JPH0543525B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an air conditioner for an automobile.

Conventionally, this type of vehicle is known to lower the temperature inside the vehicle by introducing outside air into the vehicle in order to prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from becoming too high when the vehicle is parked under the scorching sun. However, in conventional systems, the inside/outside air setting member (usually a lever-shaped member is often used) that manually sets the inside air circulation and outside air intake, which is provided in a normal automobile air conditioner, and the outside air setting member (usually a lever-shaped member is often used) are used separately. An additional operating member is provided to operate the ventilation system, which is cumbersome to operate, and the ventilation path is fixed to the outside air introduction side when parking, even when it is not necessary to introduce outside air when parking. As a result, there was a problem that dust from outside the vehicle could enter the interior of the vehicle.

The present invention was created in view of the above points, and not only can the parking ventilation operation be performed easily, but also allows outside air to be reliably introduced into the vehicle interior when ventilation is required during parking. The purpose is to prevent dust, etc. from outside the vehicle from entering the interior of the vehicle when unnecessary. to this end,
The present invention provides a ventilation path having an inside air circulation path that circulates air inside the vehicle interior and an outside air introduction path that introduces air outside the vehicle interior into the vehicle interior, a damper that switches between the inside air circulation path and the outside air introduction path, and a damper that switches between the inside air circulation path and the outside air introduction path; A fan that introduces air from outside the vehicle interior into the vehicle interior through the introduction path, a power source that drives the fan, and a manual operation that switches the operating mode of the air conditioner to three operating modes: outside air introduction, inside air circulation, and parking ventilation. a first switch that is opened and closed according to the operating mode switched by the manual operation means and sets the fan to be driven or not; and a first switch that is opened and closed in conjunction with the on/off operation of the engine key switch of the automobile. 2 switch, when the first switch is set to the drive side of the fan and the second switch is operated to an open/close position corresponding to an engine key switch off state, electrical connection is established between the fan and the power source. When the parking ventilation mode is operated, the manual operating means sets the first switch to the fan drive side and switches the damper to the outside air introduction side, thereby starting the inside air circulation. When the mode is operated, the first switch is set to the non-driving side of the fan and the damper is switched to the inside air circulation side, and when the mode is operated to the outside air introduction mode, the first switch is set to the non-driving side of the fan. The present invention provides an air conditioner for an automobile, characterized in that the damper is set to the outside air introduction side and is configured to switch the damper to the outside air introduction side.

According to the present invention, the inside air circulation mode, the outside air introduction mode, and the parking ventilation mode of the air conditioner can be arbitrarily set according to the will of the occupant by operating the manual operation member. Moreover, the parking ventilation mode can be easily set by just one operation of a single manual operating member.

When parking with the engine key switch turned off, if you set the parking ventilation mode,
The fan is electrically connected to the power supply and the fan operates, and the damper is switched to the outside air intake side, preventing outside air from being introduced into the cabin and causing the temperature inside the cabin to rise abnormally. do.

On the other hand, when ventilation is not required when parking (such as when the outside temperature is low), by setting the inside air circulation mode using the manual operation means, the first switch is set to the non-drive side of the fan, and the damper is is switched to the internal air circulation side. As a result, the fan does not operate and the outside air introduction path is closed by the damper, so that dust, moisture, noise, etc. from outside the vehicle can be prevented from entering the vehicle interior through the outside air introduction path when the vehicle is parked.

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. In FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an operation panel for an air conditioner installed near the driver's seat in the vehicle interior, and in addition to the original operation mechanism for the air conditioner, it also has an operation mechanism for the ventilation system according to the present invention. It was added. Reference numeral 2 denotes an operation lever of an inside/outside air setting member installed on the operation panel 1 for switching between inside and outside air;
2a is the operating knob that protrudes above the panel. 3 is a solar cell fixed to the roof of the car, which receives sunlight B from sun A and converts it into electrical energy, which becomes a power source. Reference numeral 4 designates a parking damper which constitutes the device of the present invention and which is linked via the operating lever 2 and the connecting rod 10 and is activated when parking, and which opens and closes the ventilation passage 13 that introduces relatively low-temperature outside air behind the front tire house. , and is always urged toward the F position by a spring or the like. Reference numeral 5 designates an inside/outside air switching damper which is interlocked with the operating lever 2 via a connecting rod 11 to switch between inside and outside air of the air conditioner, and like the parking damper 4, it is always biased toward the F' position. Reference numeral 6 indicates a thermostat that is installed one or more in the vehicle interior and detects the vehicle interior temperature, and reference numeral 7 indicates a ventilation fan provided in the air conditioner ventilation path 14, which is separate from the air conditioner fan (not shown). This is a small fan dedicated to ventilation that constitutes an independently provided device of the present invention. Here, a fan of an air conditioner, a heat exchanger, various dampers, etc. are provided in the passage 14, and although illustration thereof is omitted, they have the same configuration as a conventional one. Reference numeral 8 denotes a parking switch required for the device of the present invention, which is operated at the tip of the operating lever 2 when parking the vehicle, and is connected in series in the middle of an electric circuit connecting the solar battery 3 that serves as the power source and the fan 7. 7 is set to be driven or not driven. 9
is a switch that operates in conjunction with the engine key switch and is closed when the engine key switch is turned off, and is connected in series with the switch 8 in the middle of the electric circuit. These thermostats 6, a parking switch 8, a switch 9 interlocked with a key switch, a ventilation fan 7, and a solar cell 3 are connected in series as shown in FIG. In addition, the operating lever 2 is controlled by a guide plate 12 corresponding to the positions of inside air circulation (RECIRC), outside air introduction (FRESH), and parking ventilation (PARKING) newly added to the device of the present invention on the operation panel 1. This gives a sense of moderation in the operating position.

The operation of the device of the present invention with the above configuration will be explained.
First, as shown in Figure 2a, turn the operating lever 2.
When set to the PARKING position, parking damper 4
is opened to the P side, and an outside air introduction ventilation path 13 from the back of the tire house is communicated with an air conditioner ventilation path 14 to the vehicle interior. At the same time, the parking switch 8 is turned on, and at this time, when the sunlight B from the sun A is strong, the amount of power generated by the solar cell 3 becomes sufficiently large, the temperature inside the vehicle becomes high, and the thermostat 6 is turned on.
Furthermore, when the engine key switch is turned off and the switch 9 is turned on, the ventilation fan 7 is rotated. Then, outside air is introduced from the back of the front tire house through the ventilation path 13 by the ventilation fan 7 as shown by arrow A, and the interior of the vehicle can be ventilated. Therefore, when the amount of radiation is large when the vehicle is parked, the interior of the vehicle can be ventilated by simply operating the operating lever 2 that switches between inside and outside air.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2b, when the operating lever 2 is operated to the FRESH position when the vehicle is not parked, the parking damper 4 is returned to the F position and the passage 13 is closed. On the other hand, the inside/outside air switching damper 5 is kept at the F' position side,
Parking switch 8 is turned off. Therefore, in this state, if a normal air conditioning fan (not shown) is operated, outside air will flow from the outside air intake passage 15 in the direction of arrow B, and outside air will be introduced.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2c, the operating lever 2
is activated to the RECIR position, parking damper 4
remains at the F position side, and the inside/outside air switching damper 5
is operated to the R position side to open the inside air intake port 16, thereby forming a ventilation passage so that inside air can be circulated by a normal air conditioning fan, and the air inside the vehicle is circulated in the direction of arrow C.

In the above embodiment, the ventilation fan 7 was installed in the air conditioner ventilation path 14, but as shown in FIG.
3 (see 7'). By doing so, it is possible to reduce the ventilation resistance when the normal air conditioning fan 17 or the like is operated.

Furthermore, if the sunlight B is strong and the amount of power generated by the solar cells is sufficiently large, the air conditioning fan 17 may be operated using this power. That is, the fifth
As shown in the figure, the ventilation fan 7 dedicated to parking can be eliminated.

In the above-described embodiment, the fulcrum 2 is used as an operating means for setting the switch 8 to the non-driving side and the driving side of the fan 7, and for setting the switching of the damper 5 for switching between the inside air circulation path and the outside air introduction path.
The operating lever 2 that rotates around b is used, but instead of the lever 2, a dial-shaped operating device that is rotated is used, and in conjunction with the rotational movement of this operating device, the switch 8, damper 4, 5 may be opened and closed, and it goes without saying that various other configurations are possible.

In addition, in the above embodiment, in order to control the drive of the fan 7, the parking switch 8 and the switch 9 interlocked with the engine switch are connected in series in the middle of the electric circuit connecting the power source B and the fan 7. It is not limited to such a configuration. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the electrical circuit to which power source B and fan 7 are connected when both switches 8 and 9 are turned on.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cab-over type vehicle such as a wagon, and in this type of vehicle, the outside air introduction passage 15 of the air conditioner is provided opening around the bumper. Therefore, relatively low temperature outside air can be introduced from this passage 15 even when the vehicle is parked. Taking this point into consideration, in this example, the parking damper 4 and ventilation passage 13 in the previous embodiments are eliminated.

As described above, according to the present invention, by operating the manual operation member, the inside air circulation mode, outside air introduction mode, and parking ventilation mode of the air conditioner can be arbitrarily set according to the intention of the occupant. In particular, a special operating mode called parking ventilation mode can be set extremely easily by just one operation of a single manual operation member, which eliminates the possibility of operating errors for the occupants and greatly improves operability. It has a good effect.

Automotive air conditioners are equipped with a large number of operating members, such as a blowout mode setting member, an inside/outside air setting member (in charge of the manual operation member of the present invention), an air volume setting member, and an on/off switch for the air conditioning compressor. When ventilating the vehicle while parking, it is necessary to add a new operating member that instructs parking ventilation and to operate this new operating member in combination with a specific operating member among the many operating members mentioned above. for,
There are cases in which the parking ventilation mode cannot be set due to an operational error. In particular, while the vehicle is parked, the vehicle is often not occupied by a vehicle occupant, so the above-mentioned operational errors are left uncorrected.

However, in the present invention, as described above, the parking ventilation mode can be easily set by operating a single manual operation member only once, so no operational errors occur, and the practical effect is extremely large. It is.

On the other hand, when ventilation is not required when parking (for example, when the outside temperature is low), by setting the inside air circulation mode using the manual operation means, the damper is switched to the inside air circulation side, and the outside air introduction path is switched to the damper. Since it is closed, dust, moisture, noise, etc. from outside the vehicle can be prevented from entering the vehicle interior through the outside air introduction path when the vehicle is parked.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automobile equipped with a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2a shows the ventilation system when parking. 2b shows a normal outside air intake state, FIG. 2c shows an inside air circulation state, FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a ventilation fan, and FIG. 4 shows a front part of a car showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic sectional views showing other embodiments of the present invention. 2... Operation lever, 3... Solar battery, 4... Parking damper, 5... Inside/outside air switching damper, 7... Ventilation fan, 8... Parking switch, 13... Outside air introduction ventilation duct, 14... Air conditioning Equipment ventilation path.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A ventilation passage having an inside air circulation path that circulates air inside the vehicle interior and an outside air introduction path that introduces air outside the vehicle interior into the vehicle interior, and a damper that switches between the inside air circulation path and the outside air introduction path. , a fan that introduces air outside the vehicle interior into the vehicle interior through the outside air introduction path; a power source that drives the fan; and an air conditioner that operates in three operating modes: outside air introduction, inside air circulation, and parking ventilation. a first switch that opens and closes according to the operating mode switched by the manual operating means and sets driving and non-driving of the fan; and a first switch that opens and closes in conjunction with the on/off of the engine key switch of the automobile. a second switch that connects the fan and the power source when the first switch is set to the drive side of the fan and the second switch is operated to an open/close position corresponding to an engine key switch off state; and an electric circuit that electrically connects between and when operating in the internal air circulation mode, the first switch is set to the non-driving side of the fan, and the damper is switched to the internal air circulation side;
An air conditioner for an automobile, characterized in that, when operated in an outside air introduction mode, the first switch is set to a fan non-driving side and the damper is switched to an outside air introduction side.