U.S. patent application number 09/912430 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-14 for air conditioner unit.
Invention is credited to Ozeki, Yukio.
Application Number | 20020019212 09/912430 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18719599 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020019212 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ozeki, Yukio |
February 14, 2002 |
Air conditioner unit
Abstract
An air conditioner unit comprises a case having a plurality of
air passages defined therein; two pivotal mode doors pivotally
arranged in the case to provide various operation modes of the air
conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each of the
mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to
the outside from a wall of the case; and a mode door actuating
mechanism attached to an outer surface of the wall of the case to
actuate the two pivotal mode doors. The mode door actuating
mechanism comprises a base structure adapted to be mounted to the
outer surface of the wall; two operation levers pivotally held at
respective hub portions thereof by the base structure, each
operation lever having a cam opening and being coaxially connected
to the leading end of the pivot shaft of corresponding one of the
two mode doors; a slider member slidably held on the base
structure; two engaging pins provided on the slider member and
slidably engaged with the cam openings of the two operation levers
respectively; and an actuator member for sliding the slider member
relative to the base structure.
Inventors: |
Ozeki, Yukio; (Tochigi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FOLEY & LARDNER
Washington Harbour
Suite 500
3000 K Street
Washington
DC
20007-5109
US
|
Family ID: |
18719599 |
Appl. No.: |
09/912430 |
Filed: |
July 26, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
454/69 ;
454/121 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60H 1/00678 20130101;
Y10T 137/8741 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/69 ;
454/121 |
International
Class: |
B60H 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 26, 2000 |
JP |
2000-225887 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An air conditioner unit comprising: a casing having a plurality
of air passages defined therein; pivotal mode doors pivotally
arranged in said case to provide given operation modes of the air
conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each mode
door having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to the
outside of a wall of said case; and a mode door actuating mechanism
arranged on the wall of said case to actuate said pivotal mode
doors, said mode door actuating mechanism comprising: operation
levers which are pivotal relative to the wall of said case, each
operation lever having a cam opening and being connected to the
exposed leading end of the pivot shaft of the corresponding mode
door to pivot therewith; a slider member which is slidable relative
to the wall of said case; engaging pins provided on said slider
member and slidably engaged with the cam openings of said operation
levers respectively; and an actuator member for sliding said slider
member relative to the wall of said case.
2. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 1, further
comprising a base structure adapted to be mounted to the wall of
said case, said base structure having said operation levers
pivotally connected thereto and said slider member slidably held
thereby.
3. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 2, in which each of
said operation levers has a hub portion coaxially connected to the
leading end of the pivot shaft of the corresponding mode door.
4. An air conditioner unit comprising: a case having a plurality of
air passages defined therein; at least two pivotal mode doors
pivotally arranged in said case to provide various operation modes
of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions,
each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is
exposed to the outside from a wall of said case; and a mode door
actuating mechanism attached to an outer surface of said wall of
said case to actuate said two pivotal mode doors, said mode door
actuating mechanism comprising: a base structure adapted to be
mounted to the outer surface of said wall; two operation levers
pivotally held at respective hub portions thereof by said base
structure, each operation lever having a cam opening and being
coaxially connected to the leading end of the pivot shaft of
corresponding one of said two mode doors; a slider member slidably
held on said base structure; two engaging pins provided on said
slider member and slidably engaged with the cam openings of said
two operation levers respectively; and an actuator member for
sliding said slider member relative to said base structure.
5. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, further
comprising a latching structure which latches the pivot shaft of at
least one of said mode doors relative to said case when the
corresponding operation lever is disconnected from said pivot
shaft, said latching structure comprising: a resilient arm provided
by said case, said resilient arm having a catching pawl; and a
groove formed in the leading end of the pivot shaft and engageable
with said catching pawl to establish a latched condition of said
pivot shaft relative to the case.
6. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 5, further
comprising a latch canceling structure which cancels the latched
condition of said latching structure when the corresponding
operation lever is about to engage with the leading end of said
pivot shaft, said latch canceling structure comprising: an annular
portion concentrically connected to the hub portion of the
corresponding operation lever, said annular portion having a
conical outer surface; and a sloped lower surface possessed by the
latching pawl of said resilient arm, so that when the said portion
is thrust onto the leading end of said pivot shaft for the
engagement of the corresponding operation lever with the pivot
shaft, the conical annular portion pushes up said latching pawl
from said groove thereby to cancel the latched condition of said
shaft relative to the case while establishing a united connection
between the corresponding operation lever and the pivot shaft.
7. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 6, further
comprising a positioning structure which establishes positioning of
the operation lever relative to the corresponding pivot shaft when
the operation lever is engaged with the corresponding shaft, said
positioning structure comprising: a non-circular opening possessed
by the hub portion of the operation lever; and a non-circular
leading end provided by said pivot shaft, said non-circular leading
end being inserted into said non-circular opening in such a manner
as to suppress a relative rotation therebetween.
8. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, further
comprising a mounting structure which detachably mounts said mode
door actuating mechanism to the outer surface of said wall of said
case, said mounting structure comprising: a rib provided by said
outer surface of said wall; a projection provided by said base
structure, said projection being sized to snugly mate with said
rib; a plurality of holding pieces provided by said outer surface
of said wall, each piece having a catching hole; and a plurality of
projections provided by said base structure, said projections being
engaged with the catching holes of said holding pieces.
9. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, in which said two
operation levers are arranged at opposite positions with respect to
said slider member, so that the sliding movement of said slider
member induces rotations of said two operation levers in mutually
opposite directions.
10. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, in which said
base structure is an elongate housing in which said slider member
is slidably held, said housing having an elongate lid member
attached thereto.
11. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 10, in which said
elongate housing is so sized as to entirely install said operation
levers therein.
12. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, in which said
actuator member comprises: a stud member provided on said slider
member; and a flexible wire having one end fixed to said stud
member and the other end connected to an external controller.
13. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, in which each of
the operation levers of said mode door actuating mechanism
comprises: a hub portion; and a lever portion extending outward
from said hub portion and having therein said cam opening, said cam
opening being generally L-shaped.
14. An air conditioner unit as claimed in claim 4, in which said
mode door actuating mechanism further a slider member guiding
structure which comprises: at least two projections provided by
said slider member; and a longitudinally extending slot formed in
said base structure, said slot slidably receiving therein said two
projections.
15. An air conditioner unit comprising: a case having a plurality
of air passages defined therein; two pivotal mode doors pivotally
arranged in said case to provide various operation modes of the air
conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions, each of the
mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed to
the outside from a wall of said case; and a mode door actuating
mechanism detachably attached to an outer surface of said wall of
said case to actuate said two pivotal mode doors, said mode door
actuating mechanism comprising: an elongate housing detachably
mounted to the outer surface of said wall, said housing having
first and second holding portions at upper and lower walls thereof;
first and second operation levers pivotally held at respective hub
portions thereby by said first and second holding portions
respectively, each operation lever having a generally L-shaped cam
opening and being coaxially connected to the leading end of the
pivot shaft of corresponding one of said two mode doors; a slider
member slidably held in said housing; two engaging pins provided by
said slider member and slidably engaged with the L-shaped cam
openings of the first and second operation levers respectively; an
elongate lid member attached to said housing; and an actuator
member for sliding said slider member in said housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates in general to air conditioner
units, and more particularly to the air conditioner units for a
motor vehicle.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] In order to clarify the task of the present invention, one
known air conditioner unit for a motor vehicle will be described
with reference to FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings, which is
shown in Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 9-20128.
[0005] The known air conditioner unit "a" comprises a case "b" in
which many air passages are defined. The case "b" has a ventilation
air blow opening "c", a defroster air blow opening "d" and a foot
air blow opening "e" from which conditioned air is discharged to
the outside of the case "b".
[0006] A first mode door "f" is arranged at the ventilation air
blow opening "c" for adjusting the rate of air blown outward from
the opening "c". That is, the first mode door "f" is pivoted
between a close position to close the ventilation air blow opening
"c" while opening the air passage directed to the defroster air
blow opening "d" and the foot air blow opening "e", and an open
position to open the ventilation air blow opening "c" while closing
the air passage directed to the defroster air blow opening "d" and
the foot air blow opening "e".
[0007] In the air passage directed to the defroster air blow
opening "d" and the foot air blow opening "e", there is arranged a
second mode door "g" which can adjust both the rate of air blown
outward from the defroster air blow opening "d" and the rate of air
blown outward from the foot air blow opening "e". That is, this
second mode door "g" is pivoted between a foot position to open the
foot air blow opening "e" while closing the defroster air blow
opening "d" and a defroster position to open the defroster air blow
opening "d" while closing the foot air blow opening "e".
[0008] In the unit case "b", there is arranged a mode door
actuating mechanism "h" which actuates the first and second mode
doors "f" and "g" to their desired positions under a given mode.
That is, the mode door actuating mechanism "h" comprises a first
actuating lever "h1" fixed to a pivot shaft of the first mode door
"f", and a second actuating lever "h2" fixed to a pivot shaft of
the second mode door "g". The mechanism "h" further comprises a
rotatable main link "h4" which is engageable with the first
actuating lever "h1" and engageable with the second actuating lever
"h2" through an intermediate link "h3". Although not shown in the
drawing, the mechanism "h" further comprises a drive cable which
pulls the main link "h4" to a desired position under a given
mode.
[0009] The intermediate link "h3" is pivotally connected to the
unit case "b" and comprises two arm portions which extend radially
outward from its pivoted center portion. One of the arm portions
has at its leading end a pin "j" slidably engaged with a cam slot
"i" formed in the second actuating lever "h2", and the other arm
portion is formed with a cam slot "k". The intermediate link "h3"
functions to turn the second mode door "g" in a direction opposite
to the direction of the first mode door "f".
[0010] The main link "h4" comprises three, viz., first, second and
third arm portions which extend radially outward from its pivoted
center portion. The first arm portion has at its leading end a pin
"n" slidably engaged with a cam slot "m" formed in the first
actuating lever "h1", the second arm portion has at its leading end
a pin "p" slidably engaged with a cam slot "k" formed in the
intermediate link "h3", and the third arm portion has at its
leading end a connecting opening "q" to which the drive cable (not
shown) is connected.
[0011] In the air conditioner unit "a" having the above-mentioned
construction, for achieving a ventilation mode of the unit "a", the
main link "h4" is pivoted to a given position by the drive cable,
so that the first mode door "f" opens the ventilation air blow
opening "c" while closing the air passage directed to the defroster
air blow opening "d" and foot air blow opening "e". While, for
achieving a defroster mode of the unit "a", the first mode door "f"
is pivoted to open the air passage directed to the defroster air
blow opening "d" and foot air blow opening "e" while closing the
ventilation air blow opening "c" and the second mode door "g" is
pivoted to open the defroster air blow opening "d" while closing
the foot air blow opening "e". While, for achieving a foot mode of
the unit "a", the first mode door "f" opens the air passage
directed to the defroster air blow opening "d" and foot air blow
opening "e" while closing the ventilation air blow opening "c", and
the second mode door "g" opens the foot air blow opening "e" while
closing the defroster air blow opening
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In the above-mentioned known air conditioner unit "a", the
mode door actuating mechanism "h" includes the rotatable main link
"h4" and the intermediate link "h3" which are relatively large in
size. Due to usage of such larger parts, the layout of the three
openings "c", "d" and "e" and the two mode doors "f" and "g" is
highly limited, which causes a difficulty with which the air
conditioner unit "a" is made compact in size.
[0013] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide an air conditioner unit which can be compact in size due to
usage of a compact mode door actuating mechanism.
[0014] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a casing having
a plurality of air passages defined therein; pivotal mode doors
pivotally arranged in the case to provide given operation modes of
the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions,
each mode door having a pivot shaft of which leading end is exposed
to the outside of a wall of the case; and a mode door actuating
mechanism arranged on the wall of the case to actuate the pivotal
mode doors, the mode door actuating mechanism comprising operation
levers which are pivotal relative to the wall of the case, each
operation lever having a cam opening and being connected to the
exposed leading end of the pivot shaft of the corresponding mode
door to pivot therewith; a slider member which is slidable relative
to the wall of the case; engaging pins provided on the slider
member and slidably engaged with the cam openings of the operation
levers respectively; and an actuator member for sliding the slider
member relative to the wall of the case.
[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a case having a
plurality of air passages defined therein; at least two pivotal
mode doors pivotally arranged in the case to provide various
operation modes of the air conditioner unit when assuming given
angular positions, each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of
which leading end is exposed to the outside from a wall of the
case; and a mode door actuating mechanism attached to an outer
surface of the wall of the case to actuate the two pivotal mode
doors, the mode door actuating mechanism comprising a base
structure adapted to be mounted to the outer surface of the wall;
two operation levers pivotally held at respective hub portions
thereof by the base structure, each operation lever having a cam
opening and being coaxially connected to the leading end of the
pivot shaft of corresponding one of the two mode doors; a slider
member slidably held on the base structure; two engaging pins
provided on the slider member and slidably engaged with the cam
openings of the two operation levers respectively; and an actuator
member for sliding the slider member relative to the base
structure.
[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an air conditioner unit which comprises a case having a
plurality of air passages defined therein; two pivotal mode doors
pivotally arranged in the case to provide various operation modes
of the air conditioner unit when assuming given angular positions,
each of the mode doors having a pivot shaft of which leading end is
exposed to the outside from a wall of the case; and a mode door
actuating mechanism detachably attached to an outer surface of the
wall of the case to actuate the two pivotal mode doors, the mode
door actuating mechanism comprising an elongate housing detachably
mounted to the outer surface of the wall, the housing having first
and second holding portions at upper and lower walls thereof; first
and second operation levers pivotally held at respective hub
portions thereby by the first and second holding portions
respectively, each operation lever having a generally L-shaped cam
opening and being coaxially connected to the leading end of the
pivot shaft of corresponding one of the two mode doors; a slider
member slidably held in the housing; two engaging pins provided by
the slider member and slidably engaged with the L-shaped cam
openings of the first and second operation levers respectively; an
elongate lid member attached to the housing; and an actuator member
for sliding the slider member in the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of an air conditioner unit according
to the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the air conditioner unit of
the invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a mode door actuating
mechanism which constitutes an essential portion of the air
conditioner unit of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing a rotation shaft of
a mode door;
[0022] FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing but partially
an operation lever that is about to be engaged with the rotation
shaft;
[0023] FIGS. 6A and 6B are views showing the operation condition of
two operation levers and two mode doors under ventilation mode of
the air conditioner unit of the invention;
[0024] FIGS. 7A and 7B are views similar to FIGS. 6A and 6B, but
showing the operation condition of the operation levers and mode
doors under bi-level mode of the air conditioner unit;
[0025] FIGS. 8A and 8B are views similar to FIGS. 6A and 6B, but
showing the operation condition of the operation levers and mode
doors under heat mode of the air conditioner unit;
[0026] FIGS. 9A and 9B are views similar to FIGS. 6A and 6B, but
showing the operation conditions of the operation levers and mode
doors under defroster-foot mode of the air conditioner unit;
[0027] FIGS. 10A and 10B are views similar to FIGS. 6A and 6B, but
showing the operation condition of the operation levers and mode
doors under defroster mode of the air conditioner unit;
[0028] FIG. 11 is a perspective of a modification of the mode door
actuating mechanism, which can be employed in the air conditioner
unit of the present invention; and
[0029] FIG. 12 is a side view of a known air conditioner unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] In the following, the present invention will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0031] For ease of understanding, various directional terms such as
right, left, upper, lower, rightward, etc., are used in the
description. However, such terms are to be understood with respect
to only a drawing or drawings on which the corresponding part or
parts are illustrated.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10B, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2,
there is shown an air conditioner unit according to the present
invention.
[0033] As is seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioner unit 100A
of the invention comprises a case 2 which is to be mounted below an
instrument panel of an associated motor vehicle. The case 2
comprises a front wall 2a facing toward an engine room of the
vehicle and a rear wall 2b facing toward a passenger room.
[0034] As is seen from FIG. 2, within the case 2, there is defined
a scroll chamber 11 just behind an upper part of the front wall 2a.
That is, in the scroll chamber 11, there is installed a scirocco
fan 3a. From the scroll chamber 11, there extends an air passage 4
through which air flow produced by the scirocco fan 3a runs
downstream. The air passage 4 comprises a down-passage 12 through
which the air flow from the fan 3a goes down along the front wall
2a, an up-passage 13 through which the air flow from the
down-passage 12 goes up along the rear wall 2b and a lower-passage
14 by which the down-passage 12 and the up-passage 13 are
connected. The lower passage 14 extends along a bottom wall 2c of
the case 2, as shown.
[0035] As will be described hereinlater, the up-passage 13
comprises a warm air passage 16 in which the heater unit 6 is
actually installed, a bypass passage 15 which bypasses the warm air
passage 16 and an air mix chamber 18 to which respective downstream
ends of the warm air passage 16 and the bypass passage 15 are
connected.
[0036] In the down-passage 12, there is disposed an evaporator 5
for cooling air flowing therethrough. While, in the up-passage 13,
there is disposed heater unit 6 for heating air that has passed
through the evaporator 5. As shown, upon assembly, the evaporator 5
is inclined by about 10 to 30 degrees relative to a horizontal line
having its front (or left) end positioned lower than its rear (or
right) end. The air passing through the evaporator 5 runs through
the lower-passage 14 along the bottom wall 2c of the case 2.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, in the lower-passage 14, there are
arranged air guide plates 7 for smoothly guiding the air flow
toward the up-passage 13. As shown, the bottom wall 2c of the case
2 comprises inclined parts which constitute a lowermost portion
with a drain opening 2c'. That is, any water condensed on the outer
surface of the evaporator 5 flows down along the inclined parts of
the bottom wall toward the lowermost portion and discharges into
the outside through the drain opening 2c'.
[0038] In the case 2, there is formed an internal wall 2d by which
the scroll chamber 11 and the up-passage 12 are separated from each
other. The inner wall 2d has, at a position between the scroll
chamber 11 and the down-passage 12, a depressed part 2e that is
depressed toward the down-passage 12. As shown, the heater unit 6
has a left end neatly received in the depressed part 2e and is
arranged generally in parallel with the evaporator 5 in the
down-passage 12.
[0039] The up-passage 13 comprises the bypass passage 15 which
extends along the rear wall 2b of the case 2 bypassing the heater
unit 6. The up-passage further comprises the warm air passage 16 in
which the heater unit 6 is actually installed. At an upstream
section of the up-passage 13, there is pivotally installed an air
mix door 21 which adjusts an air flow rate between the bypass
passage 15 and the warm air passage 16. That is, the air mix door
21 pivots between a terminal position to close the bypass passage
15, an intermediate position to partially open both the bypass
passage 15 and the warm air passage 16 and another terminal
position to close the warm air passage 16.
[0040] In the case 2, there is further formed another internal wall
2f which extends around the zone of the scroll chamber 11 to define
therebetween a foot air passage 17. That is, the foot air passage
17 and the up-passage 13 are separated from each other by the
internal wall 2f. A downstream end of the bypass passage 15 and
that of the warm air passage 16 are mated to constitute the air mix
chamber 18.
[0041] A top wall 2g of the case 2 is formed with a ventilation air
blow opening 31 and a defroster air blow opening 32 from which
conditioned air in the air mix chamber 18 is blown outward to
respective given outside portions. As shown, the ventilation air
blow opening 31 is positioned near an upper portion of the rear
wall 2b of the case 2, and the defroster air blow opening 32 is
positioned near an upper portion of the front wall 2a of the case
2. An upper part of the inner wall 2f which faces the defroster air
blow opening 32 is formed with a foot air connecting opening 33
through which the up-passage 13 and the foot air passage 17 are
connected.
[0042] As is understood from FIG. 1, each side wall 2h of the case
2 is formed with a foot air blowing opening 34 which forms an end
of the foot air passage 17. In operation, air flowing in the foot
air passage 17 is blown into a lower portion of the vehicle cabin
from the foot air blowing opening 34.
[0043] Referring back to FIG. 2, at the ventilation air blow
opening 31, there is arranged a first mode door 22 which adjusts
air flow toward the ventilation air blow opening 31. The first mode
door 22 pivots together with a pivot shaft 22a pivotally connected
to the case 2 between an open position to close the up-passage 13
directed to the defroster air blow opening 32 and the foot air
blowing opening 33 and open the ventilation air blow opening 31 and
a close position to open the up-passage 13 and close the
ventilation air blow opening 31.
[0044] At a branched portion between the defroster air blowing
opening 32 and the foot air blowing opening 33, there is arranged a
second mode door 23 which adjusts both air flow toward the
defroster air blowing opening 32 and air flow toward the foot air
blowing opening 33. The second mode door 23 pivots together with a
pivot shaft 23a pivotally connected to the case 2 between a
defroster air position to open the defroster air blow opening 32
and close the foot air blow opening 33 and a foot air position to
close the defroster air blow opening 32 and open the foot air blow
opening 33.
[0045] Referring back to FIG. 1, on one of the side walls 2h of the
case 2, there is arranged a mode door actuating mechanism 8 which
actuates the first and second mode doors 22 and 23 in given
manners. That is, as will become apparent as the description
proceeds, upon need of a certain operation mode of the air
conditioner unit 100A, the first and second mode doors 22 and 23
are pivoted to desired positions by the mode door actuating
mechanism 8.
[0046] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown the detail of the
mode door actuating mechanism 8 in an exploded manner.
[0047] The mode door actuating mechanism 8 comprises a housing 70
which is mounted to the side wall 2h of the case 2 and a slider
member 80 which is slidably received in the housing 70. The mode
door actuating mechanism 8 further comprises a first operation
lever 50 which is fixed to the pivot shaft 22a of the first mode
door 22 and formed with a L-shaped cam opening 51 and a second
operation lever 60 which is fixed to the pivot shaft 23a of the
second mode door 23 and formed with a L-shaped cam opening 61.
These L-shaped cam openings 51 and 61 are applied with a suitable
amount of grease.
[0048] As is seen from FIG. 3, the slider member 80 has at its
right end a first engaging pin 81 slidably engaged with the
L-shaped cam opening 51 of the first operation lever 50 and at its
left end a second engaging pin 82 slidably engaged with the
L-shaped cam opening 61 of the second operation lever 60. Due to
presence of grease, the sliding movement of the pin 81 or 82 along
the corresponding opening 51 or 61 is smoothly made.
[0049] The mode door actuating mechanism 8 further comprises an
actuating means 90 which can slide the slider member 80 to a
desired position shifting the first and second engaging pins 81 and
82 to their desired positions. The actuating means 90 comprises a
flexible wire 91 and a flexible guide tube 92 through which the
flexible wire 91 slidably moves. One end of the flexible wire 91 is
connected to a control knob of a controller (not shown). The other
end of the flexible wire 91 is connected to a stud member 85 formed
on the slider member 80. Thus, upon manipulation of the control
knob of the controller, the flexible wire is slid in the guide tube
92 thereby to slide the slider member 80 to a desired position.
[0050] The engagement between the L-shaped cam opening 51 of the
first operation lever 50 and the first engaging pin 81 is so made
that, under a certain mode of the air conditioning unit 100, the
first operation lever 50 is turned to a position to cause the first
mode door 22 to take a certain angular position. The engagement
between the L-shaped cam opening 61 and the second engaging pin 82
is so made that, under a certain mode of the air conditioning unit
100, the second operation lever 60 is turned to a position to cause
the second mode door 23 to take a certain angular position.
[0051] As shown, the first operation lever 50 comprises a lever
portion 52 with the cam opening 51 and a cylindrical hub portion 53
coaxially fixed to the pivot shaft 22a of the first mode door 22.
That is, the cylindrical hub portion 53 is formed with a
noncircular bore 54 into which a non-circular terminal end of the
pivot shaft 22a is inserted to achieve a united rotation
therebetween.
[0052] The second operation lever 60 comprises a lever portion 62
with the cam opening 61 and a cylindrical hub portion 63 coaxially
fixed to the pivot shaft 23a of the second mode door 23. That is,
the cylindrical hub portion 63 is formed with a noncircular bore 64
into which a non-circular terminal end of the pivot shaft 23a is
inserted to achieve a united rotation therebetween.
[0053] The housing 70 comprises an elongate housing proper 71 which
is shaped to receive therein the slider member 80, and an elongate
lid member 72 which is attached to the housing proper 71. The
housing proper 71 comprises an elongate bottom wall 71a having a
longitudinally extending slot 73, two elongate side walls raised
from side ends of the bottom wall 71a and two end walls 71b raised
from longitudinal ends of the bottom wall 71a. The slider member 80
has projections 83 slidably engaged with the elongate slot 73 of
the bottom wall 71a of the housing proper 71, so that the movement
of the slider member 80 in the housing proper 71 is guided by the
projections 83 and the slot 73.
[0054] The lid member 72 of the housing 70 has a rear surface to
which tops of the first and second engaging pins 81 and 82 slidably
contact. Due to provision of the lid member 72 attached to the
housing proper 71, the first and second operation levers 50 and 60
are suppressed from dismantling from the respective engaging pins
81 and 82.
[0055] The two elongate side walls of the housing proper 71 are
formed with two cuts 74 respectively from which the first and
second operation levers 50 and 60 are freely projected outward. The
upper side wall of the housing proper 71 has at its right part a
first holding portion 75 which is formed with a circular opening
75a to rotatably support an annular portion 55 of the first
operation lever 50. While, the lower side wall of the housing
proper 71 has at its left part a second holding portion 76 which is
formed with a circular opening 76a to rotatably support an annular
portion 65 of the second operation lever 60.
[0056] As is seen from FIG. 3, the side wall 2h of the case 2 is
formed with an oval rib 41 for positioning the housing proper 71
and six resilient holding pieces 42 for holding the housing proper
71. Each holding piece 42 is formed with a catching hole 43.
[0057] Although not shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall 71a of the
housing proper 71 is formed at its rear surface with an oval
projection which is snugly mated with the oval rib 41 of the side
wall 2h of the case 2 thereby to achieve the positioning of the
housing proper 71 relative to the case 2. Furthermore, the upper
and lower side walls of the housing proper 71 are formed with
projections 78 which are mated with the catching holes 43 of the
above-mentioned holding pieces 42 in a snap action manner. As
shown, each projection 78 is in the shape of wedge for assuring the
snap action connection of the housing proper 71 relative to the
case 2.
[0058] As shown, the slider member 80 is formed at its generally
middle part with an oval projection 84 from which the stud member
85 projects. The elongate lid member 72 of the housing proper 71 is
formed with an elongate slot 72a with which the stud member 85 is
slidably engaged. As has been described hereinabove, the flexible
wire 91 is connected to the stud member 85. The lid member 72 is
formed with a clamp portion 72b by which the guide tube 92 for the
flexible wire 91 is clamped.
[0059] The housing 70, the slider member 80, the first and second
operation levers 50 and 60 are assembled in the abovementioned
manner to constitute a unit. The unit is mounted to the side wall
2h of the case 2 in the above-mentioned manner. In the unit, the
slider member 80 is slidably installed in the housing 70, and the
first operation lever 50 is rotatably held by the first holding
portion 75 having the first engaging pin 81 of the slider member 80
slidably engaged with the L-shaped cam opening 51 of the first
operation lever 50. Furthermore, in the unit, the second operation
lever 60 is rotatably held by the second holding portion 76 having
the second engaging pin 82 of the slider member 80 slidably engaged
with the L-shaped cam opening 61 of the second operation lever
60.
[0060] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown the detail of the
connection between the first operation lever 50 (or second
operation lever 60) and the pivot shaft 22a of the first mode door
22 (or the pivot shaft 23a of the second mode door 23). That is,
FIG. 4 is an enlarged end view of the pivot shaft 22a (or 23a), and
FIG. 5 is an axially sectional view of the end of the pivot shaft
22a (or 23a) mated with the operation lever 50 (or 60).
[0061] As is seen from FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the pivot shafts 22a and
23a of the first and second operation levers 50 and 60 have each an
axially extending groove 22b or 23b. As is best seen from FIGS. 3
and 5, two resilient arms 44 and 45 are projected from the side
wall 2f of the case 2, each having a latching pawl having a sloped
lower surface 46 as is seen from FIG. 5. As is seen from FIG. 3,
before complete assembly of the mode door actuating mechanism 8,
the latching pawls of the resilient arms 44 and 45 are kept engaged
with the grooves 22b and 23b respectively for keeping the
corresponding mode doors 22 and 23 at their given angular
positions.
[0062] As is seen from FIG. 5, the annular portion 55 or 65 of the
first or second operation lever 50 or 60 is formed with a conical
outer surface 56 or 66. As is seen from this drawing, the conical
outer surface 56 or 66 is constructed and shaped to incorporate
with the sloped lower surface 46 of the latching pawl of the
resilient arm 44 or 45 of the side wall 2h of the case 2.
[0063] It is to be noted that the conical outer surface 56 or 66
serves as a canceling means for canceling the latched engagement
between the latching pawl of the resilient arm 44 or 45 and the
groove 22b or 23b. That is, as is seen from FIG. 5, when the first
or second operation lever 50 or 60 is thrust onto and about to be
engaged the corresponding pivot shaft 22a or 23a of the first or
second mode door 22 or 23, the conical outer surface 56 or 66 gets
under the latching pawl of the resilient arm 44 or 45 and thus
raises the same thereby to cancel the latched engagement between
the latching pawl of the resilient arm 44 or 45 and the groove 22b
or 23b. With this, the first or second operation lever 50 or 60
becomes united with the pivot shaft 22a or 23a of the first or
second mode door 22 or 23 to pivot together therewith.
[0064] As is seen from FIG. 4, the end of the pivot shaft 22a or
23a of the first or second mode door 22 or 23 is formed with spaced
cuts 22c or 23c between which the groove 22b or 23b is defined with
interposition of walls (no numerals) therebetween. These cuts 22c
and 23c serve as positioning means for positioning the first or
second operation lever 50 or 60 relative to the first or second
mode door 22 or 23.
[0065] In FIGS. 6A and 6B, there is shown an operation condition of
the operation levers 50 and 60 and mode doors 22 and 23 under
VENTILATION mode. As is seen from FIG. 6A, under this mode, the
first engaging pin 81 of the slider member 80 is at the inflection
part of the L-shaped cam opening 51 of the first operation lever
50, and the second engaging pin 82 is at a left end of the upper
part of the L-shaped cam opening 61 of the second operation lever
60. As shown, in this mode, the upper part of the L-shaped cam
opening 61 is arranged in parallel with the slider member 80. As is
seen from FIG. 6B, under the VENTILATION mode, the first mode door
22 takes an open position, that is a position to close the passage
directed from the up-passage 13 toward both the defroster air blow
opening 32 and the foot air blow opening 33 and open the
ventilation air blow opening 31, and the second mode door 23 takes
a foot air position closing the defroster air blow opening 32 while
opening the foot air blow opening 33. Thus, under this VENTILATION
mode, conditioned air flowing in the up-passage 13 is blown into
the vehicle cabin through only the ventilation air blow opening 31
as is indicated by the arrow.
[0066] In FIGS. 7A and 7B, there is shown the operation condition
under BI-LEVEL mode. As is seen from FIG. 7A, for achieving this
mode, the slider member 80 is somewhat shifted rightward in the
drawing as compared with the case of the above-mentioned
VENTILATION mode. Accordingly, the first operation lever 50 is
pushed rightward by the first engaging pin 81 and thus pivoted
slightly in a counterclockwise direction, while the second
operation lever 60 is left unmoved because of inoperative movement
of the second engaging pin 82 in the upper horizontal part of the
L-shaped cam opening 61 of the second operation lever 60.
Accordingly, as is seen from FIG. 7B, under the BILEVEL mode, the
first mode door 22 takes a half-open position partially opening the
passage directed toward the foot air blow opening 33 and the
ventilation air blow opening 31. Of course, the second mode door 23
is kept in the foot air position. Thus, under this BI-LEVEL mode,
conditioned air flowing in the up-passage 13 is blown into the
vehicle cabin from both the ventilation air blow opening 31 and the
foot air blow opening 33 as is indicated by the arrows.
[0067] In FIGS. 8A and 8B, there is shown the operation condition
under HEAT mode. As is seen from FIG. 8A, for achieving this mode,
the slider member 80 is further shifted rightward in the drawing.
Accordingly, the first operation lever 50 is further pushed
rightward by the first engaging pin 81 and thus further pivoted
counterclockwise. As shown, upon achieving this mode, the lower
part of the L-shaped cam opening 51 of the lever 50 becomes in
parallel with the slider member 80. For achieving this HEAT mode,
the second operation lever 60 is pushed rightly by the second
engaging pin 82 and thus pivoted slightly in a clockwise direction
in the drawing. Upon achieving this mode, the second engaging pin
82 comes to the inflection part of the L-shaped cam opening 61 of
the second operation lever 60, as shown. Accordingly, as is seen
from FIG. 8B, under the HEAT mode, the first mode door 22 takes a
close position closing the ventilation air blow opening 31 while
opening the passage directed toward both the defroster air blow
opening 32 and foot air blow opening 33, and the second mode door
23 takes a first half-open position partially opening both the
defroster air blow opening 32 and the foot air blow opening 33. As
shown, in the first half-open position of the second mode door 23,
the open degree of the foot air blow opening 33 is larger than that
of the defroster air blow opening 32. Under this HEAT mode,
conditioned air flowing in the up-passage 13 is blown into the is
vehicle cabin from both the defroster air blow opening 32 and the
foot air blow opening 33, as is indicated by the arrows. Of course,
the amount of air from the foot air blow opening 33 is larger than
that from the defroster air blow opening 32.
[0068] In FIGS. 9A and 9B, there is shown the operation condition
under DEFROSTER-FOOT mode. As is seen from FIG. 9A, for achieving
this mode, the slider member 80 is further shifted rightward in the
drawing. During this shifting, the first engaging pin 81 slides
without effect in the lower part of the L-shaped cam opening 51 of
the first operation lever 50, and thus the first operation lever 50
is kept unmoved. However, due to the further rightward shifting of
the slider member 80, the second engaging pin 82 pushes the second
operation lever 60 rightward and thus the second operation lever 60
is further pivoted clockwise. Accordingly, as is seen from FIG. 9B,
under the DEFROSTER-FOOT mode, the first mode door 22 keeps the
close position closing the ventilation air blow opening 31 while
opening the passage directed toward both the defroster air blow
opening 32 and the foot air blow opening 33, and the second mode
door 23 takes a second half-open position partially opening both
the defroster air blow opening 32 and the foot air blow opening 33.
As shown, in the second half-open position of the second mode door
23, the open degree of the defroster air blow opening 32 is larger
than that of the foot air blow opening 33. Thus, under this
DEFROSTER-FOOT mode, a larger amount of conditioned air is blown
into the vehicle cabin from the defroster air blow opening 32, and
a smaller amount of conditioned air is blown into the vehicle cabin
from the foot air blow opening 33.
[0069] In FIGS. 10A and 10B, there is shown the operation condition
under DEFROSTER mode. As is seen from FIG. 10A, for achieving this
mode, the slider member 80 is further shifted rightward in the
drawing. During this shifting, the first engaging pin 81 still
slides without effect in the lower part of the of the L-shaped cam
opening 51 of the first operation lever 50, and thus the first
operation lever 50 is kept unmoved. However, due to the further
rightward movement of the slider member 80, the second engaging pin
82 further pushes the second operation lever 60 rightward and thus
the second operation lever 60 is pivoted further in a clockwise
direction in the drawing. Accordingly, as is seen from FIG. 10B,
under the DEFROSTER mode, the first mode door 22 keeps the close
position closing the ventilation air blow opening 31 while opening
the passage directed toward both the defroster air blow opening 32
and the foot air blow opening 33, and the second mode door 23 takes
a defroster air position opening the defroster air blow opening 32
while closing the foot air blow opening 33. Thus, under this
DEFROSTER mode, conditioned air flowing in the up-passage 13 is
blown into the vehicle cabin from only the defroster air blow
opening 32 as is indicated by the arrow.
[0070] As is understood from the above description, when the slider
member 80 (see FIG. 3) is pulled or pushed by the flexible wire 91
upon manipulation of the control knob of the controller (not shown)
by a driver or passenger, the first and second mode doors 22 and 23
are pivoted to their given angular positions for achieving a
desired mode of the air conditioning unit 100.
[0071] In following, various advantages of the present invention
will be described with the aid of the drawings.
[0072] First, the pivot shafts 22a and 23a of the first and second
mode doors 22 and 23 are arranged at opposite sides with respect to
the slider member 80. Due to this arrangement, the sliding movement
of the slider member 80 induces pivoting of the first and second
mode doors 22 and 23 in opposite directions about their pivot
shafts 22a and 23a. That is, the abovementioned five air
distribution modes, that is, VENTILATION, BI-LEVEL, HEAT,
DEFROSTER-FOOT and DEFROSTER modes, can be readily provided by a
compact construction which includes the first and second mode doors
22 and 23. Furthermore, the mode door actuating mechanism 8 for
actuating the two mode doors 22 and 23 is made compact in size. In
other words, in the present invention, there is no need of using
bulky members such as the rotatable main link "h4" and intermediate
link "h3" used in the known air conditioner unit of FIG. 12. Thus,
the air distribution unit including the two mode doors 22 and 23
and the mode door actuating mechanism 8 can be made compact, and
thus, the entire construction of the air conditioner unit 100 can
be made compact in size.
[0073] Second, as is described hereinabove, the mode door actuating
mechanism 8 can be assembled as a unit. Thus, mounting the
mechanism 8 to the case 2 is easily and speedily carried out which
brings about reduction in cost of the air conditioner unit 100.
[0074] Third, due to provision of the positioning rib 41 and
holding pieces 42 by the case 2, the mounting of the mode door
actuating mechanism 8 to the case 2 is further facilitated.
[0075] Fourth, the air conditioner unit 100 is arranged so that the
rear wall 2b (see FIG. 1) thereof is positioned near a front panel
of an instrument panel on which the control knob of the controller
is mounted. In the invention, the clamp portion 72b (see FIG. 1) is
positioned on the side panel, which facilitates the arrangement of
the flexible wire 91 extending between the control knob and the
clamp portion 72b. Furthermore, such positioning provides the
flexible wire 91 with a suitable length smoothly transmitting the
operation force of the control knob to the slider member 80. This
advantage will be clarified from the following supplementary
explanation. That is, if the clamp portion 72b (see FIG. 3) is
provided on the rear wall 2b, the distance between the clamp
portion 72b and the control knob becomes very short, which makes
arrangement of the wiring (91) therebetween very difficult.
Furthermore, in assembly, due to the short distance, the flexible
wire 91 is curved with a small radius of curvature, which causes a
larger operation force needed by the control knob for moving the
wire 91. While, if the clamp portion 72b is provided on or near the
front wall 2a of the case 2, the flexible wire 91 and the guide
tube 92 need longer length which causes increase in cost of the air
conditioner unit 100.
[0076] Fifth, due to provision of the resilient arms 44 and 45 of
the case 2 which are engageable with the grooves 22b and 23b (see
FIG. 3) of the pivot shafts 22a and 23a to achieve a latched
engagement therebetween, the first and second mode doors 22 and 23
can be fixed to the case 2. Thus, mounting of the mode door
actuating mechanism 8 to the side wall 2h of the case 2 is readily
achieved. More specifically, mounting of the first and second
operation lever 50 and 60 to the pivot shafts 22a and 23a of the
doors 22 and 23 is readily carried out.
[0077] Sixth, due to provision of the conical annular portions 55
and 65 by the first and second operation levers 50 and 60,
thrusting the hub portions 53 and 63 of these levers 50 and 60 onto
the ends of the pivot shafts 22a and 23a automatically cancels the
latched engagement between the resilient arms 44 and 45 and the
grooves 22b and 23b. This facilitates the mounting of the levers 50
and 60 to the pivot shafts 22a and 23a.
[0078] Seventh, due to provision of the spaced cuts 22c and 23c by
the pivot shafts 22a and 23a, positioning of the first and second
operation levers 50 and 60 relative to the first and second mode
doors 22 and 23 is established upon coupling of the hub portions 53
and 63 with the pivot shafts 22a and 23a.
[0079] Referring to FIG. 11, there is shown a modification 8' of
the above-mentioned mode door actuating mechanism 8.
[0080] In this modification, both the first and second operation
levers 50 and 60 are entirely concealed in the housing, as will
become apparent from the following description.
[0081] As is seen from FIG. 11, the modified mechanism 8' comprises
a housing 170 which is to be mounted to the side wall 2h of the
case 2 in the above-mentioned manner. As shown, the housing 170 is
formed with both first and second expanded portions 171 and 172 for
spacedly receiving therein the lever portions 52 and 62 of the
first and second operation levers 50 and 60 respectively. A
suitable amount of grease is applied to the L-shaped cam openings
51 and 61 for smoothing the movement of the first and second
engaging pins 81 and 82 in and along the openings 51 and 61.
[0082] In this modification, the work for mounting the mechanism 8'
to the side wall 2h of the case 2 is readily and much safely
achieved because the lever portions 52 and 62 applied with grease
are entirely installed in the housing 170.
[0083] In the foregoing description, the mode door actuating
mechanism 8 or 8' is described to have the housing 70 or 170.
[0084] However, if desired, such housing 70 or 170 may be
integrally formed on the side wall 2h of the case 2.
[0085] The entire contents of Japanese Patent Application
2000-225887 (filed Jul. 26, 2000) are incorporated herein by
reference.
[0086] Although the invention has been described above with
reference to the embodiment of the invention, the invention is not
limited to such embodiment as described above. Various
modifications and variations of such embodiment may be carried out
by those skilled in the art, in light of the above description.
* * * * *