Air conditioner for vehicle with photocatalytic module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963017-B2
Application number	US-201514907602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An air conditioner for a vehicle with a photocatalytic module, which can purify air introduced into the inside of an air-conditioning case, sterilize and deodorize an evaporator and provide an optimized installation position of a photocatalytic module so that the photocatalytic module can be easily attached and detached and conveniently maintained and repaired. The air conditioner includes an air-conditioning case having an air inflow port, air outflow ports, an air passageway formed inside the air-conditioning case, an evaporator mounted on an air passageway of the air-conditioning case, an air blower for blowing inside air of the air-conditioning case, and a photocatalytic module disposed at one side of the air-conditioning case. The photocatalytic module includes a catalyst part which causes a photocatalytic reaction by irradiated light to generate radicals and at least one light source part for irradiating UV light toward the catalyst part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle with a photocatalytic module which includes: an air-conditioning case having an air inflow port formed at an entrance side, air outflow ports formed at an exit side and an air passageway formed inside the air-conditioning case; an evaporator mounted in the air passageway of the air-conditioning case; and an air blower for blowing inside air of the air-conditioning case, the air conditioner comprising:
a photocatalytic module disposed at one side of the air-conditioning case,
wherein the photocatalytic module comprises:
a catalyst part which causes photocatalytic reaction by irradiated light to generate radicals; and
at least one light source part for irradiating UV light toward the catalyst part;
wherein the photocatalytic module comprises a module case which is opened at one side and is closed at the other side to form an inner space part and surrounds the light source part and the catalyst part to embed the light source part and the catalyst part therein so that the light source part is connected to the inner space part of the module case and the catalyst part is connected to the opening part of the module case, thereby the module case is mounted to communicate with inside the air-conditioning case in such a way that the catalyst part gets in contact with the air passageway.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytic module is mounted on a wall surface of the air-conditioning case at the upstream side of the evaporator in an air flow direction.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the air-conditioning case comprises a passageway converting part for converting a flow direction of the air at the upstream side of the evaporator, and the photocatalytic module is mounted on the passageway converting part.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged on the surface of the inner wall of a curved part of the passageway converting part that has relatively shorter air flow path and is more adjacent to the evaporator.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 3 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged at a lower area, out of the passageway converting part of the air-conditioning case, in the height direction of the air-conditioning case.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the module case is detachably connected to the air-conditioning case.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst part has a honeycomb body in which catalyst is put.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytic module comprises a plane part arranged side by side with the air flow direction inside the air-conditioning case.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytic module comprises a plane part arranged to be inclined to the air flow direction inside the air-conditioning case.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the light source parts are arranged side by side about the catalyst part inside the module case.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged in the opposite direction to an inside air inlet and an outside air inlet of the air blower in the air flow direction.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 11 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged below a cutoff of the air blower in the air flow direction.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 12 , wherein the photocatalytic module has the structure that the light source part and the catalyst part are arranged in order inside the module case and the module case is connected to the air-conditioning case to be side by side with the arrangement direction of the light source part and the catalyst part, and
wherein the connection direction of the module case is side by side with the axial direction of the blast fan of the air blower.

14. The air conditioner according to claim 12 , wherein the photocatalytic module has the structure that the light source part and the catalyst part are arranged in order inside the module case and the module case is connected to the air-conditioning case to be side by side with the arrangement direction of the light source part and the catalyst part, and
wherein the module case is disposed on a radial direction extension of a blast fan of the air blower.

15. The air conditioner according to claim 12 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arrange oppositely to a resistor in the air flow direction, and the resistor is mounted to control electricity supplied to the air blower.

16. The air conditioner according to claim 11 , wherein the air conditioner is a center-mounting type air conditioner in which the evaporator, the heater core and the air blower are formed integrally in the air-conditioning case.

17. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioner is a rear air conditioner for vehicles in which the air blower and the evaporator are formed integrally inside the air-conditioning case and which is mounted at the rear seat of the vehicle, and
wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged adjacent to the evaporator than a blast fan on the passageway which passes the cutoff of the air blower in the air flow direction.

18. The air conditioner according to claim 17 , wherein the photocatalytic module is arranged lower side of the evaporator in the vertical length direction.

19. The air conditioner according to claim 18 , wherein the air-conditioning case has a stepped wall which extends downwardly so that the passageway that introduced inflowing air through the air blower toward the evaporator is expanded in the vertical direction, and
wherein the photocatalytic module is located on the stepped wall in the vertical direction.

20. The air conditioner according to claim 18 , wherein the air-conditioning case has a stepped wall which extends downwardly so that the passageway that introduced inflowing air through the air blower toward the evaporator is expanded in the vertical direction, and
wherein the photocatalytic module is located above the stepped wall in the vertical direction.

21. The air conditioner according to claim 18 , wherein the evaporator is arranged to be inclined against the photocatalytic module.

22. The air conditioner according to claim 21 , wherein a gradient (p) between a horizontal axis of the photocatalytic module and a vertical axis of the evaporator is more than 90 degrees.

23. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning case has an outer face that defines an opening, and wherein the module case is detachably connected to the outer face with the catalyst part extending across the opening and partially into the air passageway.

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Kim Jae Ho
• Lee Sung Je
• Kim Hyung Joo

Classifications

• B60H3/0658 Primary

  Filter elements specially adapted for their arrangement in vehicles (B60H3/0608 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/12

  using an air blower · CPC title

• A61L9/205

  using a photocatalyst or photosensitiser · CPC title

• B60H2003/0675

  Photocatalytic filters · CPC title

• B60H3/00 Primary

  Other air-treating devices · CPC title