Blower

Abstract

To provide a blower which can send the proper air volume of air to a portion that is far from an air outlet when the air is sent from one air outlet to two portions that are different from each other in a cabin.SOLUTION: A blower includes an air duct 21 connected with an air outlet 22 having a predetermined length in which air is sent from the air duct 21 through the air outlet 22 into a cabin. The air duct 21 extends toward a first opening part 23 positioned at one side of the air outlet 22 in a longitudinal direction to be connected with the first opening part 23. The air duct 21 widens a portion of the air duct 21 connected to the first opening part 23 toward a second opening part 24 positioned at the other side of the air outlet 22 in the longitudinal direction, so that it can be connected with the second opening part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower device. [Background technology]

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, in order to send the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner to various locations within the vehicle cabin, it is conceivable to place a blower device within the vehicle cabin as shown in Patent Document 1. This blower device draws in air within the vehicle cabin from an inlet, and then blows the air out from an outlet located in a location within the vehicle cabin different from the inlet. This prevents the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner into the vehicle cabin from being concentrated in a specific location within the vehicle cabin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-66242 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the blower device, it is desired to send air from one outlet to two different locations in the vehicle cabin. In this case, unless the volume of air sent from one outlet to the farthest location of the two locations is made greater than the volume of air sent to the closer location of the two locations, it is not possible to send an appropriate volume of air to the farthest location. However, in the blower device of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to adjust the volume of air sent from one outlet to two different locations in the vehicle cabin as described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. The blower device that solves the above problem includes a duct connected to an air outlet having a set length, and sends air from the duct into the vehicle cabin through the air outlet. The duct extends toward a first opening located on one side of the air outlet in the longitudinal direction, thereby connecting to the first opening. The duct also connects to the second opening by widening a portion of the duct that connects to the first opening toward a second opening located on the other side of the air outlet in the longitudinal direction.

[0006] According to the above configuration, due to the way in which the duct is connected to the air outlet, more air in the duct flows to the first opening than to the second opening. Therefore, the amount of air sent from the first opening of the air outlet to the vehicle interior is greater than the amount of air sent from the second opening of the air outlet to the vehicle interior. Therefore, when air is sent from one air outlet to two different locations in the vehicle interior, it is possible to make the air from the first opening go to the location farther from the air outlet and the air from the second opening go to the location closer to the air outlet. In this way, an appropriate amount of air can be sent to the location farther from the air outlet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle. [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing a schematic view of the blower device in the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged bottom view showing the air outlet and its periphery in FIG. 2 as viewed from the vehicle compartment side. FIG. [Figure 4] This shows the air outlet in FIG. 2 as viewed from diagonally below inside the vehicle cabin. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a partition plate and a louver at the outlet of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the air outlet and the duct of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the air outlet and the duct of FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the blower will be described with reference to Figs. As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle having so-called three rows of seats has a front seat 12 and rear seats 13, 14 arranged in a passenger compartment 11. The front seat 12 is a first row seat, the rear seat 13 is a second row seat, and the rear seat 14 is a third row seat. An air conditioner 15 is arranged in the passenger compartment 11 at the front of the vehicle, i.e., the left side of Fig. 1. The air conditioner 15 performs air conditioning, such as adjusting the temperature and humidity in the passenger compartment 11, by blowing conditioned air into the passenger compartment 11 from an air outlet 16. The air outlet 16 of the air conditioner 15 is located at the front of the passenger compartment 11.

[0009] A blower 18 is attached to a roof panel 17 inside the vehicle compartment 11. The blower 18 includes a fan 20 having an intake port 19, and a duct 21 connected to an air outlet 22. The fan 20 is located above the front seat 12, and connected to the duct 21. The duct 21 can be attached to the roof panel 17. The duct 21 extends from the fan 20 to the rear of the vehicle, i.e., to the right in FIG. 1.

[0010] When the fan 20 of the blower 18 is operated, air from the front part of the vehicle interior 11 is sucked into the fan 20 through the intake port 19, and then sent from the fan 20 to the duct 21. The air sent to the duct 21 in this manner is sent through the outlet 22 to a part of the vehicle interior 11 other than the part corresponding to the intake port 19, more specifically, to the rear part of the vehicle interior 11. This makes it possible to prevent the conditioned air blown from the air conditioner 15 through the outlet 16 into the vehicle interior 11 from being biased toward the front part of the vehicle interior 11.

[0011] <Details of the duct 21 and the air outlet 22> Fig. 2 shows the blower device 18 in the vehicle compartment 11 as viewed from above. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the duct 21 is connected to an air outlet 22 having a set length. The air outlet 22 extends in the vehicle width direction at the rear end of the duct 21, and two air outlets 22 are provided at a distance in the vehicle width direction. The duct 21 branches into two and extends to the outside in the vehicle width direction, and then curves toward the center of the vehicle width direction, thereby connecting to the two air outlets 22.

[0012] A first opening 23 is located on one side in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22, which in this example is one side closer to the center in the width direction of the vehicle. A second opening 24 is located on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22, which in this example is one side closer to the outside in the width direction of the vehicle. The portion of the duct 21 that curves from the outside toward the center in the width direction of the vehicle extends straight toward the first opening 23, thereby connecting to the first opening 23. The duct 21 also connects to the second opening 24 by widening the portion connected to the first opening 23 toward the second opening 24.

[0013] Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the air outlet 22 and its periphery in Fig. 2 as viewed from the vehicle interior 11. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the portion of the duct 21 that curves from the outer side toward the center in the vehicle width direction extends so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22 as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3. Furthermore, the portion of the duct 21 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22 so as to be inclined toward the second opening 24.

[0014] A partition plate 25 is formed in the air outlet 22 to separate the first opening 23 and the second opening 24. An end 25a of the partition plate 25 on the duct 21 side is curved with respect to the extension direction of the partition plate 25. It is considered that the end 25a of the partition plate 25 is curved so that its tip is closer to the second opening 24 side.

[0015] Fig. 4 shows the air outlet 22 as viewed from diagonally below the vehicle interior 11. As can be seen from Fig. 4, a louver 26 is arranged at the first opening 23 of the air outlet 22 so as to be able to rotate a predetermined angle up and down. The louver 26 is for adjusting the direction in which air is blown out from the first opening 23 to the vehicle interior 11. The louver 26 has a plurality of fins 27 spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle, and these fins 27 determine the direction in which the air is blown out in the width direction of the vehicle. Moreover, the louver 26 can adjust the direction in which the air is blown out up and down by rotating a predetermined angle up and down.

[0016] Louvers 28 are arranged at the second opening 24 of the air outlet 22 so as to be able to rotate up and down a predetermined angle. The louvers 28 are for adjusting the direction in which air is blown out from the second opening 24 to the vehicle interior 11. The louvers 28 are provided with a plurality of fins 29 spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle, and these fins 29 determine the direction in which the air is blown out in the width direction of the vehicle. Moreover, the louvers 28 can be rotated up and down a predetermined angle to adjust the direction in which the air is blown out vertically.

[0017] <Support structure of the louvers 26, 28 in the partition plate 25> As shown in Fig. 5, the partition plate 25 supports the louvers 26, 28 so that they can rotate up and down a predetermined angle. More specifically, a spacer 30 for supporting the louvers 26, 28 is fixed to the partition plate 25. The spacer 30 penetrates the partition plate 25 in the thickness direction. The spacer 30 is formed with a hole 31 that opens toward the louver 26 side, and a pin 32 that protrudes toward the louver 28 side.

[0018] The louver 26 has a rotation shaft 33 that serves as a center for vertical rotation by a predetermined angle. By inserting this rotation shaft 33 into the hole 31 of the spacer 30, the louver 26 can rotate about the center line of the rotation shaft 33, in other words, can rotate by a predetermined angle vertically. The louver 28 is formed with a hole 34 having a center line that serves as a center for vertical rotation by a predetermined angle. By inserting the pin 32 of the spacer 30 into this hole 34, the louver 28 can rotate about the center line of the hole 34, in other words, can rotate by a predetermined angle vertically.

[0019] By fixing such spacers 30 to the partition plate 25, even if the thickness of the partition plate 25 is reduced, both the adjacent louvers 26 and 28 can be rotated relative to the partition plate 25. And, because the thickness of the partition plate 25 can be reduced in this manner, it becomes easier to ensure the opening areas required for the first opening 23 and the second opening 24, respectively.

[0020] Next, the operation of the blower 18 will be described. 3, the portion of duct 21 that curves from the outer side toward the center in the vehicle width direction extends straight toward first opening 23, thereby connecting to first opening 23. Duct 21 also connects to second opening 24 by widening the portion connected to first opening 23 toward second opening 24.

[0021] Due to the manner in which the duct 21 is connected to the first opening 23 and the second opening 24 of the air outlet 22, the air in the duct 21 flows easily along the inner wall of the duct 21 extending straight toward the first opening 23, and does not flow easily to the second opening 24 located on the inner wall side of the duct 21 extending in a tilted manner, facing the inner wall of the duct 21 on the first opening 23 side. As a result, more air in the duct 21 flows to the first opening 23 than to the second opening 24. Therefore, the amount of air sent from the first opening 23 of the air outlet 22 into the vehicle compartment 11 becomes greater than the amount of air sent from the second opening 24 of the air outlet 22 into the vehicle compartment 11.

[0022] The direction of the air sent from the first opening 23 into the vehicle compartment 11 and the direction of the air sent from the second opening 24 into the vehicle compartment 11 can be adjusted as follows. That is, the louver 26 of the first opening 23 directs the direction of the air sent from the first opening 23 into the vehicle compartment 11 toward the occupant 36 seated in the rear seat 14 shown in Fig. 1. Also, the louver 28 of the second opening 24 directs the direction of the air sent from the second opening 24 into the vehicle compartment 11 toward the occupant 35 seated in the rear seat 13 shown in Fig. 1.

[0023] By adjusting the air direction as described above, when air is sent from one air outlet 22 to two different locations in the vehicle interior 11, the air from the first opening 23 is directed to the location farther from the air outlet 22, and the air from the second opening 24 is directed to the location closer to the air outlet 22. In this way, an appropriate amount of air can be sent not only to the occupant 35 seated in the rear seat 13 closer to the air outlet 22, but also to the occupant 36 seated in the rear seat 14 farther from the air outlet 22.

[0024] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When air is sent from one air outlet 22 to two different locations in the vehicle interior 11, an appropriate amount of air can be sent to the location farthest from the air outlet 22.

[0025] (2) The portion of the duct 21 that is curved from the outside toward the center in the width direction of the vehicle extends so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22. Furthermore, the above portion of the duct 21 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22 so as to bend toward the second opening 24. As a result, the air in the duct 21 flows in a straight line toward the first opening 23, whereas it flows in a large curve toward the second opening 24. For this reason, the amount of air flowing from the duct 21 to the second opening 24 tends to be less than the amount of air flowing from the duct 21 to the second opening 24. Therefore, a difference is easily generated between the amount of air sent from the first opening 23 of the air outlet 22 to the vehicle interior 11 and the amount of air sent from the second opening 24 of the air outlet 22 to the vehicle interior 11.

[0026] (3) The duct 21 can be attached to the roof panel 17 of the vehicle. The air outlet 22 extends in the width direction of the vehicle at the rear end of the duct 21, and two of them are provided at an interval in the width direction of the vehicle. Air is sent from one air outlet 22 to two different locations in the vehicle compartment 11, more specifically, to an occupant 35 seated in the rear seat 13 of the front row and an occupant 36 seated in the rear seat 14 of the rear row in the vehicle. In this case, by directing the air from the first opening 23 to the occupant 36 seated in the rear seat 14 of the rear row and directing the air from the second opening 24 to the occupant 35 seated in the rear seat 13 of the front row, an appropriate amount of air can be sent to the occupant 36 seated in the rear seat 14 of the rear row as well.

[0027] (4) The duct 21 branches into two from the fan 20, extends outward in the width direction of the vehicle, and then curves toward the center of the vehicle in the width direction, thereby connecting to the two air outlets 22. A monitor for the rear seats may be attached to the ceiling of the passenger compartment 11. Even in this case, the duct 21 can be arranged to avoid the monitor and to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22.

[0028] (5) A partition plate 25 is formed in the air outlet 22 to separate the first opening 23 and the second opening 24. An end 25a of the partition plate 25 on the duct 21 side is curved with respect to the extending direction of the partition plate 25. Therefore, by changing the degree of curvature of the end 25a, it is possible to adjust the distribution of the air flowing from the duct 21 to the first opening 23 and the air flowing from the duct 21 to the second opening 24.

[0029] The above embodiment can be modified, for example, as follows: The above embodiment and the following modified examples can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs. The end 25a of the partition plate 25 may be curved so that its tip is closer to the first opening 23. In this case, the difference between the amount of air sent from the first opening 23 of the air outlet 22 into the vehicle compartment 11 and the amount of air sent from the second opening 24 of the air outlet 22 into the vehicle compartment 11 can be kept small.

[0030] The end 25a of the partition plate 25 does not necessarily have to be curved. The duct 21 does not necessarily have to be bifurcated. For example, when one duct 21 and one fan 20 are provided for one air outlet 22, it is possible to use a duct 21 that does not branch into two.

[0031] The positional relationship between the first opening 23 and the second opening 24 may be reversed. In this case, as shown in Fig. 6, it is possible to incline the portion of the duct 21 connected to the first opening 23 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22 so that the portion is inclined in the opposite direction to that in the above embodiment. Note that Fig. 6 shows the duct 21 and the air outlet 22 as viewed from above.

[0032] The portion of the duct 21 connected to the first opening 23 does not necessarily have to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the portion of the duct 21 may be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 22.

[0033] The air outlet 22 does not necessarily have to extend in the width direction of the vehicle. The number of air outlets 22 provided in the vehicle may be one or three or more. The blower 18 may directly connect the duct 21 to the air conditioner 15. In this case, the fan 20 can be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 11...Vehicle compartment 12…Front seat 13,14…Rear seats 15...Air conditioner 16…Air outlet 17…Roof panel 18...Blower 19…Suction port 20…Fan 21...Duct 22…Air outlet 23…First opening 24…Second opening 25…Partition plate 25a...end 26…Louver 27…Fin 28…Louver 29…Fin 30…Spacer 31…hole 32…Pin 33...Rotation axis 34…hole 35, 36…Crew

Claims

1. A blower device including a duct connected to an air outlet having a predetermined length, the blower device blowing air from the duct into a vehicle interior through the air outlet, The duct is connected to a first opening located on one side of the air outlet in the longitudinal direction by extending toward the first opening, and is also connected to the second opening by widening the portion of the duct that connects to the first opening toward a second opening located on the other side of the air outlet in the longitudinal direction.

2. The blower device according to claim 1 , wherein the duct extends at an angle to a longitudinal direction of the air outlet, and the duct is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the air outlet so as to incline the duct toward the second opening.

3. The duct is mountable to a roof panel of a vehicle; The blower device according to claim 2 , wherein the air outlet extends in the vehicle width direction at a rear end of the duct, and two air outlets are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction.

4. The blower device according to claim 3 , wherein the duct branches into two branches, extends outward in a width direction of the vehicle, and then curves toward a center portion in the width direction of the vehicle to connect to the two air outlets.

5. A partition plate is formed at the air outlet to separate the first opening and the second opening, The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an end portion of the partition plate on the duct side is curved with respect to an extending direction of the partition plate.

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