Ventilation – Vehicle – Having inlet airway
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2001-08-28
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having inlet airway
C055S467100, C055S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280316
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to heating and/or air-conditioning devices for motor vehicles.
It relates more particularly to a device comprising a casing housing a motor-driven fan unit suitable for impelling a flow of air and a removable air filter suitable for filtering the impelled airflow, the casing being suitable for being arranged in the passenger compartment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a device of this type, the motor-driven fan unit, also called impeller, includes a casing housing a centrifugal turbine driven by a motor so as to deliver a pressurized airflow to an outlet duct. This airflow next passes through an air filter then a heating-refrigeration unit mounted downstream and including heat exchangers (radiator and evaporator, if appropriate) making it possible to heat or cool the air which will then be delivered to the passenger compartment via various ducts and distribution vents.
In the majority of known devices, the motor-driven fan unit, the air filter and the heating-refrigeration unit are placed in a generally aligned configuration, which increases the overall size of the device. Moreover, such a configuration does not always allow easy removal of the air filter to make it possible, at regular intervals, to check the state of the filter and to exchange a used filter for a new filter.
Various filter configurations have already been proposed with a view to facilitating removal. Hence, it is known to remove the air filter from the passenger compartment, as taught, for example, by DE-A-40 04 501 and FR 2 731 657. However, access to the filter from the passenger compartment is generally difficult, and the instrument panel does not always have sufficient space available to arrange a cover plate in it for accessibility to the filter.
Otherwise, the document EP 0 744 309 teaches that it is possible to gain access to the air filter from the water separator. However, this location is generally constricted, so that the insertion and the positioning of the filter downstream of the water separator is not generally easy. Moreover, the stopper enclosing the filter should be perfectly impervious to water.
Moreover, these known solutions do not make it possible to reduce the size of the device.
Consequently one object of the invention is to propose a heating and/or air-conditioning device possessing a reduced size, especially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, while providing means allowing easy removal of the air filter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a heating and/or air-conditioning device for a motor vehicle which includes a bulkhead separating the engine compartment from the passenger compartment, the device comprising a casing housing a motor-driven fan unit suitable for impelling a flow of air, a heat exchanger and a removable air filter suitable for filtering the impelled airflow, wherein at least a part of a wall of the casing is arranged adjacent to the bulkhead, and wherein the bulkhead and the casing include respective access apertures arranged facing one another in order to allow the filter to be withdrawn from the casing via the engine compartment, exchanged if appropriate and re-inserted into the casing.
This characteristic particularly allows a non-aligned configuration of the assembly formed by the motor-driven fan unit, the air filter and the heating-refrigeration unit, given that the air filter can be placed in a part of the casing which is immediately adjacent to the bulkhead separating the engine compartment from the passenger compartment. Such a configuration also allows the motor-driven fan unit to be placed in a position adjacent to the bulkhead, which reduces the overall size of the device.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the air filter is arranged between the motor-driven fan unit and the heat exchanger. The filter is generally arranged upstream of the impeller. However, the airway cross-section is small at this site. Hence, the filters which are arranged at this site have to be of reduced dimensions and have consequently to be changed more often so as to ensure a minimum loss of pressure head for the device.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the motor-driven fan unit and the air filter are arranged side-by-side in the transverse direction of the vehicle.
Put other way, the motor-driven fan unit and the air filter can both be placed in a position adjacent to the bulkhead called “semi-centered position”, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the device, especially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the motor-driven fan unit includes a centrifugal turbine suitable for being driven in rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
In one embodiment of the invention, the device includes a cover plate which can be accessed via the aperture in the bulkhead and is suitable for closing off the aperture in the casing. In this case, only the bulkhead is closed off by the cover plate and it is necessary only to remove this cover plate in order to gain access to the filter.
In supplement, the device may comprise another cover plate suitable for closing off the aperture in the bulkhead.
In one preferred embodiment, the device includes a cover plate suitable for closing off both the aperture in the bulkhead and the aperture in the casing. In such a case, it is advantageous for the cover plate to include a flap suitable for closing off the aperture in the bulkhead, on the engine compartment side, and a stopper attached to the flap and suitable for jointly closing off the aperture in the bulkhead and the aperture in the casing.
This stopper is preferably formed from at least one insulating foam. In particular, this stopper advantageously includes an outer shell of dense foam surrounding an inner lining of lightweight foam serving for wedging the filter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2655091 (1953-10-01), Geiger
patent: 5062353 (1991-11-01), Arold et al.
patent: 40 04 501 (1991-08-01), None
patent: 40 21 460 (1992-01-01), None
patent: 44 19 626 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 196 16 436 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 198 18 178 (1998-11-01), None
patent: 0 744 309 (1996-11-01), None
patent: 2 731 657 (1996-09-01), None
French Search Report dated Jun. 18, 1999.
Joyce Harold
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Valeo Climatisation
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