JP2008037296A - Air conditioner for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to accurately detect the temperature of a heat exchanger, to perform temperature adjustment with high accuracy, and to reduce the size well.
An air conditioner (10) includes a duct member (14), and an evaporator (18), an air mix mechanism (22), and a heater core (20) are disposed in the duct member (14) along a flow direction of air by a blower (16). A temperature sensor 26 for detecting the temperature of the evaporator 18 is disposed on the upstream side in the air flow direction of the evaporator 18, and at least a part of the temperature sensor 26 is inserted into the evaporator 18.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention includes a duct member that blows out air-conditioned air into a passenger compartment, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air flowing through the duct member and a temperature control medium is disposed in the duct member. The present invention relates to an air-conditioning apparatus.

  Usually, in a vehicle air conditioner, in order to prevent the heat exchanger such as an evaporator from freezing, a temperature sensor for measuring an air temperature immediately after passing through the heat exchanger is attached.

  For example, the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an air conditioning case 2 that forms a passage 1 of conditioned air that is blown into the vehicle interior, as shown in FIG. An evaporator 3 that is a heat exchanger for cooling is disposed in the air conditioning case 2. The evaporator 3 cools the air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the air flowing through the passage 1. Yes.

  On the downstream side of the evaporator 3, the first passage 5 a and the second passage 5 b are partitioned by the partition plate 4, and on the downstream side of the evaporator 3, a heater core 6 that is a heat exchanger for heating is disposed. Has been. In the first and second passages 5a and 5b, air mix doors (not shown) are respectively arranged between the evaporator 3 and the heater core 6, and the warm air heated by the heater core 6 and the heater core 6 are connected to each other. The air volume ratio with the cold air to bypass is adjusted.

  A temperature sensor 7 for detecting the air temperature immediately after passing through the evaporator 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the evaporator 3. The temperature sensor 7 includes a temperature detection unit 7 a and a cable 7 b, and is fixed to a partition plate 8 that forms a part of the air conditioning case 2.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-300410 (FIG. 1)

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, the temperature sensor 7, the air mix door (not shown), the partition plate 4, and the heater core 6 are disposed on the downstream side of the evaporator 3, and the entire length of the air conditioning case 2 (in the direction of arrow A) There is a problem that the size of the () is considerably long.

  At that time, in order to shorten the dimension in the direction of arrow A, it is conceivable to change the mounting position of the temperature sensor 5 or the layout of the air mix door. However, the accuracy of the air temperature measured by the temperature sensor 7 is lowered, the air volume and temperature control by the air mix door is not performed well, and the air conditioning performance of the entire air conditioner may be lowered.

  The present invention solves this type of problem, and can accurately detect the temperature of a heat exchanger, perform temperature adjustment with high accuracy, and can be downsized well. An object is to provide an air conditioner.

  The present invention includes a duct member that blows out air-conditioned air into a passenger compartment, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air flowing through the duct member and a temperature control medium is disposed in the duct member. The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle. In this vehicle air conditioner, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in the air flow direction.

  Moreover, it is preferable that at least a part of the temperature sensor is inserted into the heat exchanger from the upstream side in the air flow direction.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is held by a holder member, and the holder member is provided with a tapered insertion portion into which at least a part is inserted into the heat exchanger.

  Furthermore, the heat exchanger is a cooling heat exchanger, and on the downstream side of the cooling heat exchanger in the air flow direction, a heating heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the air flowing in the duct member and the heating medium is provided. And an air mixing mechanism that adjusts a ratio between an air flow rate passing through the heating heat exchanger and an air flow rate bypassing the heating heat exchanger, in proximity to the cooling heat exchanger. Is preferred.

  Generally, a relatively large space is provided on the upstream side of the heat exchanger in the duct member in the air flow direction in order to supply uniform air to the heat exchanger. Accordingly, in the present invention, since the temperature sensor is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in the air flow direction, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the temperature sensor is greatly improved. Thus, the temperature sensor can be laid out at a position where the heat exchange performance is most exhibited, and the temperature of the heat exchanger can be accurately and reliably measured.

  Moreover, since no temperature sensor is provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger, it is possible to lay out other equipment, for example, air mix means, as close as possible to the heat exchanger. For this reason, the entire air conditioner can be easily reduced in size, and air volume adjustment and temperature adjustment by the air mixing means can be performed reliably, and highly accurate air conditioning can be performed satisfactorily.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a main part of a vehicle air conditioner 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The air conditioner 10 includes a duct member 14 that has a passage 12 therein and blows out temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled air into the passenger compartment. In the duct member 14, a blower 16 is disposed upstream of the air flow direction (arrow X direction) in the passage 12, and an evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 18 is disposed downstream of the blower 16. The A heater core (heat exchanger for heating) 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the evaporator 18, and an air mix mechanism 22 that performs air mix control of cold air and hot air is mounted on the inlet side of the heater core 20. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the evaporator 18 includes a fin member 24 that causes a cooling medium (temperature control medium) to flow therein. The evaporator 18 exchanges heat between the cooling medium that flows into the fin member 24 and the air that is sent in the direction of the arrow X through the passage 12 in the duct member 14 via the blower 16. Evaporates and cools the air. A temperature sensor 26 for measuring the temperature of the evaporator 18 itself is disposed upstream of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction (arrow X direction).

  The temperature sensor 26 is constituted by, for example, a thermistor, and is at least partially inserted into the fin member 24 from the upstream side in the air flow direction of the evaporator 18 while being held by the resin holder member 28. The holder member 28 is integrally formed with a tapered insertion portion 30 into which at least a part is inserted between the fin members 24 from the upstream side in the air flow direction with respect to the evaporator 18.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature sensor 26 includes a bottomed cylindrical aluminum case 32, and a thermistor chip 36 is fixed to the closed end portion via a filler 34. A lead wire 38 connected to the thermistor chip 36 is connected to a harness 40, and the harness 40 is pulled out from the end of the holder member 28. As shown in FIG. 2, a coupler 42 is provided at the tip of the harness 40, and this coupler 42 is connected to a control device coupler (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air mix mechanism 22 includes an air mix damper 44. The air mix damper 44 is rotatable through a motor 46 at an arbitrary angle within a range from a position of 0% opening to a position of 100% opening.

  The heater core 20 is configured substantially in the same manner as the evaporator 18. The heater core 20 has a function of heating the air by circulatingly supplying hot water (heating medium) therein and exchanging heat between the hot water and air flowing through the passage 12 in the duct member 14.

  On the downstream side of the duct member 14, although not shown, a differential outlet that blows air toward the inner surface of the front windshield of the vehicle, a face outlet that blows air toward the head side of the occupant, A foot outlet for blowing air toward the foot is provided, and a damper is rotatably attached to each.

  The operation of the air conditioner 10 configured as described above will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when air is introduced into the duct member 14 through the blower 16, the air moves along the passage 12, and first, heat is exchanged with the cooling medium flowing in the evaporator 18. Exchange is performed and the air is cooled. In the cooled air, the ratio between the air flow rate supplied to the heater core 20 and the air flow rate bypassing the heater core 20 is adjusted according to the opening state of the air mix damper 44 constituting the air mix mechanism 22.

  Then, on the downstream side of the passage 12, hot air from the heater core 20 and cold air that bypasses the heater core 20 are mixed. The mixed air (temperature-controlled air) is sent to a differential outlet, a face outlet and a foot outlet (not shown).

  In this case, in the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 26 is disposed on the upstream side of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction. At that time, in the duct member 14, a relatively large space is provided upstream of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction in order to supply uniform air to the evaporator 18. Therefore, the temperature sensor 26 can be laid out at a position where the cooling performance can be exhibited most with respect to the evaporator 18, and the temperature of the evaporator 18 can be accurately measured.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 26 is disposed substantially at the center of the evaporator 18, and as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature sensor 26 is placed on the upper end side (in the direction of arrow B) of the evaporator 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature sensor 26 can be disposed on the lower end side (in the direction of arrow C) of the evaporator 18.

  On the other hand, since the temperature sensor 26 is not provided on the downstream side in the air flow direction of the evaporator 18, it is possible to lay out other equipment, for example, the air mix mechanism 22 as close as possible to the evaporator 18. Become. For this reason, the dimension in the arrow X direction of the entire air conditioner 10 can be greatly shortened, and the effect that the entire size of the air conditioner 10 can be easily reduced can be obtained.

  Moreover, the air mix mechanism 22 is close to the downstream side of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction, and various layouts are possible. For example, in addition to the arrangement state shown in FIG. 6, the arrangement state shown in FIG. Is possible. As a result, the degree of freedom in design of the air mix mechanism 22 is improved, and the air volume adjustment and temperature adjustment by the air mix mechanism 22 can be more reliably performed, and high-precision air conditioning is favorably performed. is there.

  Furthermore, at least a part of the temperature sensor 26 is directly inserted into the fin member 24 from the upstream side in the air flow direction while being held by the holder member 28. Therefore, the temperature sensor 26 can easily and accurately measure the temperature of the evaporator 18 itself, and it is possible to reliably avoid freezing of the evaporator 18 and to achieve high-precision temperature control. Carried out.

  At this time, the holder member 28 is provided with a tapered insertion portion 30 at least a part of which is directly inserted into the fin member 24 of the evaporator 18. For this reason, the holder member 28 can be firmly and securely held with respect to the evaporator 18.

  Further, since the temperature sensor 26 is inserted upstream of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction, the harness 40 is condensed, for example, when the temperature sensor 26 is inserted downstream of the evaporator 18 in the air flow direction. There is no. Thereby, it can prevent reliably that dew condensation water flies by the duct member 17 along the harness 40, or it blows off into a vehicle interior.

  In addition, since the temperature sensor 26 is inserted into the evaporator 18 from the upstream side in the air flow direction, the temperature sensor 26 is caused to move by the force of air flowing in the direction of the arrow X along the passage 12 through the blower 16. Never leave 18th. Therefore, the temperature sensor 26 can be firmly held with respect to the evaporator 18.

It is a principal part schematic explanatory drawing of the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective explanatory drawing of the evaporator and temperature sensor which comprise the said air conditioning apparatus. It is a partial cross section explanatory view of the temperature sensor. It is explanatory drawing of the other layout of the said temperature sensor. It is explanatory drawing of another layout of the said temperature sensor. It is explanatory drawing of the other layout of an air mix mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of another layout of an air mix mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of the vehicle air conditioner of patent document 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air conditioner 12 ... Passage 14 ... Duct member 16 ... Blower 18 ... Evaporator 20 ... Heater core 22 ... Air mix mechanism 24 ... Fin member 26 ... Temperature sensor 28 ... Holder member 30 ... Tapered insertion part 44 ... Air mix damper

Claims (4)

A vehicle air conditioner comprising a duct member that blows out air that has been conditioned in a passenger compartment, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air flowing through the duct member and a temperature control medium is disposed in the duct member. There,
The vehicle air conditioner is characterized in that a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in the air flow direction.   The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the temperature sensor is inserted into the heat exchanger from the upstream side in the air flow direction. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature sensor is held by a holder member,
The vehicle air conditioner, wherein the holder member is provided with a tapered insertion portion into which at least a part is inserted into the heat exchanger. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat exchanger is a cooling heat exchanger,
On the downstream side of the cooling heat exchanger in the air flow direction, a heating heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the air flowing in the duct member and the heating medium,
An air mixing mechanism that adjusts a ratio between an air flow rate that is close to the cooling heat exchanger and passes through the heating heat exchanger and an air flow rate that bypasses the heating heat exchanger;
A vehicle air conditioner is provided.

Images