Ventilation – Vehicle – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-17
2003-09-09
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Roof structure
C454S154000, C454S316000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06616523
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved vehicle air conditioner which can be manufactured at low costs and which provides for uniform blowoff or emission of conditioned air through air emission ports onto respective rear seats in a passenger compartment of the automotive vehicle.
The present invention also relates to an improved vehicle air conditioner which can reliably maintain a desired direction of conditioned air emission through air emission ports.
The present invention also relates to an improved ceiling structure for an air-conditioned automotive vehicle which can be mounted on a ceiling base member with enhanced ease and affords enhanced convenience of use or operability and which can be manufactured at low costs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle air conditioners have been known which include an roof air duct provided on the vehicle ceiling for emitting conditioned air toward rear seats of the automotive vehicle.
FIG. 17
hereof is an exploded perspective view showing a conventionally-known roof air duct employed in a vehicle air conditioner. The roof air duct
100
comprises a roof lining or ceiling base member
101
fixed inwardly of a roof panel (not shown), and a duct panel
102
attached to the roof lining
101
in face-to-face relation. The duct panel
102
has an air inlet portion
103
for introducing air into the roof air duct
100
, and extended air passageways
111
,
112
,
113
and
114
for delivering conditioned air to air emission ports
104
,
105
,
106
and
107
, respectively, formed in predetermined positions of the roof lining
101
. Namely, the conventional roof air duct
100
is formed into a fork-like branched configuration to deliver the conditioned air via the several separate air passageways
111
,
112
,
113
and
114
; the branched configuration of the roof air duct
100
provides a branched air-accumulating chamber in the air duct
100
.
Because one extended air passageway
111
,
112
,
113
,
114
is provided for each of the emission ports
104
,
105
,
106
and
107
on a one-to-one correspondence, the duct panel
102
would be very complicated in overall shape, and thus fabricating a mold for forming such a duct panel
102
would require a number of processes and hence high costs. Further, a greater volume of the air, introduced into the duct
100
through the air inlet portion
103
, tends to be directed to the extended air passageway
114
located close to an extension line or main airflow route of the inlet portion
103
while a much smaller volume of the introduced air tends to be directed to the extended air passageway
111
greatly deviated from the extension line or main airflow route of the inlet portion
103
(see FIG.
13
A). Thus, the known roof air duct
100
presents the inconvenience that a significant difference would occur in the volume of the air emitted through the individual emission ports
104
,
105
,
106
and
107
.
Further, an air emission port section for a vehicle air conditioner, through which conditioned air is emitted to a passenger compartment, is known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. HEI-3-11654. The air emission port section disclosed in this publication includes a grille holder having an inner sliding surface of a spherical shape, and an angle-adjustable grille mounted rotatably in the grille holder and having a profile corresponding to the spherical sliding surface of the holder.
In the disclosed air emission port section, however, there would be produced a greater gap between the inner sliding surface of the grille holder and the outer surface of the angle-adjustable grille if the inner diameter of the holder defined by the spherical sliding surface is greater than a center value of its predetermined dimensional tolerance range while the outer diameter of the grille is smaller than a center value of its predetermined dimensional tolerance range, in which case the grille
10
would rotate more easily relative to the holder's sliding surface. Thus, the grille
10
having been properly adjusted in its rotational position in the grill holder would accidentally rattle or rotate in the holder due to vibration, shape or the like of the automotive vehicle. The rattle or rotation of the grille may prevent the air emission through the air emission port section from being held in a desired direction; that is, a desired air emitting direction may not be obtained or maintained.
Further, to the ceiling base member, such as the roof lining, of automotive vehicles, there are generally attached a plurality of the above-mentioned air emission port sections of the air conditioner, air-conditioner operating section for adjusting the temperature and volume of the conditioned air emitted through the emission port sections, loop lamps and many other ceiling components. The vehicle ceiling having these ceiling components provided thereon will be hereinafter called a “ceiling structure”.
FIG. 18
is a bottom view of a conventionally-known ceiling structure for an air-conditioned vehicle as viewed from within a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle
112
. A plurality of ceiling-component mounting panels
101
are provided on a ceiling base member
100
in corresponding relation to passenger seats (i.e., one ceiling-component mounting panel
101
per passenger seats), with each of the ceiling-component mounting panels
101
provided with an air emission port
102
,
103
,
104
or
105
of the vehicle air conditioner and room lamp
106
,
107
,
108
or
109
. Further, an air-conditioner operating section
111
is attached to an end portion of the ceiling base member
100
.
When the temperature and/or volume of the conditioned air emitted through the air emission port
102
is to be adjusted in the automotive vehicle
112
of
FIG. 18
, the passenger on the seat closest to or associated with the air emission port
102
can easily reach and manipulate the air-conditioner operating section
111
for the desired adjustment. However, if the conditioned air emitted through any one of the other air emission ports
103
-
105
is to be adjusted, the passenger on the seat associated with the air emission port
103
-
105
can not easily reach and manipulate the air-conditioner operating section
111
due to a long distance from the operating section
111
.
Although it is possible to position the air-conditioner operating section
111
at a substantial center of the ceiling base member
100
close to the individual air emission ports
102
to
105
, this approach presents the inconvenience that the operating section
111
would give a rather offensive sight and thus considerably damage the overall appearance of the vehicle ceiling. Further, because the above-mentioned ceiling-component mounting panels
101
are separate and apart from each other, it is necessary for a human operator to move a lot in attaching the mounting panels
101
to the ceiling base member
100
, which would result in a poor assembly or mounting efficiency. Furthermore, attaching the separate ceiling-component mounting panels
101
to the ceiling base member
100
requires provision of a number of mounting holes, parts and the like, which would lead to increased manufacturing costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly a first object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner which can be manufactured at low costs and which provides for uniform emission of conditioned air through air emission ports into the interior of the vehicle.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner which includes an air emission port section capable of maintaining a desired air emitting direction.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a ceiling structure for an air-conditioned vehicle which can be mounted with an enhanced efficiency and affords enhanced convenience of use or operability and which can be manufactured at low costs.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned first object,
Koma Yasuyuki
Tani Toshihiko
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Joyce Harold
LandOfFree
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