Ventilation – Vehicle – Condensation preventer
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-20
2002-05-07
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Condensation preventer
C454S333000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06383071
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present invention is related to Japanese patent application No. Hei. 11-300210, filed Oct. 21, 1999; No. 2000-227500, filed Jul. 27, 2000; and No. 2000-250121, filed Aug. 21, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus, and more particularly, to a motor actuator and the operational force transmission device used for a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional vehicular air-conditioning apparatus is provided with an internal/external air selection door, a temperature control means (air mix door, hot water valve, etc.), as well as a blowout mode door, whereby these instruments are independently operated by means of manual operation mechanisms or motor actuators.
More recently, an increasing number of vehicular air-conditioning apparatuses are beginning to allow the driver to use switch operations for activating motor actuators to easily operate the aforementioned instruments. This type of apparatus requires dedicated motor actuators for internal/external air selection, temperature control, and blowout mode door switching, resulting in higher costs.
Therefore, the inventors evaluated the possibility of using a single motor actuator for temperature control and blowout mode switching, in order to reduce the number of motor actuators. That is, by focusing on the fact that correlation exists between the switching of the blowout mode and the operation position of the temperature control means, and by sequentially shifting the blowout mode from the face mode, to the bi-level mode, and then to lo the foot mode as the operation position of the temperature control means shifts from the low-temperature side to the high-temperature side, the inventors evaluated the possibility of using a single motor actuator for temperature control and blowout mode switching.
However, when temperature control and blowout mode switching are simply performed using a single motor actuator, the operating position of the temperature control means and the switching of the blowout mode are always fixed to a 1-to-1 relationship. Consequently, a problem arises, i.e., when the window is fogged up, it will not be possible to set the defroster mode regardless of the operating position of the temperature control means.
Note that Japanese patent application No. H4-131657 describes a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that can drive multiple doors by means of a single motor actuator by providing electromagnetic clutches between a single drive shaft and multiple door shafts and using the interrupting action of this electromagnetic clutch for transmitting or shutting off the drive force of the single motor to individual doors.
However, with this conventional technology, it is necessary to provide electromagnetic clutches in the drive force transmission routes to the multiple doors. Consequently, even though the number of motor actuators can be reduced, multiple electromagnetic clutches must be added instead, making it impossible to avoid cost increases.
Moreover, it has been known that some conventional vehicular air-conditioning apparatuses use an internal/external air 2-layer flow mode, in which recirculated internal high-temperature air is blown out from the foot opening while warm low-moisture external air is blown out from the defroster opening. This both improves the heating performance in the area near the vehicle occupant's feet and maintains the window glass fog-free when heating is used in winter.
However, vehicular air-conditioning apparatuses in which this internal/external air 2-layer flow mode can be set have the problem described below. Specifically, this internal/external air 2-layer flow mode is set when the maximum heating capacity is required (i.e., when the temperature control means, such as an air-mix door, is at the maximum heating position) in the blowout mode that opens both the foot and defroster openings. In the internal/external air 2-layer flow mode, the air passage is partitioned into an internal passage leading to the foot openings and an external passage leading to the defroster openings. At the same time, an internal/external air selection box introduces internal air into the internal passage by opening the internal air introduction port located on the internal passage side and introduces external air into the external passage by opening the external air introduction port located on the external passage side.
As explained above, the aforementioned internal/external air 2-layer flow mode must be set in linkage with the setting of the blowout mode for opening both the foot and defroster openings as well as the operation of the temperature control means to the maximum heating setting. Therefore, conventionally, the setting condition for the internal/external air 2-layer flow mode is determined by an air-conditioning control device based on the blowout mode and the operating position of the temperature control means. The output of this air-conditioning control device is added to the drive motor for the internal/external air door, thereby moving the internal/external air door to the 2-layer flow mode.
As described above, a method that sets the 2-layer flow mode through automatic control requires an electrical control area for determining the setting condition for the 2-layer flow mode as well as an electrically controlled door drive motor, thus leading to cost increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes a drive motor, a first output shaft to which the rotation of drive motor is transmitted, a second output shaft to which the rotation of first output shaft is transmitted, a differential mechanism located between the first output shaft and second output shaft that adjusts the relative positions of the two output shafts, and an operation component that operates differential mechanism.
A temperature control means, which controls air temperature blown into the interior of the vehicle, is connected to first output shaft. Blowout mode doors are connected to second output shaft. When operation component is set to the auto blowout mode, the rotation of drive motor rotates first output shaft and second output shaft via differential mechanism at the same time. The rotation of first output shaft controls temperature control means. The rotation of second output shaft drives blowout mode doors, thereby switching between the face mode and the foot mode. When operation component is set to the defroster blowout mode while drive motor is stationary, differential mechanism is activated while first output shaft is stationary, thereby setting the defroster mode by rotating second output shaft and shifting the relative positions of the two output shafts.
Accordingly, switching between the blowout temperature control and blowout mode in a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus can be accomplished using a single motor actuator. Moreover, by shifting the relative positions of the two output shafts using differential mechanism, the defroster mode can be set while first output shaft is stationary. Therefore, no electromagnetic clutch is required in the drive force transmission route, as is the case in a conventional technology. Also, the defroster mode can be set any time when the windshield is fogged up, using a simple configuration.
In another aspect of the invention, the defroster mode is maintained even when a second output shaft rotates within a predetermined angle (&thgr;
2
) during the defroster mode.
Consequently, the rotation of the drive motor rotates the first output shaft, thereby controlling the position of the temperature control means and controlling the blowout temperature, while maintaining the defroster mode.
In another aspect of the invention, the first output shaft is positioned on one side of the axial direction of differential mechanism while a second output shaft is positioned on the other side of the axial direction of differential mechanism.
In another aspect of the invention,
Hibino So
Ito Koichi
Kameoka Teruhiko
Takeuchi Tokuhisa
Boles Derek S.
Denso Corporation
Harness Dickey & Pierce PLC
Joyce Harold
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