Air-conditioning duct in passenger car and railcar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9771086-B2
Application number	US-201214369907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2012
Priority date	Jan 25, 2012
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

An air-conditioning duct in a passenger car of transportation which is extended in a vehicle length direction in a ceiling portion of the passenger car utilized by the general public and receives conditioned air from an air-conditioning apparatus regulating a temperature of the air to guide the conditioned air into an inside of the passenger car. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car has a non-uniform distribution configuration which makes the discharge volume of the conditioned air from the air-conditioning duct into the inside of the passenger car different and non-uniform among the respective regions of the inside of the passenger car.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning duct in a passenger car of transportation that extends in a passenger car longitudinal direction at a ceiling portion of the passenger car, the air-conditioning duct comprising:
a main duct positioned in a substantially center portion in a passenger car width direction and configured to receive conditioned air from first and second air-conditioning apparatuses located at opposed longitudinal ends of the passenger car;
a chamber duct, positioned adjacent to the main duct in the passenger car width direction, and configured to receive air from the main duct and discharge the conditioned air into an inside of the passenger car; and
a branch duct configured to discharge the conditioned air into the inside of the passenger car and positioned, in the passenger car longitudinal direction, at at least one of the ends of the passenger car with respect to the chamber duct, wherein:
the main duct has a partitioning plate extending in the passenger car longitudinal direction and connecting diagonal positions at both ends of the main duct in the passenger car longitudinal direction so that the partitioning plate divides the main duct into a first chamber and a second chamber,
the branch duct has, arranged in the passenger car width direction at one of the ends of the passenger car, (i) a first rear branch duct configured to receive the conditioned air from the first air-conditioning apparatus through the first chamber and (ii) a second front branch duct configured to receive the conditioned air from the second air-conditioning apparatus through the second chamber,
a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from the second front branch duct into the inside of the passenger car is higher than a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from the first rear branch duct into the inside of the passenger car, and
a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from the chamber duct into the inside of the passenger car is higher than a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from the branch duct into the inside of the passenger car.

2. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 1 , wherein the first rear branch duct and the second front branch duct discharge, into the inside of the passenger car at the one end of the passenger car, the conditioned air at 70% to 95% of a uniform airflow volume at which the conditioned air would be uniformly discharged into the inside of the passenger car in the passenger car longitudinal direction.

3. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 1 , further comprising a second front guide plate provided in the second chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the second front branch duct,
wherein the second front guide plate projects from the second front branch duct into the main duct and covers 35% to 60% of a discharge outlet in the passenger car width direction, the discharge outlet being configured to discharge the conditioned air from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the main duct.

4. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 1 , further comprising a second front guide plate provided in the second chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the second front branch duct,
wherein the second front guide plate projects from the second front branch duct into the main duct and covers 35% to 60% of a discharge outlet in a passenger car height direction, the discharge outlet being configured to discharge the conditioned air from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the main duct.

5. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 1 , wherein:
the chamber duct has (i) a first chamber duct arranged on one of right and left sides of the main duct in the passenger car width direction and configured to receive the conditioned air from the first chamber, and (ii) a second chamber duct arranged on the other of the right and left sides of the main duct in the passenger car width direction and configured to receive the conditioned air from the second chamber,
the branch duct has a first front branch duct, both the first front branch duct and the first rear branch duct being configured to receive the conditioned air from the first air-conditioning apparatus through the first chamber,
the branch duct has a second rear branch duct, both the second front branch duct and the second rear branch duct being configured to receive the conditioned air from the second air-conditioning apparatus through the second chamber, and
a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from each of the first and second front branch ducts into the inside of the passenger car is higher than a discharge volume of the conditioned air discharged from each of the first and second rear branch ducts into the inside of the passenger car.

6. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a first front guide plate provided in the first chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the first air-conditioning apparatus into the first front branch duct; and
a second front guide plate provided in the second chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the second front branch duct,
wherein each of the first and second front guide plates projects from its respective front branch duct into the main duct and covers 35% to 60% of a respective discharge outlet in the passenger car width direction, each of the respective discharge outlets being configured to discharge the conditioned air from one of the air-conditioning apparatuses into the main duct.

7. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a first front guide plate provided in the first chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the first air-conditioning apparatus into the first front branch duct; and
a second front guide plate provided in the second chamber and configured to direct a part of the conditioned air discharged from the second air-conditioning apparatus into the second front branch duct,
wherein each of the first and second front guide plates projects from its respective front branch duct into the main duct and covers 35% to 60% of a respective discharge outlet in a passenger car height direction, each of the respective discharge outlets being configured to discharge the conditioned air from one of the air-conditioning apparatuses into the main duct.

8. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 1 , further comprising a plug (i) provided in a position corresponding to a suction outlet which is included in a said air-conditioning apparatus and is configured to take in the air in the inside of the passenger car, and (ii) configured to block the discharge of the conditioned air into the inside of the passenger car,
wherein a length in the passenger car longitudinal direction of the plug is equal to or more than a length in the passenger car longitudinal direction of the suction outlet.

9. The air-conditioning duct in a passenger car according to claim 8 , wherein:
the chamber duct has (i) a first chamber duct arranged on one of right and left sides of the main duct in the passenger car width direction and configured to receive the conditioned air from the first chamber, and (ii) a second chamber duct arranged on the other of the right and left sides of the main duct in the passenger car width direction and configured to

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Takashi
• Hara Yoshinori
• Onitake Yasuo
• Mitani Ryosuke
• Kondo Kouki
• Sakagawa Keiji

Classifications

• B60H2001/00235

  Devices in the roof area of the passenger compartment · CPC title

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B61D27/009 Primary

  Means for ventilating only (ventilation in general F24F) · CPC title

• B61D17/12

  Roofs (movable or foldable roofs, covers or tarpaulins B61D39/00) · CPC title

• F24F7/04

  with ducting systems {, e.g. by double walls; with natural circulation (F24F7/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title