Vehicle Air Conditioner Scroll Case with Interchangeable Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional center-mounting type air conditioners for vehicles face increased investment costs, development expenses, and development time due to the need for separate designs for Right Handle Drives (RHDs) and Left Handle Drives (LHDs, and suffer from air volume loss due to inefficient air discharge from the scroll case.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner features coupling portions on both sides of the scroll case, a connection cover with an inlet ring and dual ring, and a motor housing with air holes formed at the same height on the scroll case, allowing for interchangeable positions to accommodate RHDs and LHDs, minimizing air resistance and volume loss, and using a blocking portion to close air holes as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate designs are made for RHDs and LHDs, then the air conditioner can be properly adapted to each drive configuration, but investment costs, development expenses and development time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scroll case is designed with asymmetric coupling portions positioned at specific locations to accommodate different drive configurations. By strategically placing coupling portions on one side and designing the intake duct to connect flexibly, the same scroll case can serve both RHD and LHD vehicles without requiring separate designs, thereby reducing development time and costs while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The scroll case is designed with universal coupling portions that can connect to both RHD and LHD configurations. The intake duct is designed with flexible connection capabilities, allowing it to adapt to different mounting positions. This universal design enables a single air conditioner unit to serve multiple drive configurations, eliminating the need for separate RHD and LHD models and reducing development expenses.
2Temperature
If air holes are formed for cooling the motor, then motor cooling efficiency improves, but air volume loss increases due to resistance from scroll case discharge
Solution Approach 1:
Air holes are formed at specific locations on the scroll case where they provide effective motor cooling while minimizing interference with the main air discharge flow. The coupling portions are positioned to create localized cooling channels that draw air efficiently without creating significant resistance to the primary air flow path, thus achieving both cooling efficiency and minimal air volume loss.
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 design reduces investment costs, development expenses, and development time by allowing all parts except the intake duct to be used commonly in both RHDs and LHDs, while minimizing air volume loss through optimized air discharge and noise reduction.
Implementation Method 1
a centrifugal fan 31 disposed in a scroll case 30
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator 40 mounted inside the air-conditioning case 10... the sucked air is cooled while passing through the evaporator 40
Implementation Method 3
a heater core 50 mounted inside the air-conditioning case 10... the other of the air passes through the heater core 50 to thereby converted into warm air
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, which includes: a scroll case (120); a centrifugal fan (145) rotatably mounted inside the scroll case; an intake duct (150) aligned on one side of the scroll case (120) in an axial direction of the centrifugal fan (145); and a motor housing (140) coupled to the other side of the scroll case, the air conditioner comprising: a connection cover (130) coupled to one side of the scroll case (120) for connecting the intake duct (150) and the scroll case with each other; and including: an inlet ring (131) formed on an end portion thereof to guide the air introduced through the intake duct (150) to the inside of the centrifugal fan (145); and a dual ring (132) formed on the circumference of the inlet ring (131) and adapted to prevent a re-introduction of the air to the centrifugal fan.