Vehicle air-conditioning unit and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9321324-B2
Application number	US-201314372904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2013
Priority date	Jan 20, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

Preventing high-voltage components which constitute an electric instrument stored in a case from being exposed, dropping out, or scattering to an outside from the case even when the case of an air-conditioning unit has a significant impact. Therefore, a vehicle air-conditioning unit is provided with a protecting structure for preventing the electric instrument from scattering.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle air-conditioning unit in which air is introduced from an outside into a case and air-conditioned air is fed into a cabin with an air blower, the vehicle air-conditioning unit arranged on a cabin side of a partitioning plate which partitions an engine room defined in the front of a vehicle traveling direction and the cabin and including an electric instrument being stored in the case, wherein the electric instrument is at least any one of an electric heating apparatus, a dust collecting apparatus, and an ozone generating apparatus, the vehicle air-conditioning unit comprising:
a protecting structure configured to prevent the electric instrument from scattering, wherein the protecting structure is composed of at least one of a lower side protecting member arranged on a lower side of the electric instrument in a vehicle vertical direction, a rear side protecting member arranged on a rear side of the electric instrument in a vehicle fore-and-aft direction, a left side protecting member arranged on a left side of the electric instrument in a vehicle lateral direction, and a right side protecting member arranged on a right side of the electric instrument in a vehicle lateral direction, the protecting structure different from the partitioning plate and the case, said protecting structure formed of a plate-shaped member.

2. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , wherein the protecting structure is arranged outside the case.

3. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the protecting structure is formed of a conductive material, and is provided with an earth circuit mounted thereon.

4. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the protecting structure is formed of a plate-shaped member.

5. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the protecting structure is formed of a flexible member.

6. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the protecting structure is composed of at least two or more of a lower side protecting member arranged on a lower side of the electric instrument in a vehicle vertical direction, a rear side protecting member arranged on a rear side of the electric instrument in a vehicle fore-and-aft direction, a left side protecting member arranged on a left side of the electric instrument in a vehicle lateral direction, and a right side protecting member arranged on a right side of the electric instrument, and wherein a plurality of the protecting members are formed by being integrally coupled.

7. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 6 , wherein the protecting structure is formed by mounting the lower side protecting member, the rear side protecting member, the left side protecting member, and the right side protecting member respectively to the case, and then coupling the four protecting members to each other, and wherein:
the case is formed with projections on two or more surfaces of four surfaces thereof opposing four surfaces of the protecting structure,
the protecting structure is provided with through holes at positions corresponding to the projections, the projections and the through holes are fitted to each other when the four protecting members are mounted on the case, and
a length from a distal end of one of the projections to a distal end of the other projection is longer than a length between opening edges of the two through holes to which the two projections are fitted.

8. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , wherein the protecting structure is formed of a conductive material, and is provided with an earth circuit mounted thereon.

9. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , wherein the protecting structure is formed of a flexible member.

10. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , wherein the protecting structure is composed of at least two or more of a lower side protecting member arranged on a lower side of the electric instrument in a vehicle vertical direction, a rear side protecting member arranged on a rear side of the electric instrument in a vehicle fore-and-aft direction, a left side protecting member arranged on a left side of the electric instrument in a vehicle lateral direction, and a right side protecting member arranged on a right side of the electric instrument in a vehicle lateral direction, and wherein a plurality of the protecting members are formed by being integrally coupled.

11. The vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 10 , wherein the protecting structure is formed by mounting the lower side protecting member, the rear side protecting member, the left side protecting member, and the right side protecting member respectively to the case, and then coupling the four protecting members to each other, and wherein:
the case is formed with projections on two or more surfaces of four surfaces thereof opposing four surfaces of the protecting structure,
the protecting structure is provided with through holes at positions corresponding to the projections, the projections and the through holes are fitted to each other when the four protecting members are mounted on the case, and
a length from a distal end of one of the projections to a distal end of the other projection is longer than a length between opening edges of the two through holes to which the two projections are fitted.

12. A vehicle comprising the vehicle air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 .

13. The vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the protecting structure is arranged outside the case.

Assignees

• Valeo Japan Co Ltd
• Nissan Motor
• Valeo Japan Co Ltd

Inventors

• Omi Hironori
• Uehara Takafumi
• Arai Fujio
• Furutani Takuya

Classifications

• B60H1/00592

  Add-on devices, e.g. heat/cooling boxes, compartment dividers, upgrade sets · CPC title

• B60H1/00521 Primary

  Mounting or fastening of components in housings, e.g. heat exchangers, fans, electronic regulators · CPC title

• F24H9/1863

  Arrangement or mounting of electric heating means · CPC title

• B60H2001/2287

  Integration into a vehicle HVAC system or vehicle dashboard (B60H2001/00128 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/2225

  arrangements of electric heaters for heating air · CPC title