# US 11,077,739 B2 · Vehicular air conditioning unit

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- Number: US 11,077,739 B2
- Document ID: US11077739B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/251,159
- Filed: 2019-01-18
- Published: 2019-05-23
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Ryo Kobayashi; Yoshihiko Okumura; Yasuhiro Sekito; Shinya Kato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077739B2

## CPC

- B60H 1/3233: {characterised by condensed liquid drainage means}
- B60H 1/00028: {Constructional lay-out of the devices in the vehicle}
- B60H 1/00064: {for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment}
- B60H 1/00514: {Details of air conditioning housings}
- B60H 1/32: Cooling devices {(B60H1/00478, B60H1/005 take precedence)}
- B60H 1/3227: {characterised by the arrangement or the type of heat exchanger, e.g. condenser, evaporator (condensed liquid drainage means B60H1/3233)}
- B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES

## Abstract

In a vehicular air conditioning unit, an air conditioning case includes a space forming portion that forms a drainage space which is partitioned from an air passage. The space forming portion includes a drainage portion that discharges water from inside the air conditioning case to outside of the air conditioning case. Further, the space forming portion includes an upstream side communication portion that communicates the drainage space to an upstream side space on an air flow upstream side of the blower in the air passage. Further, the space forming portion includes a downstream side communication portion that communicates the drainage space to a downstream side space on the air flow downstream side of the blower in the air passage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicular air conditioning unit for air conditioning a passenger compartment, comprising:
an air conditioning case that forms an air passage for ventilation air toward the passenger compartment;
a heat exchanger housed inside the air conditioning case, the heat exchanger exchanging heat between a fluid flowing therein and the ventilation air; and
a blower disposed on an air flow downstream side of the heat exchanger, the blower generating an air flow that flows toward the passenger compartment, wherein
the air conditioning case includes a space forming portion that forms a drainage space which is partitioned from the air passage,
the space forming portion includes
a drainage portion that discharges water from inside the air conditioning case to outside of the air conditioning case,
an upstream side communication portion that communicates the drainage space to an upstream side space on an air flow upstream side of the blower in the air passage,
a downstream side communication portion that communicates the drainage space to a downstream side space on the air flow downstream side of the blower in the air passage,
a lower wall forming portion that forms a part of a lower wall surface of the air conditioning case, and
a partitioning portion that forms the drainage space between the partitioning portion and the lower wall forming portion, and that partitions the upstream side space from the downstream side space,
the drainage portion is formed in the lower wall forming portion,
the downstream side communication portion is formed at a position above a connection portion connected to the lower wall forming portion among the portions of the partitioning portion facing the downstream side space,
a most-downstream end of the downstream side communication portion toward the air flow downstream side is arranged on the air flow upstream side of a most-downstream end of the connection portion toward the air flow downstream side, and
the connection portion is in a plate shape and is raised from a lower wall surface of the air passage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicular air conditioning unit of claim 1, wherein
at least a part of the upstream side communication portion is formed at a position that overlaps with the connection portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicular air conditioning unit of claim 1, wherein
at least one of the upstream side communication portion or the downstream side communication portion includes a slit-shaped communication hole which intersects a wall surface of the lower wall forming portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicular air conditioning unit of claim 1, wherein
the heat exchanger is a cooling heat exchanger that cools the ventilation air, and
the cooling heat exchanger is disposed in the upstream side space.