Vehicular air conditioning apparatus and temperature control method performed thereby

• US 8,376,037 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), Mahle International GmbH (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nanaumi, Kyosuke, Seto, Takahiro, Kitamura, Tsunetoshi, Kanemaru, Junichi, Kakizaki, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanigan, Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JASON N
• Application Number:
  US12/500,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20110005717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 165/204, 165/203, 165/207, 165/41, 165/42, 165/47, 165/140, 180/68.1, 180/68.4
• US Class Current: 165/204
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00064 for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00099 comprising additional ventilating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00135 Deviding walls for separate air flows

Abstract

Air is supplied to the interior of a casing from first and second blower units, such that cool air that has been cooled by an evaporator and warm air that has been heated by a heater core are mixed together and blown out toward a front seat side and a rear seat side of the vehicle, respectively. At this time, a temperature control damper, which adjusts the temperature of air that is blown into the vehicle compartment, causes a flow of warm air having undergone heat exchange in the heater core to be deflected toward a direction where the evaporator is installed. Mixing of the warm air and the cool air can thus be carried out suitably by causing the flow of cool air, which has undergone heat exchange in the evaporator, and the flow of warm air to be oriented in mutually opposite directions.

Claims

1. A vehicular air conditioning apparatus including a casing in which passages and blow-out ports are formed for conveying air into a vehicle compartment, cooling means disposed inside the casing for cooling the air, and heating means disposed inside the casing on a downstream side from the cooling means for heating the air, and further comprising:

a cool air passage disposed on a downstream side of the cooling means, the cool air passage extending so as to circumvent the heating means, and through which air that has been cooled by the cooling means flows;

a warm air passage disposed on a downstream side of the heating means through which air that has been heated by the heating means flows, and which communicates with the cooling passage on a downstream side thereof;

a holder that holds the heating means; and

a temperature control damper disposed rotatably at a region where the warm air passage and the cool air passage communicate,

wherein the heating means is disposed immediately above the cooling means,

a lower end of the temperature control damper is moved away from the holder when the temperature control damper is operated to establish communication between the warm air passage and the cool air passage, and the lower end of the temperature control damper is contacted with the holder when the temperature control damper is operated to block communication between the warm air passage and the cool air passage, and

when the lower end of the temperature control damper is moved away from the holder, the temperature control damper deflects a flow of air delivered from the heating means downwardly toward an upstream direction of the cool air passage such that the flow of air delivered from the cooling means and the flow of air delivered from the heating means are oriented mutually in opposite directions.

2. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when communication between the warm air passage and the cool air passage is blocked, the temperature control damper is arranged substantially parallel to a direction of flow of the air that flows through the cool air passage.

3. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the temperature control damper comprises a butterfly valve having an axis of rotation in a center portion thereof.

4. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the temperature control damper is formed in a plate-like shape having an axis of rotation at one end thereof.

5. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second temperature control damper, and the temperature control damper and the second temperature control damper are capable of independently controlling blowing of air toward a driver'"'"'s seat side and a passenger seat side respectively in the vehicle compartment.

6. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second temperature control damper, and the temperature control damper and the second temperature control damper are capable of independently controlling blowing of air toward a driver'"'"'s seat side and a passenger seat side respectively in the vehicle compartment.

7. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second temperature control damper, and the temperature control damper and the second temperature control damper are capable of independently controlling blowing of air toward a driver'"'"'s seat side and a passenger seat side respectively in the vehicle compartment.

8. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second temperature control damper, and the temperature control damper and the second temperature control damper are capable of independently controlling blowing of air toward a driver'"'"'s seat side and a passenger seat side respectively in the vehicle compartment.

10. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a rectangular shape in cross section.

11. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control damper comprises a butterfly valve having an axis of rotation in a center portion thereof, an upper end of the temperature control damper projects about the axis toward a side of the cool air passage, and the lower end of the temperature control damper projects toward a side of the warm air passage.

12. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the lower end of the temperature control damper is moved away from the holder, and the lower end of the temperature control damper confronts the upstream side of the cool air passage and projects into the cool air passage.

13. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control damper is disposed immediately above the heating means.

9. A temperature control method performed by a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, comprising:

deflecting a flow of warm air downwardly toward an upstream direction of a flow of cool air;

mixing the cool air and warm air by causing the flow of warm air and the flow of cool air to be oriented in mutually opposite directions; and

in a case where mixing of the warm air and the cool air is unnecessary, carrying out control of temperature by blowing air directly into a vehicle compartment, without mixing the warm air and the cool air.