Vehicle Air Conditioning Module Dash Panel Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle air conditioning systems suffer from increased noise and vibration, and space constraints due to the mounting of air-conditioning cases and blowers inside the vehicle, which also require multiple through holes in the dash panel for air discharge and intake.

Innovation Solution

The air conditioning system is designed with the air-conditioning module mounted at the engine room side and a distribution duct at the interior side, sharing a single through hole in the dash panel, with the blower unit and evaporator/condenser passageways arranged vertically to reduce noise and maximize interior space, and a bottle neck structure for efficient air mixing and discharge.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the air-conditioning case and blower are mounted inside the vehicle interior, then the air conditioning system can be easily installed, but the interior space is reduced and noise and vibration increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation easeVSAvoidinterior space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The air-conditioning case and blower are extracted from the vehicle interior and relocated to the engine room. This extraction resolves the contradiction by removing the noisy and space-consuming components from the passenger compartment, thereby increasing interior space and reducing noise while maintaining installation feasibility through the dash panel opening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Device complexity

If the air-conditioning case and blower are mounted inside the vehicle interior, then the system structure is simplified, but noise and vibration increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem structureVSAvoidnoise and vibration
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The noise-generating components (air-conditioning case and blower) are extracted from the vehicle interior and placed in the engine room. This maintains the system's structural simplicity while effectively isolating the noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and noise reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If multiple through holes are formed in the dash panel for air discharge and intake, then the air flow requirements are met, but the installation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair flow performanceVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The single opening in the dash panel is designed to serve multiple functions: it accommodates the air-conditioning case, allows air intake, and provides air discharge pathways. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by reducing the number of separate openings needed while still meeting all air flow requirements, thereby simplifying installation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Object-affected harmful factors

If the air-conditioning case is relocated to the engine room, then noise and vibration are reduced, but the installation requires modification

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise and vibrationVSAvoidinstallation modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The distribution duct acts as an intermediary component that connects the air-conditioning case in the engine room to the vehicle interior. This intermediary structure enables the relocation of noisy components to the engine room while maintaining proper air distribution to the interior, thus resolving the contradiction between noise reduction and installation feasibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This configuration reduces noise and vibration, optimizes interior space, and simplifies installation by using a single through hole, enhancing assemblability and reducing weight and installation costs while maintaining effective air conditioning performance.

Implementation Method 1

an evaporator 4 for exchanging heat between the liquefied refrigerant of low pressure throttled by the expansion valve 3 and air blown to the interior of the vehicle and evaporating the refrigerant to cool the air discharged to the interior of the vehicle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 2

the condenser 2 condenses the vapor-phase refrigerant into liquid-phase refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure by exchanging heat with outdoor air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 3

the liquid-phase refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure sent from the condenser 2 rapidly expands by a throttling action of the expansion valve 3

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThrottling action: Pressure Drop

Data Source

PatentEP3192682B1Air conditioning system for vehicle
Publication Date: 2021.08.18 HANON SYST CO LTD
  • EP3192682B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3192682B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3192682B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed herein is an air conditioning system for a vehicle which includes an air-conditioning module having an air-conditioning case (110), which has a cold air passageway (111) and a warm air passageway (112) partitioned from each other, and a blower unit (130), and an indoor air inflow duct (143) for introducing indoor air of the interior of the vehicle into the blower unit (130), wherein an outlet (110b) of the air-conditioning case (110) and an inlet (143a) of the indoor air inflow duct (143) are arranged to be adjacent to each other, so that the air conditioning system for a vehicle can be installed through just one through hole part (310) formed in a dash panel (300), thereby enhancing assemblability and reducing weight and an installation cost.