Blower unit and air conditioner employing the same

An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, said air conditioner comprising:

• a blower unit for blowing air;
• a cooling heat exchanger disposed at downstream sides of said first passage and said second passage, for cooling air passing therethrough,
• a heating heat exchanger disposed at a downstream side of said cooling heat exchanger and at downstream sides of said first passage and said second passage, for heating air passing therethrough;
• means for forming a defroster air passage disposed at a downstream side of said heating heat exchanger, for supplying air blown into said first passage toward an inner surface of a windshield;
• and
• means for forming a foot air passage disposed at a downstream side of said heating heat exchanger, for supplying air blown into said second passage toward a lower portion of said passenger compartment;
• wherein,
• said blower unit includes;
• a centrifugal fan;
• a fan casing forming a scroll-shaped air passage and housing said centrifugal fan, said fan casing including a first and a second case each having a divided face in the axial direction of said centrifugal fan;
• and
• a first planar partition wall for partitioning an interior of said first case into a first passage and a second passage in which different kinds of air flow in the axial direction of said centrifugal fan, respectively, said first planar partition wall being molded integrally to said fan casing and extending linearly from a first wall surface of said first case to a position radially inside of said centrifugal fan, said first passage having a first axial width defined between a second inner wall surface of said first case and said first planar partition wall, said first axial width being constant from said first inner wall surface of said first case to said position radially inside of said centrifugal fan, said second passage having a second annular width defined between a third inner wall surface of said first case and said first planar partition wall, said second axial width being constant from said first inner wall surface of said first case to said position radially inside of said centrifugal fan;
• and
• a second generally planar partition wall for partitioning an interior of said second case into said first passage and said second passage in which the different kinds of air flow in the axial direction of said centrifugal fan, respectively, said second partition planar wall extending linearly from a first inner wall surface of said second case to said position radially inside of said centrifugal fan, said first passage having said first axial width defined between a second inner wall surface of said second case and said second planar partition wall, said first axial width being constant from said first inner wall surface of said second case to said position radially inside of said centrifugal fan, said second passage having said second annular width defined between a third inner wall surface of said second case and said second planar partition wall, said second axial width being constant from said first inner wall surface of said second case to said position radially inside of said centrifugal fan.