Ventilation – Vehicle – Having forced recirculation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2004-09-28
Boles, Derek (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having forced recirculation
C165S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06796894
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement in a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As a technology related to a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus, there is a technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI
10-250342.
This technology will be described with reference to FIG.
16
.
FIG. 16
is an estimated diagram schematically illustrating a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI
10-250342
and a section of a vehicle in which the vehicular air-conditioning apparatus is disposed. The drawing is termed “estimated diagram” because the drawing shows an instrument panel (dashboard) although Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI
10-250342
provides a description of an instrument panel but does not provide a drawing thereof.
As shown in
FIG. 16
, an engine room
134
and a passenger compartment
135
are separated by a dash panel
121
. A floor
132
extends below the dash panel
121
. A roof
131
is mounted via a front window
130
above the dash panel
121
. An instrument panel
122
is disposed from the dash panel
121
toward a passenger compartment-side. The instrument panel
122
is disposed so that a predetermined space is provided between the instrument panel
122
and an occupant (not shown).
A lower portion of the instrument panel
122
has an opening, thereby forming a passenger compartment internal air suction opening
125
. A conditioned air blowout opening
124
is formed in an upper portion of the instrument panel
122
.
A blower unit
123
and an airconditioner unit (not shown) are disposed inside the instrument panel
122
. The blower unit
123
has a blower internal air suction opening
126
at a site in the unit that is located upward and rearward with respect to the vehicle, and has a blower external air suction opening
129
at a site in the unit located upward and forward with respect to the vehicle.
The operation of the above-described technology will be described. Conditioned air via the blower unit
123
and the airconditioner unit (not shown) is blown out of the conditioned air blowout opening
124
into the passenger compartment
135
, and flows via below the front window shield
130
and below the roof
131
, thereby cooling an upper body of an occupant (not shown). After that, conditioned-air reverses in a rearward portion of the passenger compartment
135
, and flows along and above the floor
132
forward with respect to the vehicle, thereby cooling a lower body of the occupant. Conditioned air is drawn into the passenger compartment internal air suction opening
125
formed in a lower portion of the instrument panel
122
. Due to the above-described sequential flow of conditioned air, the occupant is cooled.
However, in the above-described technology, conditioned air flows into areas where sensual effect is less (in particular, around the occupant's feet), the vicinity of the floor
132
, and the like. Cooling such areas gives rise to a problem of consuming an unnecessary power.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that effectively cools an occupant at reduced power consumption.
A first aspect of the invention is a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that is applied to a vehicle in which an engine room and a passenger compartment are separated by a dash panel and that has a conditioned air blowout opening and a passenger compartment internal air suction opening that are opened at a side of the passenger compartment, characterized in that the passenger compartment internal air suction opening is disposed so that conditioned air is circulated mainly around an occupant's upper body.
A second aspect of the invention is a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that is applied to a vehicle in which an engine room and a passenger compartment are separated by a dash panel and that has a conditioned air blowout opening and a passenger compartment internal air suction opening that are opened at a side of the passenger compartment, characterized in that the passenger compartment internal air suction opening is provided in an upper portion of an instrument panel.
In the above-described first and second aspects, the conditioned air blowout opening may be provided below the passenger compartment internal air suction opening.
In the above-described aspects, a cover may be mounted on a lower face of an instrument panel.
In the above-described aspects, the passenger compartment internal air suction opening and a blower internal air suction opening may be connected and an intake passage may be shielded by a shield member so as to prevent internal air present in an instrument panel from entering the intake passage.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2315636 (1943-04-01), McCollum
patent: 2817282 (1957-12-01), Dolison
patent: 4721032 (1988-01-01), Sakamoto
patent: 5341652 (1994-08-01), Tajiri et al.
patent: 5447469 (1995-09-01), Dausch et al.
patent: 5934988 (1999-08-01), Fischer
patent: 6554695 (2003-04-01), Elliot
patent: 37 14 771 (1988-12-01), None
patent: 42 43 165 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 0 560 673 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 0 713 792 (1996-05-01), None
patent: 5-22113 (1993-03-01), None
patent: 10-250342 (1998-09-01), None
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 011, No. 123 (M-581), Apr. 17, 1987 & JP 61 263822 A (Nippon Denso Co Ltd), Nov. 21, 1986.
Higashiura Takuya
Kato Yasushi
Matsuno Takayoshi
Okuno Yoshinori
Boles Derek
Kenyon & Kenyon
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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