Refrigeration – Processes – Assembling – charging – or repairing of refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-18
2001-06-19
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Processes
Assembling, charging, or repairing of refrigeration producer
C062S244000, C062S298000, C403S012000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247319
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure and method for installation of an overhead-type air conditioning unit for a vehicle, and especially relates to the art to improve the comfort of a passenger component and to improve the operability of the installation.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-117233, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a vehicle such as what is termed a one-box car or a limousine, there is a case that an air conditioning unit exclusively used for the rear seats, which consists of a second line or second and third lines of seats of the vehicle, is installed. This air conditioning unit is mainly mounted on the ceiling of the passenger compartment as shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
, and is generally called an overhead-type air conditioning unit.
The conventional overhead-type air conditioning unit is briefly explained as follows with
FIGS. 4 and 5
.
FIG. 4
shows an example of the overhead-type air conditioning unit (hereafter, called “a rear air conditioning unit”) which is installed in the one-box car. Reference number
1
in these figures denotes the rear air conditioning unit, reference number
2
denotes a front air conditioning unit, reference number
3
denotes a compressor, reference number
4
denotes a condenser, and reference number
5
denotes a side condenser. In this unit, compressed coolant which is compressed by the compressor
3
and has high temperature and high pressure, is cooled by the condenser
4
and side condenser
5
, and is supplied to the rear air conditioning unit
1
and the front air conditioning unit
2
.
FIG. 5
shows the rear air conditioning unit
1
mounted on the ceiling of the passenger compartment and is shown from the rear side of the passenger compartment. The rear air conditioning unit
1
is fastened on a body constructing member
7
by brackets
6
at both ends. In practice, for preventing the exposure of the installing members such as the brackets
6
, a treatment such as covering these members with appropriate covering members
8
are performed as shown in FIG.
6
. Furthermore, in
FIG. 6
, reference number
9
denote drain hoses and reference number
10
denote coolant pipes.
In the above-mentioned rear air conditioning unit
1
, the installing structure is required to secure as much headroom as possible because the unit is mounted on the ceiling of the passenger compartment. Therefore, as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, improvements such as installing the unit between two reinforcement members
12
which project towards the inner side of a roof panel
11
and extend along the width direction, are usually carried out to set the unit at the highest position as possible.
However, the installation operation of the oblong rear air conditioning unit must be performed in a restricted space in the passenger compartment, and installation of the unit by oneself is not easy. Therefore, in the conventional installation method, the rear air conditioning unit is lifted between the reinforcement members
12
by two persons and fastened by bolting or the like.
Meanwhile, to perform the installation operation easily by oneself, an installation method in which mounting the unit on the brackets fastened to both ends of the body, and sliding the mounted unit to the front or rear sides, is conceivable. However, in practice, the sliding operation is prevented by the interference between the unit and the reinforcement mers
12
. Therefore, the unit cannot be placed between the reinforcement members
12
, and there is a problem that the amount of the unit projecting from the ceiling is increased.
The present invention is provided in compliance with the above circumstances, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide the structure and method to improve the comfortability of the passenger compartment by raising the installation position of the overhead-type rear air conditioning unit, and to improve the operability of the installation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses the following means being provided to solve the above-disclosed problems.
That is, the present invention relates the installation structure of an overhead-type air conditioning unit for a vehicle which is installed in a ceiling portion of a passenger compartment, and characterized in that the installation structure comprises: a bracket having a body fastening portion, an air conditioning unit fastening portion into which bolt holes are bored, and a temporary fastening portion into which a connecting hole is bored and located at the lower side of the air conditioning unit fastening portion via a predetermined space, in one body, and installed beforehand in a body constructing member; and an installation member having a bracket fastening portion into which bolt holes are bored and a connecting hook which is downwardly provided at the point of the bracket fastening portion, and fastened on the side portion of the air conditioning unit; wherein, the connecting hook is inserted into the connecting hole for temporary fastening, and after that, the bracket fastening portion is fastened the air conditioning unit fastening portion by bolting.
In this installation structure, the temporary fastening of the air conditioning unit is easily performed by insertion of the connecting hook to the connecting hole, and an operability of the installation is improved.
The installation structure of the overhead-type air conditioning unit for the vehicle of the present invention also characterized in that the installation structure comprises: a first bracket having a body fastening portion, an air conditioning unit fastening portion into which bolt holes are bored, and a temporary fastening portion into which a connecting hole is bored and located at the lower side of said air conditioning unit fastening portion via a predetermined space, in one body, and installed beforehand in one of the body constructing members which are located on the right and left; a first installation member having a bracket fastening portion into which bolt holes are bored and a connecting hook which is downwardly provided at the point of the bracket fastening portion, and fastened on one side portion of the air conditioning unit; a second bracket having a body fastening portion and an air conditioning unit fastening portion into which bolt holes and a temporary fastening hole are bored, and installed beforehand in the other of the body constructing members; and a second installation member having a bracket fastening portion into which bolt holes are bored and an elastic temporary fastening member is upwardly projected, and fastened on the other side portion of the air conditioning unit; wherein, the connecting hook is inserted into the connecting hole for temporary fastening at one side, and after that, the elastic temporary fastening member is forcibly inserted into the temporary fastening hole for temporary fastening, and furthermore, both of the bracket fastening portions are fastened to both of the air conditioning unit fastening portions by bolting.
In this case, it is preferable that the size of the connecting hole is determined to permit the movement of the connecting hook in the connecting hole along the longitudinal and width directions of the connecting hole.
Furthermore, it is preferable that two oval holes extend along the width direction of the vehicle are bored to serve as the bolt holes at the front and rear sides of the connecting hook of the first installation member.
In addition, it is preferable that the elastic temporary fastening member is a resin clip.
In this installation structure, since the temporary fastening at both sides of the air conditioning unit can be performed by an easy operation, the operator can entirely free both his hands from the air conditioning unit so as to begin the bolting.
The present invention also relates the installation method of the overhead-type air conditioning unit for a vehicle whic
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Tapolcai William E.
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