Vehicular air-conditioning duct

Abstract

A vehicular air-conditioning duct (10) is provided with a duct portion (31) and an outlet (33). The vehicular air-conditioning duct (10) is composed of split bodies (21, 25) that split both the duct portion (31) and the outlet (33) in a circumferential direction of the duct portion (31). Joint portions (22, 26) extending along the peripheries of the split bodies (21, 25) are bonded together, forming an internal flow path through which air-conditioning air (A) flows. Joint ribs are formed on the joint portions (22, 26) of both split bodies (21, 25). The ends of the joint ribs in the extending direction of the joint ribs extend to such a position as to be flush with a tip-end surface of the outlet (33).

Description

Vehicle air conditioning ducts

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning duct for a vehicle.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an air conditioning duct that extends in the vehicle width direction inside the instrument panel of a vehicle. The air conditioning duct includes a side vent duct and a pair of center vent ducts. The side vent duct extends substantially horizontally from the left side ventilator to the right side ventilator. End openings that open toward the rear of the vehicle body are provided at both ends of the side vent duct. The pair of end openings are each connected to the side ventilators. The pair of center vent ducts branch off from the center of the side vent duct in the vehicle width direction and extend toward the rear of the vehicle body. The pair of center vent ducts each have an end opening at their rear end. The pair of end openings are each connected to the center ventilator.

[0003] The air conditioning duct is composed of an upper duct half and a lower duct half, both of which are injection molded. An upper flange and a lower flange are integrally formed on the upper duct half and the lower duct half, respectively. A downwardly protruding ridge is formed on the underside of the upper flange. The ridge is formed along the longitudinal direction of the side vent duct. The ridge and the upper surface of the lower flange are joined by vibration welding to obtain an air conditioning duct with a seal between the upper flange and the lower flange.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-106568

[0005] In such an air conditioning duct, the end opening is divided into a semicircular upper opening formed in the upper duct half and a semicircular lower opening formed in the lower duct half. If the upper and lower flanges extend to the upper and lower openings, gaps are likely to form between the flanges at the end opening. In this case, when connecting the end opening to a connection target component such as a ventilator, it is difficult to ensure a flat surface on which the ventilator can abut without gaps. As a result, there is a risk of impairing the seal between the end opening and the ventilator.

[0006] A vehicle air conditioning duct according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a cylindrical duct body configured to be arranged so as to extend in the vehicle width direction within an instrument panel, and a cylindrical outlet protruding radially outward from the duct body, and is composed of a plurality of resin partitions including a first partition and a second partition that divide both the duct body and the outlet in the circumferential direction of the duct body, and a flow path through which air conditioning air flows is formed internally by joining joints extending along the peripheries of each of the plurality of partitions, and at least one of the joints of both the first partition and the second partition is formed with a joint rib that protrudes toward the other joint, and the joint rib extends to a position where an end of the joining rib in the extension direction is flush with the tip surface of the outlet.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle beam in one embodiment of a vehicle air conditioning duct. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle beam of Fig. 1 viewed from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a portion of an upper divided body of the vehicle beam of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a portion of a lower divided body of the vehicle beam of Fig. 1.

[0008] An embodiment of a vehicle air conditioning duct will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In this embodiment, the vehicle air conditioning duct according to the present disclosure is embodied as a vehicle beam (hereinafter, beam 10) that functions as an air conditioning duct.

[0009] Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the longitudinal direction, and the front and rear in the longitudinal direction will be simply referred to as the front and rear. The width direction of the vehicle will be referred to as the vehicle width direction, and the right and left sides in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the rear to the front will be simply referred to as the right and left. The vertical direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane will be referred to as the vertical direction, and the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction will be simply referred to as the upper and lower.

[0010] 1 and 2, the beam 10 supports a steering column (both not shown) and the like within the instrument panel. The beam 10 extends in the vehicle width direction as a whole, and both ends in the vehicle width direction are attached to front pillars 13 that form the vehicle body (see FIG. 2).

[0011] The beam 10 has a beam main body 30 and a peripheral portion as other components. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the beam main body 30 has a duct portion 31, an inlet 32, a plurality of outlets 33, and a pair of mounting portions 34.

[0012] The duct portion 31 extends in the vehicle width direction and mainly constitutes the beam body 30. The duct portion 31 has a hollow shape (see FIG. 3). Specifically, the duct portion 31 has a cylindrical shape with both ends in the vehicle width direction closed. The duct portion 31 corresponds to the duct body according to the present disclosure.

[0013] The inlet 32 ​​is cylindrical and protrudes from the center of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction toward the outside in the radial direction of the duct portion 31 (forward in this embodiment). An opening 32c that opens toward the front is provided at the front end of the inlet 32 ​​(see FIG. 2). The opening 32c has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. The opening 32c is connected to the air conditioning unit 11. As a result, the inlet 32 ​​functions to guide the air-conditioning air A sent from the air conditioning unit 11 into the duct portion 31.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , each of the outlets 33 is cylindrical and protrudes from the duct portion 31 radially outward (rearward in this embodiment). An opening 33c that opens rearward is provided at the rear end of each outlet 33. Each opening 33c is square (see FIG. 1 ). Each opening 33c is connected to an air outlet 12 that is attached to the instrument panel and blows out conditioned air A toward the vehicle interior. Thus, each outlet 33 functions to guide the conditioned air A toward the air outlet 12. In this embodiment, two outlets 33 are provided in the center of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction, and one outlet 33 is provided at each end of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the air outlets 12 (see FIG. 1 ).

[0015] Each of the outlets 33 has a flange 33d extending from the edge of the opening 33c toward the outside in the radial direction of the outlet 33. In a pair of outlets 33 arranged in the center of the duct portion 31, the flanges 33d are integrally formed with each other (see FIG. 1).

[0016] 4, if the base end of each outlet 33 in the front-rear direction is referred to as base end 33B and the tip end of each outlet 33 in the front-rear direction is referred to as tip end 33A, the thickness T1 of tip end 33A in the radial direction of each outlet 33 is greater than the thickness T2 of base end 33B in the same radial direction (T1>T2). As a result, the area of ​​tip end surface 33e of each outlet 33 is expanded radially outward.

[0017] 1 and 2, one mounting portion 34 is provided on each end of the duct portion 31 in the vehicle width direction. Each mounting portion 34 has an upper mounting portion 34a that protrudes upward from the outer surface of the duct portion 31 and a lower mounting portion 34b that protrudes downward from the outer surface. When each mounting portion 34 is fastened to the front pillars 13 on both sides of the vehicle body, the beam main body 30, and therefore the beam 10, is fixed to the vehicle body (see FIG. 2).

[0018] The peripheral portion includes a plurality of support portions for attaching various components to the beam body 30 and a plurality of stay portions for connecting the beam body 30 to the vehicle body. The plurality of support portions include a steering support portion to which a steering column is fastened via a bracket or the like, and an airbag support portion to which an airbag device case is fastened via a bracket or the like. For example, if the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle, the steering support portion is integrally formed with the right side portion of the beam body 30. In this case, the airbag support portion is integrally formed with the left side portion of the beam body 30. The plurality of stay portions are, for example, integrally formed with the right side portion of the beam body 30 and fastened to a cowl panel or dash panel of the vehicle body. Note that for convenience, the peripheral portion and the portion of the beam body 30 where the peripheral portion is provided are not shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0019] 1 to 6, the beam 10 is composed of a plurality of divisional bodies. In this embodiment, the beam 10 is composed of two divisional bodies: an upper divisional body 21 that constitutes the upper part of the beam 10, and a lower divisional body 25 that constitutes the lower part of the beam 10. The divisional bodies 21 and 25 divide the beam main body 30 into two in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31. The upper divisional body 21 and the lower divisional body 25 correspond to the first divisional body and the second divisional body according to the present disclosure.

[0020] Each of the divided bodies 21, 25 is integrally molded from a resin material. From the viewpoint of improving rigidity and strength, it is preferable to use a fiber-reinforced resin as the resin material. In this embodiment, a polyamide resin containing glass fiber is used.

[0021] 1 to 5, the upper segment 21 has an upper beam half 30a that constitutes the upper half of the beam main body 30. The upper beam half 30a has a semi-cylindrical upper peripheral wall 31a, an upper inlet half 32a that is connected to the upper peripheral wall 31a and protrudes forward, and a plurality of upper outlet half 33a that are connected to the upper peripheral wall 31a and protrude rearward. The upper beam half 30a includes a pair of upper mounting portions 34a.

[0022] The upper peripheral wall portion 31a constitutes the upper half of the duct portion 31. The upper inlet half 32a constitutes the upper half of the inlet 32. The plurality of upper outlet half 33a constitute the upper half of each of the plurality of outlets 33.

[0023] An upper joint portion 22 is provided along the periphery of the upper half body 21. More specifically, the flange-shaped upper joint portion 22 is integrally provided on the periphery of the upper peripheral wall portion 31a and on the lower end portions of the upper inlet half body 32a and the upper outlet half body 33a that are continuous with the periphery.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the upper joint portion 22 has an upper opposing surface 23 extending along the dividing surface of the beam body 30, and an upper joint rib 24 protruding downward from the upper opposing surface 23.

[0025] 5, an end 24a of the upper joining rib 24 in the extension direction extends to a position where it is flush with a tip surface 33e of the outlet 33. A bent portion 24b is formed at the end 24a of the upper joining rib 24 by bending the end 24a radially outward from the outlet 33. In this embodiment, a rear end surface 24c of the bent portion 24b is flush with the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33.

[0026] 1 to 4 and 6, the lower segment 25 has a lower beam half 30b that constitutes the lower half of the beam main body 30. The lower beam half 30b has a semi-cylindrical lower peripheral wall 31b, a lower inlet half 32b that is connected to the lower peripheral wall 31b and protrudes forward, and a plurality of lower outlet half 33b that are connected to the lower peripheral wall 31b and protrude rearward. The lower beam half 30b includes a pair of lower mounting portions 34b.

[0027] The lower peripheral wall portion 31b constitutes the lower half of the duct portion 31. The lower inlet half body 32b constitutes the lower half of the inlet 32. The plurality of lower outlet half bodies 33b constitute the lower half of each of the plurality of outlets 33.

[0028] A lower joint portion 26 is provided along the periphery of the lower half body 25. More specifically, the flange-shaped lower joint portion 26 is integrally provided on the periphery of the lower peripheral wall portion 31b and on the upper ends of the lower inlet half body 32b and the lower outlet half body 33b that are continuous with the periphery.

[0029] 3, 4, and 6, the lower joint portion 26 has a lower opposing surface 27 extending along the dividing surface of the beam body 30, and a lower joint rib 28 protruding upward from the lower opposing surface 27. The lower opposing surface 27 faces the upper opposing surface 23 in the vertical direction.

[0030] 6 , an end 28a of the lower joining rib 28 in the extension direction extends to a position where it is flush with a tip surface 33e of the outlet 33. A bent portion 28b is formed at the end 28a of the lower joining rib 28 by bending the end 28a radially outward from the outlet 33. In this embodiment, an end surface 28c at the rear of the bent portion 28b is flush with the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the upper joining rib 24 and the lower joining rib 28 are welded together using a known welding method such as vibration welding, thereby joining the upper joining portion 22 and the lower joining portion 26, and ultimately the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 25. This forms a flow path 40 within the beam 10 through which the air conditioning air A sent from the air conditioning unit 11 flows (see Figures 3 and 4). The leading end surface 33e and the end surfaces 24c and 28c form an annular flat portion 35 that extends continuously in the circumferential direction of the outlet 33 (see Figures 1, 5, and 6). A seal member 50, for example, is attached to the flat portion 35 (see Figure 4).

[0032] 1 to 4, the beam body 30 has an upper reinforcing rib 36a and a lower reinforcing rib 36b. Note that the reinforcing ribs 36a and 36b are not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0033] Upper reinforcing ribs 36a are integrally formed on the upper beam half 30a. The upper reinforcing ribs 36a protrude upward from the outer surface of the upper peripheral wall 31a and extend in a mesh pattern along the outer surface. The protruding height of the upper reinforcing ribs 36a is constant throughout their extension.

[0034] Lower reinforcing ribs 36b are integrally formed on the lower beam half 30b. The lower reinforcing ribs 36b protrude downward from the outer surface of the lower peripheral wall 31b and extend in a mesh pattern along the outer surface. The protruding height of the lower reinforcing ribs 36b is constant throughout their extension.

[0035] <Operation of this embodiment> Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The end faces 24c, 28c of the ends 24a, 28a of the joining ribs 24, 28 in the extending direction and the tip end face 33e of the outlet 33 form an annular flat portion 35 that extends continuously in the circumferential direction of the outlet 33. Therefore, for example, if the air outlet 12 on the passenger compartment side attached to the instrument panel is connected to the outlet 33 in a manner that abuts against the flat portion 35, the air outlet 12 can be connected to the outlet 33 without any gaps.

[0036] <Advantages of the Present Embodiment> Next, advantages of the present embodiment will be described. (1) The beam 10 includes a cylindrical duct portion 31 configured to extend in the vehicle width direction within the instrument panel, and a cylindrical outlet 33 protruding rearward from the duct portion 31. The beam 10 is composed of an upper segment 21 and a lower segment 25 made of resin, which divide both the duct portion 31 and the outlet 33 in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31. By joining the joints 22, 26 extending along the peripheries of the segments 21, 25, a flow path 40 through which the air-conditioning air A flows is formed inside the beam main body 30. Joining ribs 24, 28 are formed at both the joints 22, 26 of the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 25. The joining ribs 24 and 28 extend to positions where end portions 24 a and 28 a in the extending direction of the joining ribs 24 and 28 are flush with the tip surface 33 e of the outlet 33 .

[0037] This configuration achieves the above-described effects. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sealing performance between the outlet 33 and the air outlet 12 as a connection target member. (2) The thickness of the outlet 33 in the radial direction is greater at the tip end 33A including the tip surface 33e than at the base end 33B. The ends 24a, 28a of the joining ribs 24, 28 are formed with bent portions 24b, 28b that are bent outward in the radial direction of the outlet 33.

[0038] This configuration increases the area of ​​the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33. Furthermore, as the area of ​​the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33 increases, the area of ​​the end portions 24a, 28a of the joining ribs 24, 28 that are flush with the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33 can be increased by forming bent portions 24b, 28b at the ends 24a, 28a of the joining ribs 24, 28. This increases the area of ​​the annular flat surface 35 formed by the bent portions 24b, 28b of the joining ribs 24, 28 and the tip surface 33e of the outlet 33. This ensures a sufficient contact area between the outlet 33 and the air outlet 12 on the flat surface 35. Furthermore, even if a separate seal member 50 is interposed between the outlet 33 and the air outlet 12, the flat surface 35 ensures sufficient space for the seal member 50. This further reduces the deterioration of the sealing performance between the outlet 33 and the air outlet 12.

[0039] (3) The tip end 33A includes a flange 33d extending radially outward from the opening edge of the outlet 33. With this configuration, simply by forming the flange 33d on the opening edge of the outlet 33, it is possible to easily realize a beam 10 having an outlet 33 in which the plate thickness T2 of the tip end 33A is greater than the plate thickness T1 of the base end 33B.

[0040] (4) The divided bodies 21, 25 are each integrally molded from fiber-reinforced resin. The duct portion 31 is integrally formed with reinforcing ribs 36a, 36b that protrude from the outer surface of the duct portion 31.

[0041] This configuration improves the rigidity and strength of the multiple segments 21, 25, and ultimately the beam 10. Therefore, the beam 10 can be used as a vehicle beam that supports a steering column, airbags, etc. within the instrument panel while still functioning as an air conditioning duct.

[0042] <Modifications> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0043] The protruding height of the upper reinforcing rib 36 a and the lower reinforcing rib 36 b does not have to be constant throughout the extension direction. The inlet 32 ​​is not limited to protruding forward from the duct portion 31, and the protruding direction may be changed as appropriate as long as it protrudes in the radial direction of the duct portion 31.

[0044] The inlet 32 ​​does not have to be one that protrudes from the duct portion 31, but may be one that is simply constituted by the opening 32c. The shapes of the openings 32c, 33c of the inlet 32 ​​and the outlet 33 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in this embodiment, but may be, for example, an ellipse that is long in the vehicle width direction.

[0045] The outlet 33 does not need to include the flange portion 33d as long as the thickness T1 of the tip end 33A is greater than the thickness T2 of the base end 33B. For example, as in the outlet 133 shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4, the thickness may increase radially outward as it extends rearward.

[0046] This configuration achieves the same effect as effect (2) of the present embodiment. The outlet 33 is not limited to one in which the thickness T1 of the tip end 33A is greater than the thickness T2 of the base end, and may have a constant thickness in the radial direction of the duct portion 31 (T1 = T2).

[0047] The outlet 33 is not limited to one that protrudes rearward from the duct portion 31, and the protruding direction may be changed as appropriate as long as it protrudes in the radial direction of the duct portion 31. The connection target member that is connected to the outlet 33 is not limited to the air outlet 12 exemplified in this embodiment, and may be, for example, another air conditioning duct that connects the outlet 33 and the air outlet 12.

[0048] The sealing member 50 may be omitted. In the present embodiment, the joining ribs 24, 28 protrude from the joints 22, 26, respectively, but this is not limitative, and one of the joining ribs 24, 28 may be omitted. In this case, the other joining rib may be welded to the opposing surface of one of the joints by vibration welding or the like.

[0049] The method for joining the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 25 is not limited to welding, as exemplified in this embodiment. Any joining method can be used as long as the flow path 40 and the flat portion 35 are formed by joining the segments 21, 25 together. For example, the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 25 may be joined by fastening them at any desired locations using multiple bolts. In this case, one of the joining portions 22, 26 of the segments 21, 25 may be omitted, and a recess into which the other joining rib fits may be formed in the one joining portion, so that the joining rib and the recess fit together to seal the space between the joining portions 22, 26.

[0050] The beam 10 is not limited to being divided into the upper segment 21 and the lower segment 25 as illustrated in this embodiment. The beam 10 may be divided into three or more segments in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31 as long as both the duct portion 31 and the outlet 33 are divided in the circumferential direction of the duct portion 31.

[0051] The shape of the duct portion 31 is not limited to the cylindrical shape exemplified in this embodiment, and may be, for example, a square tube. In this embodiment, the divided bodies 21, 25 are integrally molded from fiber-reinforced resin, but for example, the beam half bodies 30a, 30b constituting the beam main body 30 may be integrally molded from fiber-reinforced resin, and the peripheral portion, which is the other component, may be formed separately from a metal material.

[0052] The vehicle air conditioning duct according to the present disclosure is not limited to the beam 10 having the function of the air conditioning duct exemplified in this embodiment. The present disclosure may also be embodied as a vehicle air conditioning duct provided separately from the beam within the instrument panel. In this case, the vehicle air conditioning duct is not limited to being made of fiber-reinforced resin as exemplified in this embodiment, and may be made of a resin material that does not contain fibers.

[0053] With this configuration, the mounting portion 34 and the surrounding portion can be omitted. Also, since the rigidity and strength required are not as high as in a vehicle beam, the reinforcing ribs 36a and 36b can be omitted.

[0054] The vehicle air conditioning duct according to the present disclosure is not limited to one configured to be applied to a right-hand drive vehicle, but may also be one configured to be applied to a left-hand drive vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle air conditioning duct comprising: a cylindrical duct body configured to be arranged so as to extend in the vehicle width direction within an instrument panel; and a cylindrical outlet protruding radially outward from the duct body; the duct body being composed of a plurality of resin divided bodies including a first divided body and a second divided body that divide both the duct body and the outlet in the circumferential direction of the duct body; and a flow path through which air-conditioning air flows being formed by joining joints extending along the peripheries of each of the plurality of divided bodies; and a joining rib that protrudes toward the other joint is formed on at least one of the joints of both the first divided body and the second divided body, and the end of the joining rib in the extension direction extends to a position where it is flush with the tip face of the outlet.

2. An air conditioning duct for a vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the outlet includes a base end and a tip end in the radial direction of the duct body, the tip end of the outlet includes the tip surface, the plate thickness of the outlet in the radial direction is greater at the tip end than at the base end, and a bent portion bent outward in the radial direction of the outlet is formed at the end of the joining rib.

3. The vehicle air conditioning duct according to claim 2, wherein the tip portion includes a flange portion extending radially outward from an opening edge portion of the outlet.

4. A vehicle air conditioning duct as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of divided bodies is integrally molded from fiber reinforced resin, and the duct body is integrally formed with reinforcing ribs that protrude from the outer surface of the duct body.

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