Air conditioning apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, which is capable of preventing a decrease in an air volume toward a defrost vent during a defrost mode while implementing a four-zone type air-conditioning structure, and is capable of precisely implementing temperature controls in front and back seats, and precisely controlling a flow rate of warm air discharged toward the back seats. The air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle comprises: an air conditioning case having formed therein an air inlet for flowing in air and an air outlet for discharging air into an indoor space, and having an air flow path formed therein; a cooling heat exchanger and a heating heat exchanger which are sequentially provided on the air flow path of the air conditioning case in a direction of air flow; a main temperature door which is arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger and controls air temperature; and an auxiliary temperature door which is arranged at the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction and adjusts the air temperature, wherein the auxiliary temperature door is provided with a front seat auxiliary temperature door which adjusts the temperature of air discharged to the front seats of the vehicle, and a back seat auxiliary temperature door which adjusts the temperature of air discharged toward the back seats, a back seat air volume door is provided at the downstream side of the back seat auxiliary temperature door in the air flow direction and controls the amount of air discharged to the back seats, and the front seat auxiliary temperature door, the back seat auxiliary temperature door, and the back seat air volume door are arranged in parallel with each other in the gravity direction.

Description

Vehicle air conditioning system

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a four-zone type air conditioning system for a vehicle that is configured to perform independent air conditioning on the left and right sides of the front seats of a vehicle and the left and right sides of the rear seats of the vehicle.

[0002] In general, a vehicle air conditioning system is an interior component installed in a vehicle for the purpose of cooling or heating the vehicle's interior during summer or winter, or to remove frost and other debris that forms on the windshield during rainy or winter weather, thereby ensuring the driver's front and rear visibility. Air conditioning systems typically feature both a heating system and a cooling system, selectively introducing outside or inside air, heating or cooling the air, and then sending it into the vehicle's interior to cool, heat, or ventilate the vehicle's interior.

[0003] In the previously filed Korean Patent Publication No. 1484718 (January 14, 2015), a vehicle air conditioning system is disclosed that controls the positions of the rear seat temp door, the rear seat auxiliary temp door, and the rear seat on / off door to adjust the rear seat air volume. Referring to Fig. 1, the vehicle air conditioning system includes an air conditioning case (10), an evaporator (20), a heater core (30), a front seat temp door (51), and a front seat mode door.

[0004] The air conditioning case (10) has an air inlet (11) and an air outlet, and an air flow path is formed inside. A blower is connected to the air inlet (11) side, so that internal or external air is selectively introduced into the air flow path inside the air conditioning case (10). The air flow path includes a defrost vent (12), a front seat face vent (13), a front seat floor vent (14), a rear seat face vent (15), and a rear seat floor vent (16). The air flow path inside the air conditioning case (10) includes a front seat cooling path (P1), a heating path (P2), and a rear seat cooling path (P3).

[0005] The evaporator (20) is a cooling heat exchanger that cools the air passing through it, and the heater core (30) is a heating heat exchanger that heats the air passing through it. The heater core (30) is arranged in a heating path (P2) downstream of the evaporator (20) in the air flow direction. An electric heater (40) such as a PTC heater may be further provided in the heating path (P2). The front seat temp door (51) is arranged between the evaporator (20) and the heater core (30) to control the opening of the heating path (P2) passing through the heater core (30) and the cooling paths (P1) (P3) bypassing the heater core (30). In addition, the front seat mode door is composed of a defrost door (53), a vent door (54), and a floor door (55).

[0006] The rear seat air path is composed of a rear seat cooling path (P3) in which air passing through the evaporator (20) bypasses the heater core (30) and a heating path passing through the heater core (30). The heating path of this rear seat air path is used together with the heating path (P2) of the front seat air path. That is, a portion of the air flowing through the heater core (30) and the heating path (P2) moves upward and is discharged to at least one of the defrost vent (12), the front seat face vent (13), and the front seat floor vent (114), and another portion of the air moves downward and is discharged to at least one of the rear seat face vent (15) and the rear seat floor vent (16). The rear seat air path is provided with a rear seat mode door (58) that adjusts the opening degrees of the rear seat face vent (15) and the rear seat floor vent (16).

[0007] The air conditioning case (10) includes a rear seat temp door (52), a rear seat auxiliary temp door (56), and a rear seat on / off door (57). The rear seat temp door (52) is provided between the evaporator (20) and the heater core (30) to control the opening of the passage flowing to the heating passage (P2) and the passage flowing to the rear seat cooling passage (P3), and the rear seat auxiliary temp door (56) is arranged on the downstream side of the heater core (30) in the air flow direction to control the opening of the passage flowing to the rear seat air outlet. The rear seat on / off door (57) controls the opening of the rear seat cooling passage (P3).

[0008] The above conventional vehicle air conditioning system is a 3-zone type that independently controls the left and right sides of the front seats of the vehicle (driver's seat and passenger seat) and the rear seats of the vehicle, and cannot independently control the air conditioning of 4 zones (left and right sides of the front seats and left and right sides of the rear seats). Recently, a 4-zone type vehicle air conditioning system is being developed. For example, a 4-zone type vehicle air conditioning system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-001235, which was previously applied for. The air conditioning system of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-001235 forms upper and lower separation partitions downstream of an electric heater that can be independently controlled for each zone, and has the problem that the temperature must be controlled only by the electric heater and that there is a large resistance when the heater is turned off.

[0009] Meanwhile, a 4-zone type vehicle air conditioning system was also disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2022-0109787, which was previously applied for. The air conditioning system of Korean Patent Publication No. 2022-0109787 has an upper and lower flow paths connected downstream of the electric heater without an upper and lower separation partition, so there is a possibility that air may mix in the upper and lower directions, and the upper and lower flow paths are not separated even within the discharge duct. This makes it difficult to precisely control the temperature of the front and rear seats of the vehicle.

[0010] In addition, if the temp door of the indoor part (distribution module) is of the flat door type, there is a problem that the rear temp door of the engine room part cannot function as the main temp door when the rear temp door of the indoor part is used as an auxiliary temp door. If the rear temp door of the indoor part is used as the main temp door, there is a problem that the amount of warm air discharged to the rear side cannot be precisely controlled. In addition, the conventional 4-zone type vehicle air conditioning system has a chronic problem that the air volume toward the defrost vent is reduced in the defrost mode due to a structural problem.

[0011] [Prior Art Literature]

[0012] [Patent Document]

[0013] (Patent Document 1) Patent Document: Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 1484718 (January 14, 2015)

[0014] (Patent Document 2) Patent Document: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-001235 (January 8, 2009)

[0015] (Patent Document 3) Patent Document: Republic of Korea Publication No. 2022-0109787 (August 5, 2022)

[0016] In order to solve such conventional problems, the present invention provides a vehicle air conditioning device that implements a 4-zone type air conditioning structure, prevents a decrease in air volume toward the defrost vent side in the defrost mode, enables precise temperature control of the front and rear seats, and precisely controls the flow rate of warm air discharged to the rear seat side.

[0017] An air conditioning device for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: an air conditioning case having an air inlet for introducing air and an air outlet for discharging air into a room, and an air flow path formed therein; a cooling heat exchanger and a heating heat exchanger sequentially provided in the air flow direction in the air flow path of the air conditioning case; a main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger for controlling air temperature; And an auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction to control the air temperature, wherein the auxiliary temp door includes a front seat auxiliary temp door that controls the air temperature discharged to the front seat of the vehicle and a rear seat auxiliary temp door that controls the air temperature discharged to the rear seat, and a rear seat air volume door that controls the amount of air discharged to the rear seat is provided downstream of the rear seat auxiliary temp door in the air flow direction, and the front seat auxiliary temp door, the rear seat auxiliary temp door, and the rear seat air volume door are arranged in parallel in the direction of gravity.

[0018] A separation partition is formed on the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the direction of air flow, and divides the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat.

[0019] The above front seat auxiliary temp door, separation bulkhead, rear seat auxiliary temp door, and rear seat air volume door are arranged parallel in the direction of gravity.

[0020] The above rear seat auxiliary temp door is configured as a dome door type.

[0021] The air flow path of the above air conditioning case is provided with: an upper flow path composed of an upper left flow path that discharges air to one side in the width direction of the front seat of the vehicle and an upper right flow path that discharges air to the other side in the width direction of the front seat of the vehicle; and a lower flow path composed of a lower left flow path that discharges air to one side in the width direction of the rear seat of the vehicle and a lower right flow path that discharges air to the other side in the width direction of the rear seat of the vehicle, so that the air flow path of the above air conditioning case is divided into upper, lower, left, and right flow paths to form 4 zones (4-Zone), and is configured to independently control temperature, mode, and air volume of 4 different areas inside the vehicle through the air flow paths forming the 4 zones.

[0022] The upper passage is composed of an upper cold air passage and an upper hot air passage, and the lower passage is composed of a lower cold air passage and a lower hot air passage. The vehicle comprises a front seat main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger to control the opening between the upper cold air passage and the upper hot air passage, a rear seat main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger to control the opening between the lower cold air passage and the lower hot air passage, a front seat auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction to control the air temperature of the front seat, and a rear seat auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction to control the air temperature of the rear seat.

[0023] The above-mentioned front seat auxiliary temp door controls the amount of air in the upper hot air path that passes through the heating heat exchanger and heads to the front seat outlet by operation, and the above-mentioned rear seat auxiliary temp door controls the amount of air in the lower hot air path that passes through the heating heat exchanger and heads to the rear seat outlet by operation and the amount of air in the lower cold air path that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads to the rear seat outlet by operation.

[0024] The air conditioning case has an upper bulkhead and a lower bulkhead that support both sides of a heating heat exchanger in the vertical direction, an upper cold air passage is formed in the upper part of the upper bulkhead, and a lower cold air passage is formed in the lower part of the lower bulkhead. The separation bulkhead extends rearward in an extension line from the ends of the upper bulkhead and the lower bulkhead in the forward-rear direction of the vehicle and is arranged between the upper bulkhead and the lower bulkhead in the vertical direction.

[0025] The above air conditioning case has a heat exchanger module in which an air inlet is formed and a distribution module in which an air outlet is formed. An air inlet, a cooling heat exchanger, and a main temp door are formed in the heat exchanger module, and an auxiliary temp door, a rear wind volume door, and an air outlet are formed in the distribution module.

[0026] The above heat exchanger module is placed in the engine room, and the above distribution module is placed inside the vehicle.

[0027] The above air outlet is provided with a defrost vent for discharging air toward the vehicle window, and the defrost vent is formed at the top of the front seat auxiliary temp door in the direction of gravity.

[0028] The air flow path of the above air conditioning case includes an upper cold air flow path that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads toward the front seats of the vehicle, and a lower cold air flow path that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads toward the rear seats of the vehicle, and a rear seat cold air flow control door that controls the amount of air flowing through the lower cold air flow path.

[0029] The above rear seat auxiliary temp door is of the flat door type, and when the rear seat auxiliary temp door rotates in one direction, it blocks air passing through the heating heat exchanger from being discharged to the rear seat, and when it rotates in the other direction, it acts as a partition that divides the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow toward the rear seat.

[0030] A rear seat blower for blowing air to the rear seat of the vehicle is further provided on the downstream side of the rear seat discharge port in the direction of air flow, and the rear seat blower is arranged to overlap the rear seat auxiliary temp door and the rear seat air volume door in the vertical direction.

[0031] The above air outlet has a face vent and a floor vent, a vent door for controlling the opening of the face vent, and a floor door for controlling the opening of the floor vent, and the rear seat blower is placed at the bottom of the vent door and the floor door in the direction of gravity.

[0032] The above air outlet further includes an indirect vent and an indirect vent door for controlling the opening of the indirect vent, and the rear seat blower is positioned at the bottom of the indirect vent door in the direction of gravity.

[0033] A separation partition is formed on the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the direction of air flow, and divides the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat, and the rear seat blower is positioned lower than the separation partition.

[0034] The above rear seat blower, vent door and floor door are positioned rearward relative to the front seat auxiliary temp door, rear seat auxiliary temp door and rear seat air volume door in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0035] An extension duct extending horizontally is provided on the downstream side of the rear stone discharge port, and the rear stone blower is connected to the rear of the extension duct.

[0036] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the present invention can secure the interior space of the vehicle by minimizing the size of the air conditioning system in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In addition, the configuration of the separating bulkhead clearly separates the upper and lower ducts, thereby reducing the possibility of the air in the upper duct and the air in the lower duct mixing with each other, and can implement more precise temperature control of the front and rear seats. In addition, by configuring the rear seat auxiliary temp door as a dome door type, the amount of air in the hot air duct and the amount of air in the lower cold air duct can be controlled together, enabling more precise temperature control.

[0037] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a conventional vehicle air conditioning system.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle air conditioning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle air conditioning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle air conditioning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a vehicle air conditioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 illustrates the vent mode of a vehicle air conditioning device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 illustrates a bi-level mode of a vehicle air conditioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 8 illustrates a diff mode of a vehicle air conditioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The technical configuration of the vehicle air conditioning system is described in detail according to the attached drawing below.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a vehicle air conditioning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is an air conditioning device that uses a heat pump system installed in an electric vehicle or the like, and includes a blower unit (100) and an air conditioning unit. The air conditioning unit includes an air conditioning case (400), a cooling heat exchanger, and a heating heat exchanger.

[0047] An air inlet (211) for introducing air and an air outlet for discharging air into the interior are formed in the air conditioning case (400), and an air flow path is formed inside. The air conditioning case (400) is equipped with a heat exchanger module (200) placed on the engine room side of the vehicle and a distribution module (300) placed on the interior side of the vehicle.

[0048] Based on the dash panel (500), the distribution module (300) and the heat exchanger module (200) are coupled on both sides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to form an air conditioning case (400). A through hole is formed in the dash panel (500) to fasten the distribution module (300) and the heat exchanger module (200) by penetrating them in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A fastening portion (209) is formed in the end side of the distribution module (300) to be coupled with the heat exchanger module (200), and a fastening portion (309) corresponding to the fastening portion (209) of the heat exchanger module (200) is also formed in the distribution module (300).

[0049] A cooling heat exchanger and a heating heat exchanger are sequentially installed in the air flow direction of the air passage of the air conditioning case (400) to exchange heat with the air passing through them. The cooling heat exchanger is composed of an evaporator (210) that cools the air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the air. The heating heat exchanger is composed of an indoor heat exchanger (220). The indoor heat exchanger (220) is placed downstream of the evaporator (210) in the air flow direction.

[0050] That is, the compressor, indoor heat exchanger (220), outdoor heat exchanger, expansion valve, and evaporator (210) are sequentially installed in the refrigerant line. In addition, the indoor heat exchanger (220) heats the air by exchanging heat with the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the air in the air-conditioning case (400) and dissipating the heat, and the refrigerant throttled in the expansion valve cools the air by exchanging heat with the air in the evaporator (210).

[0051] Meanwhile, a heat exchanger (310) is further provided in the distribution module (300). The heat exchanger (310) is disposed downstream of the indoor heat exchanger (220) in the direction of air flow. The heat exchanger (310) is installed at a similar height in the vertical direction on the rear side of the indoor heat exchanger (220), and the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the heat exchanger (310) are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction. In addition, the heat exchanger (310) is composed of a PTC heater (Positive Temperature Cofficient Heater), and functions as an auxiliary heating heat exchanger that generates heat by applying power and heats the air passing through it.

[0052] The air flow path of the air conditioning case (400) is divided into upper, lower, left, and right flow paths to form 4 zones. In addition, the vehicle air conditioning device is configured to independently control the air conditioning of 4 different areas inside the vehicle through the air flow paths forming the 4 zones. That is, the vehicle air conditioning device can independently control the air conditioning of 4 zones of the front driver's seat, front passenger's seat, rear left (behind the driver's seat), and rear right (behind the passenger's seat). Therefore, independent air conditioning is possible for all areas inside the vehicle, thereby improving the freedom of air conditioning and increasing passenger satisfaction.

[0053] In this case, the vehicle air conditioning system is configured to independently control temperature, mode, and air volume of four different areas (4-Zone) inside the vehicle through air passages forming four zones. That is, a vehicle air conditioning system with a three-zone air conditioning control method can control temperature, mode, and air volume for the left and right sides of the front seats of the vehicle (driver's seat and passenger seat), but cannot independently control the left and right sides of the rear seats and can only control the temperature of the entire rear seats. The vehicle air conditioning system according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured with a four-zone air conditioning control method, thereby providing more detailed and precise air conditioning control of not only the front seats of the vehicle but also the left and right sides of the rear seats of the vehicle, thereby further increasing passenger satisfaction.

[0054] The air flow path of the air conditioning case (400) is provided with an upper flow path and a lower flow path. The upper flow path is further divided into an upper left flow path and an upper right flow path, and the lower flow path is further divided into a lower left flow path and a lower right flow path. The air flow path of the air conditioning case (400) is divided into left and right by a separator provided in the central portion in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the air flow path is divided into an upper flow path and a lower flow path based on a support member (443) formed approximately in the central portion in the vertical direction.

[0055] The upper left passage discharges air to one side (left) of the front seat of the vehicle in the width direction, and the upper right passage discharges air to the other side (right) of the front seat of the vehicle in the width direction. The lower left passage discharges air to one side (left) of the rear seat of the vehicle in the width direction, and the lower right passage discharges air to the other side (right) of the rear seat of the vehicle in the width direction. In this way, the air passage of the air conditioning case (400) is divided into four passages.

[0056] Meanwhile, the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) are arranged in the central portion in the vertical direction. In addition, the air flow path of the air conditioning case (400) forms a hot air flow path (203) in the central portion in the vertical direction, and cold air flow paths (201) and (202) are formed above and below the hot air flow path (203), respectively. More specifically, the upper flow path is composed of an upper cold air flow path (201) and an upper hot air flow path, and the lower flow path is composed of a lower cold air flow path (202) and a lower hot air flow path.

[0057] That is, the upper flow path is divided vertically based on the upper bulkhead (441) into an upper cold air flow path (201) and an upper hot air flow path, and the lower flow path is divided vertically based on the lower bulkhead (442) into a lower hot air flow path and a lower cold air flow path (202). Ultimately, the upper cold air flow path (201), the hot air flow path (203), and the lower cold air flow path (202) are sequentially formed in the air flow path of the air conditioning case (400) from the top to the bottom. The upper bulkhead (441) and the lower bulkhead (442) support both sides of the heating heat exchanger in the vertical direction. The upper cold air flow path (201) is formed at the upper part of the upper bulkhead (441), and the lower cold air flow path (202) is formed at the lower part of the lower bulkhead (442).

[0058] That is, a hot air path (203) is formed between the upper bulkhead (441) and the lower bulkhead (442), and the upper bulkhead (441) supports the upper part of the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310), and the lower bulkhead (442) supports the lower part of the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310). In addition, the hot air path (203) between the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) is not divided into upper and lower parts, but forms a single space.

[0059] Meanwhile, a main temp door is provided between the evaporator (210) and the indoor heat exchanger (220), and an auxiliary temp door is provided on the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger (220) in the air flow direction. The main temp door and the auxiliary temp door control the air temperature by adjusting the amount of cold air or hot air. In addition, the main temp door is composed of a front seat main temp door (241) and a rear seat main temp door (242), and the auxiliary temp doors are composed of a front seat auxiliary temp door (321) and a rear seat auxiliary temp door (323).

[0060] The front seat main temp door (241) is positioned between the evaporator (210) and the indoor heat exchanger (220) to control the opening between the upper cold air passage (201) and the upper hot air passage, and the rear seat main temp door (242) is positioned between the evaporator (210) and the indoor heat exchanger (220) to control the opening between the lower cold air passage (202) and the lower hot air passage.

[0061] The front seat auxiliary temp door (321) is positioned downstream of the electric heater (310) in the air flow direction to control the air temperature discharged to the front seat of the vehicle, and the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) is positioned downstream of the electric heater (310) in the air flow direction to control the air temperature discharged to the rear seat. In addition, a rear seat air volume door (322) is further provided downstream of the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) in the air flow direction to control the amount of air discharged to the rear seat.

[0062] The front seat auxiliary temp door (321) controls the amount of air in the upper warm air path that passes through the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) and heads to the front seat outlet by means of a rotational operation. The rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) controls the amount of air in the lower warm air path that passes through the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) and heads to the rear seat outlet by means of a rotational operation, and the amount of air in the lower cold air path (202) that bypasses the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) and heads to the rear seat outlet by means of a rotational operation. That is, the front seat auxiliary temp door (321) is structured such that one end of the plate rotates around a pivot axis, and completely closes the warm air path (upper warm air path) when rotated to the maximum in a clockwise direction, and completely opens the warm air path (upper warm air path) when rotated to the maximum in a counterclockwise direction.

[0063] The air outlet of the air conditioning case (400) consists of a front seat outlet and a rear seat outlet. The front seat outlet consists of a defrost vent (301), a face vent (308), and a floor vent (303), and the rear seat outlet consists of a console vent and a rear floor vent. The defrost vent (301) is for discharging air toward the vehicle window, the face vent (308) is for discharging air toward the passenger's face, and the floor vent (303) is for discharging air toward the passenger's feet.

[0064] The air conditioning case (400) has a plurality of mode doors. The mode doors are composed of a defrost door (331) for controlling the opening of the defrost vent (301), a vent door (332) for controlling the opening of the face vent (308), a floor door (333) for controlling the opening of the floor vent (303), and a rear door for controlling the opening of the console vent and the rear floor vent. Meanwhile, a rear seat blower (391) is connected to the downstream side of the rear seat outlet in the air flow direction. The rear seat blower (391) helps to smoothly blow air to the rear seat of the vehicle.

[0065] Among the air conditioning cases (400), an air inlet (211), an evaporator (210), an indoor heat exchanger (220), a front main temp door (241), and a rear main temp door (242) are arranged in a heat exchanger module (200) installed on the engine room side with respect to the dash panel (500). In addition, among the air conditioning cases (400), a distribution module (300) installed on the vehicle interior side with respect to the dash panel (500) is arranged with an electric heater (310), a front auxiliary temp door (321), a rear auxiliary temp door (323), a rear air volume door (322), an air outlet, and a mode door.

[0066] The air conditioning case (400) is provided with a separation partition (350). The separation partition (350) is formed on the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction. The separation partition (350) divides the air flow path within the air conditioning case (400) into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat. The separation partition (350) is formed to extend approximately horizontally toward the rear from the rear end of the electric heater (310). Air passing through the electric heater (310) is separated into an upper flow path and a lower flow path by the separation partition (350), and the air in the upper flow path is discharged through the front seat outlet and the air in the lower flow path is discharged through the rear seat outlet (304).

[0067] In particular, the front seat auxiliary temp door (321), the separating bulkhead (350), the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323), and the rear seat air volume door (322) are arranged in parallel in the direction of gravity (vertical direction). In addition, the defrost vent (301) is formed on the upper part of the front seat auxiliary temp door (321) in the direction of gravity. In addition, the separating bulkhead (350) extends rearward from the ends of the upper bulkhead (441) and the lower bulkhead (442) in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is arranged between the upper bulkhead (441) and the lower bulkhead (442) in the vertical direction. In addition, the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) is configured as a dome door type.

[0068] In this way, the front seat auxiliary temperature door (321), the dividing bulkhead (350), the rear seat auxiliary temperature door (323), and the rear seat air volume door (322) are arranged in parallel in the direction of gravity, thereby minimizing the size of the air conditioning device in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, thereby securing the interior space of the vehicle. In addition, the configuration of the dividing bulkhead (350) ensures that the upper and lower passages are separated, thereby reducing the possibility of the air in the upper passage and the air in the lower passage mixing with each other, and enabling more precise temperature control of the front and rear seats.

[0069] If the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) installed in the distribution module (300) is of the flat door type, the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) cannot control the amount of cold air and only controls the air flow of the hot air passage (203) and cannot precisely control the hot air flow rate, so the temperature of the rear seat cannot be precisely controlled. In the present invention, since the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) is configured as a dome door type, the amount of air of the hot air passage and the amount of air of the lower cold air passage (202) can be controlled together, thereby enabling more precise temperature control and maximizing temperature controllability.

[0070] Meanwhile, the 4-zone type vehicle air conditioning system has a chronic problem of reduced airflow toward the defrost vent in the defrost mode due to structural problems. The present invention can solve this problem by arranging the front seat auxiliary temp door (321), the separating bulkhead (350), the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323), and the rear seat airflow door (322) in parallel in the direction of gravity, and by configuring the separating bulkhead (350) and configuring the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) as a dome door type.

[0071] In summary, the present invention configures a separating partition (350) at the rear end of the electric heater (310) and configures the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) as a dome door type, thereby simultaneously controlling the amount of hot air passing through the electric heater (310) and the amount of cold air passing through the evaporator (210) and bypassing the electric heater (310), thereby maximizing the efficiency of the electric heater (310). In addition, the separating partition (350) can prevent the air in the upper and lower passages from mixing with each other, thereby enhancing temperature controllability.

[0072] Meanwhile, referring further to FIG. 4, the vehicle air conditioning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises an air outlet of an air conditioning case (400) composed of a front seat outlet and a rear seat outlet (304). The front seat outlet comprises a defrost vent (301), an indirect vent (302), a face vent (308), and a floor vent (303), and the rear seat outlet (304) comprises a console vent and a rear floor vent. The air conditioning case (400) comprises a plurality of mode doors. The mode door is composed of a diff door (331) that controls the opening of the defrost vent (301), a vent door (332) that controls the opening of the indirect vent (302) and the face vent (308), a front floor door (333) that controls the opening of the floor vent (303), and a rear door that controls the opening of the console vent and the rear floor vent.

[0073] In particular, the vehicle air conditioning system according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not have a partition wall, and the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) is configured as a flat door type. In addition, the air conditioning case (400) is provided with a rear seat cold air flow control door (360). The rear seat cold air flow control door (360) controls the amount of air flowing into the lower cold air passage (202).

[0074] The rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) blocks air passing through the heating heat exchanger from being discharged to the rear seat when rotated in one direction (counterclockwise), and functions as a partition wall that divides the air flow path within the air conditioning case (400) into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat when rotated in the other direction (clockwise). The rear seat auxiliary temp door (323) of the flat door type and the rear seat cold air flow control door (360) perform the function of the rear seat auxiliary temp door of the dome door type of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0075] Meanwhile, referring further to FIG. 5, a vehicle air conditioning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention is provided with a rear seat blower (391), and the rear seat blower (391) is disposed downstream of the rear seat outlet in the air flow direction. The rear seat blower (391) receives air from the rear seat outlet to smoothly blow air to the rear seat of the vehicle. The mode door further includes an indirect vent door (339). The indirect vent door (339) adjusts the opening degree of the indirect vent (302), and the vent door (332) adjusts the opening degree of the face vent (308).

[0076] In this case, the rear seat blower (391) is arranged to overlap the rear seat auxiliary temp door (232) and the rear seat air volume door (322) in the vertical direction. In addition, the rear seat blower (391) is arranged below the indirect vent door (339), the vent door (332), and the floor door (333) in the direction of gravity. In addition, the rear seat blower (391) is arranged lower than the separating bulkhead (350). Meanwhile, the rear seat blower (391), the vent door (332), the indirect vent door (339), and the floor door (333) are arranged rearward of the front seat auxiliary temp door (321), the rear seat auxiliary temp door (323), and the rear seat air volume door (322) in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In addition, an extension duct (381) extends horizontally downstream of the rear seat discharge port. The rear blower (391) is connected to the rear of the extension duct (381).

[0077] That is, the rear seat blower (391) is arranged to overlap with the indirect vent door (339), vent door (332), and floor door (333) in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is arranged to overlap with the rear seat auxiliary temp door (232) and rear seat air volume door (322) in the vertical direction. Through this configuration, the rear seat blower (391) does not take up much space at the bottom of the air conditioner, so space can be secured in the vertical direction, and the freedom of layout can be increased, so that it can be applied in various environments.

[0078]

[0079] Referring further to FIG. 6, in the vehicle air conditioning device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in the vent mode, the front main temp door (241) and the rear main temp door (242) close the warm air passage (203). The upper cold air passage (201) and the lower cold air passage (202) are opened, and some of the cold air passing through the evaporator (210) is discharged through the upper passage to the indirect vent (302) or the face vent (308), and the other part is discharged through the lower passage to the rear seat outlet.

[0080] Referring further to Fig. 7, in the bi-level mode, the front main temp door (241) and the rear main temp door (242) partially open the hot air passage (203) and open the upper cold air passage (201) and the lower cold air passage (202). Some of the cold air that has passed through the evaporator (210) moves through the upper cold air passage (201), and the other part passes through the hot air passage (203) to the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) and is heated. The cold air and the hot air are mixed in the mixing zone and then discharged through the indirect vent (302) and the floor vent (303).

[0081] In addition, another portion of the cold air that has passed through the evaporator (210) moves through the lower cold air passage (202), and another portion moves through the hot air passage (203) to the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) to be heated. The cold air and the hot air are mixed in the mixing zone and then discharged through the rear exhaust outlet. In this case, the separating wall (350) separates the air in the upper and lower passages so that they do not mix, thereby enabling more precise temperature control.

[0082] Referring further to Fig. 8, in the deep mode, the front main temp door (241) and the rear main temp door (242) open the hot air passage (203). The upper cold air passage (201) and the lower cold air passage (202) are closed, and the hot air that passes through the evaporator (210) and then the indoor heat exchanger (220) and the electric heater (310) is discharged to the defrost vent (301).

[0083]

[0084] While the vehicle air conditioning system according to the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, these are merely exemplary, and anyone skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioning case having an air inlet for bringing in air and an air outlet for discharging air into the room, and an air flow path formed inside; A cooling heat exchanger and a heating heat exchanger sequentially provided in the air flow direction in the air passage of the above air conditioning case; A main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger to control the air temperature; and It includes an auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the direction of air flow to control the air temperature. The above auxiliary temp door is equipped with a front seat auxiliary temp door that controls the air temperature discharged to the front seat of the vehicle and a rear seat auxiliary temp door that controls the air temperature discharged to the rear seat. A rear seat air volume door is provided on the downstream side of the rear seat auxiliary temp door in the direction of air flow to control the amount of air discharged to the rear seat. The above-mentioned front seat auxiliary temp door, rear seat auxiliary temp door, and rear seat air volume door are arranged in parallel in the direction of gravity in a vehicle air conditioning device.

2. In paragraph 1, An air conditioning device for a vehicle, comprising a partition wall formed on the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the direction of air flow, dividing the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat.

3. In paragraph 2, The above-mentioned front seat auxiliary temp door, separation bulkhead, rear seat auxiliary temp door, and rear seat air volume door are arranged in a parallel manner in the direction of gravity in a vehicle air conditioning device.

4. In paragraph 3, A vehicle air conditioning device characterized in that the rear seat auxiliary temp door is configured as a dome door type.

5. In paragraph 3, The air flow path of the above air conditioning case is: An upper flow path consisting of a left upper flow path that discharges air to one side of the width direction of the front seat of the vehicle and a right upper flow path that discharges air to the other side of the width direction of the front seat of the vehicle; and It has a lower flow path consisting of a left lower flow path that discharges air to one side of the width direction of the rear seat of the vehicle and a right lower flow path that discharges air to the other side of the width direction of the rear seat of the vehicle. An air conditioning device for a vehicle configured to independently control temperature, mode, and wind volume of four different areas inside a vehicle through the air channels forming the four zones by dividing the air channels of the above air conditioning case into upper, lower, left, and right channels.

6. In paragraph 5, The upper flow path is composed of an upper cold air flow path and an upper hot air flow path, and the lower flow path is composed of a lower cold air flow path and a lower hot air flow path. An air conditioning system for a vehicle, comprising: a front main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger to control the opening between the upper cold air flow path and the upper hot air flow path; a rear main temp door arranged between the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger to control the opening between the lower cold air flow path and the lower hot air flow path; a front auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction to control the air temperature of the front seat; and a rear auxiliary temp door arranged downstream of the heating heat exchanger in the air flow direction to control the air temperature of the rear seat.

7. In paragraph 6, The above-mentioned pre-heat auxiliary temp door controls the amount of air in the upper hot air path that passes through the heating heat exchanger and heads to the pre-heat outlet by operation. An air conditioning system for a vehicle, characterized in that the rear seat auxiliary temp door controls the amount of air in the lower hot air passage that passes through the heating heat exchanger and heads to the rear seat outlet by operation, and the amount of air in the lower cold air passage that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads to the rear seat outlet.

8. In paragraph 6, The air conditioning case has upper and lower bulkheads that support both sides of the heating heat exchanger in the vertical direction. An upper cold air passage is formed on the upper side of the upper bulkhead, and a lower cold air passage is formed on the lower side of the lower bulkhead. The above-mentioned separation bulkhead is an air conditioning device for a vehicle that extends rearward from the ends of the upper and lower bulkheads in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is positioned between the upper and lower bulkheads in the vertical direction.

9. In paragraph 3, The above air conditioning case has a heat exchanger module in which an air inlet is formed and a distribution module in which an air outlet is formed. An air inlet, a cooling heat exchanger, and a main temp door are formed in the above heat exchanger module. An air conditioning system for a vehicle, characterized in that an auxiliary temp door, a rear wind volume door, and an air outlet are formed in the above distribution module.

10. In paragraph 9, An air conditioning device for a vehicle, wherein the heat exchanger module is placed in the engine room and the distribution module is placed inside the vehicle cabin.

11. In paragraph 3, The above air outlet is equipped with a defrost vent for discharging air toward the vehicle window, An air conditioning system for a vehicle, characterized in that the above-mentioned defrost vent is formed on the upper part of the front seat auxiliary temp door in the direction of gravity.

12. In paragraph 1, The air flow path of the above air conditioning case is provided with an upper cold air flow path that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads toward the front seat of the vehicle, and a lower cold air flow path that bypasses the heating heat exchanger and heads toward the rear seat of the vehicle. An air conditioning system for a vehicle having a rear seat cold air flow control door that controls the amount of air flowing through the lower cold air passage.

13. In paragraph 12, The above rear seat auxiliary temp door is of the flat door type. An air conditioning device for a vehicle that blocks air passing through a heating heat exchanger from being discharged to the rear seat when the rear seat auxiliary temp door rotates in one direction, and acts as a partition that divides the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow toward the front seats of the vehicle and a lower flow toward the rear seats when it rotates in the other direction.

14. In paragraph 1, A rear seat blower is additionally provided on the downstream side of the rear seat exhaust outlet in the direction of air flow to blow air to the rear seat of the vehicle. The above rear seat blower is an air conditioning device for a vehicle arranged to overlap vertically with the rear seat auxiliary temp door and the rear seat air volume door.

15. In paragraph 14, The above air outlet is equipped with a face vent and a floor vent. It has a vent door for controlling the opening of the above face vent and a floor door for controlling the opening of the above floor vent. The above rear seat blower is a vehicle air conditioning device positioned at the bottom of the vent door and floor door in the direction of gravity.

16. In paragraph 15, The above air outlet further comprises an indirect vent and an indirect vent door for controlling the opening of the indirect vent. The above rear seat blower is a vehicle air conditioning device positioned at the bottom of the indirect vent door in the direction of gravity.

17. In paragraph 14, A separation bulkhead is formed on the downstream side of the heating heat exchanger in the direction of air flow, and divides the air flow within the air conditioning case into an upper flow path toward the front seat of the vehicle and a lower flow path toward the rear seat. The above rear seat blower is a vehicle air conditioning device positioned lower than the above separation bulkhead.

18. In paragraph 15, The above rear seat blower, vent door and floor door are an air conditioning device for a vehicle, which are positioned rearward relative to the front seat auxiliary temp door, rear seat auxiliary temp door and rear seat air volume door in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

19. In paragraph 15, An extension duct extending horizontally is provided on the downstream side of the rear discharge port. The above rear seat blower is a vehicle air conditioning device connected to the rear of the above extension duct.

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