Air conditioner device for vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a housing having a partition wall installed to divide an internal space in which air including internal air and external air flows into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel is provided with an internal air inlet for the internal air and an external air inlet for the external air, and the second channel is provided with an auxiliary external air inlet for the external air to be introduced in an auxiliary manner; an intake door that selectively opens the internal air inlet and the external air inlet within the housing; an external air control door that selectively opens the auxiliary external air inlet within the housing; an auxiliary channel provided as a separate protruding space partitioned from the internal space on one side of the housing and connected to the second channel, and having an auxiliary inlet; and an auxiliary door that has an operating range within the protruding space of the auxiliary channel and selectively opens the auxiliary inlet.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system, and more specifically, to a vehicle air conditioning system with improved installation location and structure of an auxiliary inlet and a door that opens it. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, a vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning system to control the indoor air temperature and ventilation. Such an air conditioning system can selectively control whether the air discharged into the interior performs an outside air mode that introduces outside air (hereinafter referred to as "outside air") or a recirculation mode that circulates inside air (hereinafter referred to as "recirculation air").

[0003] To this end, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning device (1) is provided with an internal air inlet (11) and an external air inlet (12) formed in a housing (10), and an intake door (20) is rotatably installed between the internal air inlet (11) and the external air inlet (12).

[0004] This intake door (20) is configured in a dome type and rotates between the "outside air mode position (A)" and the "inside air mode position (B)" to selectively open the inside air inlet (11) or the outside air inlet (12). Accordingly, outside air or inside air can be selectively introduced.

[0005] Meanwhile, the housing (10) is equipped with an auxiliary outside air inlet (13) and an outside air control door (30).

[0006] The auxiliary outside air inlet (13) is formed on one side of the outside air inlet (12) and is configured to be separated from the inside and outside air inlets (11, 12) by a partition wall (60), and is configured to have a smaller cross-sectional area than the outside air inlet (12) so that a relatively small amount of outside air is introduced.

[0007] The outside air control door (30) is rotatably installed on the bulkhead (60) and configured to selectively open the auxiliary outside air inlet (13).

[0008] These auxiliary outside air inlet (13) and outside air control door (30) are configured to allow outside air to flow in separately from the outside air inlet (12), so that even if the outside air inlet (12) is completely closed by the intake door (20) in the internal air mode, the outside air control door (30) is controlled to a partial outside air inlet mode and the auxiliary outside air inlet (13) is opened to allow a small amount of outside air to flow in.

[0009] Meanwhile, the housing (10) is equipped with an auxiliary air inlet (14) and an air control door (15).

[0010] The auxiliary internal air inlet (14) is configured to be formed in the housing (10) portion corresponding to the auxiliary external air inlet (13) adjacent to the auxiliary external air inlet (13), and a small amount of internal air is introduced and flowed to the downstream air filter (70).

[0011] The air intake control door (15) is of the flap type and is configured to selectively open the auxiliary air intake port (14) by rotating toward the outside air intake control door (30) according to the internal pressure of the housing (10) when the blower (80) is operated.

[0012] These auxiliary air inlet (14) and air control door (15) allow air to be introduced separately from the air inlet (11), so that in the air mode state, one side of the air filter (70) corresponding to the auxiliary outside air inlet (13) exists as a dead area where there is no air flow, and by allowing air to be introduced into this dead area, the air conditioning efficiency is improved.

[0013] Depending on the structure of the installation location of the vehicle, this air conditioning device (1) is installed so that the airflow flows in the up and down direction, or rotated 90 degrees so that it flows in the horizontal direction.

[0014] However, in cases where the air intake control door (15) must be installed to flow horizontally due to the structure, the door is positioned on the upper part of the housing (10), and thus is placed in a state where it is rotated downwards due to its own weight. Accordingly, the air intake control door (15) causes a problem of keeping the auxiliary air intake port (14) in a constantly open state.

[0015] In addition, as the indoor air control door (15) is positioned in a state where it is rotated downwards due to its own weight, when the outdoor air control door (30) is operated, a jamming problem occurs due to interference with the indoor air control door (15).

[0016] Therefore, while resolving these issues, there is a need for structural improvements in terms of installation freedom. The problem to be solved

[0017] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system that prevents the occurrence of jamming problems caused by interference between the interior air control door and the exterior air control door, and improves the degree of freedom of installation.

[0018] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0019] A vehicle air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a housing having a partition wall installed to divide an internal space in which air including internal air and external air flows into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel is provided with an internal air inlet for the internal air and an external air inlet for the external air, and the second channel is provided with an auxiliary external air inlet for the external air to be introduced in an auxiliary manner; an intake door that selectively opens the internal air inlet and the external air inlet within the housing; an external air control door that selectively opens the auxiliary external air inlet within the housing; an auxiliary channel provided as a separate protruding space partitioned from the internal space on one side of the housing and connected to the second channel, and having an auxiliary inlet; and an auxiliary door that has an operating range within the protruding space of the auxiliary channel and selectively opens the auxiliary inlet.

[0020] With the housing fixed to the vehicle, the second channel is positioned above the first channel in the direction of gravity, and the protruding space protrudes from the upper surface of the housing to the upper part of the internal space, so that the auxiliary channel can be positioned above the second channel in the direction of gravity.

[0021] With the housing fixed to the vehicle, the second channel is positioned above the first channel in the direction of gravity, and the protruding space protrudes from the upper side of the housing to the outside of the internal space, so that the auxiliary channel can be positioned at least at the same level as the second channel.

[0022] The above auxiliary door is provided as a plate-shaped flap type, so that its upper end can be rotatably connected to the upper part of the above auxiliary inlet.

[0023] The auxiliary door may be configured to open the auxiliary inlet by the action of at least one of the wind pressure generated when the blower provided to the housing operates, the pressure difference between the second channel and the auxiliary channel, and the self-weight.

[0024] The above auxiliary channel is configured to allow air different from the air flowing into the second channel to flow in, and the air flowing into the auxiliary channel may include internal air.

[0025] The direction of inflow of the outside air in the second channel and the direction of inflow of the inside air in the auxiliary channel can be formed opposite to each other.

[0026] An air filter for filtering the indoor air and the outdoor air is provided within the housing, and the air filter may be installed downstream of the first channel and the second channel. Effects of the invention

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the occurrence of jamming problems caused by interference between the indoor air control door and the outdoor air control door can be prevented, and the degree of freedom of installation can be improved.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description in the claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] FIG. 1a is a drawing showing a conventional vehicle air conditioning system, schematically illustrating a state in which air is installed to flow in the up-and-down direction. FIG. 1b is a drawing showing a conventional vehicle air conditioning system, schematically illustrating a state in which air is installed to flow in a horizontal direction. FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the direction of inflow of outside air and inside air in the second channel and auxiliary channel of the housing. FIGS. 4a and FIGS. 4b are schematic drawings illustrating variations of an auxiliary channel, respectively. FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a vehicle air conditioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section along line II in FIG. 5. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. Such terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the invention, a second component may be named a first component, and similarly, a first component may be named a second component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any of a plurality of related described items.

[0031] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments, where one component is described as being formed "on or under" another component, "on or under" includes both cases where the two components are in direct contact with each other and cases where one or more other components are positioned indirectly between the two components. Furthermore, when expressed as "on or under," it may include the meaning of a downward direction as well as an upward direction relative to one component.

[0033] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, shall have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0035] Hereinafter, a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings (components identical to those of the prior art will be described using the same reference numerals).

[0036] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a drawing schematically showing the direction of inflow of outside air and inside air in the second channel and auxiliary channel of the housing, and FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are drawings schematically showing modified examples of the auxiliary channel, respectively.

[0037] As shown in the drawing, a vehicle air conditioning device (2) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a housing (10), an intake door (20), an outside air control door (30), an auxiliary channel (40), and an auxiliary door (50).

[0038] The housing (10) may be provided with an internal air inlet (11) into which internal air is introduced and an external air inlet (12) into which external air is introduced. Additionally, an auxiliary external air inlet (13) into which external air is introduced in an auxiliary manner may be provided on one side of the external air inlet (12). That is, the housing (10) may be provided with an internal air inlet (11) on one side and an external air inlet (12) and an auxiliary external air inlet (13) on the other side.

[0039] The internal air inlet (11) is connected to the interior of the vehicle to allow internal air to flow in, and the external air inlet (12) is connected to the exterior of the vehicle to allow external air to flow in. The auxiliary external air inlet (13) allows external air to flow in separately from the external air inlet (12), so that a small amount of external air flows in through the auxiliary external air inlet (13) when the external air inlet (12) is closed in internal mode.

[0040] The housing (10) may be equipped with an intake door (20) that selectively opens an internal air inlet (11) and an external air inlet (12), and an external air control door (30) that selectively opens an auxiliary external air inlet (13).

[0041] The intake door (20) rotates between the "outside air mode position (A)" and the "inside air mode position (B)" to selectively open the inside air inlet (11) or the outside air inlet (12). Thus, outside air or inside air can be selectively introduced.

[0042] The outside air control door (30) selectively opens the auxiliary outside air inlet (13) to allow outside air to flow in separately from the outside air inlet (12). In particular, when the outside air inlet (12) is closed by the intake door (20) in the internal air mode, the outside air control door (30) is controlled to a partial outside air introduction mode and the auxiliary outside air inlet (13) is opened to allow a small amount of outside air to flow in.

[0043] In the embodiment, the intake door (20) is formed in a roughly fan-shaped dome shape to open a part of the internal air inlet (11) or external air inlet (12), and the external air control door (30) is formed in a plate shape to open or close the auxiliary external air inlet (13).

[0044] In this way, the intake door (20) is formed in a fan-shaped dome shape so that air entering through the internal air inlet (11) or external air inlet (12) flows smoothly and is easy to support the load caused by the inflow of internal and external air. In the case of the external air control door (30), it is desirable to form it in a plate shape so that the load caused by the introduction of external air is small, thereby reducing costs.

[0045] These intake doors (20) and outside air control doors (30) are each connected to an actuator not shown and can be rotated by the driving force provided by the actuator.

[0046] Meanwhile, a partition wall (60) may be installed inside the housing (10) to divide the internal space, through which air including indoor air and outdoor air flows, into a first channel (CH1) and a second channel (CH2).

[0047] The first channel (CH1) and the second channel (CH2) are spaces in which indoor air and outdoor air flow. The first channel (CH1) is provided with an indoor air inlet (11) into which indoor air flows and an outdoor air inlet (12) into which outdoor air flows, and the second channel (CH2) may be provided with an auxiliary outdoor air inlet (13) into which outdoor air flows in.

[0048] As shown in the drawing, the bulkhead (60) is positioned between the intake door (20) and the outside air control door (30), and outside air flowing into the outside air inlet (12) is branched to flow toward the intake door (20) side and the outside air control door (30) side.

[0049] In an embodiment, an outside air control door (30) may be rotatably installed at the front end of the bulkhead (60).

[0050] These partitions (60) block the air flowing into the intake door (20) and the air flowing into the outside air control door (30) so that there is no exchange between them, and thus prevent the outside air from flowing back to the inside air inlet (11) when the inside air and outside air are mixed.

[0051] Meanwhile, an air filter (70) for filtering indoor and outdoor air may be provided inside the housing (10).

[0052] This air filter (70) can be installed in a structure that contacts the rear end of the bulkhead (60) on the downstream side of the first channel (CH1) and the second channel (CH2).

[0053] Additionally, a blower (80) driven by a motor (81) may be provided on the opposite side of the air filter (70) that contacts the partition wall (60).

[0054] Meanwhile, the housing (10) may include an auxiliary channel (40) provided as a separate protruding space partitioned from the internal space.

[0055] The auxiliary channel (40) may be provided with a structure that protrudes outward from one side of the housing (10). This auxiliary channel (40) is connected to the second channel (CH2) of the housing (10) and may be provided with an auxiliary inlet (41) through which air is introduced.

[0056] As shown in the drawing, when the air conditioning device (2) is installed so that the air flow is horizontal, the second channel (CH2) can be positioned above the first channel (CH1) in the direction of gravity while the housing (10) is fixed to the vehicle. And, the protruding space is provided in a structure that protrudes from the upper surface of the housing (10) to the upper part of the internal space, and accordingly, the auxiliary channel (40) is positioned above the second channel (CH2) in the direction of gravity.

[0057] This auxiliary channel (40) can be configured to allow air different from the air flowing into the second channel (CH2) to flow in. That is, the air flowing into the auxiliary channel (40) may include internal air.

[0058] The auxiliary inlet (41) allows internal air to be introduced separately from the internal air inlet (11) provided in the housing (10), and in the internal air mode state where the intake door (20) and the external air control door (30) each close the external air inlet (12) and the auxiliary external air inlet (13) to block the inflow of external air, internal air is additionally introduced through the auxiliary inlet (41), thereby ensuring a sufficient flow rate of internal air.

[0059] In the embodiment, the direction of inflow of outside air in the second channel (CH2) and the direction of inflow of inside air in the auxiliary channel (40) can be formed to be opposite to each other. That is, outside air in the second channel (CH2) can be configured to flow from the front to the rear, and inside air in the auxiliary channel (40) can be configured to flow from the rear to the front.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the auxiliary channel (40) can be formed as a protruding space of a box structure having a square cross-section overall.

[0061] Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the auxiliary channel (40) may be formed as a tapered structure having a cross-section approximately triangular or as a protruding space having a circular curved surface. In this case, the inclined surface and curved surface of the housing (10) constituting the auxiliary channel (40) may be provided to be inclined toward the upper surface of the housing (10) from the auxiliary inlet (41). Accordingly, the air introduced into the auxiliary channel (40) through the auxiliary inlet (41) can be guided to flow smoothly to the lower second channel (CH2) along the inclined surface and curved surface.

[0062] The auxiliary door has an operating range within the protruding space of the auxiliary channel (40) and can be configured to selectively open the auxiliary inlet (41).

[0063] The auxiliary door (50) is provided as a flap-type plate and its upper end can be rotatably connected to the upper part of the auxiliary inlet (41). The auxiliary inlet (41) can be configured to open by the action of at least one of the wind pressure generated when the blower (80) operates in the recirculation mode, the pressure difference between the second channel (CH2) and the auxiliary channel (40), and the self-weight. In the case of self-weight, it may be selectively acted depending on the position where the housing (10) is mounted. Of course, the auxiliary door (50) may be configured to be electrically driven by being connected to an actuator not shown.

[0064] Accordingly, the internal air passes through the auxiliary inlet (41) and flows into the auxiliary channel (40), and flows along the auxiliary channel (40) to the second channel (CH2), and is introduced to the air filter (70) together with the internal air flowing through the internal air inlet (11) to the first channel (CH1).

[0065] In the case of such an auxiliary door (50), the auxiliary inlet (41) is normally kept closed, and when only fresh air is introduced by closing the outside air inlet (12) and the auxiliary outside air inlet (13), the auxiliary inlet (41) is opened by the air pressure generated by the operation of the blower (80) to allow additional fresh air to be introduced. Accordingly, sufficient fresh air is introduced, thereby improving passenger comfort and air conditioning efficiency.

[0066] In this way, the auxiliary door (50) according to the present embodiment can be positioned so that the auxiliary opening (41) is kept closed even under normal circumstances, as the upper end is connected to the upper end of the auxiliary opening (41). Therefore, the problem of the auxiliary door being positioned in an open state due to its own weight, as in conventional designs, does not occur in the structure according to the present invention.

[0067] Accordingly, the air conditioning device (2) can be installed so that the airflow flows in the up and down direction, and the air conditioning device (2) can be installed by rotating it 90 degrees so that the airflow flows in the horizontal direction, thereby improving the degree of freedom of installation.

[0068] In addition, according to the present embodiment, an auxiliary door (50) is provided to rotate within an upper auxiliary channel (40) that is spatially separated from a second channel (CH2) provided to rotate the outside air control door (30), and accordingly, no physical contact occurs between the outside air control door (30) and the auxiliary door (50). Therefore, the problem of jamming that occurs when the outside air control door (30) is operated, which occurs when the conventional inside air control door (15) is placed in an open state due to its own weight, does not occur in the structure according to the present invention.

[0069] FIGS. 5 and 6 schematically show a vehicle air conditioning system (3) according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a vehicle air conditioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a drawing schematically showing a cross-section along line II in FIG. 5.

[0071] The components constituting the vehicle air conditioning system (3) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 and 6 are basically the same as those of the vehicle air conditioning system (2) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2. However, the vehicle air conditioning system (3) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 and 6 differs in that the location where the auxiliary channel (40) is provided is different. The following description will focus on the differences.

[0072] Referring to the drawing, with the housing (10) fixed to the vehicle, the second channel (CH2) can be positioned above the first channel (CH1) in the direction of gravity. Additionally, the protruding space is provided in a structure that protrudes outward from the upper side of the housing (10) to the outside of the internal space, and accordingly, the auxiliary channel (40) can be configured to be positioned at least at the same level as the second channel (CH2).

[0073] In the embodiment, the auxiliary channel (40) may be provided on each side of the housing (10). However, it is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to provide it on only one side of the housing (10).

[0074] The auxiliary channel (40) may be provided with an auxiliary inlet (41) on one side through which internal air is introduced.

[0075] The auxiliary door (50) is provided in a plate-like flap shape so that its upper end can be rotatably connected to the upper part of the auxiliary inlet (41).

[0076] This auxiliary door (50) can be configured to open the auxiliary inlet (41) when the blower (80) is operated, in an internal air mode state where the intake door (20) and the external air control door (30) each close the external air inlet (12) and the auxiliary external air inlet (13). Of course, it is also possible to configure it to be driven by the pressure difference between the second channel (CH2) and the auxiliary channel (40), and it is also possible to configure it to be driven electrically through an actuator not shown.

[0077] Accordingly, even if only the internal air is introduced, the auxiliary inlet (41) is selectively opened together with the internal air inlet (11) to additionally secure internal air, thereby ensuring a sufficient amount of internal air.

[0078] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Furthermore, differences related to such modifications and changes should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0079] 1, 2, 3: Vehicle air conditioning system 10: Housing 11: Internal air inlet 12: External air inlet 13: Auxiliary outside air intake 20: Intake door 30: Outside air control door 40: Auxiliary channel 41: Auxiliary entrance 50: Auxiliary door 60: Bulkhead 70: Air filter 80: Blower

Claims

Claim 1 delete Claim 2 A housing having a partition wall installed to divide an internal space through which air, including internal and external air, flows into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel is provided with an internal air inlet for the internal air and an external air inlet for the external air, and the second channel is provided with an auxiliary external air inlet for the external air to be introduced secondarily; an intake door that selectively opens the internal air inlet and the external air inlet within the housing; an external air control door that selectively opens the auxiliary external air inlet within the housing; and an auxiliary channel provided as a separate protruding space partitioned from the internal space on one side of the housing, connected to the second channel, and equipped with an auxiliary inlet. A vehicle air conditioning device comprising: an auxiliary door having an operating range within the protruding space of the auxiliary channel and selectively opening the auxiliary inlet; wherein, with the housing fixed to the vehicle, the second channel is positioned above the first channel in the direction of gravity, and the protruding space protrudes from the upper surface of the housing to the upper part of the internal space, and the auxiliary channel is positioned above the second channel in the direction of gravity. Claim 3 A housing having a partition wall installed to divide an internal space through which air, including internal and external air, flows into a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel is provided with an internal air inlet for the internal air and an external air inlet for the external air, and the second channel is provided with an auxiliary external air inlet for the external air to be introduced secondarily; an intake door that selectively opens the internal air inlet and the external air inlet within the housing; an external air control door that selectively opens the auxiliary external air inlet within the housing; and an auxiliary channel provided as a separate protruding space partitioned from the internal space on one side of the housing, connected to the second channel, and equipped with an auxiliary inlet. A vehicle air conditioning system comprising: an auxiliary door having an operating range within the protruding space of the auxiliary channel and selectively opening the auxiliary inlet; wherein, with the housing fixed to the vehicle, the second channel is positioned above the first channel in the direction of gravity, and the protruding space protrudes from the upper side of the housing to the outside of the internal space, so that the auxiliary channel is positioned at least at the same level as the second channel. Claim 4 A vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the auxiliary door is provided in a plate-shaped flap type and its upper end is rotatably connected to the upper end of the auxiliary inlet. Claim 5 A vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary door is configured to open the auxiliary inlet by the action of at least one of the wind pressure generated when the blower provided to the housing is operated, the pressure difference between the second channel and the auxiliary channel, and its own weight. Claim 6 A vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the auxiliary channel is configured to allow air different from the air flowing into the second channel to flow in, and the air flowing into the auxiliary channel includes internal air. Claim 7 A vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 6, characterized in that the direction of inflow of the outside air in the second channel and the direction of inflow of the inside air in the auxiliary channel are formed opposite to each other. Claim 8 A vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an air filter for filtering the indoor air and the outdoor air is provided within the housing, and the air filter is installed downstream of the first channel and the second channel.

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