Vehicular air-conditioning unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802463-B2
Application number	US-201415021761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A vehicular air-conditioning unit has an air-conditioning case, a first ventilation passage and a second ventilation passage, a first communication-ventilation passage defined in the air-conditioning case, the first communication-ventilation passage through which one end of the first ventilation passage communicates with one end of the second ventilation passage, a first heat exchanger that heats or cools air flowing in the first ventilation passage, a second heat exchanger that heats or cools air flowing in the second ventilation passage, and a blowing mode switching device setting any one of blowing modes. The blowing modes include (i) a first blowing mode in which air is blown into a vehicle compartment after flowing through the first ventilation passage and in which air is blown into the vehicle compartment after flowing through the second ventilation passage and (ii) a second blowing mode in which air flows into the second ventilation passage through the first communication-ventilation passage after flowing through the first ventilation passage and is blown into the vehicle compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular air-conditioning unit comprising:
an air-conditioning case;
a first ventilation passage and a second ventilation passage defined in parallel with each other in the air-conditioning case;
a first communication-ventilation passage defined in the air-conditioning case, the first communication-ventilation passage through which one end of the first ventilation passage communicates with one end of the second ventilation passage;
a first heat exchanger that is disposed in the first ventilation passage and heats or cools air flowing in the first ventilation passage between the one end and an other end of the first ventilation passage;
a second heat exchanger that is disposed in the second ventilation passage and heats or cools air flowing in the second ventilation passage between the one end and an other end of the second ventilation passage; and
a blowing mode switching device setting any one of blowing modes, wherein
the blowing modes include:
a first blowing mode (i) in which air is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case to the one end of the first ventilation passage, the air flows from the one end to the other end of the first ventilation passage, and the air is blown into a vehicle compartment from the other end of the first ventilation passage, and (ii) in which air is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case to the one end of the second ventilation passage, the air flows from the one end to the other end of the second ventilation passage, and the air is blown into the vehicle compartment from the other end of the second ventilation passage; and
a second blowing mode in which (i) air is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case to the other end of the first ventilation passage, (ii) the air flows from the other end to the one end of the first ventilation passage and flows to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the first communication-ventilation passage, (iii) the air flowing to the one end of the second ventilation passage flows from the one end of the second ventilation passage to the other end of the second ventilation passage, and (iv) the air is blown from the other end of the second ventilation passage into the vehicle compartment.

2. The vehicular air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a first blower and a second blower blowing air, wherein
the air-conditioning case has:
an air introducing portion introducing air from outside of the air-conditioning case;
a first-blower housing portion housing the first blower;
a second-blower housing portion housing the second blower;
a second communication-ventilation passage through which the first-blower housing portion communicates with the one end of the second ventilation passage; and
a circular ventilation passage through which the one end of the first ventilation passage communicates with the air introducing portion,

the first communication-ventilation passage is (i) connected to the one end of the first ventilation passage through the circular ventilation passage at one end of the first communication-ventilation passage and (ii) connected to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the second-blower housing portion at an other end of the first communication-ventilation passage, and
the blowing mode switching device:
in the first blowing mode, (i) closes the circular ventilation passage and the second communication-ventilation passage and (ii) introduces air, which is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case through the air introducing portion, to be blown to the one end of the first ventilation passage by the first blower and to be blown to the one end of the second ventilation passage by the second blower; and
in the second blowing mode, (i) blocks air that is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case through the air introducing portion, (ii) opens the circular ventilation passage and the second communication-ventilation passage, and (iii) introduces air, which flows from the other end to the one end of the first ventilation passage, to be blown to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the circular ventilation passage and the second communication-ventilation passage by the first blower and to be blown to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the circular ventilation passage and the first communication-ventilation passage by the second blower.

3. The vehicular air-conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the blowing mode switching device includes a switching portion alternatively set between the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage as a target to which the first blower blows air.

4. The vehicular air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a first blower and a second blower blowing air, wherein
the air-conditioning case has:
an air introducing portion introducing air from outside of the air-conditioning case;
a first-blower housing portion housing the first blower; and
a second-blower housing portion housing the second blower,

the first communication-ventilation passage is (i) connected to the one end of the first ventilation passage through the first-blower housing portion at one end of the first communication-ventilation passage and (ii) connected to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the second-blower housing portion at an other end of the first communication-ventilation passage, and
the blowing mode switching device:
in the first blowing mode, introduces air, which is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case through the air introducing portion, to be blown to the one end of the first ventilation passage by the first blower and to be blown to the one end of the second ventilation passage by the second blower; and
in the second blowing mode, (i) blocks air that is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case through the air introducing portion and (ii) introduces air, which flows from the other end to the one end of the first ventilation passage, to be blown to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the first communication-ventilation passage by both the first blower and the second blower or by the second blower.

5. The vehicular air-conditioning unit according to claim 1 , further comprising
a blower blowing air, wherein
the blowing mode switching device includes a switching portion switching a target to which the blower blows air,
the air-conditioning case has:
an air introducing portion introducing air from outside of the air-conditioning case; and
a blower housing portion housing the blower,

the first communication-ventilation passage is (i) connected to the one end of the first ventilation passage and the air introducing portion at one end of the first communication-ventilation passage and (ii) connected to the one end of the second ventilation passage through the blower housing portion at an other end of the first communication-ventilation passage,
the switching portion is switched between (i) a first switching position that disallows air to be blown to the first ventilation passage by the blower, allows air to be blown to the second ventilation passage by the blower, and opens the first ventilation passage to the first communication-ventilation passage and (ii) a second switching position that allows air to be blown to both the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage by the blower and blocks a communication between the first ventilation passage and the first communication-ventilation passage, and
the blowing mode switching device:
in the first blowing mode, (i) sets the switching portion to the second switching position and (ii) introduces air, which is introduced from outside of the air-conditioning case

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Maeda Kenichiro
• Kato Shinya

Classifications

• B60H2001/00107

  characterised by the relative position of the heat exchangers, e.g. arrangements leading to a curved airflow · CPC title

• B60H2001/00135

  Deviding walls for separate air flows · CPC title

• B60H2001/00085

  of air intake · CPC title

• B60H1/00842

  the system comprising a plurality of damper doors; Air distribution between several outlets · CPC title

• B60H2001/00721

  Air deflecting or air directing means · CPC title