Vehicle air conditioner

Abstract

To set a temperature around a blower motor of a blower to a proper range in a vehicle air conditioner in which an evaporator is disposed at the upstream side of the blower.SOLUTION: A blower 10 of a vehicle air conditioner includes: a blower fan; a blower motor configured to drive the blower fan; and a case 14. The case 14 has: a discharge port for discharging air; a suction port 16 for suctioning cooled air cooled by an evaporator; and an air passage extending from the suction port 16 to the discharge port through the blower fan. Inner wall surfaces 16a, 16b of the suction port 16 are provided with fins 17. A longitudinal direction of the fin 17 is arranged along an air circulation direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vehicle air conditioning system has a blower and an evaporator, which are usually arranged in the front side of the vehicle compartment, for example, in front of the instrument panel.

[0003] A known blower includes a blower motor, a blower fan, and a case that houses them. The blower motor is a motor that is driven by power supplied from, for example, a battery. Driving the blower motor rotates the blower fan. The case is provided with an outlet for discharging air and an intake for taking in air, and an air flow path is formed inside the case that connects the intake and outlet.

[0004] An evaporator is a device that cools air (outside air) taken in through an air intake provided in, for example, the cowl of a vehicle by exchanging heat with a refrigerant. The evaporator is usually disposed in a cooling case adjacent to a blower, and the evaporator and the blower constitute a single air conditioning unit. There are two types of air conditioning units: one in which the evaporator is disposed downstream of the blower in the air flow direction, and another in which the evaporator is disposed upstream of the blower. In the structure of the above example, the evaporator is disposed upstream of the blower. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-342998 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Blower motors generate heat while in operation (in use). If this heat accelerates wear on the brushes inside the blower motor, it may be necessary to replace the blower motor sooner. For this reason, it is necessary to operate the blower motor within an appropriate temperature range. In the case of a type in which the evaporator is located upstream of the blower, as in the example above, the air cooled by the evaporator is taken into the blower through the case's air intake, thereby improving the cooling effect of the blower motor. Therefore, placing the evaporator upstream of the blower is effective in cooling the blower motor.

[0007] However, when air passing through the evaporator flows into the blower, the cooling effect of the blower motor increases, but the blower motor brushes may be overcooled. In this case, if hot and humid air is drawn in without the blower fan being driven, condensation may form inside the blower motor. This condensation may cause, for example, corrosion and adhesion of the commutator and brushes, accelerating brush wear. Therefore, in vehicle air conditioners in which the evaporator is located upstream of the blower, there is room for improvement in terms of setting the air temperature around the blower motor within an appropriate range.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system in which the evaporator is located upstream of the blower in the air flow direction, and which is capable of setting the temperature around the blower motor of the blower within an appropriate range. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle air conditioning system of the present invention is a vehicle air conditioning system having a blower and an evaporator that cools air taken in by the blower, wherein the blower has a blower fan, a blower motor attached to the blower fan and driving the blower fan, and a case that houses the blower fan and the blower motor, and the case has an outlet port for discharging air, an intake port through which cooled air cooled by the evaporator is drawn in, and an air flow path extending from the intake port to the discharge port via the blower fan, and a plurality of fins are provided on the inner wall of the intake port, and the longitudinal direction of the fins is arranged along the air flow direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, in a vehicle air conditioner in which an evaporator is disposed upstream of a blower in the air flow direction, the temperature around the blower motor of the blower can be set within an appropriate range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the appearance of an air conditioning unit of an air conditioning device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the air conditioning unit of FIG. 1, and schematically shows a blower fan, a blower motor, an air flow path, and the like in the blower. [Figure 3] 3 is a front view showing a part of the blower of FIG. 2, and schematically shows the flow of air in the blower motor. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic side view (viewed from the vehicle width direction) of the blower of FIG. 2, with a partial cross section showing a portion connected to an evaporator, and also showing a schematic view of a portion of an air flow path. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the intake port of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view of the intake port and fins of FIG. 5 as viewed from the vehicle width direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (Figs. 1 to 6). Figs. 1 to 6 show an air conditioning unit 1 of a vehicle air conditioner mounted on a vehicle, with the arrow Fr direction in the drawings indicating the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Arrows R and L indicate the right and left sides when an occupant looks forward of the vehicle. Arrow U indicates the upward direction in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0013] The vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment has an air conditioning unit 1 disposed in the front of the vehicle. The air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment is disposed on the front side of the vehicle compartment, for example, in front of an instrument panel (not shown) disposed in the front of the vehicle compartment. The air conditioning unit 1 may also be disposed between a dash panel (not shown) and the instrument panel. The dash panel is a panel disposed in front of the instrument panel, and is a metal panel disposed at the boundary between the power compartment and the vehicle compartment. Here, the power compartment is an area where power for driving the vehicle is disposed, and an engine or an electric motor is disposed in the power compartment.

[0014] The vehicle air conditioner has a duct (not shown) connected to the air conditioning unit 1. For example, it may have an upstream duct (not shown) that takes in air from outside the vehicle and directs the air toward the air conditioning unit 1, and a downstream duct (not shown) that sends cooled air, etc. from the air conditioning unit 1 toward the interior of the vehicle cabin.

[0015] A vehicle is provided with an outside air intake (not shown) for taking in outside air from outside the vehicle. Although a detailed description will be omitted, the outside air intake is provided in a cowl top garnish arranged in the cowl portion of the vehicle. In addition, a through-hole (not shown) is provided in the cowl top panel covered by the cowl top garnish. The upstream duct is preferably connected to the through-hole. The upstream duct penetrates the dash panel and is connected to the air conditioning unit 1. The downstream duct is a duct that extends from the air conditioning unit 1 toward the instrument panel and is connected to multiple air outlets provided in the instrument panel. In addition, the downstream duct is preferably branched and connected to multiple air outlets.

[0016] In this embodiment, air taken in through the outside air intake duct flows through the upstream duct and then flows into the air conditioning unit 1. Furthermore, air discharged from the air conditioning unit 1 flows through the downstream duct and is discharged into the vehicle cabin from an air discharge port in the instrument panel. The air flow inside the air conditioning unit 1 will be described later.

[0017] Next, a description will be given of the air conditioning unit 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the air conditioning unit 1 of the vehicle air conditioner of this embodiment has a blower 10 and an evaporator 20 that cools the air taken in by the blower 10. As shown in Figure 2, the evaporator 20 is disposed in a cooling case 21 adjacent to the blower 10. A refrigerant circulates inside the evaporator 20, and air flowing in from an upstream duct exchanges heat with the refrigerant, thereby being cooled and dehumidified.

[0018] The blower 10 is disposed next to the evaporator 20 in the vehicle width direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blower 10 is disposed on the left side of the evaporator 20. The blower 10 of this embodiment is connected to a cooling case 21 and disposed downstream of the evaporator 20 in the air flow direction. The blower 10 has a blower fan 11, a blower motor 12, and a case 14 that houses these. The case 14 has an intake port 16, an outlet port 18, and an air flow path 15 that extends from the intake port 16 to the outlet port 18 via the blower fan 11.

[0019] The blower motor 12 is an electric motor connected to the blower fan 11 and drives the blower fan 11. The blower motor 12 is driven by power supplied from, for example, a battery (not shown) or the like arranged in a power compartment.

[0020] The blower fan 11 is, for example, a centrifugal fan, and has brushes 12a and a commutator 12b arranged around a rotary shaft 12c. Air taken in from the radial center of the blower fan 11 is blown radially outward via fan blades.

[0021] Next, the air flow path 15 disposed inside the case 14 will be described.

[0022] The intake port 16 of the case 14 is configured to take in cooled air cooled by the evaporator 20. The intake port 16 is preferably disposed adjacent to the blower motor 12 in the radial direction of the rotary shaft 12c of the blower motor 12. The discharge port 18 is connected to a downstream duct or the like. The air flow path 15 extends from the intake port 16 to the discharge port 18 via the blower fan 11.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, air flow path 15 formed inside case 14 extends from air intake port 16 to air outlet port 18 via blower fan 11. Air intake port 16 is disposed radially outward of blower motor 12. Air flow path 15 is disposed so as to extend from air intake port 16 toward the radial center of blower fan 11. For example, arrow X1 shown in Fig. 2 indicates the direction in which air flows into air intake port 16.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the air flow path 15 has a circulating portion 15b arranged to surround the periphery of the blower motor 12. In this case, it is preferable that the blower fan 11 is arranged downstream of the circulating portion 15b. For example, the air flow path 15 has an upstream portion 15a arranged upstream of the circulating portion 15b in the air flow direction, and a downstream portion 15c arranged downstream of the circulating portion 15b. Arrows X2 and X3 shown in Figures 2 to 4 indicate the general direction in which air flows through the circulating portion 15b.

[0025] The upstream section 15a preferably extends from the intake port 16 toward the circulating section 15b and is connected to an upper portion of the circulating section 15b. The downstream section 15c is provided so as to connect the circulating section 15b to the radial center of the blower fan 11. Arrow X4 shown in Figures 2 and 3 schematically shows the air flow in the downstream section 15c.

[0026] Furthermore, air flow path 15 is connected from the radial center of blower fan 11 to the outside of the fan blades via the fan blades. Arrow X5 in Fig. 2 schematically shows the direction in which air flows from the radial center of blower fan 11 to the outside of the fan blades via the fan blades. Furthermore, air flow path 15 is formed so as to surround the radial outside of the fan blades and is connected to outlet port 18.

[0027] In this way, the air flow path 15 has a portion where the air flows radially outward from the radial center of the blower fan 11 via the fan blades, and an outer flow path portion provided radially outward of the fan blades, and it is preferable that an outlet portion is provided at the end of the outer flow path portion.

[0028] In this embodiment, a plurality of fins 17 are provided on the inner wall surface of the intake port 16, and the longitudinal direction of the fins 17 is arranged along the air flow direction.

[0029] The air flow path 15 inside the case 14 has inner wall surfaces 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d extending in the airflow direction from the edge of the air intake port 16. In this example, the air intake port 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The inner wall surfaces 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d include a first inner wall surface 16a corresponding to one of the opposing long sides of the rectangle and a second inner wall surface 16b corresponding to the other long side. Furthermore, the inner wall surfaces 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d include a third inner wall surface 16c and a fourth inner wall surface 16d extending in the airflow direction from the opposing short sides of the rectangle, respectively. In this embodiment, the multiple fins 17 are provided on the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b.

[0030] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the multiple fins 17 provided on the first inner wall surface 16a protrude from the first inner wall surface 16a toward the second inner wall surface 16b and have a generally rectangular shape extending along the flow direction. The multiple fins 17 are spaced apart from one another in the direction from the third inner wall surface 16c toward the fourth inner wall surface 16d. In this example, the multiple fins 17 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0031] Similarly, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the multiple fins 17 provided on the second inner wall surface 16b protrude from the second inner wall surface 16b toward the first inner wall surface 16a and have a generally rectangular shape extending along the flow direction. The multiple fins 17 are spaced apart from one another in the direction from the third inner wall surface 16c toward the fourth inner wall surface 16d. In this example, the multiple fins 17 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0032] In this embodiment, the multiple fins 17 are provided on each of the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b, and one fin 17 provided on the second inner wall surface 16b is arranged between adjacent fins 17 provided on the first inner wall surface 16a in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular air intake port 16. That is, in this embodiment, the fins 17 provided on the first inner wall surface 16a and the fins 17 provided on the second inner wall surface 16b are arranged alternately along the longitudinal direction of the air intake port 16, i.e., along the direction from the third inner wall surface 16c toward the fourth inner wall surface 16d.

[0033] Since the fins 17 are adjacent to the blower motor 12, heat from the blower motor 12 is easily transferred to the fins 17. Therefore, when air taken in by the evaporator 20 passes through the intake port 16, the air exchanges heat with the fins 17, thereby raising the temperature of the passing air. This makes it possible to prevent condensation from forming inside the blower motor 12. Furthermore, because the longitudinal direction of the fins 17 is aligned with the air flow direction, it is possible to reduce flow resistance caused by the fins 17 when air flows through the intake port 16.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the multiple fins 17 are arranged at intervals on the inner wall surfaces (first inner wall surface 16a and second inner wall surface 16b) extending in the flow direction from the long sides of the intake port 16. For example, when fins 17 are provided on the third inner wall surface 16c and the fourth inner wall surface 16d corresponding to the short sides, the number of fins 17 that can be provided is smaller than that on the first inner wall surface 16a, etc. In order to obtain the same heat dissipation effect as on the first inner wall surface 16a, the dimensions of the fins 17 need to be larger.

[0035] For example, the fins 17 provided on the third inner wall surface 16c need to protrude longer from the wall surface than the fins 17 provided on the first inner wall surface 16a. If the protruding length from the wall surface is longer, there is a higher possibility that the fins will vibrate when air passes through, which may cause abnormal noise. In this embodiment, the fins 17 are provided on the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b, so it is possible to set the protruding length from the wall surface to be short, thereby suppressing the generation of the abnormal noise.

[0036] Furthermore, since the fins 17 of this embodiment protrude from one of the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b to the other, it is possible to increase the contact area between the fins 17 and the air, thereby enabling effective heat exchange between the air and the fins 17.

[0037] Furthermore, as described above, the fins 17 provided on the first inner wall surface 16a and the fins 17 provided on the second inner wall surface 16b are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction of the intake port 16, making it possible to ensure a predetermined distance between adjacent fins 17. As a result, it is possible to suppress flow resistance due to the fins 17 when air flows through the intake port 16.

[0038] As described above, the air flow path 15 is provided with the circulating portion 15b so as to surround the stator and the like of the blower motor 12, so that the temperature of the air flowing through the circulating portion 15b can be maintained within a predetermined range. As a result, the air cooled by the evaporator 20 flows through the air flow path 15, so that the brushes 12b and the like of the blower motor 12 can be prevented from becoming too cold, and the occurrence of condensation can be suppressed.

[0039] The description of the present embodiment is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the invention described in the claims. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple fins 17 are provided on both the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b corresponding to the long sides of the intake port 16, but this is not limited to this. The fins 17 may also be provided on one of the first inner wall surface 16a and the second inner wall surface 16b. The fins 17 may also be provided on the third inner wall surface 16c and the fourth inner wall surface 16d corresponding to the short sides. In this case, it is preferable to shorten the amount of protrusion from the inner wall surface and lengthen the length in the air flow direction.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the fins 17 is set to be substantially the same as the air flow direction, but this is not limiting. For example, the fins 17 may be arranged at a slight incline with respect to the air flow direction. This increases the contact area between the air and the fins 17.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the air flow path 15 is provided with the circumferential portion 15b so as to surround the stator of the blower motor 12, but this is not limiting. For example, the air flow path 15 may be configured so that the air flowing in from the intake port 16 flows toward the radial center of the blower fan 11, and then flows toward the discharge port 18 via the fan blades. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Air Conditioning Unit 10. Blower 11 Blower fan 12 Blower motor 12a brush 12b commutator 12c Rotation axis 14 cases 15 Air flow path 15a upstream part 15b Circular section 15c downstream 16 Air intake 16a First inner wall 16b Second inner wall 16c Third inner wall 16d 4th inner wall 17 Finn 18 Outlet 20 Evaporator 21 Cooling case

Claims

1. An air conditioning system for a vehicle having a blower and an evaporator that cools air taken in by the blower, the blower includes a blower fan, a blower motor attached to the blower fan and driving the blower fan, and a case accommodating the blower fan and the blower motor, the case has an outlet for discharging air, an intake port for taking in cooled air cooled by the evaporator, and an air flow path extending from the intake port to the outlet port via the blower fan, An air conditioning system for a vehicle, characterized in that a plurality of fins are provided on an inner wall of the intake port, and a longitudinal direction of the fins is arranged along a direction of air flow.

2. The air intake is generally rectangular in shape, 2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fins are arranged at intervals from one another on an inner wall surface extending from a long side of the rectangular shape in the flow direction.

3. the air flow path has an inner wall surface extending in the flow direction from an edge of the intake port, The air intake is generally rectangular in shape, the inner wall surface includes the first inner wall surface corresponding to one of the opposing long sides of the rectangular shape and the second inner wall surface corresponding to the other long side, 3. The air conditioning system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fins protrudes from the first inner wall surface toward the second inner wall surface.

4. the plurality of fins are provided on each of the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface, 4. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein one fin provided on the second inner wall surface is disposed between adjacent fins provided on the first inner wall surface in the longitudinal direction of the intake port.

5. 2. The air conditioning system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fins are disposed at an angle with respect to the air flow direction.

6. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air flow path has a circumferential portion disposed so as to surround the periphery of the blower motor, and the blower fan is disposed downstream of the circumferential portion.

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