Inside/outside air switching device having first and second inside air introduction ports

• US 20020025772A1
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Egami, Hirotaka, Sato, Yasuhiro, Kato, Mitsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,428,409 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/121
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00849 for selectively commanding the induction of outside or inside air B60H1/00842 takes precedence

Abstract

An inside/outside air switching box has first and second inside air introduction ports, and an outside air introduction port. An inside/outside air switching door is disposed to open and close the first inside air introduction port and the outside air introduction port, and the second inside air introduction port is opened and closed by an inside air auxiliary door operated due to a pressure difference generated by operation of a blower fan between an inner side of the inside/outside air switching box and an inner side of a passenger compartment. Accordingly, even in an outside air introduction mode, inside air can be introduced from the second inside air introduction port.

Claims

1. An inside/outside air switching device for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:

an inside/outside air switching box having first and second inside air introduction ports from which inside air inside the passenger compartment is introduced, and an outside air introduction port from which outside air outside the passenger compartment is introduced;

an inside/outside air switching door, for selectively opening and closing the first inside air introduction port and the outside air introduction port, the inside/outside air switching door being disposed in the inside/outside air switching box to open the outside air introduction port and close the first inside air introduction port in an outside air introduction mode;

an inside air auxiliary door, for opening and closing the second inside air introduction port, disposed in the inside/outside air switching box; and

a blower unit, disposed at a downstream air side of the inside/outside air switching door, for sucking and blowing air introduced from the outside air introduction port and the first and second inside air introduction ports,

wherein, the inside air auxiliary door has an upper edge supported in the inside/outside air switching box, and is disposed to be rotatable around the upper edge and to open the second inside air introduction port in the outside air introduction mode by a pressure difference between an inner side of the inside/outside air switching box around the inside air auxiliary door and an inner side of the passenger compartment.

2. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein:

the inside/outside air switching door is a rotary door having a rotation shaft;

the second inside air introduction port is provided in a side wall of the inside/outside air switching box, to be positioned below the first inside air introduction port and to substantially opposite to the outside air introduction port with respect to the rotation shaft of the rotary door; and

the inside air auxiliary door is disposed at a downstream air side of the rotation shaft.

3. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein:

the inside/outside air switching box is composed of at least two separate cases which are separable; and

the second inside air introduction port and the inside air auxiliary door are provided in at least one of the separate cases.

4. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an air filter disposed at a downstream air side of the inside air auxiliary door, for purifying air introduced from the first and the second inside air introduction ports and the outside air introduction port.

5. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein:

the inside air auxiliary door includes a rotation shaft for rotating the inside air auxiliary door, and a plate member integrated with the rotation shaft; and

the rotation shaft is disposed at a position upper than the second inside air introduction port.

6. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 5, wherein the inside air auxiliary door further includes a packing member bonded on a side surface of the plate member to face the second inside air auxiliary port.

7. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein the inside/outside air switching box has a seal surface provided on an inner surface of a wall part defining the second inside air introduction port.

8. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 7, wherein the seal surface is disposed to be tilted by a predetermined angle relative to a vertical direction.

9. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 7, wherein the seal surface is disposed substantially vertically.

10. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure difference between the inner side of the inside/outside air switching box around the inside air auxiliary door and the inner side of passenger compartment is generated by the operation of the blower unit.

11. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein the inside air auxiliary door is disposed in such a manner that an opening degree of the second inside air introduction port is increased as the pressure difference increases.

12. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein the inside air auxiliary door is disposed to open the second inside air introduction port when the pressure difference is larger than a predetermined value.

13. The inside/outside air switching device according to claim 1, wherein the inside air auxiliary door is disposed to close the second inside air introduction port when operation of the blower unit is stopped.

14. An inside/outside air switching device for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:

an inside/outside air switching box having first and second inside air introduction ports from which inside air inside the passenger compartment is introduced, and an outside air introduction port from which outside air outside the passenger compartment is introduced;

an inside/outside air switching door, for selectively opening and closing the first inside air introduction port and the outside air introduction port, disposed in the inside/outside air switching box;

an inside air auxiliary door, for opening and closing the second inside air introduction port, disposed in the inside/outside air switching box; and

a blower unit, disposed at a downstream air side of the inside/outside air switching door, for sucking and blowing air introduced from the outside air introduction port and the first and second inside air introduction ports,

wherein the inside air auxiliary door has a rotation shaft supported in the inside/outside air switching box, and is disposed to be rotatable around the rotation shaft by a pressure difference between an inner side of the inside/outside air switching box around the inside air auxiliary door and an inner side of the passenger compartment.