JP7600896B2 - Air conditioning duct equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning duct device that is connected to a vehicle air conditioning system for heating and cooling a vehicle.

Generally, vehicles are equipped with a vehicle air conditioning system that generates conditioned air for cooling and heating. An air conditioning duct system is connected to the vehicle air conditioning system to supply the conditioned air generated by the vehicle air conditioning system to the vehicle cabin.

In engine vehicles that use petroleum fuels such as gasoline as their power source and an engine as a prime mover, it is common to use the waste heat from the combustion of petroleum fuels as a heat source for heating in the vehicle air conditioning system. In addition, electric vehicles may be equipped with a dedicated electric heater as a heat source.

Electric vehicles, which have seen remarkable growth in recent years, are powered by automotive batteries such as lithium-ion secondary batteries. Because they do not burn petroleum fuels, they have advantages over the above-mentioned internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of reducing _CO2 emissions, etc.

On the other hand, electric vehicles cannot utilize the waste heat generated when burning petroleum fuels.
For this reason, in the vehicle air conditioner installed in an electric vehicle, the vehicle battery that is the power source of the electric motor is generally also used as the power source of the electric heater. However, using the same vehicle battery as the power source of the electric motor for driving and the electric heater for heating poses the problem that, for example, in the case of a severe cold season when a large amount of energy is required for heating, the large amount of energy is consumed by the vehicle air conditioner, shortening the distance that the vehicle can travel. In this respect, electric vehicles can be said to be at a disadvantage compared to engine vehicles. The same is true for hybrid vehicles that use both an engine and an electric motor.

In recent years, a technology has been proposed for air-conditioning only a desired portion of the vehicle cabin, instead of air-conditioning the entire vehicle cabin. Specifically, it is believed that by air-conditioning only the portion of the vehicle cabin that is close to the occupants, energy consumption can be reduced compared to air-conditioning the entire vehicle cabin.
Hereinafter, in this specification, such a technology for conditioning the portion of the vehicle cabin close to the occupants may be referred to as proximity air conditioning, and a technology for conditioning a wide area of the vehicle cabin may be referred to as general air conditioning.

The inventors of the present invention have also developed technology relating to the above-mentioned close-proximity air conditioning and have already filed an application for the same (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning duct device that provides a long, close-range air conditioning outlet (first air outlet 21) in a housing such as a console box, and supplies conditioned air to a seat through the first air outlet.

The air conditioning duct system of Patent Document 1 mentioned above makes it possible to reduce energy consumption while adequately warming seated passengers through close-range air conditioning.

Incidentally, in the air-conditioning duct system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the duct is branched into a flow path for close-in air-conditioning and a flow path for general air-conditioning.
However, if a duct is branched into a flow path for general air conditioning and a flow path for close-proximity air conditioning, the duct becomes bulky, reducing the freedom in arranging the duct and increasing the cost required for the duct.

If a straight duct is used as both a flow path for close-in air conditioning and a flow path for general air conditioning, and an outlet for general air conditioning is provided at one end of the duct, and a long outlet for close-in air conditioning is provided on the peripheral wall of the duct, it may be possible to make the duct more compact. However, in this case, by using the same flow path for close-in air conditioning and general air conditioning, it becomes difficult to supply a sufficient amount of conditioned air to the flow path for close-in air conditioning.

After extensive research, the inventor of the present invention came up with the idea of placing a damper inside the duct at the rear of the elongated air outlet, and using the damper to adjust the amount of conditioned air supplied to the elongated air outlet. It is believed that a general damper that can narrow the cross-sectional area of the duct's flow path by changing its state would be sufficient for this type of damper (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2020-200007 A JP 2015-101181 A

When the air outlet has an elongated shape, it is necessary to use a damper that has an elongated shape corresponding to the air outlet for adjusting the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet. A relatively large force is required to change the state of such an elongated damper, and a relatively large operating load is also applied to the operating unit for manually operating the damper. For this reason, the damper may impose a burden on the user.

In order to reduce the operating load of the damper as much as possible and reduce the burden on the user, it is effective to make the outer shape of the operating part large. Specifically, for example, if the operating part is a dial-shaped operating part, it is effective to make the outer shape of the operating part large.
However, a large space is required to accommodate an operating unit having a large outer shape.
The space inside a vehicle cabin is limited, and it is difficult to secure a large space for the operating unit. Therefore, it is difficult to enlarge the outer shape of the operating unit, and it is difficult to reduce the operating load of the operating unit in an air-conditioning duct system having a long air outlet.

In addition, the amount of conditioned air supplied to the elongated air outlet is greater in the upstream portion of the flow path and smaller in the downstream portion of the flow path. This may cause a bias in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the elongated air outlet. In this case, it may be difficult to perform air conditioning properly.
Thus, it is difficult to say that an air-conditioning duct system having a long air outlet has sufficient functionality, and there is a demand for improving the functionality.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning duct system that has a long air outlet and has improved functionality.

The air conditioning duct system of the present invention, which solves the above problems, is
a duct attached to a downstream side of the vehicle air conditioning device and through which conditioned air circulates;
an air outlet that communicates the inside of the duct with a vehicle cabin;
a damper that is disposed inside the duct at the rear side of the air outlet and adjusts the amount of the conditioned air supplied to the air outlet by changing between a closed state and an open state in which the amount of protrusion into the duct is greater than that of the closed state;
an operation unit connected to the damper and a portion of which is exposed to the interior of the vehicle;
The air outlet has an elongated shape,
At least a portion of the operating unit is an air-conditioning duct system that is disposed outside the air outlet in a short side direction.

The air conditioning duct system of the present invention has a long air outlet and has improved functionality.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an air-conditioning duct system according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a vehicle cabin; 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a positional relationship between an air-conditioning duct system according to a first embodiment and an occupant seated in a seat; FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic disassembled state of the air-conditioning duct system of the first embodiment. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an air-conditioning duct system according to a first embodiment as viewed from inside a vehicle compartment; FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the first embodiment taken along the line BB in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the first embodiment taken along the line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the first embodiment taken along the line AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic disassembled state of the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an air-conditioning duct system according to a second embodiment as viewed from inside a vehicle compartment. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment taken along the line BB in FIG. 9 . FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment taken along the line AA in FIG. 9 . FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic cross-section of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment taken along the line AA in FIG. 9 . FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "a to b" described in this specification includes the lower limit a and the upper limit b. Furthermore, a numerical range can be formed by arbitrarily combining these upper and lower limit values, as well as the numerical values listed in the examples, etc. Furthermore, numerical values arbitrarily selected from within the numerical range can be used as the upper and lower limit numerical values.

The air conditioning duct system of the present invention is equipped with a long air outlet. In the air conditioning duct system of the present invention, a damper that changes state between an open state and a closed state is disposed inside the duct and at the rear side of the air outlet. The amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet is adjusted by the state change of the damper.

The air conditioning duct device of the present invention is equipped with an operating unit that is connected to a damper and is partially exposed inside the vehicle cabin. By operating the part of the operating unit that is exposed inside the vehicle cabin, the user can change the state of the damper and appropriately adjust the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet to the amount required.

In the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention, the air outlet has an elongated shape. In order to adjust the supply amount of conditioned air to the air outlet having such a shape, it is necessary to use an elongated damper, as described above. In addition, a relatively large force is required to change the state of the elongated damper, and the operating load acting on the operating portion becomes large.
As mentioned above, in order to reduce the operating load acting on the operating unit, an operating unit with a large external shape is necessary. The operating unit of an air-conditioning duct system is usually arranged on the side of the air outlet, but there is a problem that a large space is required to arrange an operating unit with a large external shape on the side of an air outlet having a long shape. For this reason, in conventional air-conditioning duct systems, it is difficult to increase the external shape of the operating unit, and there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the operating load of the operating unit. Furthermore, in conventional air-conditioning duct systems, there is a problem that it is difficult to adjust the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet as desired. As a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to sufficiently improve the functionality of conventional air-conditioning duct systems.

In contrast, the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention has at least a part of the operating unit disposed outside the short side of the air outlet. A relatively large space can be secured along the longitudinal direction of the air outlet outside the short side of the air outlet, which has a long shape. Therefore, the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention can be provided with an operating unit having a relatively large outer shape, and the operating load acting on the operating unit can be reduced.
Hereinafter, the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention will be described with respect to each of its components.

The air conditioning duct system of the present invention is provided with an air outlet having a long shape, and the use of the air outlet is not particularly limited. The air outlet is preferably used as an air outlet for close air conditioning as described above, but may also be used as an air outlet for general air conditioning, or may further be used as an air outlet for a defroster for supplying conditioned air to a windshield, etc.

The elongated shape of the air outlet means a shape in which the opening length in a first direction is greater than the opening length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, specifically, a shape in which the opening length in the first direction is at least twice the opening length in the second direction. The shape of the air outlet may be rectangular, elliptical, or another shape.

When the air outlet is an air outlet for close air conditioning, the air outlet is preferably disposed on the side of the seat, and more preferably has its longitudinal direction oriented in the vehicle travel direction, in order to supply conditioned air mainly to the thighs of the occupant seated in the seat.
In this specification, "to be directed" or "along" as described below means to intersect with the target direction at an angle of 45° or less. Examples of preferred ranges of the crossing angle at this time include within 30°, within 20°, within 10°, and within 5°. It is particularly preferred that the crossing angle be 0°.
That is, it is particularly preferable that the longitudinal direction of the air outlet is the vehicle travel direction.

Furthermore, with regard to the shape of the air outlet, the effect of the air conditioning duct device of the present invention becomes more pronounced when the opening length of the air outlet in the first direction is at least three times, and more preferably at least five times, the opening length in the second direction.

The air outlet may be any part that connects the inside of the duct with the interior of the vehicle cabin, and may be considered to be a part that is integral with the duct and partially exposed to the interior of the vehicle cabin.

The air outlet may be provided at one end of the duct or on the circumferential wall of the duct. Furthermore, the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention may be provided with other air outlets in addition to the long air outlet.

In other words, the air conditioning duct system of the present invention can be used as an air conditioning duct system for performing both the close air conditioning and general air conditioning described above. In this case, a long air outlet can be provided on the peripheral wall of the duct and used as an air outlet for close air conditioning. A second air outlet can be provided at one end of the duct located downstream of the long air outlet, and the second air outlet can be used as an air outlet for general air conditioning.

A second duct may be connected to one end of the duct located downstream of the long air outlet. A third air outlet may be provided in the second duct, and the third air outlet may be used as an air outlet for close air conditioning or as an air outlet for general air conditioning.

The duct is attached downstream of the vehicle air conditioning system and need only allow conditioned air to flow through it. There are no particular limitations on its shape, but if the air conditioning duct system of the present invention is an air conditioning duct system for both close-in air conditioning and general air conditioning, it is preferable for the duct to be a straight pipe.

The vehicle air conditioning system to which the duct is connected may be one that uses engine exhaust heat as a heat source, or one that uses an electric heater.

The damper is disposed inside the duct at the rear side of the air outlet. The damper is separate from the air outlet and the duct, and is attached directly or indirectly to the duct, changing between an open state and a closed state.

The amount by which the damper protrudes into the duct is greater in the open state than in the closed state. That is, when the damper is closed, it closes the air outlet, and the amount by which the damper protrudes into the duct is small. On the other hand, when the damper is open, it opens the air outlet, and the amount by which the damper protrudes into the duct is large. In this way, the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet is adjusted by the damper opening and closing the air outlet at the back side of the air outlet.

As mentioned above, the damper protrudes significantly into the duct when in the open state. Therefore, it can be said that the damper, when in the open state, divides the flow path of the conditioned air within the duct. Specifically, the conditioned air that comes into contact with the upstream surface of the damper flows along the upstream surface and is guided to the air outlet. The conditioned air that does not come into contact with the upstream surface flows within the duct toward the downstream side of the air outlet.

In the open state, the damper protrudes significantly into the duct, so the amount of conditioned air that contacts the damper is greater in the open state than in the closed state. As a result, the amount of conditioned air guided by the damper is greater when the damper is in the open state than when the damper is in the closed state. For this reason, the damper in the air conditioning duct system of the present invention can be said to adjust the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet by changing between the open state and the closed state.

In this specification, the amount of protrusion of the damper can be rephrased as the projected area of the damper in the upstream-downstream direction of the duct, or the length of protrusion of the damper toward the back of the air outlet. The same applies to the damper segments described below.

It is preferable that the damper has an elongated shape corresponding to the air outlet in order to open and close the air outlet.

The damper may be a single structure, or may be composed of multiple damper segments. When the damper is composed of multiple damper segments, each damper segment can be made smaller. This is expected to reduce the force required to change the state of each damper segment and the operating load of the operating part.

The damper may close only a portion of the air outlet when in the closed state, or may close the entire air outlet. When the damper closes the entire air outlet when in the closed state, it is preferable that adjacent damper halves are connected to each other without any gaps so that they are flush with each other in the closed state, or that their ends overlap each other.

When the damper is composed of multiple damper segments, each damper segment may change state independently. In this case, it is preferable to connect a separate operating unit to each damper segment. However, considering the operability of the damper, it is preferable for each damper segment to change state synchronously. In this case, it is preferable to connect each damper segment via a link member and connect the operating unit to one of the damper segments or the link member. As the link member, a member of a known structure that can transmit the force acting on the operating unit to each damper segment may be used.

The damper segments are preferably arranged along the longitudinal direction of the air outlet. As mentioned above, it is preferable for the damper to have an elongated shape that corresponds to the shape of the air outlet. When the damper segments are arranged in this manner, the length of each damper segment in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet can be made sufficiently small, and the damper, which is an assembly of damper segments, can be made sufficiently long in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet.

The damper segments are preferably arranged in the upstream-downstream direction, and in this case, the air outlet is also preferably oriented with its longitudinal direction in the upstream-downstream direction.
According to this embodiment, the flow path of the conditioned air in the duct is divided separately by each damper segment, and the conditioned air can be guided to different regions in the upstream-downstream direction of the air outlet by each damper segment. This makes it possible to supply the conditioned air in an even or targeted amount to the different regions in the upstream-downstream direction of the air outlet, and even though the air outlet has an elongated shape and its longitudinal direction is oriented in the upstream-downstream direction, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the bias in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the air outlet.

The amount of protrusion of each damper segment into the duct may be the same or different, but in order to control the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet as desired, it is preferable that the amount of protrusion increases from the upstream damper segment to the downstream damper segment in the open state.

Specifically, the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the downstream side is preferably at least twice as large as the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the upstream side, and more preferably at least three times as large.
When the protruding amounts of the damper segments are set to such a ratio, it is possible to eliminate or reduce unevenness in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the elongated air outlet.

When the damper is composed of two damper segments, a preferable protrusion amount of each damper segment from the upstream side to the downstream side can be, for example, an amount that is 1:3. In this case, the flow path in the duct can be partitioned so that the ratio from the air outlet toward the back side is 1:2.
When the damper is composed of three damper segments, a preferable protrusion amount of each damper segment from the upstream side to the downstream side can be, for example, 1:2:3. In this case, the flow path in the duct can be partitioned from the air outlet toward the back side in a ratio of 1:1:1.

Furthermore, the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the most upstream side is preferably at least 1/4 of the length of the interior of the duct in the front-to-rear direction, more preferably within the range of 1/3 to 2/3, and particularly preferably within the range of 2/5 to 3/5.
When the protruding amounts of the damper segments are set to such a ratio, it is possible to eliminate or reduce unevenness in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the elongated air outlet.

The end portion of the damper or each damper segment that is located on the air outlet side in the open state is preferably located close to the air outlet in the open state. Hereinafter, as necessary, the end portion of the damper or each damper segment that is located on the air outlet side in the open state will be referred to as the air outlet side end portion.
In the open state, when the blowing side end is located close to the outlet, the damper can partition the flow path of conditioned air from the inside of the duct to the outlet, thereby making it possible to control the amount of conditioned air supplied to the outlet as desired.
Specifically, preferred ranges for the distance between the blow-out side end and the air outlet in the open state include 10 mm or less, 5 mm or less, and 2 mm or less. It is particularly preferred that the distance between the blow-out side end and the air outlet in the open state is 0 mm.

When the blow-out side end is located close to the outlet in the open state, the amount of conditioned air supplied to the outlet can be said to be adjusted for each area of the outlet in the upstream-downstream direction by each damper section. Hereinafter, each area of the outlet will be referred to as the blow-out area, as necessary.

When the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet is adjusted for each blowing area of the air outlet by each damper segment, the opening area of the downstream blowing area is preferably at least one time the opening area of the upstream blowing area, and more preferably at least two times.
When the opening area of the blowing area has such a ratio, it is possible to eliminate or reduce unevenness in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the elongated blowing outlet.

When the damper is composed of two damper sections and the two damper sections divide the air outlet into two blowing areas, a preferred opening area for each blowing area can be, for example, a ratio of 1:2 from the upstream side to the downstream side.
When the damper is composed of three damper sections and the three damper sections divide the air outlet into three air outlet areas, a preferred opening area for each air outlet area can be, for example, a ratio of 1:1:1 from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The state changing mechanism of the damper or the damper division body may utilize a known mechanism such as a rotation mechanism. Hereinafter, the damper and the damper division body may be collectively referred to as the damper.
When the damper rotates, the damper may rotate about a rotation axis that does not change position, or about a rotation axis that involves a change in position, such as a slide. When the rotation axis does not change position, the damper has an advantage of being structured more robustly and has improved durability. When the rotation axis changes position, the trajectory of the damper when it changes state can be made smaller, which is an advantage of making the vehicle air conditioner more compact.

The damper's pivot axis may be at the end or at the center. However, it is preferable that the damper be located at the rear of the air outlet even in the open state, and not exposed in front of the air outlet, i.e., toward the interior of the vehicle. For this reason, taking into consideration the positional relationship between the damper's pivot axis and the air outlet and duct, it is preferable that the damper's pivot axis be located at the end of the damper and on the air outlet side of the duct.

The operating unit is connected to the damper, a part of which is exposed inside the vehicle cabin, and is operated by the user to change the state of the damper.
The operating portion may have any shape that allows easy operation by the user, and may have a known shape such as a dial or lever.

Here, the larger the size of the operating part, the smaller the operating load acting on the operating part can be due to the principle of leverage. The length of the operating part in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet is preferably 1/8 or more times the length of the air outlet in the longitudinal direction, in other words, the opening length of the air outlet in the first direction described above, more preferably 1/5 or more times, and even more preferably 1/3 or more times.

At least a part of the operating unit is disposed outside the air outlet in the short direction. This allows the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention to arrange an operating unit with a large outer shape in a space-saving manner. It is preferable that the operating unit has its longitudinal direction oriented in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet. Alternatively, the operating unit may have its longitudinal direction oriented in the front-to-rear direction of the air outlet. Furthermore, a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the operating unit may be on the same plane as a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet and a straight line extending in the front-to-rear direction of the air outlet. In either case, the operating unit with a large outer shape can be arranged in a space-saving manner.
Hereinafter, the air-conditioning duct system of the present invention will be described with reference to specific examples.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic representation of an air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment in a vehicle cabin. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment and an occupant seated in a seat. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic representation of an exploded view of the air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic representation of the air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment as viewed from inside the vehicle cabin. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic representation of a cutaway view of the air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are explanatory diagrams showing a schematic representation of a cutaway view of the air conditioning duct system of the first embodiment taken along the line A-A in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the damper is in an open state, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the damper is in a closed state.
Hereinafter, the terms "upper", "lower", "near", "back", "front" and "rear" refer to the upper, lower, lower, front, back, front and rear in each drawing. Note that "upper" and "lower" refer to the upper and lower in the vertical direction, and "front" and "rear" refer to the front and rear in the direction of vehicle travel. The direction between the near side and the back side coincides with the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Fig. 1, an air-conditioning duct system 1 of the first embodiment is disposed in a vehicle interior 95 and attached to a center console box 92 of the vehicle. The center console box 92 is disposed between a passenger seat 98 (see Fig. 2), which is a front seat, and a driver's seat (not shown).
The air conditioning duct system 1 is disposed inside a center console box 92 .
An opening 92o is provided in a side wall of the center console box 92, and an air outlet 2 of the air-conditioning duct system 1, which will be described later, is disposed at a position corresponding to the opening 92o.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the air-conditioning duct system 1 includes a duct 3 , an air outlet 2 , a damper 4 and an operating unit 5 .
Of these, the duct 3 has a duct body 3m, an opening frame 3f and a first seal 36.

The duct body 3m is a straight tube extending in the front-rear direction. The opening frame 3f is generally plate-shaped, is integrated with the duct body 3m, and covers the peripheral wall 35 of the duct body 3m from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the front end of the duct 3 is connected to the downstream side of a vehicle air conditioner 93 that is disposed forward of a center console box 92 .
The interior 30 of the duct body 3m shown in Fig. 3 is a flow path for conditioned air supplied by the vehicle air conditioner 93, and the upstream side of the flow path is the front side, and the downstream side is the rear side. It can also be said that the upstream-downstream direction coincides with the vehicle travel direction. The interior 30 of the duct body 3m is also the interior of the duct 3.

A duct window 20 is provided on the peripheral wall 35 of the duct body 3m, connecting the interior 30 of the duct body 3m with the outside. The duct window 20 has an elongated shape with its longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and its lateral direction facing up and down.

The opening frame 3f has a generally plate-shaped frame body 31m and a cylindrical frame window portion 21o that protrudes forward from the frame body 31m.

The inside of the frame window 21o is window-shaped penetrating the frame main body 31m in the front-rear direction. The inside of the frame window 21o corresponds to the duct window 20 and has an elongated shape that is slightly larger than the duct window 20.
A plurality of fins 21f are attached inside the frame window 21o. The fins 21f are generally plate-shaped and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the frame window 21o, i.e., the front-rear direction.
An elongated operation window 32 is provided above the frame window 21o. The operation window 32 has a longitudinal direction extending forward and backward and has a window shape penetrating the frame main body 31m in the front-rear direction.

The frame main body 31m covers the peripheral wall 35 of the duct main body 3m from the front side, with the frame window portion 21o facing the duct window portion 20.
In the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the first embodiment, the interior of the duct window portion 20 and the interior of the frame window portion 21o form the air outlet 2 that connects the interior 30 of the duct 3 with the vehicle cabin 95. The dimensions of the air outlet 2 are essentially the inner dimensions of the duct window portion 20. The opening length of the air outlet 2 in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the front-to-rear direction, is about six times the opening length of the air outlet 2 in the lateral direction, i.e., the up-to-down direction.

A first seal 36 is interposed between the opening frame 3f and the duct body 3m. The first seal 36 is elastically deformable and has a frame shape with an inner dimension slightly larger than the air outlet 2. At the periphery of the air outlet 2, it seals the gap between the peripheral wall 35 of the duct body 3m and the frame body 31m of the opening frame 3f, preventing conditioned air from leaking from the gap.

The damper 4 has a damper body 40m, a second seal 41, and a rotating shaft 40s. The damper body 40m is a long plate corresponding to the shape of the air outlet 2, with the longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and the short side facing up and down. The second seal 41 is elastically deformable, has a long frame shape with an outer dimension slightly larger than that of the damper body 40m, and covers the outer periphery of the damper body 40m. The dimensions of the damper 4 are substantially the outer dimensions of the second seal 41.
The rotating shaft 40s has an axial direction facing up and down, and is integrated with one end of the damper main body 40m in the longitudinal direction, specifically, with the rear end of the damper main body 40m.

The damper 4 is disposed inside the duct 30 and faces the air outlet 2 at the rear side of the air outlet 2 .
The operating unit 5 is in the form of a roughly semicircular dial, with its longitudinal direction facing the front-rear direction and the front-rear direction. In other words, a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the operating unit 5 is on the same plane as a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the air outlet 2 and a straight line extending in the front-rear direction of the air outlet 2. The operating unit 5 is integrated with the rear portion of the damper main body 40m above the damper main body 40m.

The rear end of the operating unit 5 is disposed inside the duct 3 together with the damper 4. The operating unit 5 protrudes from the inside 30 of the duct 3 toward the front. The front portion of the operating unit 5 is exposed to the outside of the duct body 3m through the duct window 20, and is further exposed to the front side of the duct 3 through the operating window 32 in the opening frame 3f.

The upper end of the damper 4's pivot shaft 40s is journaled to the duct body 30, and the lower end is journaled to the center console box 92 in front of the peripheral wall 35 of the duct body 30.

The damper 4 rotates about a rotation shaft 40s and changes its state between an open state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and a closed state shown in FIG.
The amount of protrusion of the damper 4 into the duct 3 is greater in the open state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 than in the closed state shown in FIG.

In the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the first embodiment, in the open state, the damper 4 closes the interior 30 of the duct 3. Specifically, at this time, the damper 4 divides the interior 30 of the duct 3 from the front side, i.e., the upstream side and the back side, into the rear side, i.e., the downstream side and the front side, and guides the conditioned air to the air outlet 2.
At this time, the damper 4 opens the air outlet 2, and the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet 2 is at a maximum.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the closed state, the damper 4 closes the air outlet 2. This causes the conditioned air to flow behind the air outlet 2, that is, downstream of the duct 3. At this time, the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet 2 is minimized.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the operating unit 5 in the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 is disposed outside the air outlet 2 in the short direction, more specifically, above and outside the air outlet 2. For this reason, the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 is compact despite the large external shape of the operating unit 5. Furthermore, because the external shape of the operating unit 5 is large, the load acting on the operating unit 5 is sufficiently reduced, despite operating a relatively large damper 4 with an elongated shape. This gives the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 excellent operability. In other words, the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 has excellent functionality.

Even if the operating unit 5 is located below and outside the air outlet 2, the effect of making the entire air conditioning duct system 1 compact can be obtained, as in the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1. However, if the air outlet for close air conditioning is oriented with its longitudinal direction horizontally, as in the air outlet 2 in the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1, by locating the operating unit 5 above the air outlet 2, there is an advantage that a user seated in a seat can move the operating unit 5 without difficulty. In this case, the user can easily access the operating unit 5 without blocking the air outlet 5 with his or her hand. This has the advantage that the supply of conditioned air from the air outlet 2 to the user's thighs is maintained appropriately even when the operating unit 5 is moved, and close air conditioning is continued appropriately.

For reference, in the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1, the length of the operating unit 5 in the front-to-rear direction is approximately 2/5 times the opening length of the air outlet 2 in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air outlet 3 faces the seat (passenger seat 98) and blows conditioned air onto the thighs of an occupant 96 seated in that seat. Therefore, the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 functions as an air conditioning duct system 1 for close-range air conditioning. Although not shown, the downstream end of the duct 3 in the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1 is connected to an air conditioning duct system for general air conditioning (not shown). Therefore, the conditioned air flowing out to the downstream side of the duct 3 is used for general air conditioning.

Example 2
The air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment is generally the same as the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment, except that the damper is composed of two damper segments and a link member. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for typically explaining the state of the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment disassembled. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for typically explaining the state of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment as viewed from the inside of the vehicle cabin. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for typically explaining the state of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment cut at the position B-B in FIG. 9. FIGS. 11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams for typically explaining the state of the air-conditioning duct system of the second embodiment cut at the position A-A in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 shows the state of the damper in an open state, and FIG. 12 shows the state of the damper in a closed state.
The air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the damper 4 in the air conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment includes a first damper body 45, a second damper body 46, and a link member 47.

The first damper split body 45 includes a first damper main body 45m, a third seal 43, and a first rotating shaft 45s. The first damper main body 45m is generally plate-shaped, with its longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and its lateral direction facing up and down. The third seal 43 is elastically deformable, has a long frame shape with an outer dimension slightly larger than that of the first damper main body 45m, and covers the outer periphery of the first damper main body 45m. The dimensions of the first damper split body 45 are substantially the outer dimensions of the third seal 43.
The first rotating shaft 45s has an axial direction facing up and down, and is integrated with one end of the first damper main body 45m in the longitudinal direction, specifically, the rear end of the first damper main body 45m.

The second damper section 46 comprises a second damper body 46m and a second rotating shaft 46s. The second damper body 46m is generally plate-shaped, with its longitudinal direction facing forward and backward and its lateral direction facing up and down. The second rotating shaft 46s faces up and down in its axial direction and is integrated with one end of the second damper body 46m in the longitudinal direction, specifically, the rear end of the second damper body 46m.

The second damper segment 46 and the first damper segment 45 are arranged in the front-rear direction, that is, in the upstream-downstream direction.
In the front-rear direction, the length of the first damper body 45m is longer than the length of the second damper body 46m. In addition, in the up-down direction, the length of the first damper body 45m and the length of the second damper body 46m are approximately the same. The first damper body 45m and the second damper body 46m have a shape obtained by dividing the damper body 40m in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the first embodiment into approximately two halves.

An upper portion of the first rotating shaft 45s of the first damper segment 45 and an upper portion of the second rotating shaft 46s of the second damper segment 46 each extend toward the rear side.
The link member 47 has a long rod shape and pivots both an upper portion of the first rotating shaft 45s and an upper portion of the second rotating shaft 46s, so that the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 rotate synchronously.

The operating unit 5 in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of Example 2 has a dial shape that is substantially the same as the operating unit 5 in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1, and like the operating unit 5 in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of Example 1, its longitudinal direction faces the front-rear direction and the front-rear direction. The operating unit 5 is integrated with the rear part of the first damper main body 45m above the first damper main body 45m.

The operating unit 5 protrudes from the interior 30 of the duct 3 toward the front side. The front portion of the operating unit 5 is exposed to the outside of the duct body 3m through the duct window 20, and is further exposed to the front side of the duct 3 through the operating window 32 in the opening frame 3f.

The first damper body 45 rotates about a first rotation shaft 45s and changes its state between an open state shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and a closed state shown in FIG.
The second damper body 46 rotates about a second rotation shaft 46s and changes its state between an open state shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and a closed state shown in FIG.
When the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 are in the open state, the damper 4 itself is also in the open state. Similarly, when the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 are in the closed state, the damper 4 itself is also in the closed state.

The amount of protrusion of the first damper segment 45 into the duct 3 is greater in the open state shown in Figures 10 and 11 than in the closed state shown in Figure 12. Also, the amount of protrusion of the second damper segment 46 into the duct 3 is greater in the open state shown in Figures 10 and 11 than in the closed state shown in Figure 12.

More specifically, in the open state shown in FIG. 11, the amount of protrusion of the first damper segment 45 into the duct 3, i.e., the protruding length (L1+L2) of the damper segment 45 toward the back side of the air outlet 2, is twice the amount of protrusion of the second damper segment 46 into the duct 3, i.e., the protruding length (L2) of the damper segment 46 toward the back side of the air outlet 2. The length of the interior 30 of the duct 3 in the front-to-back direction is equal to the protruding length (L1+L2) of the damper segment 45 toward the back side of the air outlet 2. Therefore, the protruding length (L2) of the damper segment 46 toward the back side of the air outlet 2 can be said to be 1/2 of the length (L1+L2) of the interior 30 of the duct 3 in the front-to-back direction.

11 , the downstream end of the first damper segment 45, i.e., the blow-out side end 45oe of the first damper segment 45, is located close to the air outlet 2. Similarly, the downstream end of the second damper segment 46, i.e., the blow-out side end 46oe of the second damper segment 46, is located close to the air outlet 2. More specifically, the distance between the blow-out side end 45oe and the air outlet 2 and the distance between the blow-out side end 46oe and the air outlet 2 are approximately 0 mm.
As a result, the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 define a flow path for conditioned air from the interior 30 of the duct 3 to the air outlet 2 .

More specifically, in the open state, the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 divide the air outlet 2 into two regions in the upstream-downstream direction. One of the two regions is called the first air outlet region, and the other is called the second air outlet region. The second air outlet region is an area formed upstream of the second damper segment 46, and the first air outlet region is an area formed downstream of the second damper segment 46. In the air conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment, the first air outlet region is disposed downstream of the second air outlet region, and the opening area S1 of the first air outlet region is twice the opening area S2 of the second air outlet region. In the air conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment, the opening height of the air outlet 2 is constant in the longitudinal direction, so the opening width of the first air outlet region can be said to be twice the opening width of the second air outlet region.

In the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 2, by dividing the damper 4 into a first damper section 45 and a second damper section 46, each damper section 45, 46 can be made smaller, and the operating load for changing the state of the damper can be reduced. In addition, by locating the operating unit 5 on the outside in the short direction relative to the air outlet 2, the air conditioning duct system 1 can be made compact while the external shape of the operating unit 5 is made sufficiently large, and the load acting on the operating unit 5 can be sufficiently reduced. This gives the air conditioning duct system 1 of Example 2 excellent operability.

Furthermore, in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of Example 2, the protrusion amounts of the first damper segment 45 and the second damper segment 46 are within the above-mentioned range, and the opening areas of the first and second blowing areas are in the above-mentioned ratio, so that the amount of conditioned air supplied to the elongated blowing outlet can be made approximately uniform in the longitudinal direction of the blowing outlet 2. As a result, in the air-conditioning duct system 1 of Example 2, it is possible to eliminate or reduce bias in the amount of conditioned air blown out from the elongated blowing outlet.
The air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment exhibits extremely excellent functionality due to the cooperation described above.

In the air-conditioning duct system 1 of the second embodiment, when the damper 4 is in the closed state shown in FIG. 12, the gap between the first damper body 45 and the second damper body 46 is sealed by the third seal 43.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, each of the components shown in this specification, including the embodiments, can be arbitrarily extracted and combined for implementation.

1: Air conditioning duct device 2: Air outlet 3: Duct 30: Inside of duct 4: Damper 45: First damper unit (damper unit)
46: Second damper section (damper section) 5: Operation section 93: Vehicle air conditioner 95: Vehicle interior

Claims (11)

a duct attached to a downstream side of the vehicle air conditioning device and through which conditioned air circulates;
an air outlet that communicates the inside of the duct with a vehicle cabin;
a damper that is disposed inside the duct at the rear side of the air outlet and adjusts the amount of conditioned air supplied to the air outlet by changing between a closed state and an open state in which the amount of protrusion into the duct is greater than that of the closed state;
an operation unit connected to the damper and a portion of which is exposed to the interior of the vehicle;
The air outlet has an elongated shape,
At least a part of the operating unit is disposed on an outer side in a short side direction with respect to the air outlet,
The longitudinal direction of the duct is the vehicle travel direction,
The longitudinal direction of the air outlet is the same as the longitudinal direction of the duct,
The damper changes state between the closed state and the open state by rotating about a rotation axis, and the rotation axis is located at one end side of the damper in the downstream direction of the duct. The end of the damper on the side of the rotation shaft is located at one end side of the air outlet in a longitudinal direction,
2 . The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 1 , wherein an end of the damper opposite to the rotation shaft is located at another end in a longitudinal direction of the air outlet in the closed state. The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a plurality of fins separate from the damper, the fins being closer to the air outlet than the damper. The air-conditioning duct system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the damper closes the inside of the duct when in the open state. The air-conditioning duct system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operating unit is disposed above and outside or below and outside the air outlet. The air-conditioning duct system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the damper has multiple damper segments arranged in the upstream-downstream direction. The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 6, wherein the amount of protrusion of each of the damper segments into the duct increases from the upstream damper segment to the downstream damper segment in the open state. The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 7, wherein the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the downstream side is at least twice the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the upstream side. The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 8, wherein the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the downstream side is at least three times the amount of protrusion of the damper segment on the upstream side. The amount of the conditioned air supplied to the air outlet is adjusted for each region of the air outlet in the upstream-downstream direction by each of the damper segments,
The air-conditioning duct system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein an opening area of the downstream region is at least one time larger than an opening area of the upstream region. The air-conditioning duct system according to claim 10, wherein the opening area of the downstream region is at least twice the opening area of the upstream region.

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