Dual-Zone Vehicle Airflow Door Layout for Precise Quiet Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional dual zone type air conditioners for vehicles face challenges in accurately and minutely controlling air volumes to driver's and passenger's seats due to uneven air passageway cross sections, leading to noise issues and increased development time, with existing systems requiring complex settings and error-prone logic.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of two air volume controlling doors with a sealing wall on an air inflow port of a uniform cross section, allowing for independent control of air volumes to each seat side, and a method to select the higher blower level for precise air volume distribution, ensuring accurate and noise-reduced air conditioning without altering setting values across modes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If air volume controlling doors are mounted on air passageways with uneven cross sections, then the system can handle complex air flow patterns, but air volume control precision deteriorates and noise increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveair flow pattern handlingVSAvoidair volume control precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The air conditioning case is divided into right and left cases with separate air passageways, and the single air volume controlling door is segmented into two independent air volume controlling doors (150L, 150R). This segmentation allows each door to independently control air volume for its respective seat, improving control precision while handling complex air flow patterns through the uniform cross-section passageways.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A sealing wall (140) is introduced as an intermediary element between the two air volume controlling doors to partition the air inflow port into separate right and left passageways. This intermediary structure enables independent air volume control for each seat while maintaining uniform cross-sections that reduce noise and improve precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If complex control logic is implemented for different air-conditioning modes, then mode-specific optimization is achieved, but development time increases and errors occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemode-specific optimizationVSAvoiddevelopment period

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The control system implements a universal control logic that works across all air-conditioning modes (vent, bi-level, floor, mix, defrost modes). The controlling part (180L, 180R) uses the same control algorithm regardless of the selected mode, eliminating the need for mode-specific programming and reducing development time while maintaining adaptability through the dual-door independent control architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If a single air volume controlling door is used, then device complexity is reduced, but air volume control precision and noise reduction deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of controlling doorsVSAvoidair volume control precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The single air volume controlling door is divided into two separate air volume controlling doors (150L for driver's seat, 150R for passenger's seat), each independently controlling air volume for its respective side. This segmentation improves control precision and enables better noise reduction while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each air volume controlling door is optimized for its specific location and function - the left door (150L) controls the left air passageway (106L) for the driver's seat, and the right door (150R) controls the right air passageway (106R) for the passenger's seat. This local optimization allows precise control tailored to each seating position while reducing noise through uniform cross-section passageways.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Volume of moving object

If air volume controlling doors are positioned in non-uniform cross section areas, then space utilization is improved, but noise increases and control precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidnoise

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The air volume controlling doors are repositioned from downstream locations to the air inflow port (111) at the beginning of the air passageways. This dimensional relocation to a upstream position with uniform cross-section allows for better noise reduction and control precision while still achieving effective space utilization through the compact dual-door configuration at the inlet.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20100043470A1Dual zone type air conditioner for vehicles and method of controlling the same

Publication Date: 2010.02.25 HANON SYST CO LTD

AI summary

The present invention relates to a dual zone type air conditioner for vehicles, which includes two air volume controlling doors mounted on an air inflow port of an air-conditioning case where the cross section of an air passageway is uniform and a flow of air is relatively uniform, a sealing wall mounted between the air volume controlling doors, and a controlling part mounted for selecting a more air volume side as a level of a blower when an air volume set by a driver and an air volume set by a passenger are different from each other and controlling the air volume controlling doors to supply the set air volumes to a driver's seat side and a passenger's seat side.