JP7600975B2 - Vehicle air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning device installed in a vehicle.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses an example of this type of air conditioning system, a rear air conditioning system for the rear seats of a recreational vehicle. This rear air conditioning system has an air outlet in the quarter trim behind the rear seats. In this rear air conditioning system, the air outlet is provided in the quarter trim so that it blows air diagonally forward and toward the center of the passenger compartment.

JP 2008-18918 A

In the above air conditioning system, because the quarter trim air outlet is located behind the rear seats, it is difficult to reliably deliver the conditioned air blown out from this air outlet to the feet of passengers who are located in front of the rear seats. In other words, since the conditioned air is diffused within the passenger compartment after being blown out from the air outlet into the passenger compartment, in order to deliver it to the feet of the rear seat passengers, it is necessary to give directionality to the conditioned air and guide it to the feet of the rear seat passengers.

An effective solution to this problem would be to extend the duct forward or increase the number of air outlets, but this solution requires complex and major design changes to the entire duct, which is disadvantageous in that it increases the cost and weight of the equipment.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can efficiently supply conditioned air to the vehicle interior using a simple structure.

One aspect of the present invention is
An air conditioning air supply device mounted on a vehicle,
a trim portion having an air outlet provided at a position facing a vehicle interior;
an air conditioning air guide portion provided in an opposing space between a seat cushion portion of the vehicle seat and a vehicle body floor portion;
Equipped with
The air-conditioning air guide section has a guide path that guides the air-conditioning air in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an inlet opening that introduces the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlet of the trim section into the passenger compartment into the guide path, and an outlet opening that discharges the air-conditioning air from the guide path into the passenger compartment ,
the vehicle seat is a slide seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction between a front position that is a position farthest from the air outlet of the trim portion to a rear position that is a position closest to the air outlet of the trim portion,
the air-conditioning air guide portion has a standing wall provided around the introduction opening in order to guide the air-conditioning air, is fixed integrally to a lower surface of the seat cushion portion of the sliding seat, and is configured to move forward and backward in response to the sliding seat sliding in the forward and backward direction,
an air-conditioning air supply device that supplies conditioned air blown out from the air outlet of the trim part to a region behind the slide sheet when the slide sheet is disposed at the front position, and guides the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet of the trim part by the air-conditioning air guide part to a region ahead of the slide sheet when the slide sheet is disposed at the rear position ;
is located.

In the air conditioning air supply device of the above-mentioned aspect, the trim part is provided with an outlet at a position facing the vehicle interior. In addition, an air conditioning air guide part having a guide path, an inlet opening, and an outlet opening is provided in the opposing space between the seat cushion part of the vehicle seat and the vehicle body floor part.

The air conditioning air guide section allows the air conditioning air blown into the passenger compartment from the trim section's air outlet to be introduced into the taxiway from the inlet opening, guided in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the taxiway, and then guided from the taxiway into the passenger compartment through the outlet opening. This makes it possible to guide the air conditioning air from the rear of the vehicle seat to the feet of the passenger in the vehicle seat over a short route.

In this case, by utilizing the opposing space between the seat cushion of the vehicle seat and the vehicle body floor and providing an air conditioning air guide section in this opposing space, there is no need for complex and large-scale design changes such as extending the air conditioning duct or increasing the number of air outlets.

As described above, the above-mentioned aspect makes it possible to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can efficiently supply conditioned air into the vehicle cabin using a simple structure.

1 is a side view of a vehicle interior of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a front view of a seat cushion portion of a second-row vehicle seat in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a rear view of the air conditioning air guide portion in FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4 . 11 is a plan view showing a state in which conditioned air is supplied to the vehicle interior from the air outlet of the trim portion when the second row vehicle seat is in the front position; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which conditioned air is supplied to the vehicle interior from the air outlet of the trim portion when the second row vehicle seat is in the rear position. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the Coanda effect of the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet of the trim portion.

In the above-mentioned air conditioning air supply device, it is preferable that the air conditioning air guide section has an erected wall erected around the inlet opening to guide the air conditioning air.

With this air conditioning air supply device, the standing wall can be used to form an opening space that is effective in drawing the air conditioning air into the introduction opening. This allows the air conditioning air blown out from the air outlet of the trim section to flow along the surface of the standing wall so as to be drawn into the introduction opening. This makes it possible to increase the volume of air conditioning air guided from the rear of the vehicle seat to the feet of the occupant of the vehicle seat.

In the above-mentioned air conditioning air supply device, the vehicle seat is a slide seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction between a front position and a rear position,
It is preferable that the air conditioning air guide portion is fixed integrally to the underside of the seat cushion portion of the sliding seat, and that when the sliding seat is positioned in either the front position or the rear position, the introduction opening is configured to face the air outlet of the trim portion.

With this air conditioning air supply device, the air conditioning air guide section is integrated with the sliding seat, so the destination of the air conditioning air blown out from the air outlet in the trim section can be switched depending on the sliding position of the sliding seat.

Below, specific examples of embodiments of an air conditioning air supply device mounted on a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings referred to in the following description, the front of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow FR, the top of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow UP, and the inside of the vehicle is indicated by the arrow IN. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the fore-and-aft direction (vehicle length direction) of the air conditioning air supply device when mounted on the vehicle is indicated by the arrow X, the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) by the arrow Y, and the up-and-down direction (vehicle height direction) by the arrow Z.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment is a minivan equipped with a front vehicle seat 10A and two rows of rear vehicle seats 10B and 10C. The vehicle seat 10A is disposed in a first area 2 of the vehicle interior 1a. The vehicle seat 10B is a second-row vehicle seat disposed in a second area 3 of the vehicle interior 1a rearward of the first area 2. The vehicle seat 10B is a so-called "captain seat", and the two vehicle seats 10B are disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction Y. The vehicle seat 10C is a third-row vehicle seat disposed in a third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a rearward of the second area 3. The vehicle seat 10C is a three-seater seat, and is a so-called "bench seat".

The arrangement of the vehicle seats in this vehicle 1 is merely illustrative and is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1. For example, the rear seats may be arranged in other than two rows. Also, the structure and shape of each vehicle seat may be modified as appropriate from that shown in FIG. 1.

The vehicle seat 10B has seat leg portions 13 (see FIG. 3) on both sides in the left-right direction Y, and the seat leg portions 13 are supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction X via slide rails 14 provided on the vehicle body floor portion 1b so as to extend in the front-rear direction X. In other words, the vehicle seat 10B is configured as a slide seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction X between a front position P1 and a rear position P2. Therefore, the position of the legs L of the occupant C changes forward and backward as the vehicle seat 10B slides in the front-rear direction X.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning air supply device 101 of the first embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 1 and includes a trim section 5 and an air conditioning air guide section 20.

(Trim structure)
The trim part 5 is formed by a right interior part provided in a protruding manner in the third region 4 of the vehicle interior 1a. The trim part 5 is disposed rearward of the vehicle seat 10B and has two air outlets 8, 9. Both of these two air outlets 8, 9 are provided adjacent to each other at a position lower than the seat cushion part 11 of the vehicle seat 10B and facing the third region 4 of the vehicle interior 1a. In addition, these two air outlets 8, 9 are provided so as to communicate with the air conditioning air flow path 7 formed inside the duct 6. Therefore, the air conditioning air generated by the heater unit (not shown) can be supplied to the vehicle interior 1a from the two air outlets 8, 9 through the air conditioning air flow path 7 of the duct 6. At this time, the air conditioning air blown out from the two air outlets 8, 9 is made into hot air for warming the feet of the occupants.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first air outlet 8, which is located at the front of the two air outlets 8, 9, opens diagonally forward toward the vehicle interior 1a. In contrast, the second air outlet 9, which is located at the rear of the two air outlets 8, 9, opens diagonally forward toward the vehicle interior 1a, but opens at a slight angle toward the front than the first air outlet 8. That is, when the trim section 5 is viewed from above the vehicle interior 1a, the angle θ1 between an imaginary line K extending in the fore-and-aft direction X and the opening direction of the first air outlet 8 is slightly greater than the angle θ2 between the imaginary line K and the opening direction of the second air outlet 9. With this configuration, the conditioned air blown out from each of the two air outlets 8, 9 can interfere with each other at the boundary between them.

The trim section 5 has a flow restriction section 6a that is provided in a convex shape between the first air outlet 8 and the second air outlet 9 in the air conditioning air flow path 7. At this time, the second air outlet 9 is arranged upstream of the first air outlet 8 in the direction in which the air conditioning air flows through the air conditioning air flow path 7. The flow restriction section 6a is configured to increase the diversion ratio of the air conditioning air flowing toward the first air outlet 8 compared to the second air outlet 9 by blocking and restricting a part of the flow of the air conditioning air toward the second air outlet 9.

According to this configuration, the conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8 becomes a mainstream air flow with a larger air volume and a faster blowing speed than the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9. Therefore, the first air outlet 8 can also be called a "main air outlet" or a "main air opening." In contrast, the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 becomes a side flow air flow with a smaller air volume and a slower blowing speed than the conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8. Therefore, the second air outlet 9 can also be called a "side flow outlet" or a "side flow opening."

(Structure of air conditioning air guide section)
The conditioned air flow guide portion 20 is provided in an opposing space 12 between the seat cushion portion 11 of each of the left and right vehicle seats 10B and the vehicle body floor portion 1b. The upper surface of the seat cushion portion 11 serves as a seating surface for the occupant C. The conditioned air flow guide portion 20 is fixed integrally to the lower surface of the seat cushion portion 11 of the vehicle seat 10B. Therefore, the conditioned air flow guide portion 20 moves forward and backward in response to the vehicle seat 10B sliding in the fore-and-aft direction X.

The air-conditioning air guide section 20 has a guide path 21, an inlet opening 24, and an outlet opening 27. The guide path 21 is a guide space for guiding the air-conditioning air in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 1. The inlet opening 24 is an opening for introducing a portion of the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 into the passenger compartment 1a into the guide path 21. The outlet opening 27 is an opening for guiding the air-conditioning air from the guide path 21 into the passenger compartment 1a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioning air guide section 20 has a front wall 25 that defines the front side of the taxiway 21, a right wall 28 that defines the right side of the taxiway 21, and a left wall 29 that defines the left side of the taxiway 21. The front wall 25 is provided with a slit section 26 having a lattice-shaped slit opening that constitutes the outlet opening 27.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioning air guide section 20 further has a rear wall 22 that defines the rear side of the guideway 21. The rear wall 22 is provided with a slit section 23 having a lattice-shaped slit opening that constitutes the introduction opening 24. The slit section 23 is positioned to face the air outlets 8 and 9 of the trim section 5 across a space.

The upper side of the induction path 21 is defined by the underside of the seat cushion portion 11 of the vehicle seat 10B, and the lower side of the induction path 21 is defined by the surface of the vehicle body floor portion 1b. As a result, the induction path 21 is an enclosed space that is enclosed in three directions, the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z, except for the small gaps formed between the openings of the inlet opening 24 and the outlet opening 27 and the surface of the vehicle body floor portion 1b. At this time, the induction path 21 is formed to have a roughly rectangular prism shape.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the air conditioning air guide section 20 has a standing wall 22a that is erected around the inlet opening 24. The space 22b surrounded by this standing wall 22a is an opening space that is effective in inducing the air conditioning air into the inlet opening 24. For this reason, as shown in Figure 5, an air conditioning air flow (see the arrow in Figure 5) is formed in which the air conditioning air blown out from the first air outlet 8 is drawn into the inlet opening 24 along the surface of the standing wall 22a.

Next, with reference to Figures 6 and 7, we will explain how conditioned air is blown out from the two air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 into the vehicle interior 1a.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the second-row vehicle seat 10B is in the front position P1, the distance in the fore-and-aft direction X of the third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a is maximum. At this time, the vehicle seat 10B is positioned at the farthest position from the two air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 among all the sliding positions in the fore-and-aft direction X. At this time, the conditioned air blown out from the two air outlets 8, 9 is mainly supplied to the third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the second-row vehicle seat 10B is in the rear position P2, the distance in the fore-and-aft direction X of the third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a is at its smallest. At this time, the vehicle seat 10B is positioned in the position closest to the two air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 among the various sliding positions in the fore-and-aft direction X. Therefore, the conditioned air blown out from the two air outlets 8, 9 is guided by the conditioned air guide section 20 provided below the seat cushion section 11 of the right-side vehicle seat 10B.

The conditioned air flows forward from the third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a to the second area 3 through the induction path 21 of the conditioned air induction section 20. As described above, the induction path 21 is partitioned both vertically and horizontally, and allows the conditioned air to flow only in the forward and backward direction X. Therefore, unlike a simple open space where the conditioned air flows, this induction path 21 is effective in guiding the conditioned air with directionality from the third area 4 to the second area 3. At this time, the conditioned air blown out from the two air outlets 8, 9 is supplied to both the second area 3 and the third area 4 of the vehicle interior 1a.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, by integrating the air conditioning air guide section 20 with the vehicle seat 10B, which is a sliding seat, the destination of the air conditioning air blown out from the air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 can be switched depending on the sliding position of the vehicle seat 10B.

By using the air conditioning air guide section 20, even if the position of the trim section 5 is restricted, the air conditioning air blown out from the air outlets 8, 9 provided in the trim section 5 can be reliably guided to the second area 3 away from the air outlets 8, 9.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the trim section 5 is disposed, for example, directly to the side of the vehicle seat 10C, the first air outlet 8 opens so that the conditioned air blown into the vehicle interior 1a is supplied to a first supply area A1 adjacent to a target obstacle W. Here, the right seat leg section 13 of the vehicle seat 10C is the obstacle W. In contrast, the second air outlet 9 opens so that the conditioned air blown into the vehicle interior 1a is supplied to a second supply area A2 located at the boundary between the obstacle W and the first supply area A1.

The conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8 has a high blowing speed and a sufficient air volume can be secured, so it can be aimed directly at the feet of the occupant on the right and center of the vehicle seat 10C, which is the target of air conditioning and located away from the first air outlet 8 in the first supply area A1. Therefore, the conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8 can be delivered to the feet of the occupant in the first supply area A1 without being obstructed by obstacles W.

In contrast, if the airflow speed of the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 is slow and the volume of the air is insufficient, it is difficult to directly target the feet of the occupant on the left side of the vehicle seat 10C, which is the air-conditioned target located away from the second air outlet 9. For this reason, it is difficult to adequately deliver the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 to the feet of the occupant on the left side of the vehicle seat 10C.

The trim section 5 of this embodiment is configured so that the conditioned air blown into the vehicle compartment 1a from the first air outlet 8 of the two air outlets 8, 9 draws in the conditioned air blown into the vehicle compartment 1a from the second air outlet 9 by the Coanda effect, thereby increasing the air volume. In order to obtain this Coanda effect, it is preferable to appropriately set the arrangement and orientation of the two air outlets 8, 9 and the relationship between the relative blowing air speeds of the two air outlets 8, 9.

The "Coanda effect" referred to here makes use of a known phenomenon related to fluids, and a detailed explanation will be omitted, but generally speaking, it refers to the phenomenon in which a fluid draws in or pulls in surrounding fluids as it flows due to the effect of its viscosity.

In this embodiment, the Coanda effect is a phenomenon in which the conditioned air, which is the main flow with a high flow rate (the conditioned air blown out from the first outlet 8), draws in the surrounding secondary flow (the conditioned air blown out from the second outlet 9) with a low flow rate due to the effect of viscosity. In order to obtain this Coanda effect, it is preferable to use the flow regulation portion 6a (see FIG. 2) to control the speed of the conditioned air blown out from the first outlet 8 to be high and the speed of the conditioned air blown out from the second outlet 9 to be slower than the first outlet 8.

According to the structure for achieving this Coanda effect (hereinafter referred to as the "Coanda structure"), even if the blowing speed of the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 is slow, the volume of the conditioned air increases as the conditioned air is drawn in by the conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8 as it flows through the vehicle interior 1a. At this time, a Coanda flow F is formed at the boundary between the first supply area A1 and the second supply area A2, in which the conditioned air blown out from the first air outlet 8 draws in the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 (see FIG. 8).

This allows the conditioned air blown out from the second air outlet 9 to be pulled to the third supply area A3 diagonally forward to the left beyond the obstacle W, making it possible to deliver a sufficient amount of air to the feet of the occupant on the left side of the vehicle seat 10C. In other words, the second supply area A2 by the second air outlet 9 can be extended to the third supply area A3 compared to a case where the Coanda effect cannot be obtained. As a result, even if the positions and number of the air outlets 8, 9 are limited, the cooperation of the conditioned air blown out from each of the first air outlet 8 and the second air outlet 9 makes it possible to deliver the conditioned air to a wide area in the vehicle compartment 1a in a balanced manner.

The inventors have confirmed this effect in a fluid analysis (CFD analysis) that was actually carried out using a computer system.

Next, the effects of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will be explained.

In the air conditioning air supply device 101 of the first embodiment, the trim section 5 is provided with air outlets 8, 9 at a position facing the vehicle interior 1a. In addition, the opposing space 12 between the seat cushion section 11 of the vehicle seat 10B and the vehicle body floor section 1b is provided with an air conditioning air guide section 20 having a guide path 21, an inlet opening 24, and an outlet opening 27.

The air-conditioning air guide section 20 allows the air-conditioning air blown into the passenger compartment 1a from the air outlets 8, 9 of the trim section 5 to be introduced into the taxiway 21 from the inlet opening 24, guided in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 1 on the taxiway 21, and then guided from the taxiway 21 into the passenger compartment 1a through the outlet opening 27. This makes it possible to guide the air-conditioning air from the rear of the vehicle seat 10B to the feet of the occupant C of the vehicle seat 10B over a short route.

In this case, by utilizing the opposing space 12 between the seat cushion portion 11 of the vehicle seat 10B and the vehicle body floor portion 1b and providing the air conditioning air guide portion 20 in this opposing space 12, there is no need for complex and large-scale design changes such as extending the air conditioning duct or increasing the number of air outlets.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide an air conditioning air supply device 101 that can efficiently supply air conditioning air into the vehicle interior 1a using a simple structure.

In addition, by combining a Coanda structure with the air conditioning air guide section 20, the air conditioning air supply device 101 is effective in achieving both the function of delivering the air conditioning air to distant areas within the vehicle interior 1a and the function of guiding the air conditioning air with directionality to the desired area.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, an example was given of a case in which a standing wall 22a is provided around the inlet opening 24 of the air conditioning air guide section 20, but for example, if a desired volume of air conditioning air can be introduced from the inlet opening 24 into the guideway 21, this standing wall 22a may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, an example was given of a case in which the air conditioning air guide section 20 is provided on the vehicle seat 10B, which is a sliding seat. However, instead of this, a structure equivalent to the air conditioning air guide section 20 may be provided on a sliding seat other than the vehicle seat 10B, or on a fixed vehicle seat that is fixed to the vehicle body floor section 1b in an unslidable manner.

In the above embodiment, an air conditioning air supply device 101 that has both an air conditioning air guide section 20 and a Coanda structure is illustrated, but it is also possible to omit only the Coanda structure in this air conditioning air supply device 101.

In the above embodiment, the trim portion 5 is disposed rearward of the vehicle seat 10B, and the conditioned air blown out from the air outlets 8, 9 is guided forward by the air conditioned air guide portion 20 when the vehicle seat 10B is in the rear position P2. Alternatively, the trim portion 5 may be disposed forward of the vehicle seat 10B, and the conditioned air blown out from the air outlets 8, 9 may be guided rearward by the air conditioned air guide portion 20 when the vehicle seat 10B is in the front position P1.

In the above embodiment, the trim section 5 is provided with two air outlets 8, 9, but the number of air outlets is not limited to this, and the number of air outlets can be one or three or more as necessary. In addition, the conditioned air blown from the first air outlet 8 is the main stream and the conditioned air blown from the second air outlet 9 is the secondary stream. However, instead of this, a structure in which the conditioned air blown from the second air outlet 9 is the main stream and the conditioned air blown from the first air outlet 8 is the secondary stream, or a structure in which the blowing speed and volume of the conditioned air blown from the two air outlets 8, 9 are approximately the same can be adopted.

In the above embodiment, a structure in which hot air generated by the heater unit is supplied to the vehicle interior 1a as conditioned air is illustrated, but this structure can of course also be applied to a structure in which cold air is supplied to the vehicle interior 1a as conditioned air.

1 Vehicle 1a Car compartment
1b Vehicle body floor portion 5 Trim portion 8 First air outlet (air outlet)
9 Second air outlet (air outlet)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10B vehicle seat 11 seat cushion portion 12 opposing space 20 air-conditioning air guide portion 21 guideway 22a standing wall 24 inlet opening 27 outlet opening 101 air-conditioning air supply device P1 front position P2 rear position X front-rear direction

Claims (1)

An air conditioning air supply device mounted on a vehicle,
a trim portion having an air outlet provided at a position facing a vehicle interior;
an air conditioning air guide portion provided in an opposing space between a seat cushion portion of the vehicle seat and a vehicle body floor portion;
Equipped with
The air-conditioning air guide section has a guide path that guides the air-conditioning air in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an inlet opening that introduces the air-conditioning air blown out from the air outlet of the trim section into the passenger compartment into the guide path, and an outlet opening that discharges the air-conditioning air from the guide path into the passenger compartment ,
the vehicle seat is a slide seat that is slidable in the front-rear direction between a front position that is a position farthest from the air outlet of the trim portion to a rear position that is a position closest to the air outlet of the trim portion,
the air-conditioning air guide portion has a standing wall provided around the introduction opening in order to guide the air-conditioning air, is fixed integrally to a lower surface of the seat cushion portion of the sliding seat, and is configured to move forward and backward in response to the sliding seat sliding in the forward and backward direction,
An air-conditioning air supply device that supplies conditioned air blown out from the air outlet of the trim portion to an area rearward of the slide sheet when the slide sheet is positioned at the front position, and guides the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet of the trim portion by the air-conditioning air guide portion and supplies the air to an area forward of the slide sheet when the slide sheet is positioned at the rear position .

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