Duct structure of cooling device

Abstract

To provide a duct structure of a cooling device capable of suppressing occurrence of condensation in a cooling air duct at the time of cooling is off.SOLUTION: A duct structure of a cooling device includes: a duct part 41 through which cooling air cooled by a cooling part of a cooling device provided in an upper part of a vehicle passes; an air outlet 42 provided in a lower surface of the duct part 41; a communication port 12b provided in a side surface of the duct part 41; and a valve 11 that opens and closes the communication port 12b. The communication port 12b is inclined such that an upper part thereof approaches the valve 11. The valve 11 is configured such that an upper part thereof is rotatably supported and the valve 11 becomes perpendicular in the vertical direction due to dead weight. By a wind pressure when the cooling air passes at the time of cooling is on, the valve 11 becomes closed, and becomes opened when cooling is off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a duct structure for a cooling device that supplies cool air to the inside of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles such as buses are equipped with an air conditioning unit on the top of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which air taken in from an inside air intake in the air conditioning unit is cooled as it passes through an evaporator to become cold air, which is then sent through a cold air duct and supplied to the passenger compartment from a cold air outlet formed at the bottom of the cold air duct. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-49984 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, for example, in a configuration such as that of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, when the air conditioning is turned from on (ON) to off (OFF) in the summer, air from the passenger compartment may flow from the cold air outlet into the cold air duct, and the air in the cold air duct may be replaced by the air in the passenger compartment.

[0005] At this time, if the air in the passenger compartment is warm and cold air is accumulated near the cold air outlet in the cold air duct, the warm air and the cold air may mix and cause condensation. If condensation occurs in this way, the resulting water droplets may drip from the cold air outlet into the passenger compartment.

[0006] The present invention was devised with a focus on such problems, and aims to provide a duct structure for a cooling device that is capable of suppressing the occurrence of condensation in the duct of the cooling device when the air conditioning is turned off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized in the following aspects or application examples.

[0008] The duct structure of a cooling device according to this application example is a duct structure of a cooling device provided on the upper part of a vehicle, and comprises a duct section through which cold air cooled by the cooling section of the cooling device passes, an air outlet provided on the underside of the duct section, a communication port provided on the side of the duct section, and a valve for opening and closing the communication port, the communication port being inclined so that its upper part approaches the valve side, the valve being supported so that its upper part is rotatably supported and configured to be vertical in the vertical direction due to its own weight, and the communication port is closed due to the wind pressure when the cold air passes when the air conditioning is on, and is open when the air conditioning is off.

[0009] According to this application example, when the cooling is off, the valve opens vertically due to its own weight, and air flows into the duct from both the air outlet and the communication port, causing the temperature inside the duct to rise in a short time. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation in the duct of the cooling device when the cooling is turned off. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a duct unit in a vehicle to which a duct structure according to an application example is applied; [Diagram 2] 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the left-right direction of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 (a view taken in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1). [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a straightening device included in a duct structure according to one embodiment (a diagram showing area B in FIG. 2), where (A) shows the air flow when the air conditioner is turned off, and (B) shows the air flow when the air conditioner is turned on. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a duct structure according to one embodiment (a front view in a direction C in FIG. 3(A)). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude various modifications or application of techniques not specified in the following embodiment. Each configuration of this embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

[0013] [1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a duct structure according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line A in FIG.

[0014] 1, a cooling device 2 mounted on a vehicle 1 is indicated by a solid line, and other parts are indicated by virtual lines (two-dot chain lines). In this embodiment, a bus will be exemplified as the vehicle 1 for explanation.

[0015] In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle 1 is referred to as the forward direction FR, and the opposite direction (the backward direction of the vehicle) is referred to as the backward direction RR, and left and right (left direction LH and right direction RH) are defined based on the state in which the vehicle faces the forward direction FR. The forward and backward direction is also referred to as the vehicle length direction, and the left and right direction is also referred to as the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to both the vehicle length direction and the vehicle width direction is referred to as the up and down direction (upward direction UP and downward direction DW). The vehicle is assumed to be on a level road surface and in a position in which the up and down direction coincides with the vertical direction (the downward direction coincides with the direction of gravity). In this position, the vertical upward direction is regarded as the height direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, a cooling device 2 for supplying cool air to the interior of a vehicle 1 such as a bus is mounted on the upper portion of the vehicle.

[0017] The cooling device 2 has a cooling unit 3 that generates and delivers cool air, and a duct unit 4 that delivers the cool air into the passenger compartment 5.

[0018] The cooling unit 3 may be a known one used in vehicle air conditioners, and may include a refrigeration cycle configured by connecting known refrigeration devices such as a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, an expansion valve, and an evaporator (not shown) in a ring shape with refrigerant piping. The cooling unit 3 generates cold air when the cooling is on, and stops generating cold air when the cooling is off. The cold air generated by the cooling unit 3 is supplied to the duct unit 4.

[0019] 2, the duct unit 4 has a pair of duct parts 41 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 near the ceiling on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle 1, and a plurality of air outlets 42 formed in the lower part of each duct part 41. Note that in FIG. 1, one air outlet 42 is shown on each side.

[0020] Luggage shelves 6 are provided near the ceiling on both the left and right sides of the passenger compartment 5 along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1, and a duct section 41 extends along each of the luggage shelves 6 on the back side of each of the left and right sides (on the outer side of the vehicle than the luggage shelves 6).

[0021] The luggage shelf 6 has a shelf board 6a that protrudes horizontally toward the passenger compartment 5, and a shelf wall 6b that is erected vertically so as to be perpendicular to the shelf board 6a. The shelf wall 6b does not need to be perpendicular to the shelf board 6a, and may be slightly inclined.

[0022] The duct portions 41 are disposed near the ceilings on both the left and right sides of the vehicle 1, on the rear side of the shelf wall 6b of the luggage shelf 6 (outer to the side of the vehicle than the shelf wall 6b).

[0023] The air outlets 42 are formed above each of the multiple seats 7 arranged in the vehicle 1. The cool air discharged from the cooling unit 3 is sent in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 1 through the duct portion 41 and is blown out from each air outlet 42 toward the heads of the passengers in the passenger compartment 5. The temperature of the air in the passenger compartment 5 is higher than the temperature of the cool air in the duct portion 41. The air in the passenger compartment 5 may be referred to as warm air.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, inside the duct portion 41, a straightening device 10 is disposed.

[0025] 3(A) and (B) are diagrams showing the configuration of the rectifier 10 included in the duct structure according to one embodiment, where (A) shows the state of the rectifier 10 when the cooling is off, and (B) shows the state of the rectifier 10 when the cooling is on. Both of these Figs. 3(A) and (B) show the area B enclosed by the dotted line in Fig. 2.

[0026] 3(A) and (B), the flow straightening device 10 has a valve 11 and a communication duct 12. The valve 11 and the communication duct 12 are disposed adjacent to each other.

[0027] The communication duct 12 communicates between the passenger compartment 5 and the duct portion 41. An opening on one end side of the communication duct 12 is referred to as a first opening 12a. It is desirable that the first opening 12a be formed in the passenger compartment 5 as high as possible.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a duct structure according to one embodiment, illustrating a first opening 12a formed in a shelf wall 6b.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of (two in the example shown in FIG. 4) rectangular first openings 12a are formed in the shelf wall 6b.

[0030] Each of the first openings 12a is formed at a position above the air outlet 42. That is, the air flow straightening device 10 is provided inside the duct portion 41 in a corresponding manner to each of the air outlets 42.

[0031] An opening on the other end side of the communication duct 12 from the first opening 12a is called a second opening 12b. The second opening 12b is disposed inside the duct portion 41. The second opening 12b is an example of a communication port provided on the side surface of the duct portion 41.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3(A), the upper end of the second opening 12b is adjacent to the upper part of the valve 11, and the lower end of the second opening 12b is shifted toward the shelf wall 6b side (to the right side in the example shown in Fig. 3) from the upper end. As a result, the lower part of the second opening 12b is inclined so as to move away from the valve 11. In other words, the upper part of the second opening 12b is inclined so as to move closer to the valve 11 side.

[0033] The valve 11 opens and closes the second opening 12b of the communication duct 12. Therefore, it is desirable that the valve 11 has a shape similar to that of the second opening 12b, and has dimensions slightly larger than those of the second opening 12b. For example, when the second opening 12b is rectangular like the first opening 12a illustrated in Fig. 4, it is desirable that the valve 11 is rectangular so as to be able to cover the second opening 12b.

[0034] An upper portion of the valve 11 is rotatably supported by a shaft 11a disposed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 near the upper end of the second opening 12b. On the other hand, the other end (lower end) of the valve 11 is released and configured to be freely movable.

[0035] As a result, the valve 11 can be moved by rotating around the axis 11a between a closed position in which the second opening 12b is closed (see Figure 3(B)), and an open position in which the valve 11 is separated from the second opening 12b (see Figure 3(A)).

[0036] For example, when there is no wind inside the duct section 41, i.e., when the air conditioning is off, the valve 11 becomes vertically vertical due to its own weight, as shown in Fig. 3(A). In this state in which the valve 11 becomes vertically vertical due to its own weight, the valve 11 becomes separated from the second opening 12b, and a space is formed between the valve 11 and the second opening 12b. In other words, the valve 11 opens when the air conditioning is off. When the valve 11 is open, the passenger compartment 5 and the duct section 41 communicate with each other via the communication duct 12.

[0037] Moreover, the valve 11 is made of a lightweight material such as resin, and moves (rotates) due to the pressure of cool air passing through the inside of the duct portion 41 when the cooling is on.

[0038] Therefore, in a blowing state in which cold air is being sent into the duct portion 41, that is, when the air conditioning is on, the valve 11 is pushed against the second opening 12b by the wind pressure of the cold air passing through the duct portion 41, as shown in Fig. 3(B). That is, the valve 11 is closed by the wind pressure when the cold air passes through when the air conditioning is on. In such a state in which the valve 11 is closed, the second opening 12b is blocked, and the flow of air (cold air) between the passenger compartment 5 and the duct portion 41 is such that the cold air in the duct portion 41 flows into the passenger compartment 5 through the air outlet 42.

[0039] Furthermore, in the valve 11, a protrusion 11b protrudes from the side of the surface facing the second opening 12b at a position above the upper end of the second opening 12b. This protrusion 11b abuts against the communication duct 12, thereby preventing the valve 11 from rotating in a direction away from the second opening 12b from a vertical state.

[0040] [2. Actions and Effects] In vehicle 1, when the air conditioning is on, the cool air generated by cooling unit 3 is sent to duct unit 4. In duct unit 4, the cool air (cold wind) passes through duct portion 41 and is supplied into passenger compartment 5 from air outlet 42 provided at the bottom of duct portion 41.

[0041] At this time, in the rectifier 10, the valve 11 is pushed by the wind pressure of the cool air passing through the duct, rotates about the shaft 11a, and is pushed against the second opening 12b. As a result, as shown in Fig. 3(B), the valve 11 closes the second opening 12b and blocks the air flow between the passenger compartment 5 and the duct portion 41. Therefore, when the air conditioner is on, the air (warm air) in the passenger compartment 5 does not flow into the duct portion 41 through the communication duct 12. As a result, the cool air in the duct portion 41 is not affected by the warm air in the passenger compartment 5, and the cooling efficiency is not reduced.

[0042] Next, when the air conditioning is turned off, the supply of cool air from the cooling unit 3 to the duct unit 4 is stopped. Air from within the passenger compartment 5 flows into the duct portion 41 through the air outlet .

[0043] However, in this embodiment, when the supply of cool air from the cooling unit 3 to the duct unit 4 is stopped in this manner, the wind pressure that has been pressing the valve 11 of the rectifier 10 against the second opening 12b in the duct portion 41 disappears. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(A), the valve 11 becomes vertical due to its own weight, and the valve 11 is in an open state, and the passenger compartment 5 and the duct portion 41 are communicated with each other via the communication duct 12.

[0044] Warm air from within the passenger compartment 5 flows into the duct section 41 from the air outlet 42, but at this time, warm air from the passenger compartment 5 also flows into the duct section 41 via the connecting duct 12 from the first opening 12a formed in the shelf wall 6b.

[0045] In this way, the warm air in the passenger compartment 5 flows into the duct section 41 from both the air outlet 42 and the communication duct 12, and the temperature in the duct section 41 rises in a short time. As a result, the temperature of the cool air that has been stagnating near the air outlet 42 in the duct section 41 also rises quickly, making it possible to suppress condensation that occurs when the warm air and the cool air mix together.

[0046] In addition, by forming the first opening 12a as high as possible in the passenger compartment 5, warm air in the passenger compartment 5, which is lighter than cold air, can easily flow into the duct portion 41 when the air conditioning is off, and the temperature in the duct portion 41 can be raised in a shorter time. This makes it possible to further suppress the occurrence of condensation.

[0047] [3.Other] The configuration of the flow straightening device 10 shown in the above embodiment is an example. For example, the shapes of the first opening 12a and the second opening 12b of the communication duct 12 are not limited to rectangular, and may be appropriately changed to a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or the like.

[0048] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the first opening 12a is formed in the shelf wall 6b, but this is not limited to this, and the first opening 12a may be formed in a location other than the shelf wall 6b, such as an inner wall of the passenger compartment 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 vehicle 2 Cooling device 3 Cooling unit (cooling section) 4 Duct unit 5. Guestrooms 6 Luggage Shelves 6a Shelf 6b shelf wall 7 seats 10 Rectifier 11 Valve 11a axis 11b Protrusion 12 Connecting duct 12a First opening 12b Second opening (communication port) 41 Duct section 42 Air outlet

Claims

[Claim 1] A duct structure for a cooling device provided on an upper portion of a vehicle, a duct portion through which cold air cooled by a cooling portion of the cooling device passes; An air outlet provided on a lower surface of the duct portion; A communication port provided on a side surface of the duct portion; a valve for opening and closing the communication port, The communication port is inclined so that an upper portion approaches the valve side, The valve is supported so that the upper part can rotate and is configured so that it becomes vertical in the vertical direction due to its own weight, and the duct structure for an air conditioning device is characterized in that the valve is closed due to the wind pressure when cold air passes through when the air conditioning is on and is open when the air conditioning is off.

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