Heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device for a vehicle, comprising a housing having an upper space and a lower space, the lower space being divided into a first sub-space having a first outlet and a second sub-space having a second outlet, a first main damper regulating the communication of the upper space with the first sub-space, a second main damper regulating the communication of the upper space with the second sub-space. In a first position of the first main damper, the first outlet is open and the upper space and the first sub-space are separated, in a position of the second main damper intermediate the first and second positions, the upper space and the second sub-space communicate with each other and the second outlet is able to communicate with the upper space. The present disclosure also relates to a vehicle comprising such a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system for a vehicle, and a vehicle including such a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles are typically equipped with heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning systems for regulating the environment inside the vehicle cabin. These systems may include multiple air vents located in different parts of the vehicle interior to provide zoned control of the cabin environment. For example, front air vents for regulating the environment for the driver and front passengers may include front face vents and front foot vents; rear air vents for regulating the environment for rear passengers may include rear foot vents and rear face vents; and defrost vents may be used to defog the windshield.

[0003] Compared to rear air vents, front air vents have shorter airflow paths and lower pressure drops. Existing heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning systems typically deliver significantly more airflow from front vents than from rear vents. For example, the airflow ratio of front footwell vents to rear footwell vents can be 1.8:1 or greater. However, in some cases, such as luxury or business sedans, greater emphasis needs to be placed on the comfort of rear passengers. Rear air vents require sufficient airflow to quickly provide rear passengers with a comfortable warm or cool feeling. In existing heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning systems, increasing rear airflow requires increasing the overall airflow, which in turn increases the energy consumption of the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, this disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and its purpose is to provide a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device for a vehicle that can increase the air volume distribution of the rear exhaust vents and reduce energy consumption.

[0005] The objective is achieved by a heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising: a housing allowing airflow through, the housing having an upper space and a lower space, wherein the lower space is divided into a first subspace and a second subspace, the first subspace having a first outlet and the second subspace having a second outlet; a first main damper configured to operably adjust communication between the upper space and the first subspace; and a second main damper configured to operably adjust communication between the upper space and the second subspace. The first main damper is at least rotatable about a rotation axis to a first position, in which the first main damper opens the first outlet and separates the upper space and the first subspace; and wherein the second main damper is at least rotatable about a rotation axis to an intermediate damper position, in which the second main damper communicates the upper space and the second subspace with each other and allows the second outlet to communicate with the upper space.

[0006] In the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning system for vehicles disclosed herein, the proportion of airflow exiting each outlet can be controlled by adjusting the positions of the first and second main air dampers, through the arrangement of various spaces, outlets, and dampers. For example, with the above damper arrangement, only the airflow from the first sub-space can exit from the first outlet, while the airflow from the upper space and the second sub-space can both exit from the second outlet. Therefore, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning system can increase the airflow from specific outlets without increasing the total airflow, meeting the environmental control needs of specific areas of the vehicle, and is more energy-efficient.

[0007] The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus according to this disclosure may also have one or more of the following features, individually or in combination.

[0008] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the first outlet includes a front foot-blowing air outlet, and the second outlet includes a rear foot-blowing air outlet and / or a rear face-blowing air outlet.

[0009] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the upper space further has a third outlet, the third outlet including a front-blowing air outlet and / or a defrosting air outlet.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the first main damper is at least rotatable about a rotation axis to a second position and / or an intermediate position. In the second position, the first main damper closes the first outlet and allows the upper space and the first subspace to communicate with each other. In the intermediate position, the first main damper partially opens the first outlet and allows the upper space and the first subspace to communicate with each other.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the second main damper is at least rotatable about a rotation axis to a first damper position and / or a second damper position. In the first damper position, the second main damper separates the upper space and the second subspace. In the second damper position, the second main damper connects the upper space and the second subspace to each other and isolates the second outlet from the upper space.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus further includes a heat exchange element configured to allow airflow, and the airflow flowing through the heat exchange element is capable of flowing into the upper space, a first subspace of the lower space and / or a second subspace of the lower space.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, when the first main damper is in the first position and the second main damper is in the intermediate damper position, the airflow distribution ratio of the first outlet and the second outlet is less than 1.2:1.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, when the first main damper is in the first position and the second main damper is in the intermediate damper position, less than or equal to 30% of the airflow flows out of the housing from the third outlet.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment of this disclosure, the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device includes a plurality of housings, and a plurality of first main dampers and a plurality of second main dampers for each housing.

[0016] This disclosure also relates to a vehicle that includes heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning units as described above. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above and other features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. The following drawings are not intentionally drawn to scale with actual dimensions; their focus is on illustrating the gist of this disclosure. In the figures:

[0018] Figure 1 A top view of a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit for a vehicle, according to an exemplary embodiment, is shown schematically.

[0019] Figure 2 It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit along line AA, with the first main damper in the first position;

[0020] Figure 3It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit shown is a cross-sectional view along line BB, wherein the second main damper is located in the middle damper position;

[0021] Figure 4 It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit along line AA, with the first main damper in the second position;

[0022] Figure 5 It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit along line AA, with the first main damper in the middle position;

[0023] Figure 6 It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit shown is a cross-sectional view along line BB, wherein the second main damper is located in the position of the first damper;

[0024] Figure 7 It is shown in an illustrative way Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit along line BB, with the second main damper in the second damper position. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The use of terms such as “a,” “an,” or “the” as in the specification and claims of this patent application does not indicate a limitation of quantity, but rather indicates the presence of at least one. Terms such as “comprising” or “including” mean that an element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Although expressions such as “first” and “second” are used to describe the various elements of this disclosure, they are used only to distinguish one component from another and not to define the order or importance of the respective elements. Without departing from the scope of this disclosure, “first element” may be written as “second element,” and similarly, “second element” may be written as “first element.”

[0027] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the disclosed product is in use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are used only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component 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 this disclosure.

[0028] For ease of description, the accompanying drawings of this disclosure have correspondingly simplified or omitted components that are not relevant to the description herein. These omitted or simplified components do not affect the understanding of this disclosure by those skilled in the art.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device 100 proposed in this invention can be used in vehicles, such as motor vehicles, electric vehicles, or hybrid vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device 10 includes a housing 10 that allows airflow and various components disposed within the housing 10. This invention aims to, through the cooperation between the housing 10 and the various components, allow desired airflow at a desired flow rate or ratio through corresponding airflow channels and to reach a desired outlet, thereby satisfying the control and regulation requirements of the driver and passengers inside the vehicle compartment for the air and temperature within the vehicle compartment, while simultaneously saving vehicle energy, especially the energy supplied to the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device 100—which is particularly important in electric or hybrid vehicles.

[0030] In one embodiment, such as Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device 100 disclosed herein includes a housing 10, a filter 20 disposed within the housing 10 and configured to allow airflow, and a heat exchange element 30. The housing 10 has an upper space S1 and a lower space S2, the lower space S2 being further divided into a first subspace S2a and a second subspace S2b, more specifically, by means of a partition wall 14 of the housing 10.

[0031] In the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100, the airflow supplied to the upper space S1 and lower space S2 of the housing 10 can have different sources. For example, the airflow F entering the upper space S1 can come from fresh outside air, while the airflow F entering the lower space S2 can come from recirculated air. Fresh outside air is drier, which allows for rapid defrosting and quickly increases the oxygen content in the cabin, making the driver and passengers feel the air is fresh. The temperature of the recirculated air is closer to the target set temperature, allowing for a rapid response to temperature regulation needs. For example, in cold environments, recirculated air can quickly raise the temperature inside the cabin with lower energy consumption, making the driver and passengers feel warm.

[0032] The heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 further includes a first main damper 40 and a second main damper 50, used to adjust the connection and isolation between the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 of the housing 10. Specifically, the first main damper 40 is arranged between the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a, and can adjust the connection between the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a; the second main damper 50 is arranged between the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b, and can adjust the connection between the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b.

[0033] The housing 10 has multiple outlets to supply airflow F, filtered by the filter 20 and / or regulated by the heat exchange element 30, to different areas of the vehicle for zoned environmental regulation. (Reference) Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the first subspace S2a has a first exit 11, and the second subspace S2b has a second exit 12.

[0034] The airflow F entering the first subspace S2a can exit from the first outlet 11. The first main damper 40 can not only regulate the connection between the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a, but also control the opening and closing of the first outlet 11. In particular, refer to Figure 2 It shows a first main damper 40 rotated about the rotation axis X1 to a first position. In this first position, the first main damper 40 separates the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a, and opens the first outlet 11. Thus, only the airflow F in the first subspace S2a can flow out from the first outlet 11.

[0035] The airflow F entering the second subspace S2b can exit from the second outlet 12. The first main damper 40 can not only regulate the connection between the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b, but also control the connection between the second outlet 12 and the upper space S1. (Reference) Figure 3This diagram shows a second main damper 50 rotated about the rotation axis X2 to the intermediate damper position. At this intermediate damper position, the second main damper 50 connects the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b to each other, and allows the second outlet 11 to connect to the upper space S1. Therefore, not only can the airflow F in the second subspace S2b flow out from the second outlet 11, but the airflow F in the upper space S1 can also flow out from the second outlet 12.

[0036] Therefore, in the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device 100 for vehicles disclosed herein, the ratio of airflow flowing out from the first outlet 11 and the second outlet 12 can be controlled according to actual needs. In particular, by causing the airflow F in the upper space S1 to flow out from the second outlet 12, the proportion of airflow F flowing out from the second outlet 12 can be increased.

[0037] Optionally, the first outlet 11 of the first subspace S2a includes a front footwell air outlet 111; alternatively, the second outlet 12 of the second subspace S2b is a rear footwell air outlet 121 and / or a rear facewell air outlet 122. It should be noted that "front" and "rear" here refer to at least one of the front seats and at least one of the rear seats inside the vehicle compartment, respectively. Thus, the airflow regulated by the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 10 can be blown through the front footwell air outlet 111 to the feet or legs of the front passengers and / or driver inside the vehicle compartment, through the rear footwell air outlet 121 to the feet or legs of the rear passengers, and through the rear facewell air outlet 122 to the head and face of the rear passengers.

[0038] Compared to conventional vehicle air conditioners where the air volume from the front exhaust vents is much greater than that from the rear exhaust vents, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device 100 according to this disclosure, in accordance with... Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the operating mode shown, the airflow delivered to rear passengers can be increased, thereby improving their comfort. Specifically, in... Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the operating mode shown (i.e., the foot-blowing mode of the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100), when the first main air damper 40 is in the first position and the second main air damper 50 is in the intermediate air damper position, the airflow distribution ratio of the first outlet 11 and the second outlet 12 is less than 1.2:1, preferably 1:1 or less. Therefore, the unique advantage of the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 according to this disclosure is that, without increasing the total airflow, it increases the airflow at a specific outlet by increasing the airflow distribution ratio at that outlet, thereby meeting the environmental regulation needs of a specific area and reducing overall energy consumption.

[0039] In addition to the two exits for the lower space, the upper space S1 of the shell 10 also has a third exit 13. For example... Figures 2 to 7As shown, the third outlet 13 includes a front-blowing air outlet 131 and / or a defrost air outlet 132. Airflow regulated by the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 10 can be blown through the front-blowing air outlet 131 to the heads and / or faces of the front passengers and / or driver, and through the defrost air outlet 132 to the vehicle's windshield for defogging. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the foot-blowing mode shown, the proportion of airflow F exiting the housing 10 from the third outlet 13 in the total airflow F entering the housing 10 can be set to less than 30%, preferably approximately 20%. This airflow distribution ratio is sufficient to prevent fogging of the windshield. However, the airflow distribution ratio between the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 of the housing 10 is approximately 50%:50%. Airflow in the upper space S1 exceeding the distribution ratio of the third outlet 13 can flow out from the second outlet 12 through the second subspace S2b, increasing the proportion of airflow flowing out from the second outlet 12.

[0040] In addition to the foot-blowing mode mentioned above, the first main air damper 40 and the second main air damper 50 can also be configured in different positions to realize different operating modes of heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit 100.

[0041] like Figure 4 As shown, the first main damper 40 can at least rotate around the rotation axis X1 to a second position. In the second position, the first main damper 40 closes the first outlet 11 and connects the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a. Thus, the airflow F in the first subspace S2a can enter the upper space S1 and then exit the housing 10 through the third outlet 13. Combined with the adjustment and control of other dampers and components, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 can implement full defrost mode, front-blowing mode, front-blowing defrost mode, front-blowing defogging mode, etc.

[0042] like Figure 5 As shown, the first main damper 40 can at least rotate to a middle position around the rotation axis X1. In the middle position, the first main damper 40 partially opens the first outlet 11, allowing the upper space S1 and the first subspace S2a to communicate with each other. Thus, the airflow F in the first subspace S2a can flow out of the housing 10 from the first outlet 11, and the airflow F in the upper space S1 can also flow out of the housing 10 from the first outlet 11. Combined with the adjustment and control of other dampers and components, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 can implement front-blowing foot mode, front-blowing front-blowing foot mode, defrost front-blowing foot mode, front-blowing front-defrost front-blowing foot mode, defogging front-blowing foot mode, front-blowing front-defrost front-blowing foot mode, etc.

[0043] like Figure 6As shown, the second main damper 50 can at least rotate around the rotation axis X2 to the first damper position. In the first damper position, the second main damper 50 separates the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b. Therefore, airflow in the upper space S1 can no longer enter the second subspace S2b, and only airflow F in the second subspace S2b can flow out from the second outlet 12. Combined with the adjustment and control of other dampers and components, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 can also implement a rear-blowing foot mode, a rear-blowing face and rear-blowing foot mode, etc., but distribute the airflow from the first outlet 11 and the second outlet 12 in different proportions.

[0044] like Figure 7 As shown, the second main damper 50 can at least rotate around the rotation axis X2 to the second damper position. In the second damper position, the second main damper 50 connects the upper space S1 and the second subspace S2b, but isolates the upper space S1 from the second outlet 12. Specifically, in the second subspace S2b, the airflow F flowing through the heat exchange element 30 will flow into the upper space S1 and then out of the housing 10 from the third outlet 13, while the airflow F that only flows through the filter 20 will out of the housing 10 from the second outlet 12. In this mode, the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit 100 can supply all the airflow F heated by the heat exchanger 30 to the third outlet 13 for full defrosting.

[0045] In addition to the first main damper 40 and the second main damper 50, the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit may also include one or more auxiliary dampers. Figure 3 and Figures 6-7 The auxiliary damper 60 of the second outlet 12 can be opened or closed operablely.

[0046] The heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 may further include multiple housings 10, each housing 10 having an upper space S1 and a lower space S2, with the lower space S2 divided into a first subspace S2a and a second subspace S2b. Each housing 10 includes a first main air damper 40 and a second main air damper 50. Figure 1 As shown by the dashed line, the heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit 100 may include two housings 10 to form a double-layer (i.e., upper and lower) six-zone vehicle air conditioning system (i.e., each housing has three zones: an upper space S1, a first subspace S2a, and a second subspace S2b). The outlets of the two housings 10 may respectively form a left-side air outlet and a right-side air outlet inside the vehicle compartment.

[0047] This disclosure also provides a vehicle that includes heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning units as described above.

[0048] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will understand that variations and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted.

[0049] Finally, it should be understood that some technical features in the embodiments may not be necessary for solving specific technical problems, and thus these technical features may be omitted or omitted without affecting the solution to the technical problem or the formation of the technical solution; moreover, the features, elements and / or functions of one embodiment may be appropriately combined, combined or coordinated with the features, elements and / or functions of one or more other embodiments, unless such combination, combination or coordination is obviously not feasible.

Claims

1. A heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (10) for a vehicle, characterized in that, The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit (100) includes: The housing (10) allows airflow (F) to pass through. The housing (10) includes an upper space (S1) and a lower space (S2), wherein the lower space (S2) includes a first subspace (S2a) and a second subspace (S2b), the first subspace (S2a) having a first outlet (11) and the second subspace (S2b) having a second outlet (12). The first main air damper (40) is configured to operably adjust the communication between the upper space (S1) and the first subspace (S2a); and The second main air damper (50) is configured to operably adjust the communication between the upper space (S1) and the second subspace (S2b). The first main damper (40) is at least able to rotate to a first position about the rotation axis (X1). In the first position, the first main damper (40) opens the first outlet (11) and separates the upper space (S1) and the first subspace (S2a). The second main damper (50) is at least able to rotate around the rotation axis (X2) to the intermediate damper position, where the second main damper (50) connects the upper space (S1) and the second subspace (S2b) to each other, and allows the second outlet (11) to connect to the upper space (S1).

2. The heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning unit (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first outlet (11) includes a front foot air outlet (111), and The second outlet (12) includes a rear foot air outlet (121) and / or a rear face air outlet (122).

3. The heating, ventilation, and / or air conditioning device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper space (S1) also has a third outlet (13), which includes a front-blowing air outlet (131) and / or a defrosting air outlet (132).

4. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first main damper (40) can also rotate about the rotation axis (X1) to at least the second position and / or the intermediate position. In the second position, the first main air damper (40) closes the first outlet (11), and makes the upper space (S1) and the first subspace (S2a) connected to each other. In the intermediate position, the first main air damper (40) partially opens the first outlet (11) and makes the upper space (S1) and the first subspace (S2a) communicate with each other.

5. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second main damper (50) can also rotate about the rotation axis (X2) to the first damper position and / or the second damper position. At the first damper position, the second main damper (50) separates the upper space (S1) and the second subspace (S2b). At the second damper position, the second main damper (50) connects the upper space (S1) and the second subspace (S2b) to each other, and isolates the second outlet (11) from the upper space (S1).

6. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit (100) also includes a heat exchange element (30) configured to allow airflow (F) to pass through, and The airflow (F) flowing through the heat exchange element (30) can flow into the upper space (S1), the first subspace (S2a) of the lower space (S2) and / or the second subspace (S2a) of the lower space (S2).

7. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that... When the first main air damper (40) is in the first position and the second main air damper (50) is in the intermediate air damper position, the airflow distribution ratio of the first outlet (11) and the second outlet (12) is less than 1.2:

1.

8. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that... When the first main air damper (40) is in the first position and the second main air damper (50) is in the intermediate air damper position, less than or equal to 30% of the airflow flows out of the housing (10) from the third outlet (13).

9. The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning unit (100) includes a plurality of housings (10), and a plurality of first main dampers (40) and a plurality of second main dampers (50) for each housing (10).

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning units (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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