Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle configured so that air for air-conditioning can be selectively blown from a desired portion into a vehicle interior, with simpler structure.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 is configured so that air A for air-conditioning is blown through air blowing ports 61A-61E of first trim panels 6A-6E mounted in a vehicle 13. The vehicle 1 is provided with: an air conditioner 4 that generates air A; piping 3, connected to the air conditioner 4, through which the air A discharged from the air conditioner 4 is split into a plurality of flows of air; blowing fans 5A-5E, detachably attached to terminal parts 32a-32e of the piping 3, which blow the split air to the air blowing ports; and a blocking member 6 that blocks flow of the air A, at portions where the blowing fans 5A-5E are detached, in a state where the blowing fans 5A-5E are detached from the piping 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle in which air is blown from an air outlet of a trim panel mounted inside the vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As this type of technology, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle including a blower device that blows air into the vehicle, a seating sensor built into a seat in the vehicle, and a control device that controls the rotational speed of a fan according to the presence or absence of seating on each seat detected by the seating sensor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, the air sent from the blower device is discharged into the vehicle from a plurality of air outlets. However, in order to select the position where the air is discharged in the vehicle, the opening degree of the air outlet is controlled by the control of the control device, so the device structure becomes complicated.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle that can selectively blow air for air conditioning into the vehicle from a desired location with a simpler structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In view of the above problems, the vehicle according to the present invention is a vehicle in which air for air conditioning is blown from an air outlet of a trim panel attached inside the vehicle, and includes an air conditioning device that generates the air, a pipe connected to the air conditioning device that divides the air discharged from the air conditioning device into a plurality of flows, a blower fan that is detachably attached to each end portion of the pipe and blows the divided air to the air outlet, and a blocking member that blocks the flow of the air at a portion where the blower fan is removed in a state where the blower fan is removed from the pipe.

[0007] According to the present invention, the air for air conditioning discharged from the air conditioning device can be divided in the pipe, passed through each blower fan from each end portion of the pipe, and blown into the vehicle from the air outlet of the trim panel. Further, for an air outlet that does not require blowing, the corresponding blower fan can be removed, and the flow of the air can be blocked by the blocking member at the portion where the blower fan is removed. In this way, the air for air conditioning can be selectively blown inside the vehicle. Here, when the blowing of the air for air conditioning discharged from the air conditioning device is selected, the air volume of the blown air fluctuates. However, since a blower fan is attached to the end of the pipe, the air with an air volume corresponding to the performance of the blower fan can be blown into the vehicle from each air outlet.

[0008] In a more preferred embodiment, the blower fan is attached to the trim panel and is detachable from the chassis together with the trim panel. According to this embodiment, the blower fan can be integrally removed from the chassis together with the trim panel. Thereby, since the positional relationship between the blower fan and the air outlet of the trim panel is fixed, the adjustment work of the air direction of the blower fan and the like can be reduced.

[0009] In a more preferred embodiment, among the pipes, the pipe portion connected to the blower fan is made of a flexible hose. According to this embodiment, by making the pipe portion connected to the blower fan a flexible hose, the blower fan can be easily removed from the chassis integrally with the trim panel.

[0010] More preferably, the trim panel having the air outlet is used as the first trim panel, the trim panel without the air outlet is used as the second trim panel, and according to the use of the vehicle, the first trim panel and the second trim panel can be selectively attached to the chassis.

[0011] According to this aspect, since the first trim panel having an air outlet and the second trim panel without an air outlet are provided according to the use, the first trim panel and the second trim panel can be selected and attached to the chassis according to the use of the vehicle. In particular, since a blower fan is attached to the first trim panel, air for air conditioning can be blown from the air outlet of the first trim panel to a desired location.

Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, with a simpler structure, air for air conditioning can be selectively blown into the vehicle from a desired location.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Fig. 1A

Fig. 1B

Fig. 2A

Fig. 2B

Fig. 3A

Fig. 3B

Fig. 4A

Fig. 4B

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a drive device (not shown) such as a motor driven by electric power from a power supply unit (not shown), and a control device (not shown) that controls the drive device. The vehicle 1 rotates the wheels 2 with the power of the drive device and runs. In FIGS. 1A, 3A, and 4A, the structure on the front side of the drawing, such as the door of the vehicle 1, is omitted. In each figure, the symbol F indicates the front of the vehicle 1, and the symbol R indicates the rear of the vehicle 1.

[0015] In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is a vehicle in which air A is blown from the air outlets 61A to 61E of a plurality of (five in this example) first trim panels 6A to 6E attached to the vehicle interior 13. As shown in FIGS. 1A, 3A, and 4A, according to the use of the vehicle 1, a combination of the first trim panels 6A to 6E as interior materials and the blower fans 5A to 5E, and a combination of the second trim panels 7A to 7C and the blocking member 6 are selected. Note that the other trim panels 7 may be replaceable according to the use.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle 1 includes a chassis 10, and the drive device, control device, power supply, etc., not shown as described above, are mounted on the chassis 10. Further, the vehicle 1 has an air conditioner device 4, piping 3, blower fans 5A to 5E, and first trim panels 6A to 6E, etc., attached to the chassis 10.

[0017] The air conditioner 4 is a device that generates air for air conditioning by heating or cooling the inhaled outside air, and its startup and shutdown are executed by a control device. The device configuration of the air conditioner 4 is the same as that of a generally known vehicle air conditioner, which adjusts the temperature of the air for air conditioning and also adjusts the flow velocity (or flow rate) of the adjusted air and discharges it into the pipe 3.

[0018] The pipe 3 is connected to the air conditioner 4 and divides the air A discharged from the air conditioner 4 into a plurality of flows and allows the air A to flow through. The pipe 3 includes a main pipe 31 and sub-pipes 32A to 32E, 33A to 33D.

[0019] The main pipe 31 is a pipe through which the air flowing from the air conditioner 4 circulates and is connected via branch joints (T-shaped joints) 36A to 36D, etc. Each of the sub-pipes 32A to 32E, 33A to 33D allows the air branched by the branch joints 36A to 36D to flow to each of the blower fans 5A to 5E. Note that, for example, L-shaped joints 37 (so-called elbows) may be further provided in each of the sub-pipes 32B, 32C, 32E.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1B, a part of the pipe 3 passes through the floor plate 11 of the chassis 10 from the air conditioner 4 and is arranged along the side beam 12, and the other part is arranged along the side rail 18 on the ceiling side from the side beam 12 via the pillar 17.

[0021] The main pipe 31 is connected to the input port of the branch joint 36A fixed to the side beam 12. Of the branch joint 36A, a front sub-pipe 32A is connected to one output port, and a sub-pipe 33A is connected to the other output port. The front sub-pipe 32A is connected to the front blower fan 5A via a coupler 80 (see FIG. 2A) described later.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1B, the auxiliary pipe 33A is arranged along the side beam 12 and is connected to the input port of the flow dividing joint 36B. Of the flow dividing joint 36B, an auxiliary pipe 33B is connected to one output port, and an auxiliary pipe 33C is connected to the other output port.

[0023] The auxiliary pipe 33B is arranged along the side beam 12 and is connected to the input port of the flow dividing joint 36C. Of the flow dividing joint 36C, a side auxiliary pipe 32B is connected to one output port, and a rear auxiliary pipe 32C is connected to the other output port. The side auxiliary pipe 32B hangs down from the flow dividing joint 36C and is connected to the side blower fan 5B via a coupler 80. The rear auxiliary pipe 32C is connected to the rear blower fan 5C via a coupler 80.

[0024] On the other hand, the auxiliary pipe 33C connected to the flow dividing joint 36B is arranged up to the side rail 18 along the pillar 17 extending in the vertical direction and is connected to the input port of the flow dividing joint 36D fixed to the side rail 18. Of the flow dividing joint 36D, a ceiling front auxiliary pipe 32D is connected to one output port, and an auxiliary pipe 33D is connected to the other output port. The ceiling front auxiliary pipe 32D is connected to the ceiling front blower fan 5D via a coupler 80. The auxiliary pipe 33D extends toward the rear side and is connected to the ceiling rear auxiliary pipe 32E via a joint 37. The ceiling rear auxiliary pipe 32E is connected to the ceiling rear blower fan 5E via a coupler 80.

[0025] Here, the main pipe 31 and the sub-pipes 32A to 32E, 33A to 33D may be pipes made of metal or resin. Since the main pipe 31 exists between the air conditioner device 4 and the branch joint 36A, it is fixed to the chassis 10. The sub-pipes 33A to 33D exist between joints such as the branch joints 36A to 36D and the joint 37, and are fixed to the chassis 10 via these joints. Therefore, from the viewpoint of durability and the like, the main pipe 31 and the sub-pipes 33A to 33D may be, for example, pipes made of metal such as steel or aluminum, or non-flexible resin pipes.

[0026] The sub-pipes 32A to 32E are pipes of the portions directly connected to the blower fans 5A to 5E, and preferably made of flexible hoses. Thereby, the workability for attaching and detaching the blower fans 5A to 5E from the sub-pipes 32A to 32E can be improved.

[0027] Such a flexible hose may be a resin-like hose having flexibility with a reinforcing metal wire embedded spirally therein. Note that the main pipe 31 and the sub-pipes 33A to 33D may be flexible hoses similar to the sub-pipe 32B.

[0028] At the end portions 32a to 32e of each of the sub-pipes 32A to 32E, the blower fans 5A to 5E are detachably attached via the couplers 80. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the coupler 80 includes a socket 82 attached to the end portion 32a from which the air of the sub-pipe 32A is discharged, and a plug 81 attached to the suction portion to which the air of the blower fans 5A to 5E is sucked. The coupler 80 may be a one-touch coupler, and is not particularly limited as long as it can connect the sub-pipes 32A to 32E and the blower fans 5A to 5E.

[0029] In this way, by connecting the socket 82 and the plug 81, the air A that has flowed to the end portion 32a of the auxiliary pipe 32A can be supplied to the blower fan 5A. By disconnecting the connection between the socket 82 and the plug 81, the blower fan 5A can be easily removed from each auxiliary pipe 32A. Although the connection structure between the blower fan 5A and the auxiliary pipe 32A has been described with reference to FIG. 2A, the connection structures of each of the blower fans 5B to 5E and the end portions 32b to 32e of the corresponding auxiliary pipes 32B to 32E are the same, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the blower fan 5A is attached to the first trim panel 6A and is detachable from the chassis 10 together with the first trim panel 6A. Specifically, each blower fan 5A is attached to the first trim panel 6A via a bracket 71 by a fixture 74 such as a screw. The blower fan 5A is connected to a power source via wiring or the like and is a device that blows the air A from the auxiliary pipe 32A into the vehicle interior 13. Since the blower fan 5A is a general blower fan, detailed description of the fan body and the structure of the fan body and the drive motor is omitted. Although the attachment structure of the blower fan 5A and the first trim panel 6A has been described with reference to FIG. 2A, the attachment structures of each of the blower fans 5B to 5E and the first trim panels 6B to 6E are the same, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0031] Hereinafter, taking the first trim panel 6A and the second trim panel 7A as an example, description will be made with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the present embodiment, the surface of the first trim panel 6A is a surface decorated with interior decoration or the like, and a locking portion (not shown) that locks to a part of the chassis 10 is formed on the back surface of the first trim panel 6A. By locking this locking portion to the chassis 10, the first trim panel 6A can be attached to the chassis 10.

[0032] The first trim panel 6A is formed with an air vent 61A penetrating in the thickness direction. The blower fan 5A is attached to the first trim panel 6A via a bracket 71 such that the air of the blower fan 5A flows toward the air vent 61A. Note that the bracket 71 may be provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angle formed with the normal direction of the back surface of the first trim panel 6A for adjusting the blowing direction of the blower fan 5A, or the air vent 61A may be provided with a louver for adjusting the blowing direction.

[0033] Thus, in the present embodiment, the blower fan 5A is attached to the first trim panel 6A via the bracket 71 such that the air blowing portion of the blower fan 5A faces the air vent 61A. Further, the blower fan 5A is connected to the auxiliary pipe 32A via a coupler 80. By adopting such a structure, the blower fan 5A can be integrally removed from the chassis 10 (specifically, the auxiliary pipe 32A) together with the first trim panel 6A.

[0034] Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the vehicle 1 has a first trim panel 6A having an air vent 61A and a second trim panel 7A having no air vent, according to the use of the vehicle 1. Specifically, according to the use of the vehicle 1, the first trim panel 6A and the second trim panel 7A can be selectively attached to the chassis 10 at the same position.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second trim panel 7A is formed with a locking portion (not shown) that locks to a part of the chassis 10, similar to the first trim panel 6A. By locking this locking portion to the chassis 10, the second trim panel 7A can be attached to the chassis 10.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2B, the vehicle 1 includes a blocking member 6 that blocks the flow of air at the portion where the blower fans 5A to 5E are removed, with the blower fan 5A removed from the pipe. In the present embodiment, since the socket 82 of the coupler 80 is attached to the end portion 32a of the sub-pipe 32A, in the present embodiment, the blocking member 6 is a sealing plug that is connected to the socket 82.

[0037] However, the configuration of the blocking member 6 is not particularly limited as long as it can block the flow of air discharged from the end portion 32a. For example, the blocking member 6 may be a cover screwed to the socket 82 so as to cover the socket 82, or may be an on-off valve for discharging air from the socket 82. Although the second trim panel 7A arranged in place of the first trim panel 6A and the structure of the blocking member 6 have been described with reference to FIG. 2B, the second trim panels 7B to 7E arranged in place of the first trim panels 6B to 6E and the structure of the blocking member 6 are the same, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. Although not shown in FIGS. 3A, 4A, etc., the second trim panels arranged in place of the first trim panels 6D and 6E may be formally referred to as the second trim panels 7D and 7E and described below.

[0038] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 in the first application for a shuttle bus (for transporting passengers) will be described. In the case of the first application, benches (seats) 91, 91 are arranged in the interior. The blower fans 5A to 5E are attached to the chassis 10 together with the first trim panels 6A to 6E. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1A, trim panels 41 to 43, 7, etc. are attached to the chassis 10.

[0039] In this way, as shown in FIG. 1A, the air from the air conditioning device 4 can be supplied to the blower fans 5A to 5E via the pipe 3. The air supplied to the blower fans 5A to 5E is stably supplied to the interior 13 of the vehicle through the air outlets 61A to 61E of the first trim panels 6A to 6E by driving the blower fans 5A to 5E.

[0040] Furthermore, a case of changing from the first use shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to the second use for a mobile café as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3A, the side blower fan 5B connected to the coupler 80 is removed together with the first trim panel 6B from the side sub-pipe 32B. When the first trim panel 6B is removed from the chassis 10, the end portion 32b of the sub-pipe 32B is opened. Therefore, the blocking member 6 is attached to the socket 82 attached to the end portion 32b of the sub-pipe 32B. Further, the second trim panel 7B is attached to the chassis 10 at the position where the first trim panel 6B was disposed. Thereby, the air discharged from the sub-pipe 32B is blocked. In addition, trim panels 41 to 43, 7, etc. having surfaces adapted to the interior of the vehicle interior 13 are attached to the chassis 10 of FIG. 3B. Further, the benches (seats) 91, 91 are removed, and the round chairs 93, the beverage server 94, and the table 95 are attached.

[0041] In this way, as shown in FIG. 3A, the air from the air conditioner device 4 can be supplied via the pipe 3 to the blower fans 5A, 5C to 5E except for the blower fan 5B. The air supplied to the blower fans 5A, 5C to 5E is stably supplied to the vehicle interior 13 through the air outlets 61A, 61C to 61E of the first trim panels 6A, 6C to 6E by driving the blower fans 5A, 5C to 5E.

[0042] Furthermore, a case of changing from the second use shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B to the third use for mobile home delivery as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described. In this case, from the auxiliary pipe 32A for the front, the front blower fan 5A connected to the coupler 80 is removed together with the first trim panel 6A. Similarly, from the auxiliary pipe 32C for the rear, the rear blower fan 5C connected to the coupler 80 is removed together with the first trim panel 6C. When the first trim panels 6A and 6C are removed from the chassis 10, the end portions 32a and 32c of the auxiliary pipes 32A and 32C are opened. Therefore, the blocking member 6 is attached to each of the sockets 82 attached to the end portions 32a and 32c of the auxiliary pipes 32A and 32C. Furthermore, the second trim panels 7A and 7C are attached to the chassis 10 at the positions where the first trim panels 6A and 6C were arranged. Thereby, the air discharged from the auxiliary pipes 32A and 32C is blocked. Note that the air from the auxiliary pipe 32B remains blocked continuously. In addition, trim panels 41 to 43, 7, etc. having surfaces adapted to the interior of the vehicle interior 13 are attached to the chassis 10 in FIG. 4B. Furthermore, the round chair 93, the beverage server 94, and the table 95 are removed, and the locker 96 is arranged.

[0043] In this way, as shown in FIG. 4A, the air from the air conditioner device 4 can be supplied to the blower fans 5D and 5E arranged on the ceiling side via the pipe 3. The air supplied to the blower fans 5D and 5E is stably supplied to the vehicle interior 13 from the ceiling side through the air outlets 61D and 61E of the first trim panels 6D and 6E by driving the blower fans 5D and 5E.

[0044] According to the present embodiment, the air A for air conditioning discharged by the air conditioner device 4 can be branched in the pipe 3, passed through the blower fans 5A to 5E from the respective end portions 32a to 32e of the pipe 3, and blown into the vehicle interior 13 from the air outlets 61A to 61E of the first trim panels 6A to 6E. Also, for the air outlets 61A etc. that do not require blowing, the blower fan 5A that blows air to the air outlet 61A is removed, and the flow of air can be blocked by the blocking member 6 at the portion (socket 82) where the blower fan 5A etc. is removed.

[0045] In this way, according to the use of the vehicle interior 13, the air A for air conditioning can be selectively blown. Here, when selecting the blowing of the air A for air conditioning discharged by the air conditioning device 4, the air volume of the blown air fluctuates. However, in this embodiment, since the blower fans 5A to 5E are attached to the end portions 32a to 32e of the pipe 3, the air A with an air volume corresponding to the performance of the blower fans 5A to 5E can be blown into the vehicle interior 13 from the respective air outlets 61A to 61E.

[0046] The blower fans 5A to 5E are attached to the first trim panels 6A to 6E and are detachable from the chassis 10 together with the first trim panels 6A to 6E. Therefore, the blower fans 5A to 5E can be integrally removed from the chassis 10 together with the first trim panels 6A to 6E. As a result, since the positional relationship between the blower fans 5A to 5E and the air outlets 61A to 61E of the first trim panels 6A to 6E is fixed, the adjustment work of the air direction and the like of the blower fans 5A to 5E can be reduced. Further, by making the sub-pipes 32A to 32E of the portions connected to the blower fans 5A to 5E into flexible hoses, the blower fans 5A to 5E can be easily removed from the chassis 10 integrally with the first trim panels 6A to 6E.

[0047] Further, according to the first to third uses, the first trim panels 6A to 6E having the air outlets 61A to 61E and the second trim panels 7A to 7E not having air outlets are provided. For this reason, according to the use of the vehicle, the first trim panels 6A to 6E and the second trim panels 7A to 7E can be selectively attached to the chassis 10. In particular, since the blower fans 5A to 5E are attached to the first trim panels 6A to 6E, the air A for air conditioning can be blown from the air outlets 61A to 61E of the first trim panels 6A to 6E to a desired location.

[0048] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, the positions and numbers of the blower fan and the first trim panel are specified, but they are not limited to these positions and numbers, and of course, they may be appropriately set according to the use of the vehicle. Further, in this embodiment, as the uses of the vehicle, the first to third uses are exemplified, but the uses are not limited to these.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0050] 1: Vehicle, 3: Pipe, 4: Air conditioner device, 5A to 5E: Blower fan, 6: Shut-off member, 6A to 6E: First trim panel, 7A to 7C: Second trim panel, 10: Chassis, 31: Main pipe, 32A to 32E: Sub-pipes, 32a to 32e: End portions, 61A to 61E: Air outlets

Claims

1. A vehicle in which air for air conditioning is blown from an air vent of a trim panel mounted inside the vehicle, an air conditioning device that generates the air, a pipe connected to the air conditioning device and that diverts the air discharged from the air conditioning device into a plurality of flows, a blower fan that is detachably attached to each end portion of the pipe and blows the diverted air to the air vent, and a blocking member that blocks the flow of the air at a portion from which the blower fan has been removed in a state where the blower fan has been removed from the pipe. The vehicle is characterized by comprising the blocking member.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan is attached to the trim panel and is detachable from the chassis together with the trim panel.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the pipe connected to the blower fan is made of a flexible hose.

4. The trim panel having the air vent is defined as a first trim panel, and the trim panel not having the air vent is defined as a second trim panel, The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the first trim panel and the second trim panel can be selectively attached to the chassis according to the use of the vehicle.

Images