Heater/cooler unit of automotive air conditioning system

• US 6,474,406 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sasaki, Hiroaki, Sano, Masahiro, Nakazawa, Yukio, Shibuya, Naoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US09/792,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20020050349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 165/42, 165/43, 454/156, 454/160, 454/161, 237/12.3 A, 237/12.3 B
• US Class Current: 165/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00064 for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00164 with more than one by-pass
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00171 Valves on heaters for modulated liquid flow

Abstract

A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system for use in a vehicle is disclosed. The unit includes a casing defining an air flow passage for flow of air. The casing includes an enlarged lower portion and a reduced upper portion, and an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening communicating with the air flow passage. The unit also includes an evaporator in the air flow passage. The unit also includes a heater in the air flow passage with an air flow space being formed between the heater and the evaporator. The unit also includes a ventilation opening formed in the casing. The unit also includes a pair of heat openings formed in the casing, one on each side wall above the heater. The unit also includes a pair of heat ducts. The overall lateral size of the unit can be minimized.

Claims

1. A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system for use in a vehicle having a firewall separating a forward engine compartment from a passenger compartment, the heater/cooler unit comprising:

a casing having a front wall adapted to face the firewall, a rear wall adapted to face the passenger compartment, and opposing side walls, the casing defining an air flow passage for flow of air upwardly, the casing having an enlarged lower portion and a reduced upper portion, the casing further having at least one air inlet opening and at least one air outlet opening communicating with the air flow passage, the reduced upper portion formed at each side wall of the casing forming a first opposing pair of outer contours, the enlarged lower portion formed at each side wall of the casing forming a second opposing pair of outer contours, wherein the first pair of outer contours are laterally depressed with respect to the second pair of outer contours of the side walls, whereby a dead space is formed on each side laterally between the depressed first outer contour and a vertical extension of the second outer contour of the enlarged lower portion;

an evaporator positioned in the air flow passage at the enlarged lower portion of the casing;

a heater, having a width and a length smaller than those of the evaporator, positioned in the air flow passage at the reduced upper portion of the casing, with an air flow space being formed between the heater and the evaporator, the heater being smaller than the reduced upper portion and positioned adjacent to the front wall so that an air flow space is formed between the heater and the rear wall of the casing;

a ventilation opening formed in the casing, downstream of the air flow space;

the at least one air outlet opening including a pair of heat openings formed in the casing, one on each side wall above the heater; and

a pair of heat ducts, one communicating with each of the heat openings and lying adjacent to and following, over the at least the major part of its length, the depressed outer contours formed at the side walls of the casing such that a substantial portion of the cross-section of the heat ducts is coextensive with the dead space formed on each side, each of the heat ducts extending toward the enlarged lower portion of the casing and, in the distance between the heater and evaporator, having a laterally outer surface that does not extend substantially laterally beyond the outer contour of the enlarged lower portion,

whereby the overall lateral size of the heater/cooler unit can be minimized in the upper portion to be not significantly larger than the outer contour of the enlarged lower portion.

2. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 1, wherein each of the heat ducts terminates at a point that is not substantially below the evaporator located in the enlarged lower portion.

3. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 2, wherein the heater and the evaporator are spaced apart vertically by a distance that is a substantial portion of the height of the casing.

4. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 3, wherein each of said heat ducts is long enough to provide a flow straightening effect of heated air passing therethrough sufficient to direct the heated air into a foot region of the passenger compartment.

5. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 1, wherein each of the heat ducts is defined in part by the outside surface of the casing side walls.

6. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 2, wherein each of the heat ducts terminates at a point above the evaporator located in the enlarged lower portion.

7. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 1, wherein each of said pair of heat openings is located directly above and adjacent to the downstream side of the heater.

8. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 4, wherein each of said heat ducts opens directly toward a foot region of the passenger compartment, without any separate lower ducts connected to said heat ducts.

9. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 3, further comprising a pivotally mounted air mix flap in said air flow space located between the heater and the evaporator.

10. A heater/cooler unit as defined by claim 2, wherein each of the heat ducts terminates at the evaporator located in the enlarged lower portion, and the heat ducts do not extend laterally beyond the enlarged portion.

11. A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system, comprising:

a casing including a body portion and a head portion, which are integrally molded, the body portion including an enlarged lower part and a reduced upper part that are connected through a smoothly curved intermediate part, the casing forming at both sides of the reduced upper part, concave outer surface portions thereof, the head portion defining therein an air mix chamber that communicates with an interior of the reduced upper part;

an evaporator positioned in the enlarged lower part of the casing;

a heater core smaller in size than the evaporator positioned in the reduced upper part of the casing;

an air mix door arranged between the evaporator and the heater core to control the amount of air traveling through the heater core before reaching the air mix chamber and the amount of air directly reaching the air mix chamber without traveling through the heater core; and

two ducts received on and extending along the concave outer surface portions of the casing respectively, each duct having one end communicating with the air mix chamber,

wherein the air mix door matches the shape of the interior of the smoothly curved intermediate part of the casing.

12. A heater/cooler unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein each duct is provided, at an upstream portion thereof, with a flow door control.

13. A heater/cooler unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein each duct is adapted to extend to a lower portion of a passenger room of an associated motor vehicle.