Heat exchange – With vehicle feature – Heating and cooling
Patent
1997-02-14
1998-09-08
Joyce, Harold
Heat exchange
With vehicle feature
Heating and cooling
454121, 454156, B60H 132
Patent
active
058031600
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to apparatus for heating and ventilating, and/or air conditioning, the cabin of a motor vehicle of the type, comprising a blower element having at least one air inlet and containing a motor-blower unit, a heating element having at least one air outlet and containing a heating radiator, together with a trunk element which is interposed between the blower element and the heating element.
An apparatus of this type is known, in particular from Japanese Utility Model No. 1 766 063.
In an apparatus of this kind, fresh air taken from outside the cabin, and/or recirculated air which is drawn from the cabin, is admitted into the blower element, accelerated by the motor-blower unit, and is then delivered, via the trunk element, into the heating element.
In this last mentioned element, the air may be heated before being distributed into the cabin through outlet ports provided for this purpose.
If necessary, such an apparatus may contain an evaporator for cooling an air stream before it enters the heating unit, which enables a stream of conditioned air to be provided.
One of the main drawbacks of such an apparatus is that it has to be made each time in a specific form according to the type of vehicle in which it is intended to be fitted.
Thus, a specific apparatus corresponding to each type of vehicle has to be provided, so that it can be accommodated within the structure of the vehicle and be connected to various component parts of the vehicle.
As a result, specific arrangements have to be made each time in order to respond to various technical problems or requirements.
Thus, the apparatus has to match the general configuration of the vehicle each time, especially in regard to geometry and styling, and it has to satisfy various additional requirements, in particular that of torsional rigidity, or even safety, imposed by the results of anti-collision tests.
Equally, the apparatus must enable various main functions, provided in the driver's part of the cabin, to be properly accommodated and fitted.
In this regard, different interfaces have to be provided for each vehicle as regards the fixing in position of the air treatment or air conditioning apparatus, the arrangement of the air inlet, the passage of various connections (for fluids, electricity, etc.) through the bulkhead, connection to the air distribution vents which are arranged on the fascia panel of the vehicle (e.g. for the de-icing and ventilation functions) and to the air distribution vents which are arranged in the lower part of the cabin for the purpose of directing air towards the feet of the occupants, both in the front of the cabin and in the rear of the cabin.
These various requirements increase the number of components and therefore the selling price of apparatuses of this type, because a given apparatus can only be suitable for a vehicle of one given type.
This therefore militates against the desire for standardisation defined by motor manufacturers.
A main object of the invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks.
The invention starts with the principle that most heating and ventilation and/or air conditioning apparatuses for motor vehicles of similar types do in fact have similar functions.
To this end, it proposes an apparatus of the type defined in the introduction hereof in which the blower element, the heating element and the trunk element constitute a modular assembly which can be used for different types of vehicles, in which the blower element has at least one attachment surface adapted to receive an air inlet element, which is matched to the said attachment surface and which has a specific configuration chosen according to a given vehicle, and in which the heating element has at least one attachment surface which is adapted to receive an air outlet element, which is matched to the said attachment surface and which has a specific configuration chosen according to the said given vehicle.
Thus, the apparatus of the invention comprises a modular assembly which may also be referred to as a "standard module", whi
REFERENCES:
patent: 4907497 (1990-03-01), Danieau
patent: 5217405 (1993-06-01), Tanaka
Boles Derek S.
Joyce Harold
Valeo Climatisation
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