JP2000318434A - Vehicular air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light vehicular air conditioner with a small installation space. SOLUTION: When the current of a prescribed direction is streamed to a Peltier element 12 arranged inside an instrument panel reinforcement 11, the air in a first chamber S1 is heated by the heat radiation of the Peltier element 12 and the air in a second chamber S2 is cooled by the heat suction of the Peltier element 12. Meantime, the outer air or inner air is supplied to the second chamber S2 by a second ventilation route 14 and blown out to the car inside, but as the heat radiation in the first chamber S1 is continued by the outside air being constantly supplied to and discharged from the first chamber S1 through the first ventilation route 13, the heat suction in the second chamber S2 is continud and the continuously cooled air is blown out from respective ventilation ports 17, 18, 19. While, when a direct current is streamed in the direction opposite to this, the continuously heated air is blown out from respective ventilation ports.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional air conditioner for a vehicle, for example, shown in FIG. 7 is known. This vehicle air conditioner 10
At 0, when the blower motor 101 is driven to rotate and air outside the vehicle (outside air) or inside air (inside air) is sucked into the device,
The drawn air is cooled by being deprived of heat by evaporating the refrigerant inside the evaporator 102 when passing through the evaporator 102, and then passing through the heater core 103 when passing through the heater core 103 through which the engine cooling water of about 80 ° C. flows. 103 is heated by heat, and thereafter, the registers 104 and 1, which are outlets provided at predetermined positions in the vehicle.
It reaches 05,106 and blows out from there. In addition,
The temperature can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air passing through the heater core 103 by the air mix damper 107 or by adjusting the heater core 1.
03 to the water valve 1
This is performed by adjusting the value at 08.

Here, cooling of air will be described below. After the gaseous refrigerant is compressed to a high temperature and a high pressure by the compressor 110, it is condensed and liquefied by the condenser 111,
Next, the refrigerant is rapidly expanded by the expansion valve 112 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure mist, and the mist-like refrigerant removes heat from the air passing through the evaporator 102 to form the evaporator 1.
The refrigerant evaporates in the inside of the gas turbine 02 and becomes a gaseous refrigerant and is guided to the compressor 110.

[0004]

However, in the vehicle air conditioner 100 shown in FIG. 7, in order to cool the air, equipment such as the compressor 110, the condenser 111, and the expansion valve 112 are required in addition to the evaporator 102. These devices account for a large proportion of the engine room of the vehicle and also contribute to an increase in vehicle weight.

Further, the compressor 110 is generally driven by a belt from a crank pulley of the engine, and the heater core 103 is heated by using engine cooling water. Is not applicable, and it is difficult to say that the method is easily applicable to a hybrid vehicle in which the driving of the engine is stopped and the vehicle travels only by driving the motor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a vehicle air conditioner having a smaller installation space and a lighter vehicle weight than conventional ones. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner capable of air conditioning without using the driving force of an engine or cooling water.

[0007]

An air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention is installed in a vehicle lateral direction on the back side of an instrument panel (abbreviation of an instrument panel), and the inside of the vehicle is vertically divided into two parts. A pipe in which a first chamber and a second chamber are formed, and one of the element surfaces inside the pipe is a first chamber and the other is a second chamber.
A first Peltier element disposed so as to face the chamber, and a first Peltier element formed so that air flowing into the first chamber from the outside flows along the pipe axial direction and then flows out of the first chamber to the outside. A ventilation path, and a second ventilation path formed so that air that has flowed into the second chamber from outside or from inside the vehicle flows in the pipe axial direction and then flows out of the second chamber into the vehicle. I do.

A Peltier element is composed of a large number of p-type thermoelectric semiconductors and n-type thermoelectric semiconductors arranged in pairs in a plane, and is electrically connected in series so that the p-type thermoelectric semiconductors and the n-type thermoelectric semiconductors are alternately connected. A known element that receives heat on one side and generates heat on the opposite side when a direct current is applied to the element. FIG. 6 shows an example of a Peltier device. In this figure, a large number of pairs of p-type thermoelectric semiconductors and n-type thermoelectric semiconductors are arranged in a plane between two ceramic substrates 90 and 91. For example, a pair of p-type thermoelectric semiconductors 81 and n
The upper surfaces of the p-type thermoelectric semiconductors 82 are connected by one copper electrode plate 83, and the lower surfaces of the p-type thermoelectric semiconductors 81 are connected to the lower surfaces of the n-type thermoelectric semiconductors 84 on the left side by one copper electrode plate 85. The lower surface of the n-type thermoelectric semiconductor 82 is connected to the lower surface of the pair of p-type thermoelectric semiconductors 86 on the right side by one copper electrode plate 87. When a DC current flows from the lead wire 88 to the lead wire 89, heat is absorbed on the upper surface side and heat is dissipated on the lower surface side. When a DC current is passed in the opposite direction, heat is dissipated on the upper surface side and heat is absorbed on the lower surface side.

In the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the Peltier element is disposed so that one element surface faces the first chamber of the pipe and the other element surface faces the second chamber. . Therefore, when a DC current in a certain direction is applied to the Peltier element, the air in the first chamber is warmed by the heat radiation action of the Peltier element, and the air in the second chamber is cooled by the heat absorption action of the Peltier element. At this time, air from the outside or the inside of the vehicle is supplied to the second room through the second ventilation path and is blown out into the vehicle. However, air from the outside is constantly supplied to the first room through the first ventilation path. As the heat is discharged, the heat radiation action in the first chamber is continued, and the heat absorption action in the second chamber is also continued. As a result, constantly cooled air is blown out from the second ventilation path. On the other hand, when a direct current is applied in the opposite direction, the air in the first chamber is cooled by the heat absorbing action, and the air in the second chamber is heated by the heat releasing action. At this time, air from the outside or the inside of the vehicle is supplied to the second room through the second ventilation path and is blown out into the vehicle. However, air from the outside is constantly supplied to the first room through the first ventilation path. As the heat is discharged, the heat absorbing action in the first chamber is continued, so that the heat radiating action in the second chamber is also continued. As a result, the constantly warmed air is blown out from the second ventilation path. That is, in the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, by switching the direction of the direct current flowing through the Peltier element, the air conditioner can be arbitrarily switched to the cooler heater, and the air conditioning in the vehicle can be performed. Of course, the direction of the DC current flowing through the Peltier element may not be switched and may be dedicated to a cooler or a heater.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the evaporator, compressor, condenser, heater core, etc., which were conventionally required, are not required, and the pipe containing the Peltier element can be mounted on the back of the instrument panel in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Since only installation is required, the installation space is small and the vehicle weight is reduced.

In the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, it is preferable that the pipe is an instrument panel reinforcement. The instrument panel reinforcement is for mounting a steering support, audio equipment, an airbag, and the like, and is installed in the vehicle lateral direction on the back side of the instrument panel. That is, since the instrument panel reinforcement, which is an existing vehicle component, is used, it is more advantageous in terms of installation space and vehicle weight and weight.

In the air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention, the temperature of the air flowing out of the second ventilation path into the vehicle is adjusted by utilizing the air that has flowed through the first chamber along the pipe axis direction. A mechanism may be provided. For example, when air that has flowed into the second chamber from outside or inside the vehicle is subjected to an endothermic action in the second chamber, the air becomes low temperature after passing through the second chamber. Then, the air heated by the heat radiation in the first chamber is used. As a result, the temperature of air can be adjusted without using a heater core using engine cooling water as in the related art.

The vehicle air conditioner of the present invention can be applied to an automobile driven by an engine, but is particularly suitable for an electric automobile or a hybrid vehicle. Some of the components of the conventional vehicle air conditioner use the driving power of the engine or the cooling water of the engine, so the electric motor without the engine or the motor drive without driving the engine It has been difficult to say that such a conventional vehicle air conditioner is suitable for a hybrid vehicle that can travel only by itself. On the other hand, the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention does not use the driving force of the engine or the like, and is therefore suitable for electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles. It goes without saying that it can be applied to ordinary cars that run with the engine driven,

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the whole of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing showing a flow. The vehicle air conditioner 10 of this embodiment includes an instrument panel reinforcement 11, a Peltier element 12, a first ventilation path 13, and a second ventilation path 14.

The instrument panel reinforcement 11 is a reinforcing pipe for mounting a steering support, audio equipment, an airbag, and the like (not shown). One end of the instrument panel reinforcement 11 is a bracket 15
, The pipe hole is closed, and the other end is flattened by crushing the pipe, and the flattened portion is provided with long holes 16 for bolt fastening. Also, the instrument panel reinforcement 11 is provided with brackets 15 and slots 1 on left and right front pillars (not shown) on the back side of the instrument panel.
The bolts are fastened via the tires 6 and 16, and as a result, the vehicle is installed in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, instrument panel reinforcement 11
On the inside of the vehicle, vents 17, 18, and 19 are provided on the left, center, and right sides, respectively, between the vents 17 and 18, and between the vents 18 and 19. Are intake pipes 20 and 21 for introducing outside air or inside air.
Is connected. A blower motor 22 is provided upstream of the intake pipes 20 and 21. On the other hand, on the side of the instrument panel reinforcement 11, on the front side of the vehicle, an intake pipe 23 for sending air outside the vehicle is connected near the left end, and an exhaust pipe 24 for sending air outside the vehicle is connected near the right end. ing. This intake pipe 2
A blower motor 25 is also provided upstream of 3. Note that the exhaust pipe 24 may be connected to the left end, and the intake pipe 23 may be connected to the right end.

The instrument panel reinforcement 11 is provided with a partition member 26 for vertically dividing the inside into two.
The partition member 26 separates the left and right ends of the instrument panel reinforcement 11 into a first chamber S1 and a second chamber S2. Further, the partition member 26 is provided with openings 26a for mounting the Peltier elements 12 at a plurality of locations. The first room S1 is located on the front side of the vehicle, and the second room S2 is located on the rear side of the vehicle, that is, on the inside of the vehicle.

The Peltier element 12 is attached to an opening 26a provided in the partition member 26. The Peltier element 12 is disposed inside the instrument panel reinforcement 11 such that one of the element surfaces faces the first chamber S1 and the other faces the second chamber S2, and aluminum fins 27 and 28 are provided on both sides. Is provided. Further, the Peltier element 12 can flow DC current to the p-type thermoelectric semiconductor and the n-type thermoelectric semiconductor (see FIG. 6) connected in series by using the two lead wires 29 and 30. The partition member 26 to which the Peltier element 12 is attached makes the first chamber S1 and the second chamber S2 almost completely independent, and the air in each chamber is not mixed inside the instrument panel reinforcement 11. Absent. For this reason, heat absorption and heat dissipation in each room are performed efficiently. Also, considering the efficiency of heat absorption and heat dissipation in each room,
It is preferable that the partition member 26 has heat insulation. Further, as shown in FIG.
However, the plurality of Peltier elements 12 may be arranged in the partition member 26 without gaps in the pipe axial direction.

When the blower motor 25 is driven, the air flowing into the first chamber S1 from the outside through the intake pipe 23 flows in the axial direction of the pipe after the blower motor 25 is driven. It is formed so as to flow out from the outside. That is, the first ventilation path 13 includes the intake pipe 23, the first chamber S1, and the exhaust pipe 24.
This is the route to 4.

When the blower motor 22 is driven, the second ventilation passage 14 is connected to the intake pipe 2 from the outside or the inside of the vehicle.
The air that has flowed into the second chamber S2 via 0, 21 flows in the axial direction of the pipe, and then flows out of the vehicle through any of the vents 17, 18, 19. That is, the second ventilation path 14 includes the intake pipes 20 and 21, the second chamber S2, and the ventilation ports 17, 18, and 19.
After passing through the second chamber S2 from 21, any of the vents 17, 1
This is a route that passes through the inside of the vehicle via 8, 19. The vents 17, 18, and 19 are respectively connected to left registers, center registers, and right registers of the instrument panel (not shown).

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 10 of the present embodiment will be described. When a positive electrode terminal is connected to one of the two lead wires 29 and 30 of the Peltier element 12 and a negative electrode terminal is connected to the other, a DC current flows in a predetermined direction. The air in the second chamber S2 is heated by the heat radiation action,
Is cooled by the endothermic effect of At this time, the second chamber S2
Is supplied with outside air or inside air through the second ventilation path 14 and is blown out into the vehicle. However, outside air is constantly supplied and discharged through the first ventilation path 13 from the first chamber S1 to the first chamber S1. Since the heat radiating action in S1 is continued, the heat absorbing action in the second chamber S2 is also continued.
Air that is constantly cooled is blown out from the air outlets 18 and 19. On the other hand, when a DC current flows in the opposite direction, the first
The air in the chamber S1 is cooled by an endothermic effect, and
The air is warmed by the heat radiation action. At this time, the second
The outside air or the inside air is supplied to the room S2 by the second ventilation path 14 and is blown out into the vehicle. However, the outside air is constantly supplied to the first chamber S1 by the first ventilation path 13 and is discharged therefrom. Since the endothermic action in one chamber S1 is continued,
The heat radiation action in the second chamber S2 is also continued, and as a result, air in a constantly warmed state is blown out from each of the vents 17, 18, and 19. That is, in the vehicle air conditioner 10, by switching the direction of the DC current flowing through the Peltier element 12, the vehicle air conditioner 10 can be arbitrarily switched to the cooler heater.
Air conditioning inside the vehicle becomes possible.

As described above in detail, according to the vehicle air conditioner 10 of the present embodiment, the evaporator, compressor, condenser, etc., which have been required conventionally, are not required, and the instrument panel reinforcement 11 existing in the vehicle conventionally is eliminated. Since the configuration is such that the Peltier element 12 is built in, the effect that the installation space is small and the vehicle weight is reduced is obtained. Further, since the instrument panel reinforcement 11, which is an existing vehicle component, is used, it is more advantageous in terms of installation space and vehicle weight and weight.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing the configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment and the flow of air. The vehicle air conditioner 50 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the second ventilation path is different. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, an intake pipe 52 for feeding air outside or inside the vehicle is connected near the left end to the inside of the vehicle (that is, the second chamber S2 side) of the side surface of the instrument panel reinforcement 11, and the right end is connected to the right end. An air supply pipe 53 for sending air into the vehicle is connected to the vicinity. An unillustrated blower motor is provided upstream of the intake pipe 52. Further, the downstream side of the air supply pipe 53 is branched, and each branch portion is connected to a plurality of registers 55, 56, 57 provided in the instrument panel. In FIG. 4, the black arrow indicates the first ventilation path 13, and the white arrow indicates the second ventilation path 13.
Represents a ventilation path 54. According to this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing the configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment and the flow of air. The vehicle air conditioner 60 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the second embodiment except that a temperature control mechanism is added. For this reason,
The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, each of the registers 55, 56,
A heater core 61 is provided in an air supply pipe 53 before branching to 57, and an air mix damper 62 for adjusting the amount of air passing through the heater core 61 is provided before the heater core 61. This heater core 61
May use engine cooling water, but here, an air valve 63 is attached to the exhaust pipe 24, and air that has passed through the first chamber S1 is sent to the heater core 61 through the air valve 63, and then discharged from the heater core 61 to the outside. Path is formed. Note that the heater core 61, the air mix damper 62, and the air valve 63 correspond to a temperature control mechanism of the present invention. In FIG. 5, a black arrow indicates the first ventilation path 13, and a white arrow indicates the second ventilation path 64.

This embodiment has the following functions and effects in addition to the functions and effects of the first embodiment. That is, when the air flowing into the second chamber S2 from the outside or the inside of the vehicle receives the heat absorbing action of the Peltier element 12 in the second chamber S2, the air is dehumidified and cooled after passing through the second chamber S2. State. With respect to the air that has passed through the second chamber S2, the amount of air passing through the heater core 61 is adjusted by the air mix damper 62, or the amount of air flowing through the heater core 61 is adjusted by the air valve 63, so that the temperature of the air can be changed. Adjustments can be made. In addition, since the vehicle air conditioner 60 does not use the driving force of the engine or the cooling water of the engine, the vehicle air conditioner 60 may be driven only by the motor drive without driving the electric vehicle without the engine or the engine. Suitable for vehicles. FIG.
Although not shown, a temperature control unit is provided, the temperature control unit inputs a detection signal from a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the vehicle, and controls the air mix damper 62 and the air mix damper 62 so that the temperature inside the vehicle matches the set temperature. The air valve 63 may be controlled. Thereby, an automatic air conditioner can be realized.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the partition member 26 is used. However, when the Peltier element 12 is arranged without a gap in the pipe axis direction, one of the fins 27 and 28 may be used as the partition member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an entire vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a device configuration and a flow of air according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a device configuration and a flow of air according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a device configuration and a flow of air according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a Peltier element.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional vehicle air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle air conditioner, 11 ... Instrument panel reinforcement, 12 ... Peltier element, 13 ... 1st ventilation path, 14 ... 2nd ventilation path, 17-19 ...
Vent port, 20: intake pipe, 22: blower motor, 23: intake pipe, 24: exhaust pipe,
25: blower motor, 27, 28: fin, 2
9, 30 ... lead wire, S1 ... first room, S2 ...
・ Second room.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pipe which is erected in the lateral direction of a vehicle on the back side of an instrument panel and has a first chamber and a second chamber formed by dividing the inside into two vertically, and one of element surfaces inside the pipe is A Peltier element disposed in the first chamber such that the other faces the second chamber, and air flowing into the first chamber from outside flows along the pipe axis direction and then flows out of the first chamber to the outside. And a second ventilation path formed so that air flowing into the second chamber from outside or from inside the vehicle flows in the pipe axial direction and then flows out of the second chamber into the vehicle. A vehicle air conditioner comprising: 2. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is an instrument panel reinforcement. 3. A temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of air flowing out of the second ventilation path into the vehicle by using air after flowing through the first chamber along the pipe axis direction. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 3, which is used for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.