Ventilation – Vehicle – Having inlet airway
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-26
2002-07-09
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having inlet airway
C454S069000, C454S121000, C137S601010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416404
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to air conditioner units, and more particularly to the air conditioner units for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to clarify the task of the present invention, one known air conditioner unit for a motor vehicle will be described with reference to
FIG. 12
of the accompanying drawings, which is shown in Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 9-20128.
The known air conditioner unit “a” comprises a case “b” in which many air passages are defined. The case “b” has a ventilation air blow opening “c”, a defroster air blow opening “d” and a foot air blow opening “e” from which conditioned air is discharged to the outside of the case “b”.
A first mode door “f” is arranged at the ventilation air blow opening “c” for adjusting the rate of air blown outward from the opening “c”. That is, the first mode door “f” is pivoted between a close position to close the ventilation air blow opening “c” while opening the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and the foot air blow opening “e”, and an open position to open the ventilation air blow opening “c” while closing the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and the foot air blow opening “e”.
In the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and the foot air blow opening “e”, there is arranged a second mode door “g” which can adjust both the rate of air blown outward from the defroster air blow opening “d” and the rate of air blown outward from the foot air blow opening “e”. That is, this second mode door “g” is pivoted between a foot position to open the foot air blow opening “e” while closing the defroster air blow opening “d” and a defroster position to open the defroster air blow opening “d” while closing the foot air blow opening “e”.
In the unit case “b”, there is arranged a mode door actuating mechanism “h” which actuates the first and second mode doors “f” and “g” to their desired positions under a given mode. That is, the mode door actuating mechanism “h” comprises a first actuating lever “h
1
” fixed to a pivot shaft of the first mode door “f”, and a second actuating lever “h
2
” fixed to a pivot shaft of the second mode door “g”. The mechanism “h” further comprises a rotatable main link “h
4
” which is engageable with the first actuating lever “h
1
” and engageable with the second actuating lever “h
2
” through an intermediate link “h
3
”. Although not shown in the drawing, the mechanism “h” further comprises a drive cable which pulls the main link “h
4
” to a desired position under a given mode.
The intermediate link “h
3
” is pivotally connected to the unit case “b” and comprises two arm portions which extend radially outward from its pivoted center portion. One of the arm portions has at its leading end a pin “j” slidably engaged with a cam slot “i” formed in the second actuating lever “h
2
”, and the other arm portion is formed with a cam slot “k”. The intermediate link “h
3
” functions to turn the second mode door “g” in a direction opposite to the direction of the first mode door“f”.
The main link “h
4
” comprises three, viz., first, second and third arm portions which extend radially outward from its pivoted center portion. The first arm portion has at its leading end a pin “n” slidably engaged with a cam slot “m” formed in the first actuating lever “h
1
”, the second arm portion has at its leading end a pin “p” slidably engaged with a cam slot “k” formed in the intermediate link “h
3
”, and the third arm portion has at its leading end a connecting opening “q” to which the drive cable (not shown) is connected.
In the air conditioner unit “a” having the above-mentioned construction, for achieving a ventilation mode of the unit “a”, the main link “h
4
” is pivoted to a given position by the drive cable, so that the first mode door “f” opens the ventilation air blow opening “c” while closing the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and foot air blow opening “e”. While, for achieving a defroster mode of the unit “a”, the first mode door “f” is pivoted to open the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and foot air blow opening “e” while closing the ventilation air blow opening “c” and the second mode door “g” is pivoted to open the defroster air blow opening “d” while closing the foot air blow opening “e”. While, for achieving a foot mode of the unit “a”, the first mode door “f” opens the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening “d” and foot air blow opening “e” while closing the ventilation air blow opening “c”, and the second mode door “g” opens the foot air blow opening “e” while closing the defroster air blow opening “d”.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the above-mentioned known air conditioner unit “a”, the mode door actuating mechanism “h” includes the rotatable main link “h
4
” and the intermediate link “h
3
” which are relatively large in size. Due to usage of such larger parts, the layout of the three openings “c”, “d” and “e” and the two mode doors “f” and “g” is highly limited, which causes a difficulty with which the air conditioner unit “a” is made compact in size.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner unit which can be compact in size due to usage of a compact mode door actuating mechanism.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a casing having a plurality of air passages defined therein; pivotal mode doors pivotally arranged in the case to provide given operation modes of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each mode door having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to the outside of a wall of the case; and a mode door actuating mechanism arranged on the wall of the case to actuate the pivotal mode doors, the mode door actuating mechanism comprising operation levers which are pivotal relative to the wall of the case, each operation lever having a cam opening and being connected to the exposed leading end of the pivot shaft of the corresponding mode door to pivot therewith; a slider member which is slidable relative to the wall of the case; engaging pins provided on the slider member and slidably engaged with the cam openings of the operation levers respectively; and an actuator member for sliding the slider member relative to the wall of the case.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a case having a plurality of air passages defined therein; at least two pivotal mode doors pivotally arranged in the case to provide various operation modes of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to the outside from a wall of the case; and a mode door actuating mechanism attached to an outer surface of the wall of the case to actuate the two pivotal mode doors, the mode door actuating mechanism comprising a base structure adapted to be mounted to the outer surface of the wall; two operation levers pivotally held at respective hub portions thereof by the base structure, each operation lever having a cam opening and being coaxially connected to the leading end of the pivot shaft of corresponding one of the two mode doors; a slider member slidably held on the base structure; two engaging pins provided on the slider member and slidably engaged with the cam openings of the two operation levers respectively; and an actuator member for sliding the slider member relative to the base structure.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a case having a plurality of air passages defined therein; two pivotal mode doors pivotally arranged in the case to provide various operation modes of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is expos
Boles Derek S.
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Foley & Lardner
Joyce Harold
LandOfFree
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