VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE

Abstract

Installing a flap connection mechanism and an actuator driving it on the outside of an air conditioning unit improves space utilization.A vehicle air conditioning device comprises an air conditioning housing, a flap linkage mechanism that switches a flap inside the air conditioning housing in response to an operating mode, and an actuator that drives the flap linkage mechanism, wherein the flap linkage mechanism and the actuator are arranged on an outer surface of the air conditioning housing, wherein the flap linkage mechanism comprises a flap lever that rotates about a flap axis of the flap, and a cam linkage that causes the flap lever to rotate when a main cam mounted on the air conditioning housing is rotated, wherein the actuator comprises a drive rod whose head end section engages in a coupling groove of the main cam and which is driven by rotation about a foot end, and wherein the flap linkage mechanism and the actuator are installed on different outer surfaces of the air conditioning housing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning device. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] A vehicle air conditioning device includes an air conditioning unit called an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) unit. This air conditioning unit includes a blower, heat exchanger (evaporator or heater core), an air mix door, and the like. It heats or cools air introduced into the unit by the blower and blows it into a passenger compartment.

[0003] In such a vehicle air conditioning device, a door link mechanism for controlling the operation of a door inside a housing of the air conditioning unit (air conditioning case) in response to the selection of an exhaust port switching mode is disposed at an outer surface position of the air conditioning case. As such a door link mechanism, a mechanism is known that includes a door lever and a cam groove into which an engagement pin of the door lever engages, and that includes a sliding link to which a driving force in a sliding direction is applied by a door actuator (see Patent Document 1 below). LIST OF REFERENCE DOCUMENTSPATENT DOCUMENTS

[0004] Patent Document 1: JP 2008-110721 A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0005] According to this prior art, since a door actuator for the door lever of the door link mechanism and the like are arranged on a surface on the outside of the air conditioning case, space must be secured for disposing them on the outside of the air conditioning case. However, in a vehicle air conditioning device whose air conditioning case is arranged in a confined space such as in front of a driver's seat or under a seat, it is difficult to secure sufficient space around the air conditioning case. Therefore, it is required to minimize the installation space when installing the door link mechanism and the actuator that drives it on the outside of the air conditioning case.

[0006] When the door linkage mechanism is applied to a suction mechanism of a two-layer vehicle air conditioner, the two-layer vehicle air conditioner is required to have two suction doors switched between three modes, namely, an inside air introduction mode in which one inside air side is opened and one outside air side is closed on both sides, an outside air introduction mode in which the inside air side is closed and the outside air side is opened on both sides, and a two-layer mode in which the inside air side is opened and the outside air side is closed on one side, and the inside air side is closed and the outside air side is open on the other side.To realize these three operation modes, an operating range of the flap linkage mechanism needs to be increased, but in a situation where there is not much space around the air conditioning case, it is required to increase the operating range of the flap linkage mechanism within a limited operating range of the actuator.

[0007] The present invention aims to address these problems. Thus, the present invention aims, among other things, at saving space when installing a flap connecting mechanism and an actuator driving the flap connecting mechanism on the exterior of an air conditioning casing, increasing the operating range of the flap connecting mechanism relative to the operating range of the actuator, and providing a mechanism with good space utilization that enables operating modes of an intake flap in a dual-layer vehicle air conditioning system. SOLUTION OF THE TASKS

[0008] To achieve these objects, the present invention is provided with the following configuration.

[0009] A vehicle air conditioning device comprises an air conditioning casing, a flap linkage mechanism that switches a flap inside the air conditioning casing in response to an operating mode, and an actuator that drives the flap linkage mechanism, wherein the flap linkage mechanism and the actuator are arranged on an outer side surface of the air conditioning casing, and is characterized in that the flap linkage mechanism comprises a flap lever that rotates about a flap axis of the flap, and a cam linkage member that causes rotation of the flap lever upon rotation of a main cam mounted on the air conditioning casing, wherein the actuator comprises a drive rod whose tip end portion engages in a coupling groove of the main cam and which is driven to rotate about a tail end side,and the flap connection mechanism and the actuator are installed on different external surfaces of the air conditioning casing. EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] According to the present invention with these features, the space utilization can be improved when installing a door linkage mechanism and an actuator driving the door linkage mechanism on the exterior of an air conditioning casing. Furthermore, the operating area of ​​the door linkage mechanism can be increased relative to the operating area of ​​the actuator, providing a mechanism with good space utilization that can enable intake door operation modes in a dual-layer vehicle air conditioning system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] They show: Fig. 1 is an explanatory view (side view) of the overall configuration of a vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an explanatory view (plan view) of the overall configuration of the vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is an explanatory view (sectional view) of an air introduction section; Fig. 4 is an explanatory view (top view) of a door linking mechanism and an operation mode (inside air introduction mode) of an actuator and an intake door; Fig. 5 is an explanatory view (top view) of the damper connecting mechanism and an operation mode (outside air introduction mode) of the actuator and the intake damper; Fig. 6 is an explanatory view (top view) of the flap connection mechanism and an operation mode (two-layer mode) of the actuator and the intake flap; Fig. 7 is an explanatory view (side view) of the flap connecting mechanism and the actuator; and Fig. 8 is an explanatory view of a state of the vehicle air conditioning device during maintenance. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the figures. In the following description, identical reference numerals in the different figures refer to parts with the same function, and a repeated description of these parts for the individual figures is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

[0013] As in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a vehicle air conditioning device 1 includes an air intake section 1A and a temperature regulating fan 1B on an air conditioning case 100. An outside air intake port 2 and inside air intake ports 3 (3A, 3B) are provided on the air intake section 1A, and a first exhaust section 4, a second exhaust section 5, and a third exhaust section 6 are provided on the temperature regulating fan 1B. The first exhaust section 4 is, for example, a defrosting exhaust port, and the second exhaust section 5 is, for example, a face exhaust port, while the third exhaust section 6 is, for example, a foot exhaust port 6A, a rear seat foot exhaust port 6B, a rear seat face exhaust port 6C, and the like.

[0014] The air introduction section 1A includes a blower section 10 forming a fan and a drive section (motor) 11. The blower section 10 is driven by the drive section 11 and includes a first blower section 10A and a second blower section 10B for two layers, which rotate coaxially due to a drive shaft 11A of the drive section 11. At the air introduction section 1A, an intake port 12 of the first blower section 10A and an intake port 13 of the second blower section 10B open in opposite directions along the drive shaft 11A, respectively.

[0015] The air introduction section 1A includes intake casings 20, 21. The intake casings 20, 21 are provided to cover each of the two intake ports 12, 13 of the blower section (first blower section 10A and second blower section 10B), with an inside air intake port 3A being provided in one intake casing 20 and an inside air intake port 3B being provided in the other intake casing 21. The outside air intake port 2 is provided to extend across the two intake casings 20, 21. When installed in the vehicle, the outside air intake port 2 is provided to open toward the front of the vehicle, and the two inside air intake ports 3A, 3B are provided to open toward the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction, respectively.

[0016] At the air introduction section 1A, an intake flap 22 is provided inside the intake casing 20, and an intake flap 23 is provided inside the intake casing 21. The two intake flaps 22, 23 are rotating ventilation flaps, each comprising a rotation axis 22A, 23A. By rotating about the rotation axes 22A, 23A in one direction, they close the outside air intake opening 2 and open the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B, while by rotating about the rotation axes 22A, 23A in the other direction, they open the outside air intake opening 2 and close the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B.

[0017] The intake flaps 22, 23 result in a Fig. 3, an outside air intake state (outside air mode) in which the outside air intake opening 2 is opened by blocking portions 22B, 23B of the intake flaps 22, 23 closing the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B and the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B are in the closed state, whereby air taken in through the outside air intake opening 2 via the intake flaps 22, 23 is sucked into the intake openings 12, 13.

[0018] A temperature regulating fan section 1B includes a partition wall 110 that divides the interior of the air conditioning case 100 into a first region 111 and a second region 112. The temperature regulating fan section 1B includes a filter 120 that purifies the air passing through the first region 111 and the second region 112, a first heat exchanger section (cooler) 121 that cools the air passing through the first region 111 and the second region 112, and a second heat exchanger section (heater) 122 that heats the air passing through the first region 111 and the second region 112.

[0019] Inside the air conditioning case 100 of the temperature regulating fan section 1B, a blown air flow path is formed, which passes through the first region 111 or the second region 112 to the blow-out section (first blow-out section 4, second blow-out section 5, third blow-out section 6), wherein a first air mix door 111A is provided in the first region 111 and a second air mix door 112A is provided in the second region 112.

[0020] The blow-out section includes a first flap 4A that opens and closes the first blow-out section 4, a second flap 5A that opens and closes the second blow-out section 5, and a blow-direction switching flap 60 that switches the blowing direction of the foot blow-out opening 6A on the third blow-out section 6.

[0021] The following is a description of the flow of air in the air introduction section 1A and the temperature regulating fan section 1B. The air sucked in through the intake port 12 by the first fan section 10A flows through the introduction duct in the air introduction section 1A, enters the first area 111, and passes through the filter 120 and the first heat exchanger section (radiator) 121 installed in the air conditioning case 100, whereupon the blown air flow path is switched by the first air mix damper 111A.

[0022] In one state of the first air mix damper 111A, the air does not pass through the second heat exchanger section 122 and is blown to the first blow-out section 4, the second blow-out section 5, or the third blow-out section 6, while in another state of the first air mix damper 111A, the air passes through the second heat exchanger section 122 and is then blown to the first blow-out section 4, the second blow-out section 5, or the third blow-out section 6.

[0023] On the other hand, the air sucked in through the intake port 13 by the second blower section 10B flows through the introduction duct in the air introduction section 1A, enters the second area 112, and passes through the filter 120 and the second heat exchanger section (heater) 121 installed in the air conditioning case 100, whereupon the blown air flow path is switched by the second air mix door 112A.

[0024] In one state of the second air mix damper 112A, the air does not pass through the second heat exchanger section 122 and is blown to the first blow-out section 4, the second blow-out section 5, or the third blow-out section 6, while in another state of the second air mix damper 112A, the air passes through the second heat exchanger section 122 and is then blown to the first blow-out section 4, the second blow-out section 5, or the third blow-out section 6.

[0025] Among the first region 111 and the second region 112, the drive section 11 that drives the fan section 10 (first fan section 10A and second fan section 10B) is arranged on the first region 111 side. Also, among the first fan section 10A and the second fan section 10B, the drive section 11 is arranged on the first fan section 10A side.

[0026] The switching of the operation mode of the intake flaps 22, 23 at the air introduction section 1A is carried out by a flap connecting mechanism 200 arranged on an outer side surface of the air conditioning case 100 and an actuator 30 which drives the same.

[0027] The Fig. The state of the intake flaps 22, 23 shown in Fig. 4 is the inside air introduction mode, in which the outside air intake opening 2 is closed by the blocking sections 22B, 23B and the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B are opened. Fig. 5 shown condition of the intake flaps 22, 23 is similar Fig. 3 and is the outside air introduction mode in which the inside air intake openings 3A, 3B are closed by the blocking sections 22B, 23B and the outside air intake opening 2 is opened. Fig. The state of the intake flaps 22, 23 shown in Fig. 6 is the two-layer mode in which the intake flap 22 closes the inside air intake opening 3A by the blocking portion 22B and opens the outside air intake opening 2, and the intake flap 23 closes the outside air intake opening 2 and opens the inside air intake opening 3B by the blocking portion 23B.

[0028] In Fig. 4 to 7, a configuration example of the flap connection mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 is described in which switching between the above-mentioned operating modes (inside air introduction mode ( Fig. 4), outside air introduction mode ( Fig. 5) and two-shift mode ( Fig. 6)). The flap connecting mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 are installed on different outer surfaces of the air conditioning case 100. In the illustrated example, the flap connecting mechanism 200 is installed on an upper surface 100A of the air conditioning case 100, and the actuator 30 driving it is installed on a side surface 100B of the air conditioning case 100.

[0029] There is no limitation to the illustrated embodiment, and as long as the arrangement of the flap connecting mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 driving it is such that the flap connecting mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 are arranged on adjacent outer surfaces of the air conditioning case 100, which are different outer surfaces from each other, the flap connecting mechanism 200 may also be installed on a lower surface of the air conditioning case 100 and the actuator 30 may be installed on a side surface of the air conditioning case 100.By installing the damper linking mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 distributed on different adjacent outer surfaces of the air conditioning case 100, the dimensions of the installation area can be prevented from being unnecessarily large, compared to providing the damper linking mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 on the same surface of the air conditioning case 100.

[0030] The flap link mechanism 200 includes flap levers 201, 202 for rotating the intake flaps 22, 23 about the flap shafts 22A, 23A, one end of which is fixed to the flap shafts 22A, 23A and a coupling portion is provided at the other end. A cam link 210 operates an actuating end coupled to the coupling portion upon rotation of a main cam 211 mounted on the air conditioning case 100, thereby rotating the flap levers 201, 202. The actuator 30 includes a drive rod 31 whose tip end portion 31A engages a coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211 and is driven to rotate about a tail end.

[0031] In the illustrated example, the cam link 210 comprises the aforementioned main cam 211, an auxiliary cam 212, connecting levers 213, 214, 215, and connecting rods 216, 217. In the cam link 210, the main cam 211, the auxiliary cam 212, and the connecting levers 213-215 are rotatably mounted about an axis vertical to the upper surface 100A of the air conditioning case 100, wherein the coupling portion of the connecting lever 213 engages in the cam groove of the main cam 211, and the connecting lever 213 is coupled to the connecting lever 215 via the connecting rod 217. The main cam 211 is coupled to the auxiliary cam 212 via the connecting rod 216, and the coupling portion of the connecting lever 214 engages the cam groove of the auxiliary cam 212. The coupling portion of the connecting lever 214 is coupled to the flap lever 201, and the connecting lever 215 is coupled to the flap lever 202.

[0032] The drive rod 31 of the actuator 30, which drives the main cam 211 in rotation, is, as in Fig. 7, the drive rod 31 is driven in rotation about an axis vertical to the side surface 100B of the air conditioning casing 100, with the tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31 engaging the coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211. The tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31 has a spherical surface, while the coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211 has a curved surface corresponding to this spherical surface and has a groove depth that causes the tip end portion 31A to remain engaged with the main cam 211 upon rotation of the drive rod 31.

[0033] Thus, the drive rod 31 rotates about the axis vertical to the side surface 100B of the air conditioning case 100, and the main cam 211 coupled to the drive rod 31 rotates about the axis vertical to the upper surface 100A of the air conditioning case 100, causing the tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31 to approach or move away from the main cam 211. Regarding this movement of the tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31, the coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211 has the coupling groove 211A with a predetermined groove depth, so that the main cam 211 and the drive rod 31 always remain coupled to each other.

[0034] According to the engagement between the tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31 and the coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211, the main cam 211 performs a rotation of the drive rod 31 by an angle α1 from a position T1 to a position T2, as shown in Fig. 7, a rotation by an angle β1 from a position V1 of the coupling groove 211A to a position V2, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, whereby the intake flaps 22, 23 are switched from the inside air introduction mode Fig. 4 into the outside air supply mode of Fig. 5. When the position of the drive rod 31 is further rotated to a position T3, the main cam 211 rotates from the position of the coupling groove 211A to a position V3, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the intake flap 22, 23 is switched to the two-layer mode of Fig. 6 switches.

[0035] Due to the engagement between the tip end portion 31A of the drive rod 31 and the coupling groove 211A of the main cam 211, the relationship β2>α2 results between an angle α2 through which the drive rod 31 rotates from position T1 to position T3 and an angle β2 through which the main cam 211 rotates from position V1 to position V3. Since the angle of rotation of the main cam 211 can be increased compared to the angle of rotation of the drive rod 31 of the actuator 30 in this way, the actuation range of the drive rod 31 on the actuator 30 can be kept small when executing the three operating modes required to switch the intake flaps 22, 23 (inside air introduction mode, outside air introduction mode, two-layer mode). Such a mechanism can provide a mechanism with good space utilization, with which operating modes of the intake flaps 22, 23 can be enabled in a vehicle air conditioning system with two layers.

[0036] Fig. 8 shows the state of the vehicle air conditioning device 1 during maintenance. Of the left and right intake casings 20, 21 of the vehicle air conditioning device 1, the actuator 30 is provided on the intake casing 20 side, and by coupling the drive rod 31 of the actuator 30 to the main cam 211, the switching between inside and outside air of the intake flap 22 on the intake casing 20 side is carried out, and by coupling the cam link member 210 (main cam 211, auxiliary cam 212, connecting lever 213, 214) mounted on the intake casing 20 side and the cam link member 210 (connecting lever 215) mounted on the intake casing 21 side by means of the connecting rod 217, the operation of the intake flap 23 on the intake casing 21 side is coupled to the operation of the intake flap 22.

[0037] In this vehicle air conditioning device 1, the actuator 30 and the drive section 11 of the blower section 10 are arranged together on the side of the intake housing 20. As shown in Fig.As shown in Figure 8, the intake casing 20 can be detached from the rest of the casing body of the air conditioning casing 100 by disconnecting the coupling at the connecting rod 217. Therefore, it is possible to remove only the intake casing 20 to service the blower, which includes the actuator 30, the blower section 10, and the drive section 11, without disassembling the entire air conditioning casing 100. The coupling portion between the connecting rod 217 and the connecting lever 213 is located further outward than the outside air intake opening 2, so that all maintenance work can be performed from the intake casing 20 side, so that maintenance can be completed even if work space can only be provided on the outside of the intake casing 20.

[0038] In the above description, the door linking mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 that enable the operating modes of the intake doors 22, 23 were described, but the door linking mechanism 200 and the actuator 30 can also be applied to the operating modes of other doors in the air conditioning case 100, and in this case too, an actuation mechanism that can enable specified operating modes and has good space utilization can be achieved.

[0039] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the figures, the specific embodiments are not limited to these embodiments, and design changes that do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention are also within the scope of the invention. As long as there is no contradiction or problem regarding their purpose, configuration, and the like, the individual techniques of the above embodiments can be transferred and combined with each other. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 vehicle air conditioning device 1A Air inlet section 1B Temperature control fan section 2 outside air intake opening 3 (3A, 3B) Internal air intake opening 4 first blow-out section 4A first flap 5 second blow-out section 5A second flap 6 third blow-out section 6A Foot outlet 6B Rear seat foot outlet 6C Rear seat face outlet 60 Blow direction changeover flap 10 Blower section 10A first fan section 10B second blower section 11 Drive section 11A Drive shaft 12, 13 Intake opening 20, 21 intake housing 22, 23 Intake flap 22A. 23A Rotation axis 22B, 23B restricted section 30 actuator 31 Drive rod 31A Head end section 100 air conditioning housings 100A upper surface 100B side surface 110 Partition wall 111 first area 112 second area 111A first air mixing flap 112A second air mixing flap 120 filters 121 first heat exchanger section 122 second heat exchanger section 200 flap connection mechanism 201, 202 flap lever 210 Cam connecting link 211 main cams 211A coupling groove 212 auxiliary cams 213, 214, 215 connecting lever 216, 217 connecting rod QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2008-110721 A

[0004]

Claims

[1] A vehicle air conditioning device comprising an air conditioning case, a door linking mechanism that switches a door inside the air conditioning case in response to an operation mode, and an actuator that drives the door linking mechanism, wherein the door linking mechanism and the actuator are arranged on an outer side surface of the air conditioning case, characterized by that the flap connecting mechanism comprises a flap lever which rotates about a flap axis of the flap, and a cam connecting member which causes the flap lever to rotate upon rotation of a main cam mounted on the air conditioning housing, wherein the actuator comprises a drive rod whose head end portion engages in a coupling groove of the main cam and which is driven to rotate about a foot end side, and the flap connecting mechanism and the actuator are installed on different external surfaces of the air conditioning casing. [2] Vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 1, characterized by that the head end portion of the drive rod has a spherical surface, wherein the coupling groove has a curved surface corresponding to the spherical surface and has a groove depth which causes the head end portion to remain in engagement with the main cam upon rotation of the drive rod. [3] Vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 1, characterized by in that the air conditioning casing comprises a partition wall dividing its interior into a first area and a second area, the flap being a pair of intake flaps capable of introducing air on the side of one of the first area and the second area and introducing outside air on the side of the other. [4] Vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 3, characterized by that the pair of intake dampers switches between an inside air introduction mode in which one inside air side is open and one outside air side is closed on both sides, an outside air introduction mode in which the inside air side is closed and the outside air side is open on both sides, and a two-layer mode in which the inside air side is open and the outside air side is closed on one side and the inside air side is closed and the outside air side is open on the other side.

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