Air conditioning system for a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle with air conditioning system

Abstract

The invention relates to an air conditioning device (1) for a vehicle interior (9) of a motor vehicle, comprising at least one inlet duct (5) through which fresh air can flow and having at least one inlet opening (4), an air filter device (6) arranged downstream of the inlet duct (5), and a refrigerant circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one evaporator, at least one condenser, and at least one expansion valve. The air conditioning device (1) is characterized in that the inlet opening (4) of the inlet duct (5) is arranged in a congestion area (2) on a front side of the motor vehicle, whereby the fresh air can be conveyed through the inlet opening (4) and through the inlet duct (5) due to its dynamic pressure when the motor vehicle is traveling forward. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle having an air conditioning device (1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an air conditioning device for a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle, with at least one inlet duct through which fresh air can flow and having an inlet opening, with an air filter device arranged downstream of the inlet duct and with a refrigerant circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one evaporator, at least one condenser and at least one expansion valve, as well as a motor vehicle with an air conditioning device.

[0002] From DE 196 29 084 C2 a fuel cell system as a drive battery for an electric vehicle is known, which comprises at least one primary cooling system through which a liquid or gaseous cooling medium flows, in which the fuel cell system is designed such that the dynamic pressure of the airstream drives the gaseous cooling medium wholly or partly into the cooling system.

[0003] DE 39 23 307 A1 shows a device for supplying fresh air to the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the device comprising a fresh air duct connecting an air inlet in the passenger compartment with an air inlet opening in the body, and an air filter in the fresh air duct through which the air flow passes.

[0004] DE 22 38 938 B2 shows a device for automatically controlling a throttle valve and a fan in the ventilation system of a motor vehicle, which has a ventilation duct opening into a dynamic pressure zone.

[0005] DE 44 19 626 A1 shows a fresh air supply to the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, which contains a central filter insert in a central housing that is in flow connection with a fresh air inlet and a fresh air blower, which is accessible for filter replacement after removing a cover assigned to a mounting opening in the dashboard.

[0006] JP H06-78 027 U shows a structure for mounting a filter in an air conditioning system, whereby the filter can be released from several directions.

[0007] JP S62-286 823 A shows an air conditioning unit for a vehicle, whereby the ingress of snow into a duct of the air conditioning unit is to be prevented.

[0008] DE 197 31 369 C1 shows an air conditioning system for vehicles, wherein, to ensure that the vehicle windows are kept free of misting, an evaporator is assigned a bypass which branches off from the main air duct and opens into the cold air duct and contains at least one controllable shut-off device.

[0009] It is an object of the invention to provide a particularly space-saving air conditioning device and a motor vehicle with such an air conditioning device.

[0010] This object is achieved according to the invention by an air conditioning device having the features of patent claim 1 and by a motor vehicle having such an air conditioning device having the features of patent claim 9. Advantageous embodiments or further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent patent claims and the description.

[0011] A first aspect of the invention relates to an air conditioning device for a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle, comprising at least one inlet duct through which fresh air can flow and having at least one inlet opening, an air filter device arranged downstream of the at least one inlet duct, and a refrigerant circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one evaporator, at least one condenser, and at least one expansion valve. The air conditioning device is characterized in that the at least one inlet opening of the at least one inlet duct is arranged in a congestion area on a front side of the motor vehicle, whereby the fresh air can be conveyed through the inlet opening and through the inlet duct when the motor vehicle is traveling forward, assisted by its dynamic pressure.

[0012] In other words, the fresh air which is to be supplied to the air conditioning system for air conditioning the vehicle interior should be able to be tapped in an area or from an area of ​​a vehicle front where the air accumulates and fed to the air conditioning system or should be tapped during operation of the air conditioning system and fed to it.

[0013] This results in the advantage that the air conditioning system's fan requires very little power to push the fresh air through the intake duct, allowing the air conditioning system to operate with particularly low energy consumption. Due to the fan's particularly low power requirement, it can be designed to be particularly small, thus saving space.

[0014] When a motor vehicle is traveling straight ahead, the air passing through the motor vehicle (which can also be referred to as a vehicle) as it moves forward has a relative speed to the vehicle. The proportion of the total pressure of a flow due to its (relative) speed is referred to in fluid mechanics as dynamic pressure and is calculated as half the product of the density of the medium and its squared speed, where "medium" here refers to the air surrounding the vehicle. When driving forward, the air flowing around the vehicle accumulates in a front area of ​​the vehicle, the accumulation area, for example in the area of ​​the bumper.Here, stagnation means that the air in the so-called stagnation point, which here extends over the stagnation area, assumes the speed of the vehicle, i.e. no longer has any speed relative to the vehicle, whereby the dynamic total pressure component is converted into static pressure. The at least one inlet opening of the at least one inlet duct should be arranged in this stagnation area. As a result, the air does not stagnate directly in the area of ​​the at least one inlet opening, maintains its speed relative to the vehicle and can flow through this inlet opening into the at least one inlet duct. In other words, the ambient air should be able to be fed to the air conditioning system through the at least one inlet opening and through the at least one inlet duct as a result of the vehicle speed relative to the ambient air.The arrangement of the at least one inlet opening in the accumulation area is particularly advantageous since this can have surfaces formed perpendicular to the flow velocity of the air. The air flowing in here has not yet suffered any flow losses due to flow deflection, for example, unlike air flowing around the vehicle along inclined surfaces, and therefore has more energy or total pressure, which means that the mass flow that can be supplied to the air conditioning system is particularly high. Fresh air here refers to the air from the environment around the vehicle. The at least one inlet duct having at least one inlet opening means that the air conditioning system has one or more inlet ducts, each of which has one or more inlet openings. In the following, therefore, we will only refer to the inlet duct and the inlet opening.

[0015] The dynamic pressure of the incoming air increases quadratically with the vehicle speed. At low vehicle speeds (without taking wind speeds into account), air flow can be assisted by a fan included in the air conditioning system. At higher vehicle speeds, this assistance can be reduced or eliminated entirely.

[0016] The refrigerant circuit and the components it comprises can be the refrigerant circuit commonly used in air conditioning systems known from the prior art. The at least one compressor is intended to compress gaseous refrigerant and thus heat it, and the condenser is intended to liquefy the refrigerant while dissipating heat to the environment. The evaporator is intended to evaporate the refrigerant, for example after passing through an expansion valve for relaxation, i.e. pressure reduction, while absorbing heat. Heat is preferably absorbed from the fresh air or air from the vehicle interior and is thereby cooled before it can be or is conducted into the vehicle interior. In addition to or as an alternative to the refrigerant circuit, the air conditioning system can comprise at least one auxiliary heater, with which air can be heated before it is introduced into the vehicle interior.The at least one auxiliary heater can be electrically operated and / or provide waste heat from an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle that can be absorbed by the air introduced into the vehicle interior. Alternatively, the air conditioning system can be designed only as a ventilation system, i.e., without a refrigerant circuit or the described components included therein.

[0017] According to the invention, a drainage gap through which fluid can flow is formed through the inlet channel around the inlet opening, through which drainage gap water and / or dirt can be discharged from the inlet channel against a flow direction of the fresh air in the inlet channel.

[0018] For example, when it rains, water, i.e. rainwater, can be pumped into the inlet duct along with the fresh air. The inlet duct can preferably be curved upwards towards the air filter device, whereby water pumped into the inlet duct with the fresh air can condense in the curve due to centrifugal force on a side of the wall of the inlet duct facing the flow through the inlet duct and can then drain downwards, i.e. towards the inlet opening, and can advantageously be discharged or drained away via the drainage gap as a result of gravity. A particularly advantageous feature here is that dirt located in the inlet duct can be flushed out of the inlet duct with the draining water.The drainage channel can be configured such that a wall of the inlet channel surrounds or encloses a wall of the inlet opening, which can be configured, for example, as a round tube or pipe section, in the region around the inlet opening at a distance from the wall. The inlet opening, configured, for example, as a pipe section, can be held by struts, each of which can be connected in a form-fitting, force-fitting, and / or positive-locking manner at one end to the wall of the inlet channel and at the other end to a wall surrounding the inlet opening. The struts can therefore extend across the drainage gap.

[0019] The invention also includes embodiments or further developments which result in additional advantages.

[0020] A further development of the air conditioning system provides for the air filter device to be arranged above the intake opening relative to the vehicle's vertical direction. In other words, the air filter device should be arranged higher than the intake opening and, in particular, the intake duct.

[0021] This has the advantage that when the air filter device is serviced or cleaned, any dirt that may come loose or comes loose falls into the inlet duct and no critical components of the air conditioning system are contaminated, such as a fan, which would then distribute the dirt in the air conditioning system during operation.

[0022] The air filter unit can be directly connected to the intake duct in the direction of flow. This means that the air flowing into the intake duct via the inlet opening flows through the air filter unit downstream of the intake duct or immediately downstream of the intake duct so that it is cleaned of dirt particles by being filtered by the air filter unit. Because the air filter unit is higher than the inlet opening and in particular higher or arranged higher than the intake duct, air flows through the air filter unit "from below", i.e. against a gravity vector (provided the vehicle is on a horizontal roadway). This has the advantage that dirt particles that are released from the air filter unit, for example due to vibrations while driving, fall downwards, i.e. into the intake duct, from where they can escape into the environment.

[0023] A further development of the air conditioning system provides that a fan of the air conditioning system for drawing in fresh air is arranged above the air filter device relative to the vertical direction of the vehicle. In other words, the fan should be arranged above the air filter device, i.e., higher than the air filter device relative to a gravity vector or position vector, opposite to its direction.

[0024] This has the advantage that the fan is not contaminated by dirt that is released during maintenance or cleaning of the air filter unit, and thus, any dirt that falls into the fan is not distributed throughout the air conditioning system by the fan during operation. The fan can be designed, for example, as a single or double axial fan or a radial fan, also known as a centrifugal fan.

[0025] A further development of the air conditioning device provides that the inlet channel immediately downstream of the inlet opening is designed as a convergent-divergent nozzle.

[0026] In other words, the cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet channel should decrease in the flow direction up to a constriction immediately downstream or behind the inlet opening (convergent part of the nozzle) and increase in the flow direction downstream of the constriction (divergent part of the nozzle). To achieve this, the wall of the inlet channel can taper up to the constriction and widen immediately downstream in the flow direction.

[0027] This has the advantage that the fresh air can be dehumidified. In the convergent part of the nozzle, the static pressure and thus also the static temperature in the flow or fresh air (Bernoulli equation). This reduces the water capacity of the fresh air, i.e. the ability of the fresh air, which depends on its static temperature, to absorb water, i.e. humidity. This reduces water from the fresh air in the convergent part of the nozzle. In the part of the nozzle that widens or diverges immediately downstream of the constriction, the flow velocity of the fresh air is reduced again or reduced to a particularly optimal supply velocity for operating the air conditioning system. After it has been separated from the fresh air, the separated water can condense on the side of the wall of the inlet duct facing the flow and flow away via the drainage gap.The excreted water can be carried along with the current.

[0028] A further development of the invention provides that the air filter device has at least one drawer in which at least one air filter is arranged and which can be pulled out in the direction of the vehicle interior along a first pull-out direction and can thus be removed from the air conditioning device.

[0029] This provides the advantage that the at least one air filter can be replaced with particularly reduced effort. The air filter can be designed in a manner typical of prior art air conditioning systems for motor vehicles. The drawer can have a handle extending into the vehicle interior, by means of which the drawer can be pulled out of the air filter device into the vehicle interior.

[0030] A further development of the invention provides that the drawer can be pulled out in the direction of a front space along a second pull-out direction and can thus be removed from the air conditioning device.

[0031] This offers the advantage that at least one filter of the air filter system can be replaced with particularly reduced effort when the front compartment is open, because no dirt can fall from the air filter into the vehicle interior, which would then require cleaning. The front compartment refers to a cavity in the motor vehicle that can be located or arranged in front of the windshield in the direction of travel.

[0032] A further development of the air conditioning device provides that a fresh air flap is arranged in the inlet duct, through which a fresh air position can be assumed, in which fresh air can flow through the inlet duct and through which a recirculation position can be assumed, in which fresh air cannot flow through the inlet duct, and that a housing part at least partially delimiting the inlet duct is arranged in the vehicle interior and is designed to be fluid-flowable from the vehicle interior, whereby air from the vehicle interior can be sucked in as recirculation air by the air conditioning device through the housing part.

[0033] This has the advantage that a recirculation function of the air conditioning system can be implemented in a particularly space-saving manner.

[0034] The housing part can be formed by the wall of the inlet duct and partially delimit the inlet duct, wherein the housing part is arranged in the vehicle interior, preferably in a footwell of a driver and / or a front passenger. For example, the housing part can be designed to be permeable to air, such that air from the vehicle interior can flow through the housing part into the inlet duct. For example, the air from the vehicle interior can be sucked in as recirculated air by the fan. In the recirculated air position, the inlet duct can be closed off by the recirculated air flap in such a way that no fluid can flow through the air filter device.Alternatively, for a recirculation function, the fresh air flap can be configured to not completely close the flow cross-section in the intake duct, but rather to only narrow it, so that less fresh air can flow to the air filter device than in the open position. In other words, when the fresh air flap is in the recirculation position, the proportion of recirculated air—i.e., air from the vehicle interior—that is, air supplied through the intake duct of the air conditioning system via or through the air filter device can be increased relative to the fresh air.

[0035] A further development of the air conditioning device provides that a bypass flap is arranged downstream of the air filter device, by means of which, in a bypass position of the bypass flap, fresh air can be introduced into the vehicle interior via a bypass channel arranged downstream of the bypass flap and through which air can flow, as a result of the dynamic pressure of the fresh air immediately after it has flowed through the air filter device.

[0036] In other words, the fresh air should flow through the bypass duct directly or immediately after flowing through the air filter device and be able to be introduced into the vehicle interior located downstream of the bypass duct, bypassing the fan and / or the evaporator and / or the auxiliary heater of the air conditioning system. This naturally requires that the fresh air flap is in a position in which the intake duct is at least partially permeable, for example in the fresh air position, and that the bypass flap is in the bypass position. In particular, it is provided that the fan, if present, is switched off when the bypass flap is in the bypass position.The fresh air therefore preferably flows into the vehicle interior via the bypass duct only as a result of the vehicle movement and its resulting kinetic energy after flowing through the inlet opening, the inlet duct, and the air filter device. The bypass duct is preferably formed by a housing region through which air conveyed by the fan can flow downstream of the fan when the fan is in operation. In other words, a flow-through region arranged directly downstream of the fan is bypassed or shortened by the fresh air when the bypass flap is in the bypass position. If the air conditioning system does not have a fan, a region of the air conditioning system in which the auxiliary heater or the evaporator are arranged can be bypassed by the bypass position of the bypass flap and the bypass duct, thereby reducing flow losses.

[0037] This offers the advantage that, starting at a predetermined vehicle speed (e.g., determined by the design of the air conditioning system), a particularly large amount of fresh air can be introduced into the vehicle interior due to its kinetic energy. If the air conditioning system includes a fan, this can be switched off or remain switched off to supply fresh air into the vehicle interior above the predetermined vehicle speed, thus saving energy.

[0038] The bypass flap can be designed to assume an air conditioning position, whereby an inflow of fresh air immediately downstream of the air filter device is prevented.

[0039] A second aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle with an air conditioning system according to the first aspect of the invention. Advantages and advantageous developments of the first aspect of the invention are to be regarded as advantages and advantageous developments of the second aspect of the invention, and vice versa.

[0040] Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figure, and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figure, can be used not only in the respective combinations specified, but also in other combinations or on their own.

[0041] The invention will now be explained in more detail using a preferred embodiment and with reference to the drawing. It shows: Fig. a schematic sectional view of an imaginary section through an air conditioning device arranged in a motor vehicle with an inlet duct and an inlet opening arranged in a storage area.

[0042] As shown in the figure, the air conditioning device 1 can have an inlet duct 5 with an inlet opening 4, an air filter device 6 with two air filters 7 and a blower 8 and can be arranged or installed in a motor vehicle. The inlet opening 4 can be arranged in a storage area 2, for example in the area of ​​a bumper or in a bumper of the motor vehicle. Fresh air can flow into the inlet duct 5 along the fresh air inflow direction 3. In this example, the motor vehicle with the air conditioning device 1 is traveling forward, whereby the influence of wind can be neglected. As a result of the vehicle speed, the fresh air can be forced or pushed into the inlet duct 5 via the inlet opening 4, i.e. flow in. A convergent-divergent nozzle 15 can be arranged immediately downstream of the inlet opening 4.Along the fresh air inflow direction 3, the fresh air flowing through the inlet opening 4 into the inlet duct 5 can first flow through a convergent part of the nozzle, i.e. a region of the inlet duct 5 which has a cross-section that decreases along the flow direction, up to a constriction, whereby the flow cross-section of the inlet duct can increase again downstream of the constriction, i.e. in the divergent part. In the convergent part, the inflowing air can be accelerated, which, according to the Bernoulli equation, reduces the static pressure and static temperature of the flow. By lowering the temperature, the fresh air's ability to absorb air humidity can be reduced, which allows air humidity to separate from the fresh air in the form of condensing water. The fresh air flap 14 arranged upstream of the inlet opening 4 in the inlet duct 5 can, in this example, open as shown in Fig.shown, are in an open position, which can also be referred to as the fresh air position. The air filter device 6 can be arranged directly downstream of the inlet duct 5 in the direction of flow. The air filter device 6 can have a drawer in which, in this example, two air filters 7 can be arranged. Relative to a horizontal road surface or to a horizontal road plane, the air filter device 6 can be arranged above the inlet opening 4 and / or above the inlet duct 5. The drawer of the air filter device 6 can be designed to be pulled out of the air conditioning device 1 in a first and / or a second pull-out direction 11, 12 and to accommodate the air filters 7. The first pull-out direction 11 can, as indicated by the arrow in the figure, run in the direction of the vehicle interior 9.When the air filters 7 are dirty, the drawer can thus be pulled into the vehicle interior 9 in the direction of the first pull-out direction 11 and the dirty air filters 7 can be replaced. Dirt that comes off the air filters 7 when they are pulled out falls particularly advantageously into the inlet duct 5. Additionally or alternatively, the drawer can be designed to be pulled out of the air conditioning device 1 in a second pull-out direction 12 in the direction of a front compartment, indicated by the arrow in the figure for the second pull-out direction 12. The dirt that falls into the inlet duct 5 when the air filters 7 are changed can, for example, fall or trickle out of the inlet duct 5 through a drainage gap 10 as a result of gravity.The drainage gap 10 can be formed by the inlet opening being formed as a first pipe section that surrounds or encompasses the inlet opening 4 at a distance of, for example, 0.5 to 10 centimeters from a wall of the inlet channel 5, which is formed as a second pipe section directly around the inlet opening 4. The two pipe sections can be connected to one another by struts across the drainage gap 10, whereby the inlet opening 4 or the first pipe section can be held fastened by the second pipe section or the inlet channel 5.Moisture or water conveyed into the inlet duct 5 with the fresh air, for example during rain, which may precipitate on a side of a curved wall of the inlet duct 5 facing the flow through the inlet duct, can drain through the drain gap 10 as a result of gravity, i.e. flow out of the inlet duct via the drain gap 10 from the air conditioning device 1, for example onto the road surface.

[0043] As shown in the figure, a fan 8 can be arranged above the air filter device 6. This fan can be dimensioned to be particularly small, i.e., space-saving, due to the kinetic energy available to the fresh air when the motor vehicle is traveling straight ahead for flowing into the inlet duct 5. The air conditioning device 1 can have a refrigerant circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one evaporator, at least one condenser, and at least one expansion valve. Downstream of the fan 8 and upstream of the vehicle interior 9, an evaporator for cooling and / or an auxiliary heater for heating the air to be introduced into the vehicle interior 9 can be arranged, as is usual with air conditioning devices for motor vehicles. To convey the conditioned air into the vehicle interior 9, an air outlet encompassed by the air conditioning device 1 can be arranged in the vehicle interior 9.When the fresh air flap 14 is in the recirculating air position, a flow cross-section of the inlet duct 5 can be reduced or completely closed compared to the open position of the fresh air flap 14, so that less or no fresh air can flow from the inlet opening 4 to the air filter device 6 compared to the open position. The inlet duct 5 can be delimited by a housing part 13 in a region formed in the vehicle interior 9 or towards the vehicle interior. The housing part 13 can be designed, for example, to be perforated or to allow air from the vehicle interior 9 to flow through or through a plurality of holes, i.e. recesses in the housing part 13. The air flowing from the vehicle interior through the housing part 13 into the inlet duct 5 can be made available to the air conditioning device 1 as recirculating air.

[0044] In a further example, the air conditioning device 1 can be operated in a bypass mode. A prerequisite for this can be that the inlet duct 5 is not completely closed by the fresh air flap 14 or that air can at least partially flow through in the direction of the air filter device 6. In addition, it may be necessary for a bypass flap 16 to be in a bypass position, as shown in the figure, and for the vehicle to be traveling straight ahead. In the bypass position, it can be possible for fresh air to flow into a bypass duct 17 directly downstream of the air filter device 6. The fresh air can therefore flow directly downstream of the air filter device 6 via the bypass duct 17 into the vehicle interior 9.The fresh air can thus be prevented from flowing through and / or around other components or parts of the air conditioning system 1, such as an evaporator and / or auxiliary heater and / or a fan 8, whereby flow losses of the fresh air can be kept particularly low. In order to at least inhibit the flow of fresh air into the vehicle interior 9 through the housing part 13, as shown in the figure, a check valve 18 can be arranged in the inlet duct 5, preferably directly upstream of the air filter device 6. Thus, a flow path from the inlet duct 5 into the housing part 13 can be blocked, bypassing the air filter device 6.From a predetermined driving speed of the vehicle, the kinetic energy of the fresh air may be sufficient, without, for example, assistance from the blower 8, to flow past the bypass flap 16 via the bypass duct 17 into the vehicle interior 9 immediately after flowing through the air filter device 6. The bypass flap 16 may be designed to assume an air conditioning position different from the bypass position, whereby an inflow of fresh air immediately downstream of the air filter device 6 can be prevented. If the bypass flap 16 is in the air conditioning position, the fresh air and / or recirculated air can only be introduced into the vehicle interior 9 via a flow path through the blower 8, if present, and / or past or through an evaporator and / or auxiliary heater.

[0045] A particularly preferred example is described below.

[0046] The background to the idea is that, as part of a project based on the conceptual constraints and objectives (maximum interior space, very delicate cockpit), a new air conditioning layout had to be developed. A standard layout for an air conditioning unit, which can also be referred to as air conditioning system 1, is known behind the bulkhead and / or platforms with components partially in front of the bulkhead. The problem here is that an arrangement of an air intake, for example, by a fan 8 via a hood gap, a filter, which can also be referred to as air filter 7, and a fan 8, with the requirement of easy filter replacement, results in the filter being arranged either above the fan 8 or as a pressure-side filter parallel to the evaporator.The basic principle of the idea is to tap fresh air in the area of ​​​​dynamic pressure at the front end, guide it to the filter, flow through it from bottom to top, and from there to a fan 8 above. This arrangement leads to the following advantages: Symmetrical / LL / RL communal design (LL: left-hand drive, the steering wheel is on the left side in the direction of travel; RL: right-hand drive, the steering wheel is on the right side in the direction of travel) of the arrangement. Any water introduced can drip off / escape again due to gravity. Any dirt introduced does not fall into an air conditioning unit housing during replacement. The filter can be replaced both towards the engine compartment or front compartment and towards the interior, which can also be referred to as the vehicle interior 9 (e.g., depending on the derivative). Use of the housing section 13 protruding into the vehicle interior 9 as a recirculation air intake.

[0047] The following describes the layout of an air conditioning unit which arranges the components typically installed in an air conditioning unit in such a way as to create numerous advantages. The arrangement is described along the air path. In the arrangement shown, the fresh air is taken from the area of ​​the bumper so that a dynamic pressure effect can be utilized. The air or fresh air is fed to the filter via a shut-off valve, through which the air flows from bottom to top. Any water that enters can thus drip down and does not, as is the case with more common filter arrangements, enter the fan 8 directly above the fan and the air conditioning unit housing that usually follows it. Conventionally installed hoses for condensate drainage can therefore be omitted. Furthermore, no coarse dirt can fall into the fan housing when the filter is changed.The low position of the filter allows for filter replacement both from the front toward the engine compartment or front compartment, and from the rear toward the interior. The cockpit can be designed in such a way that no cockpit component needs to be dismantled to change the filter. Due to the filter arrangement, which can also be referred to as the air filter device 6, the area of ​​the housing or housing part 13 located in the interior can be used as an opening for recirculating air intake.

[0048] Due to the goal of making all components smaller, a compensation option had to be found for a small-sized fan 8. In today's air conditioning unit arrangements, the back pressure on the air conditioning unit is not used, but rather compensated for via so-called back pressure compensation by reducing the fresh air cross-section in order to keep the air volume constant. In the case of an Eco operating mode (Eco: Economic, energy-saving) without an active cooling circuit, i.e. with a pure ventilation function, this is not expedient for efficiency reasons. Therefore, in the case of pure ventilation of the interior, it is proposed to use the back pressure when the vehicle is moving and to adjust the fan 8 and subsequent installed components bypassing it in order to achieve maximum air throughput without electrical consumers. For this purpose, a bypass flap 16 can be provided, which shortens the air flow to the interior and bypasses installed components subject to pressure losses.When the fan 8 is switched on, air can be sucked in via a bypass air path 20 through an intake snorkel via an air filter 7. While driving, if there is dynamic pressure, the air can also be introduced into the vehicle interior via the bypass flap 16, driven solely by the dynamic pressure, via the bypass air path 20, if necessary (purely for ventilation purposes). The bypass flap 16 can be conveniently positioned either between the fan 8 and the evaporator, alternatively between the evaporator and the heat exchanger, or as shown in the figure, after the evaporator and a heating component (heat exchanger, PTC auxiliary heater (PTC: Positive Temperature Coefficient), or similar) and thus directly into an air distribution box, via which air can be distributed in the vehicle interior 9 or introduced into it. As shown in the figure.shown, it can be a pure ventilation device (without refrigeration circuit / evaporator) so that the maximum amount of air can be made available for air distribution due to the low pressure loss. The back pressure flap, which can also be referred to as bypass flap 16, can be designed either actively or, as shown in the figure, as a passive flap. If the back pressure function is not desired (for example in winter), the flap or bypass flap 16 can be locked using a simple actuator or, as shown in the figure, in the example shown, it can be prevented from opening using another flap, here the stratification flap 19, or a targeted partial opening can be enabled. List of reference symbols 1 air conditioning system 2 storage area 3 Fresh air inflow direction 4 Inlet opening 5 Inlet channel 6 Air filter device 7 air filters 8 fans 9 Vehicle interior 10 Drain gap 11 first pull-out direction 12 second pull-out direction 13 Housing part 14 Fresh air flap 15 convergent-divergent nozzle 16 Bypass valve 17 Bypass channel 18 Check valve 19 Stratification flap 20 Bypass air path

Claims

[1] Air conditioning device (1) for a vehicle interior (9) of a motor vehicle, with at least one inlet duct (5) through which fresh air can flow and having at least one inlet opening (4), with an air filter device (6) arranged downstream of the at least one inlet duct (5) and with a refrigerant circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one evaporator, at least one condenser and at least one expansion valve, characterized bythat the at least one inlet opening (4) of the at least one inlet duct (5) is arranged in a congestion area (2) on the front side of a motor vehicle, whereby when the motor vehicle is traveling forwards the fresh air can be conveyed through the inlet opening (4) and through the inlet duct (5) with the aid of its dynamic pressure, and that a discharge gap (10) through which fluid can flow is formed around the inlet opening (4) by the inlet duct (5), through which discharge gap water and / or dirt can be discharged from the inlet duct (5) against a flow direction of the fresh air in the inlet duct (5). [2] Air conditioning device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the air filter device (6) is arranged above the inlet opening (4) with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle. [3] Air conditioning device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat a fan (8) of the air conditioning device (1) for sucking in the fresh air is arranged above the air filter device (6) with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle. [4] Air conditioning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the inlet channel (5) immediately downstream of the inlet opening (4) is designed as a convergent-divergent nozzle (15). [5] Air conditioning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the air filter device (6) has at least one drawer in which at least one air filter (7) is arranged and which can be pulled out in the direction of the vehicle interior (9) along a first pull-out direction (11) and thus removed from the air conditioning device (1). [6] Air conditioning device (1) according to claim 5, characterized bythat the drawer can be pulled out in the direction of a front space along a second pull-out direction (12) and can thus be removed from the air conditioning device (1). [7] Air conditioning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a fresh air flap (14) is arranged in the inlet duct (5), through which a fresh air position can be assumed, in which fresh air can flow through the inlet duct (5) and through which a recirculation position can be assumed, in which fresh air cannot flow through the inlet duct (5), and a housing part (13) at least partially delimiting the inlet duct (5) is arranged in the vehicle interior (9) and is designed such that fluid can flow through it from the vehicle interior (9), whereby air from the vehicle interior (9) can be sucked in as recirculation air by the air conditioning device (1) through the housing part (13). [8] Air conditioning device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by in that a bypass flap (16) is arranged downstream of the air filter device (6), by means of which, in a bypass position of the bypass flap (16), fresh air can be introduced into the vehicle interior (9) via a bypass channel (17) arranged downstream of the bypass flap (16) and through which air can flow, as a result of the dynamic pressure of the fresh air immediately after it has flowed through the air filter device (6). [9] Motor vehicle with an air conditioning device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8.

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