Dehumidification and humidification apparatus for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9388994-B2
Application number	US-44541507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2007
Priority date	Oct 18, 2006
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dehumidification and humidification apparatus for vehicles using an adsorbent which is capable of feeding a dehumidified air for preventing fogging of window glass and a humidified air for improvement in comfortableness, and is simplified in construction thereof and reduced in size thereof. The dehumidification and humidification apparatus for vehicles according to the present invention comprises a casing ( 1 ), and a blower ( 2 ), an adsorbent module ( 3 ) and an air passage switching device ( 4 ) which are accommodated in the casing. The adsorbent module ( 3 ) comprises a Peltier element ( 30 ), and a first adsorption component ( 31 ) and a second adsorption component ( 32 ) which are directly disposed on the respective surfaces of the Peltier element, and the air passage switching device ( 4 ) is arranged such that the air passing through the first adsorption component ( 31 ) and the air passing through the second adsorption component ( 32 ) are each turned toward either a first blowoff port ( 11 ) or a second blowoff port ( 12 ), and turning directions of the respective airs are switchable therebetween. An electric current flowing through the Peltier element ( 30 ) in the adsorbent module ( 3 ) is reversed to switch operations of the Peltier element between a heat-absorbing portion and a radiating portion, and switch the turning directions of the respective airs in the air passage switching device ( 4 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus for vehicles for dehumidifying and humidifying air in a compartment of the vehicles, comprising a casing defining an air passage, and a blower, an adsorbent module and an air passage switching device which are successively accommodated in the casing in this order along a flow direction of the air,
wherein the casing comprises a first blowoff port through which the dehumidified or humidified air is blown off and a second blowoff port through which the humidified or dehumidified air is blown off; the adsorbent module comprises a Peltier element having a pair of plate surfaces which function as a heat-absorbing portion and a radiating portion, respectively, and a first adsorption component and a second adsorption component which each comprise an air-permeable element and an adsorbent supported thereon and are directly disposed on the respective plate surfaces of the Peltier element, the adsorbent module being disposed in the casing such that the air fed from the blower is allowed to pass through the respective adsorption components; and the air passage switching device is capable of turning each of the air passing through the first adsorption component of the adsorbent module and the air passing through the second adsorption component of the adsorbent module toward either the first blowoff port or the second blowoff port of the casing such that turning directions of the respective airs are switchable,
wherein an electric current flowing through the Peltier element in the adsorbent module is reversed to conduct switching between the heat-absorbing portion and the radiating portion of the Peltier element, and the air passage switching device is operated to switch the turning directions of the respective airs passing through the first and second adsorption components according to reversal of the electric current,
wherein the first adsorption component and the second adsorption component of the adsorbent module are respectively replaceable,
wherein the air passage switching device comprises a first introduction chamber into which the air passing through the first adsorption component of the adsorbent module is introduced; a second introduction chamber into which the air passing through the second adsorption component of the adsorbent module is introduced; a distribution chamber comprising a first inlet port and a second inlet port which are communicated with the first introduction chamber and the second introduction chamber, respectively, and a first outlet port and a second outlet port which are communicated with the first blowoff port and the second blowoff port, respectively, of the casing;
wherein the air passage switching device includes an actuator and a damper rotatably operated by the actuator which is disposed in the distribution chamber to divide an inside of the distribution chamber into two spaces, such that when the damper is rotated in one direction, the distribution chamber is divided into a space including the first inlet port and the first outlet port and a space including the second inlet port and the second outlet port, whereas when the damper is rotated in the other direction, the distribution chamber is divided into a space including the first inlet port and the second outlet port and a space including the second inlet port and the first outlet port;
a distribution chamber disposed between the first introduction chamber and the second introduction chamber;
wherein ribs are fitted inside of the casing in order to divide an interior of the casing into plural spaces along a flowing direction of the air,
a first rib is provided with an introduction port so as to flow the air into through the first inlet port and the second inlet port,
a second rib is provided with an the first outlet port and the second outlet port, and
an axis of the damper in the air passage switching device is perpendicular to a plate surface of each of the ribs; and
wherein the apparatus further comprises a heat exchanger disposed on a downstream side of the adsorbent module for performing sensible heat exchange between the air dehumidified or humidified by the first adsorption component of the adsorbent module and the air humidified or dehumidified by the second adsorption component of the adsorbent module.

2. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the air passage switching device comprises an actuator and a damper operated by the actuator, and the turning directions of the respective airs are switched by means of the damper.

3. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the element of each of the first adsorption component and the second adsorption component is in the form of a corrugated type element formed by laminating a plurality of honeycomb sheets each comprising a generally corrugated base sheet and a generally flat base sheet, and the corrugated type element has such a structure that the generally flat base sheet of each of the honeycomb sheets is disposed in parallel with the plate surfaces of the Peltier element.

4. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the element of each of the first adsorption component and the second adsorption component is in the form of a corrugated type element formed by laminating a plurality of honeycomb sheets each comprising a generally corrugated base sheet and a generally flat base sheet, and the corrugated type element has such a structure that the generally flat base sheet of each of the honeycomb sheets is disposed perpendicularly to the plate surfaces of the Peltier element.

5. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent is a crystalline aluminophosphate having a framework structure comprising at least Al and P.

Assignees

• Hidaka Hideto
• Kakiuchi Hiroyuki
• Tsuemoto Toshihiro
• Nakaguro Takanobu
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hidaka Hideto
• Kakiuchi Hiroyuki
• Tsuemoto Toshihiro
• Nakaguro Takanobu

Classifications

• F24F3/1429

  alternatively operating a heat exchanger in an absorbing/adsorbing mode and a heat exchanger in a regeneration mode · CPC title

• B60H3/02

  Moistening {; Humidity control} · CPC title

• F24F5/0042

  characterised by the application of thermo-electric units or the Peltier effect · CPC title

• B60H2003/028

  the devices comprising regeneration means · CPC title

• B60H1/00478

  Air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect · CPC title