# US 11,027,588 B2 · Air conditioning unit for vehicle

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- Number: US 11,027,588 B2
- Document ID: US11027588B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/999,489
- Filed: 2017-01-25
- Published: 2020-02-27
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-22
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Yohei Shimoyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027588B2

## CPC

- B60H 1/00: Heating, cooling or ventilating devices
- B60H 1/00064: {for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment}
- B60H 1/00028: {Constructional lay-out of the devices in the vehicle}
- B60H 1/0005: {the air being firstly cooled and subsequently heated or vice versa}
- B60H 2001/00092: {of air deflecting or air directing means inside the device}
- B60H 2001/00135: {Deviding walls for separate air flows}
- B60H 2001/00164: {with more than one by-pass}
- B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES

## Abstract

An air conditioner for a vehicle includes an air conditioning case and a case interior member in the air conditioning case. The case interior member includes a tunnel member and a tunnel exterior guide wall. The tunnel member defines a tunnel channel therein and is arranged in a downstream space defined in an air conditioning case. The tunnel exterior guide wall is configured to guide an air to flow from a warm air passage to an outside of the tunnel channel. A first direction along which the tunnel exterior guide wall extends is closer to a direction, which is opposite to the one direction along which the air flowing from a cool air passage into the downstream space, as compared to a second direction along which the tunnel guide wall extends.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air conditioning unit that is configured to perform an air conditioning for a vehicle compartment, comprising:
an air conditioning case that defines a warm air passage, a cool air passage, and a downstream space therein,
the warm air passage allowing air to flow therethrough and to be heated in a heater,
the cool air passage allowing air to flow therethrough while bypassing the heater,
the downstream space defined on a downstream side of the warm air passage and on a downstream side of the cool air passage,
the warm air passage and the cool air passage being connected to each other in the downstream space; and
a case interior member in the air conditioning case, wherein
the cool air passage is in fluid communication with the downstream space in a cool air flow direction,
the case interior member includes
a tunnel member that defines a tunnel channel therein passing through the tunnel member in a direction intersecting with the cool air flow direction and
a tunnel exterior guide wall that is configured to guide an air to flow from the warm air passage to an outside of the tunnel channel in the downstream space,
the tunnel member is open to the warm air passage at an upstream end of the tunnel channel, and includes a tunnel guide wall that faces the tunnel channel and that is configured to guide an air flowing through the tunnel channel,
in the downstream space, the air from the cool air passage flows outside the tunnel member across the tunnel member from the cool air passage to a side of the tunnel member away from the cool air passage along the cool air flow direction, and joins the air flowing from the warm air passage into the outside of the tunnel member,
the tunnel exterior guide wall includes an exterior-wall downstream end that is located most downstream in the tunnel exterior guide wall in a first flow direction along which the air flows from the warm air passage into the downstream space along the tunnel exterior guide wall,
the tunnel guide wall includes a tunnel-wall downstream end in a second flow direction along which the air flows along the tunnel guide wall in the tunnel channel,
the tunnel exterior guide wall around the exterior-wall downstream end extends along a first direction,
the tunnel guide wall around the tunnel-wall downstream end extends along a second direction, and
the first direction is closer to a direction, which is opposite to the cool air flow direction along which the air flowing from the cool air passage into the downstream space, as compared to the second direction, wherein
the air conditioning case includes a case wall that extends from the tunnel exterior guide wall,
the case wall includes a notch, a first case wall portion, and a second case wall portion, the first case wall portion and the second case wall portion being separate members,
the first case wall portion abuts on the second case wall portion on a boundary extending from the notch, and
the tunnel exterior guide wall is fixed to the case wall with the notch engaged with the tunnel exterior guide wall.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the warm air passage includes a connection end where the warm air passage is connected to the downstream space,
the tunnel guide wall in the tunnel member is positioned furthermost from the cool air passage in the cool air flow direction and includes a tunnel-wall upstream end in the second flow direction,
the tunnel exterior guide wall defines a part of the connection end of the warm air passage, the part of the connection end being positioned furthermost in the connection end from the cool air passage in the cool air flow direction, and
the tunnel-wall upstream end is positioned upstream of the exterior-wall downstream end in the first flow direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the first direction and the cool air flow direction form an obtuse angle, and
the second direction and the cool air flow direction form an acute angle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising
a second space door that includes a door body configured to rotate about a door rotational axis, wherein
the air conditioning case defines a second space therein that is connected to the downstream space as a first space on a side of the downstream space away from the cool air passage,
the second space door is arranged in the second space,
the door body includes a door edge that is positioned between the door rotational axis and the first space,
the door edge moves along a rotational path when the door body rotates, and
the tunnel guide wall is spaced from the rotational path in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotational axis and is curved along the rotational path.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the tunnel member has a flat portion and an upstream end portion, the flat portion having a longitudinal direction along the cool air flow direction, and
the upstream end portion
forms an upstream end of the tunnel channel so that a width of the upstream end in a thickness direction of the tunnel member is greater than a channel width of a center portion of the tunnel channel and
is arranged outside an area where a main flow of the air, which flows from the cool air passage into the downstream space and passes through the downstream space, flows.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising
one wall of the tunnel exterior guide wall and the case wall includes a protrusion, and
the protrusion is
positioned on one side of a surface of an other wall of the tunnel exterior guide wall and the case wall in a thickness direction of the one wall and
formed to protrude from a boundary between the one wall and the other wall toward the other wall and to extend along the surface of the other wall.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The air conditioning unit for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein
the protrusion is located at an edge portion of the one wall where the one wall abuts on the other wall, and
the protrusion protrudes from the one wall toward the other wall across the edge portion.

### Claim 8

An air conditioning unit that is configured to perform an air conditioning for a vehicle compartment, comprising:
an air conditioning case that defines a warm air passage, a cool air passage, and a downstream space therein,
the warm air passage allowing air to flow therethrough and to be heated in a heater,
the cool air passage allowing air to flow therethrough while bypassing the heater,
the downstream space defined on a downstream side of the warm air passage and on a downstream side of the cool air passage,
the warm air passage and the cool air passage being connected to each other in the downstream space; and
a case interior member in the air conditioning case, wherein
the cool air passage is in fluid communication with the downstream space in a cool air flow direction,
the case interior member includes
a tunnel member that defines a tunnel channel therein passing through the tunnel member in a direction intersecting with the cool air flow direction and
a tunnel exterior guide wall that is configured to guide an air to flow from the warm air passage to an outside of the tunnel channel in the downstream space,
the tunnel member is open to the warm air passage at an upstream end of the tunnel channel, and includes a tunnel guide wall that faces the tunnel channel and that is configured to guide an air flowing through the tunnel channel,
in the downstream space, the air from the cool air passage flows outside the tunnel member across the tunnel member from the cool air passage to a side of the tunnel member away from the cool air passage along the cool air flow direction, and joins the air flowing from the warm air passage into the outside of the tunnel member,
the tunnel exterior guide wall includes an exterior-wall downstream end that is located most downstream in the tunnel exterior guide wall in a first flow direction along which the air flows from the warm air passage into the downstream space along the tunnel exterior guide wall,
the tunnel guide wall includes a tunnel-wall downstream end in a second flow direction along which the air flows along the tunnel guide wall in the tunnel channel,
the tunnel exterior guide wall around the exterior-wall downstream end extends along a first direction,
the tunnel guide wall around the tunnel-wall downstream end extends along a second direction, and
the first direction is closer to a direction, which is opposite to the cool air flow direction along which the air flowing from the cool air passage into the downstream space, as compared to the second direction, wherein
the air conditioning case includes a case wall that extends from the tunnel exterior guide wall,
the case wall includes a notch, a first case wall portion, and a second case wall portion different from the first case wall portion,
the first case wall portion abuts on the second case wall portion on a boundary extending from the notch,
the tunnel exterior guide wall is fixed to the case wall with the notch engaged with the tunnel exterior guide wall, and
one wall of the tunnel exterior guide wall and the case wall includes a protrusion, the protrusion is
positioned on one side of a surface of an other wall of the tunnel exterior guide wall and the case wall in a thickness direction of the one wall and
formed to protrude from a boundary between the one wall and the other wall toward the other wall and to extend along the surface of the other wall.