Refrigeration – With vehicle feature – Occupant-type vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-31
2002-05-14
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
With vehicle feature
Occupant-type vehicle
C277S642000, C277S928000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06385984
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle which is mainly employed for an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 13
is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a conventional product.
FIG. 14
is a cross sectional view along a line A—A in FIG.
13
. An air conditioning apparatus a for a vehicle shown in
FIG. 13
corresponds to a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-100642, and is provided with a blower unit b for selectively blowing an internal air within a passenger's room or an external air outside the vehicle, and an air conditioning unit c for air conditioning the blower fed from the blower unit b.
The air conditioning unit c is provided with a vertical-split type unit cased, and the unit case disconstituted by a first case member d
1
having a vertical separation surface e
1
and a second case member d
2
having a vertical separation surface e
2
. A cooling heat exchanger f for cooling a blowing wind from the blower unit b and a heating heat exchanger g for heating a blowing wind passing through the cooling heat exchanger f are received within the unit case d.
As shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14
, a receiving recess groove i for a waterproof member h which waterproofs a condensed water generated due to a dehumidification in the cooling heat exchanger f is formed along the separation surface e
1
of the predetermined portion, on the separation surface e
1
in a predetermined portion covering a lower end portion of the cooling heat exchanger f, in a bottom portion of the first case member d
1
. Further, a fitting recess groove k
1
of a recess and convex fitting portion k for assembling the first case d
1
with the second case member d
2
is also formed on the separation surface e
1
of the first case member d
1
. The fitting recess groove k
1
is formed all around the separation surface e
1
, and is positioned inside the receiving recess groove i in the predetermined portion of the first case member d
1
. A rod-like waterproof member h having an elasticity is received within the receiving recess groove i in a state of being pressed and compressed by a pressing rib j mentioned below.
The pressing rib j fitted to the receiving recess groove i of the first case member d
1
so as to press and compress the waterproof member h within the receiving recess groove i is formed along the separation surface e
2
in the predetermined portion, on the partition surface e
2
in the predetermined portion covering the lower end portion of the cooling heat exchanger f, in the bottom portion of the second case member d
2
. Further, a fitting rib k
2
of the recess and convex fitting portion k fitted to the fitting recess groove k
1
of the first case member d
1
is also formed on the separation surface e
2
of the second case member d
2
. The fitting rib k
2
is formed all around the separation surface e
2
, and is positioned inside the pressing rib j in the predetermined portion of the second case member d
2
.
In this case, a gap S with respect to the waterproof member h is formed at four corners within the receiving recess groove i. In particular, since a beveling is applied to a front end portion of the pressing rib j so as to make it easy to insert within the receiving recess groove i, gaps S
1
and S
2
with respect to the waterproof member h are easily formed in an open end side of the receiving recess groove i, within the receiving recess groove i.
A condensed water generated due to the dehumidification in the cooling heat exchanger f and dropping from the cooling heat exchanger f enters and stores in accordance with a capillary phenomenon to the portion positioned below the cooling heat exchanger f, in the gap S
1
positioned in the open end side of the receiving recess groove i and the inner wall surface side of the unit case d among the gap S with respect to the waterproof member h within the receiving recess groove i. Further, the stored condensed water ascends in the gap S in correspondence to the internal pressure increase within the unit case d at a time of operating the air conditioning apparatus a and reaches the front end of the waterproof member f, and circulates in the gap S
2
in the outer wall surface side of the unit case d from the front end thereof so as to leak out of the unit case d.
In the same manner, in the case that the unit case b
1
of the blower unit b is the vertical-split type, even when the receiving recess groove i is provided on the separation surface of the bottom portion in the unit case b
1
and the waterproof member h is received within the receiving recess groove i in a compressed state, a water such as a rainwater or the like entering within the unit case b
1
together with the external air outside the vehicle enters and stores to the gap S
1
with respect to the waterproof member h within the receiving recess groove i, and leaks out of the unit case b
1
in accordance with an increase of the internal pressure within the unit case b
1
at a time of operating the air conditioning apparatus a.
In order to prevent the leakage of water mentioned above, in accordance with the conventional product illustrated in
FIG. 15
, a waterproof reinforcing rib m for reinforcing a waterproof of an end portion of a waterproof member h′ within a receiving recess groove i′ and preventing the condensed water from circulating from a front end of the waterproof member h′ is provided on an inner wall surface of the receiving recess groove i′. However, in accordance with the conventional product, a time for attaching the waterproof member h′ within the receiving recess groove i′ is increased and a production cost is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle which can prevent a unit case from a leakage of water and can prevent a time for attaching a waterproof member within a receiving recess groove from being increased so as to reduce a production cost.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a vertical-split type unit case formed by assembling at least two case members having separation surfaces;
a receiving recess groove for a waterproof member formed on the separation surface of a bottom portion in the unit case along the separation surface; and
the rod-like waterproof member having an elasticity, which is received within the receiving recess groove in a compressed state,
wherein a storage gap positioned in a side of an inner wall surface of the unit case among the gap with respect to the waterproof member within the receiving recess groove and storing a water entered from the inner portion of the unit case, and communicating portion communicating with the inner portion of the unit case are respectively provided at both end portions of the receiving recess groove in the unit case.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle as recited in the first aspect, wherein the communicating portion is provided in an upward inclined portion of the unit case upward inclined toward a front end of the closest receiving recess groove.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle as recited in the first or second aspect, wherein a fitting recess groove of a recess and convex fitting portion for assembling the case member is formed to an upper portion from the receiving recess groove along the receiving recess groove, in an inner side of the receiving recess groove, on the separation surface of the unit case, the communicating portion communicates the gap within the fitting recess groove of the recess and convex fitting portion with the inner portion of the unit case.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air
Ali Mohammad M
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Tapolcai William E.
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