding, the intake tee structure is formed synchronously with the housing, eliminating the need for additional assembly processes, thus achieving complete integration of the intake tee and the housing.

[0025] Reference Figure 2 The working principle of the intake tee is as follows: The airflow generated by the blower inside the air conditioning unit enters the tee pipe channel through the blower inlet 31, significantly increasing the airflow velocity at the tee outlet 11. According to Bernoulli's principle in fluid mechanics, the static pressure at the tee outlet 11 decreases with increasing flow velocity, forming a low-pressure area, creating a pressure difference between this area and the atmospheric pressure at the intake 21 side. Under the action of this pressure difference, air in the car's cabin is drawn into the tee pipe channel through the intake 21, then flows along the channel direction to the outlet 11, and finally is discharged through the outlet 11, thus achieving the function of guiding cabin air to the sensor.

[0026] The structure of this embodiment makes full use of the combined structure of the middle shell 10 and the right shell 20 of the air conditioning unit, so that the intake tee structure, which originally needed to be installed separately as an independent part, can be realized by combining the shells. The structure design is reasonable and compact.

[0027] In terms of flow channel design, the cross-sectional dimensions of the T-junction flow channel are designed according to the air volume requirements of the air conditioning unit, matching the cooling and heating power requirements of the vehicle's air conditioning system, ensuring that the pressure loss when the airflow passes through the T-junction does not exceed 50Pa, which is not significantly increased compared to the independent intake T-junction, ensuring that the airflow distribution performance of the intake T-junction meets the working requirements.

[0028] Reference Figures 5 to 6 The middle shell three-way cross-sectional structure 12 is a half-section tube structure integrally formed on the middle shell 10. The cut end face of the half-section tube structure is located on the shell surface of the middle shell 10 and the right shell 20. The half-section tube structure includes, in sequence along the airflow direction: a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the three-way air outlet 11, and a semi-flared flared section extending from the semi-cylindrical section along the airflow direction and gradually expanding from the inner radial direction to the outer radial direction. A half-section branch opening is provided on the side wall of the semi-flared flared section, and the half-section branch opening constitutes part of the three-way blower air inlet 31.

[0029] Reference Figures 5 to 6 The right shell tee cross-sectional structure 22 is a half-section tube structure integrally formed on the right shell 20. The cut end face of the half-section tube structure is located on the shell-joining surface of the middle shell 10 and the right shell 20, and is appropriately matched with the cut end face of the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure 12. The half-section tube structure includes, along the airflow direction, a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the tee air inlet 21, and a half-section flared section corresponding to the semi-flared section of the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure 12. Half-section branch openings are provided on the side wall of the half-section flared section. After the shells are joined, the middle shell tee cross-sectional structure 12 and the right shell tee cross-sectional structure 22 are joined to form a complete tee pipe flow channel, and the above two half-section branch openings are joined to form a complete tee blower air inlet 31.

[0030] Reference Figures 5 to 6 The middle shell tee cross section structure 12 is provided with a rib groove 13; the rib groove 13 is provided on the cut end face of the middle shell tee cross section structure 12 and extends circumferentially along the cut end face; the rib groove 13 is a groove formed by recessing relative to the cut end face into the middle shell 10.

[0031] Reference Figures 5 to 6 The right shell tee cross section structure 22 is provided with a guide rib 23 that cooperates with the rib groove 13; the guide rib 23 is provided on the cut end face of the right shell tee cross section structure 22 and extends circumferentially along the cut end face, and its position corresponds to the rib groove 13; the guide rib 23 is a convex strip that protrudes outward relative to the cut end face and is adapted to the shape of the rib groove 13; when the shell is closed, the guide rib 23 is embedded in the rib groove 13 to form a snap fit, so as to prevent airflow from leaking from the shell-closing surface of the middle shell 10 and the right shell 20.

[0032] In summary, this embodiment integrates the intake tee structure into the shell structure of the air conditioning unit, eliminating the need for a separate intake tee component, reducing a separate material, and effectively lowering material management and labor assembly costs. At the same time, it optimizes the internal space layout of the shell, making the air conditioning unit assembly more compact. Furthermore, it eliminates the assembly interface, fundamentally avoiding air leakage problems caused by aging and loosening of connections, and improving the long-term reliability of the structure.

[0033] The contents not described in detail in this specification are existing technologies known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly, comprising a middle housing (10) and a right housing (20), wherein the middle housing (10) and the right housing (20) are joined together to form an air conditioning unit housing; characterized in that: The air conditioning unit housing has an integrated air intake three-way structure, which is formed by the three-way flow channel structures respectively formed on the middle housing (10) and the right housing (20) after the housing is closed; The three-way air intake structure includes a three-way air outlet (11), a three-way blower air inlet (31), and a three-way air intake (21); the three-way air outlet (11) is located on the middle shell (10), the three-way blower air inlet (31) is connected to the airflow duct of the blower inside the air conditioning unit, and the three-way air intake (21) is located on the right shell (20) and is connected to the car's driver's cabin; The middle shell (10) is formed with a middle shell tee cross section structure (12), and the right shell (20) is formed with a right shell tee cross section structure (22). After the shells are closed, the middle shell tee cross section structure (12) and the right shell tee cross section structure (22) are joined together to form a complete tee pipe flow channel.

2. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake three-way structure is manufactured as an integral injection molding process with the middle shell (10) and the right shell (20).

3. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the flow channel of the three-way pipe along the airflow direction is circular or elliptical; wherein, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel on the side of the three-way air outlet (11) is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel on the side of the three-way air inlet (21).

4. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-way cross-sectional structure (12) of the middle shell is a half-section tube structure integrally formed on the middle shell (10). The cut end face of the half-section tube structure is located on the shell surface of the middle shell (10) and the right shell (20). The half-section tube structure includes, in sequence along the airflow direction: a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the three-way air outlet (11), and a semi-flared flared section extending from the semi-cylindrical section along the airflow direction and gradually expanding from the inner radial direction to the outer radial direction. A half-section branch opening is provided on the side wall of the semi-flared flared section, and the half-section branch opening constitutes part of the three-way blower air inlet (31).

5. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The right shell tee cross section structure (22) is a half-section tube structure integrally formed on the right shell (20). The cut end face of the half-section tube structure is located on the shell-joining surface of the middle shell (10) and the right shell (20), and is relatively matched with the cut end face of the middle shell tee cross section structure (12). The half-section tube structure includes, along the airflow direction, a semi-cylindrical section connected to the air duct of the tee air inlet (21), and a half-section flared section corresponding to the half-flared section of the middle shell tee cross section structure (12). A half-section branch opening is provided on the side wall of the half-section flared section. After the shells are joined, the middle shell tee cross section structure (12) and the right shell tee cross section structure (22) are joined to form a complete tee pipe flow channel, and the above two half-section branch openings are joined to form a complete tee blower air inlet (31).

6. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The middle shell tee cross section structure (12) is provided with a rib groove (13); the rib groove (13) is provided on the cut end face of the middle shell tee cross section structure (12) and extends circumferentially along the cut end face; the rib groove (13) is a groove formed by recessing relative to the cut end face into the inner side of the middle shell (10).

7. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The right shell tee cross section structure (22) is provided with a guide rib (23) that cooperates with the rib groove (13); the guide rib (23) is provided on the cut end face of the right shell tee cross section structure (22) and extends circumferentially along the cut end face, and its position corresponds to the rib groove (13); the guide rib (23) is a convex strip that protrudes outward relative to the cut end face and is adapted to the shape of the rib groove (13); when the shell is closed, the guide rib (23) is embedded in the rib groove (13) to form a snap fit, so as to prevent airflow from leaking from the shell-closing surface of the middle shell (10) and the right shell (20).

8. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-way air outlet (11) and the three-way air inlet (21) are located on both sides of the shell-joining parting surface of the middle shell (10) and the right shell (20), respectively.

9. The integrated intake three-way air conditioning assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner housing is made of plastic, and the air intake tee structure is integrally injection molded with the plastic housing.

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