Intake system, heating, ventilation and air conditioning device, and vehicle

Abstract

An intake system (100) of a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning device, comprising an intake housing (1), a spiral body (2), and a filter (3), wherein the spiral body (2) is a fan assembly (4) housed in the spiral body (2), and the fan assembly (4) is used to suck an air flow (F) so that the air flow (F) flows into the spiral body (2) through the intake housing (1), the filter (3) is disposed near an air intake (21) of the spiral body (2) and is used to filter the air flow (F). An intake system (100). A support portion (22) that protrudes from the air intake (21) by a predetermined height to support the filter (3) is provided on the spiral body (2), and the support portion (22) is connected to the air intake (21) by a connection rib (23). A corner between the connection rib (23) and the air intake (21) is a smooth transition portion (24).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intake system of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device for a vehicle, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device including the intake system, and a vehicle including the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a vehicle is provided with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device for adjusting the temperature inside the vehicle to create a comfortable environment. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device transfers outside air or recirculated air sucked by the intake system to a heat exchanger and supplies the air to the inside of the vehicle to cool or heat the inside of the vehicle. Aiming at miniaturization and reduction of the installation volume, the miniaturization of the intake port structure of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device is progressing more and more. However, the required intake air volume is still large, and thus the air pressure at the intake port is also becoming higher and higher. In the intake port structure, a filter is arranged above the fan, and the air flowing into the inside of the vehicle is filtered. It is necessary to arrange a filter support structure in the intake port structure so that the filter does not move downward toward the fan under the influence of high air pressure and come into contact with the fan. However, this type of filter support structure disturbs the air flow flowing in from the intake port and generates a high-speed air flow that collides with the blades of the fan, resulting in noise having a Blade Pass Frequency (BPF). This noise is hereinafter referred to as BPF noise. The BPF is directly proportional to the number and rotational speed of the blades of the fan assembly. A typical value of the BPF in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning for vehicles is around 2 kHz. For this reason, the pitch of the BPF noise becomes like the sound of a high-frequency whistle, which may make the driver and passengers of the vehicle feel uncomfortable and impair the comfort of the vehicle. Known methods for suppressing BPF noise are all directed to an intake system not provided with a filter support structure and are not suitable for an intake system provided with a filter support structure.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for an intake system of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus that can support a filter by a filter support structure and effectively suppress BPF noise. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to solve the above-described technical problem by proposing an intake system of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus that can not only support a filter by a filter support structure but also effectively suppress BPF noise generated during operation of the HVAC apparatus.

[0005] An intake system of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus for a vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an intake housing, a spiral body, and a filter. The spiral body includes a fan assembly accommodated in the spiral body, and the fan assembly is used to suck an air flow and allow the air flow to flow into the spiral body through the intake housing. The filter is disposed near an air intake of the spiral body and is used to filter the air flow. The spiral body is provided with a support portion that protrudes from the air intake by a predetermined height to support the filter, and the support portion is connected to the air intake by a connection rib. A corner portion between the connection rib and the air intake is a smooth transition portion that reduces disturbance of the air flow at the corner portion.

[0006] Therefore, the intake system of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus according to the present disclosure can prevent the filter from moving downward into the spiral body and contacting the fan by supporting the filter by the support portion. In addition, the smooth transition portion that reduces disturbance of the air flow can also suppress BPF noise generated during operation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus.

[0007] The intake system of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apparatus for a vehicle according to the present disclosure may further have one or more of the following features alone or in combination.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fan assembly includes a plurality of blades. The upper part of the blade faces the intake port, and the smooth transition part can reduce the flow velocity and / or flow rate of a part of the air flow that collides with the upper part of the blade among the air flows. Since the BPF noise is generated by the high-speed air flow that collides with the upper part of the fan blade, the BPF noise can be effectively suppressed or removed by reducing the flow velocity and / or flow rate of the air flow that collides with the upper part of the blade.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support part has an annular structure. Since this type of annular structure is the same as the internal region surrounded by the support part, the perimeter of the support part can be shortened, so that the air flow at the intake port is less obstructed by the support part.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contour of the annular structure is located inside the contour of the intake port. The part of the filter located inside the contour of the intake port receives the maximum air pressure and is farthest from the filter frame, so it is the part that is most easily sunken. With such an arrangement of the annular structure of the support part, the support part can effectively support the above-mentioned part that is most easily sunken.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a curved surface extending inward in the downstream direction of the air flow is provided at the edge of the intake port, and the connection rib is connected to the curved surface. This type of curved surface arranged at the edge of the intake port can also reduce the disturbance of the air flow at the edge of the intake port and provide support for the connection rib.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection rib is connected to the upper edge of the curved surface. The position where the connection rib is connected to the curved surface affects its BPF noise suppression effect. In particular, when the connection rib is connected to the upper edge of the curved surface, the BPF noise suppression effect is the highest, and the BPF noise can be basically removed.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the smooth transition portion is a rounded corner portion.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radius of the rounded corner portion is 5 to 15 mm.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting rib includes a plurality of connecting ribs evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. As an example, the connecting rib includes three connecting ribs evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting rib gradually expands from the support portion toward the intake port.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the spiral body includes an upper spiral body and a lower spiral body, and the support portion is disposed on the upper spiral body. By dividing the spiral body into an upper spiral body and a lower spiral body, the spiral body can be easily formed by molding.

[0018] The present disclosure further provides a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device for a vehicle, which includes the above-described intake system.

[0019] The present disclosure further provides a vehicle including the above-described heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device for a vehicle.

[0020] The above-described features and advantages of the present disclosure, as well as other features and advantages, will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments made with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description and the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The following drawings are not drawn by precisely reducing or enlarging actual dimensions in an equal ratio, but emphasize showing the gist of the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] In all the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0023] In order to clarify the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, the described embodiments are only a part, not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein shall have the common meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. The terms "one", "a", or "the" and similar phrases used in the specification and claims of the patent application of the present disclosure do not indicate a quantitative limitation, but rather mean that there is at least one. The phrases such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object before that phrase includes the elements or objects listed after that phrase and their equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or objects. The expressions such as "first" and "second" are used to describe various elements of the present disclosure, but they are only intended to distinguish one part from another, and do not define the order or importance of the corresponding elements. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the "first element" may be referred to as the "second element", and similarly, the "second element" may be referred to as the "first element".

[0025] Also, the orientation relationships or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", and "outer" mentioned herein are based on the orientation relationships or positional relationships shown in the drawings, or the orientation relationships or positional relationships regarding the normal arrangement during the use of the disclosed products, or the orientation relationships or positional relationships commonly understood by those skilled in the art. And this orientation relationship or positional relationship is merely intended to facilitate and simplify the description of the present disclosure, and is not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure because it does not explicitly or implicitly imply that the mentioned device or element should have a specific orientation or should be configured and operated in a specific orientation.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an intake system 100 of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device for a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the intake system 100 includes an intake housing 1, a spiral body 2, a filter 3, and a fan assembly 4 housed in the spiral body 2. The spiral body 2 is composed of an integrally connected upper spiral body 2a and a lower spiral body 2b. The spiral body 2 and the fan assembly 4 are used to suck the air flow F and allow this air flow F to flow into the spiral body 2 through the intake housing 1. The fan assembly 4 includes a plurality of blades 41 evenly arranged in the circumferential direction near the wall of the spiral body 2. The upper part of the blade 41 faces the intake port 21 of the spiral body 2. The fan assembly 4 is rotationally driven by an electric motor disposed below it to suck the air flow F. The blade 41 receives the air flowing in through the intake port 21, accelerates the air flow F by centrifugal force, and causes it to flow out of the spiral body 2. Then, the air flow F flows into a heat exchanger of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning device disposed downstream of the air flow F to perform heating or cooling.

[0027] The filter 3 is arranged near the air inlet 21 of the spiral body 2 and is used to filter the air flow F to remove contaminants in the air flow, such as inhalable particulate matter. As a result, the driver and passengers of the vehicle can obtain clean air inside the vehicle. Due to the pressure of the air flow F at the air inlet 21, the screen of the filter 3 may move downward and come into contact with the fan assembly 4. To avoid such a situation, the filter 3 is supported by a support portion 22 arranged on the spiral body 2.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 2, the support portion 22 is connected to the air inlet 21 by three connecting ribs 23 evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. It can be assumed that the number of the connecting ribs 23 can be adjusted as required. The connecting ribs 23 extend inward and upward from the air inlet 21 such that the support portion 22 is arranged inside the contour of the air inlet 21 and protrudes by a certain height from the air inlet 21. The support portion 22 inside the contour of the air inlet 21 can directly support the portion of the screen of the filter 3 that receives the maximum pressure. The height of the support portion 22 protruding from the air inlet 21 may be preset such that the screen of the filter 3 does not contact the support portion 22 when not receiving the pressure of the air flow F and is supported by the support portion 22 only when receiving the pressure of the air flow F.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, since the support portion 22 and the connecting ribs 23 are located inside the intake channel of the air flow F, they disturb the air flow F. In particular, since the support portion 22 has an annular structure, it matches the three connecting ribs evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. And since the support portion 22 can have a relatively short circumferential length, it disturbs the air flow F less. Also, since the annular structure of the support portion 22 has a smooth surface, it disturbs the air flow F less. The connecting ribs 23 have a shape that gradually expands from the support portion 22 toward the air inlet 21. Similarly, the gradually expanding shape of the connecting ribs 23 is also smooth and has no part like a stepped portion that increases the disturbance of the air flow F.

[0030] In particular, a corner is formed between the connection rib 23 and the intake port 21, and the corner is near the fan assembly 4. When this corner has a relatively sharp upper end portion, it has an extremely strong turbulent flow effect on the air flow flowing by, and significantly increases the flow velocity and flow rate of a part of the air flow that directly collides with the upper part of the blade 41 of the fan assembly 4. For this reason, stronger BPF noise is generated.

[0031] To suppress such BPF noise, the corner between the connection rib 23 and the intake port 21 of the intake system 100 according to the present disclosure is configured as a smooth transition portion 24. FIG. 3 shows the smooth transition portion 24 formed with a rounded corner. It is also conceivable that the smooth transition portion 24 may have another suitable shape. This type of smooth transition portion 24 can reduce the disturbance of the air flow at the corner and can reduce the flow velocity and / or flow rate of the air flow colliding with the upper part of the blade 41. Thereby, the BPF noise is suppressed or removed.

[0032] The dimensions of the smooth transition portion 24 are important parameters regarding the BPF noise suppression effect. The larger the dimensions of the smooth transition portion 24, the higher the BPF noise suppression effect, but as a result, the overall noise of the intake system also increases. Therefore, it is necessary to select a smooth transition portion 24 with appropriate dimensions so that the transition portion can suppress BPF noise without increasing the overall noise of the intake system or at least without significantly increasing it. Regarding the smooth transition portion 24 formed with a rounded corner, appropriate dimensions for the smooth transition portion 24 are such that the radius of the rounded corner is 5 to 15 mm, preferably 5 to 10 mm. The smooth transition portion 24 having such dimensions can basically remove the BPF noise without increasing the overall noise.

[0033] The connection position of the connection rib 23 to the intake port 21, that is, the position of the smooth transition portion 24, is another factor that affects the BPF noise suppression effect. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a curved surface 25 extending inward in the downstream direction of the air flow F is provided at the edge of the intake port 21. The connection rib 23 is connected to the intake port 21 at this curved surface 25. Specifically, the connection rib 23 is connected to the upper edge of the curved surface 25. That is, the smooth transition portion 24 is disposed at the upper edge of the curved surface 25. This type of connection position is very advantageous because the highest BPF noise suppression effect can be obtained or the BPF noise can be basically removed. It should be understood that the connection rib 23 may be connected to the central portion or the lower edge of the curved surface 25. That is, the smooth transition portion 24 is disposed at the central portion or the lower edge of the curved surface 25. Even with this type of connection position, an acceptable BPF noise suppression effect can be obtained. Also, the curved surface 25 at the edge of the intake port 21 reduces the disturbance of the air flow F at the edge of the intake port 21.

[0034] FIG. 4A shows a frequency spectrum graph of an intake system that has the same support portion and support ribs as FIGS. 1 to 3, but does not have a smooth transition portion disposed between the connection rib and the intake port. The horizontal axis represents the frequency of the noise, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the noise. In FIG. 4A, it can be seen that the noise frequency spectrum has a distinct peak at the BPF of 2224 Hz, that is, the intake system generates BPF noise, and its magnitude is about 41.7 dBA. Also, the overall magnitude of the noise shown in FIG. 4A is about 62.3 dBA. FIG. 4B shows a frequency spectrum graph of the noise of an intake system having a smooth transition portion disposed between the connection rib and the intake port, and the radius of the rounded corner of the smooth transition portion is 7 mm. In FIG. 4B, it can be seen that the magnitude of the noise is 35.8 dBA at the BPF of 2224 Hz. This is basically like background noise. The smooth transition portion substantially suppresses the BPF noise and reduces it by 5.9 dBA. Also, the overall magnitude of the noise shown in FIG. 4B is about 62.6 dBA, which is only a slight change compared to FIG. 4A. Therefore, the smooth transition portion between the connection rib and the intake port suppresses the BPF noise of the intake system, and the overall noise of the intake system increases only to an imperceptible extent.

[0035] It should be understood that the structures described above and shown in the drawings are merely examples of the present disclosure that can be replaced with other structures that exhibit the same or similar functions to obtain the desired final result. Further, it should be understood that the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are merely non-limiting examples of the present disclosure and can be modified in various ways within the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An intake system (100) for a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning apparatus, comprising: a spiral body (2); a filter (3); and an intake housing (1), wherein the spiral body (2) has a fan assembly (4) housed therein, the fan assembly (4) being used to suck an air flow (F) and allow the air flow (F) to flow into the spiral body (2) through the intake housing (1); wherein the filter (3) is disposed near an air intake (21) of the spiral body (2) and is used to filter the air flow (F) in the intake system (100); wherein the spiral body (2) is provided with a support portion (22) that protrudes from the air intake (21) by a predetermined height to support the filter (3); wherein the support portion (22) is connected to the air intake (21) by a connection rib (23); and wherein a corner between the connection rib (23) and the air intake (21) is a smooth transition portion (24) that reduces disturbance of the air flow (F) at the corner. The intake system (100) is characterized by the above.

2. The fan assembly (4) includes a plurality of blades (41); an upper portion of the blades (41) faces the air intake (21); and the smooth transition portion is capable of reducing the flow velocity and / or flow rate of a part of the air flow (F) that collides with the upper portion of the blades (41). The intake system (100) according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The support portion (22) has an annular structure. The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. A contour of the annular structure is located inside a contour of the air intake (21). The intake system (100) according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. An edge of the air intake (21) is provided with a curved surface (25) that extends inward in a downstream direction of the air flow (F); and the connection rib (23) is connected to the curved surface (25). The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

6. The connection rib (23) is connected to an upper edge of the curved surface (25). The intake system (100) according to claim 5, characterized by the above.

7. The smooth transition portion (24) is a rounded corner. The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

8. The radius of the rounded corner is 5 to 15 mm. The intake system (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that.

9. The connecting rib (23) includes a plurality of connecting ribs evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

10. The connecting rib (24) gradually expands from the support portion (22) toward the intake port (21). The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

11. The spiral body (2) includes an upper spiral body (2a) and a lower spiral body (2b). The support portion (22) is arranged on the upper spiral body (2a). The intake system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

12. A heating, ventilation and air conditioning device for a vehicle, characterized by comprising the intake system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A vehicle, characterized by comprising the heating, ventilation and air conditioning device according to claim 12.

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