IL117853A

IL117853A - Air conditioning device for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: IL117853A
Application number: IL11785396A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Schultz Gmbh Aurora
Priority date: 1995-04-28
Filing date: 1996-04-09
Publication date: 2002-07-25
Also published as: EP0739768A3; EP0739768B1; IL117853A0; TR199600299A2; DE59606399D1; DE19515793A1; EP0739768A2

Abstract

Air conditioner on a roof for motor vehicles, especially for fast traveling vehicles such as buses, with heat exchangers (12) arranged lengthways along a part of the of the vehicle and with a liquefier unit with essentially flat lying liquefiers (40, 42) arranged on the roof and a liquefier-fresh air opening (34) for conveying fresh air to the liquefiers, characterised in that the heat exchangers can admit either fresh air and/or recirculated air by means of fresh air/circulating air control units, such as fresh air/circulating air flaps (26) with which control units fresh air operation and/or recirculated air operation may be selected, that a heat exchanger fresh air opening (30) for conducting fresh air to the heat exchangers in fresh air operation is provided and that the heat exchanger fresh air opening is arranged fluidically next to and switched parallel to the liquefier-fresh air opening.

Description

AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE AURORA Konrad G. Schulz GmbH & Co.

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning device for a vehicle, in particular for fast moving vehicles, such as buses, which are provided with heat exchangers arranged along a part of the roof of the vehicle, and with liquefier units comprising liquefiers being arranged, lying substantially flat, on the roof, and a liquefier fresh air opening for the supply of fresh air to the liquefiers.

Such an air-conditioning device is known from DE-OS-32 24 895. Said known air-conditioning device is mounted in the form of a hood (Hutze) on the roof of said vehicle, in particular a bus, and consists of a combination of liquefiers with adequate blowers and heat exchangers, adequate blowers also being allocated to the latter. The blowers have to be located behind the liquefiers or heat exchangers. Heat exchanger in connection herewith means a heated heat exchanger (Heizwaermeaustauscher) , an evaporator or a combination of both.

In the air-conditioning device known from the publication the liquefier unit is located in front of the heat exchanger. Thus, the entire construction becomes comparatively long. Blowers are located along the heat exchanger and the space between the blowers is thus occupied by broad, and therefore relatively heavy, lying heat exchangers. This becomes apparent, e.g. from Figs. 6, 7, 10 and 11 Of DE-OS-32 24 895.

It is also known, for example from DE-OS-41 13 246, that the space between the heat exchangers can be utilized by arranging the liquefiers at this place. However, in said known air-conditioning device, the arrangement is so compact that the flow paths, in particular of the liquefiers, are subject to strong turning-around movements (Umlenkung) . Therefore, the blowers in said liquefiers have to be comparatively strong developed, which results in a corresponding high consumption of electricity and in a weight increase on the roof of the vehicle.

It has also already been suggested that the air-conditioning unit on the roof of a vehicle should be provided with fresh-air flaps with which air is directly supplied to the heat exchanger blowers while by-passing the heat exchanger. This solution is however very unsatisfactory when the vehicle should be used also in a cool surrounding. In this case, heated fresh-air cannot be supplied so that, e.g. when such heated fresh-air is being used, the passengers have to choose between suffering either warm-air being used circulating-air (Umluft) or cold fresh-air. Moreover, this solution requires that the blowers for the liquefiers have to be located behind the liquefiers, which again results in an increase of the length of the device. The place besides the liquefiers is here also very narrow, and therefore one has to take into consideration sudden air turning-around movements of the air.

Furthermore, it has already been suggested to provide the air-conditioning device on the roof of a bus with improved flow technical airways, in which are contemplated separate fresh-air flaps, circulating-air flaps and used-air flaps. However, for this device a complicated flap steering system is required in order to obtain different ventilation, heating and air-conditioning situations. Moreover, also in this solution the liquefier cannot be operated with fresh air. This means that in the course of the cooling operation cooled used air has to be branched out from the circulating air and forwarded via the liquefier to the outside. Thus, the effectivity rate becomes very unsatisfactory, since, as a result of the supply of cold used air to the warm environment, the energy required for the cooling of the circulating air is immediately destroyed.

Moreover, the known solutions have the drawback in that relatively much energy is required for the operation of the blowers of the liquefiers. This means that the blowers and thus the entire construction on the roof of the vehicle become much heavier, no compact device can be constructed, and moreover, the high consumption of electric energy cannot be ignored.

Thus, the object of the present invention is to design an air-conditioning device, as hereinbefore defined, which achieves by simple constructive means, a weight reduction and a shorter length of the device.

The present invention thus consists in an air-conditioning device for a vehicle, in particular for fast moving vehicles, such as buses, which are provided with heat exchangers arranged along a part of the roof of the vehicle, and with liquefier units comprising liquefiers being arranged, lying substantially flat, on the roof, and a liquefier fresh-air opening for the supply of fresh-air to the liquefiers, characterized in that the heat exchangers are fixable (beaufschlagbar) , selectively with fresh-air and or circulating-air, by way of fresh-air/circulating-air regulation units, such as fresh-air/circulating-air flaps, with which regulating device a fresh-air and/or circulating-air device may be adjusted and in that a heat exchanger fresh-air opening is provided for the supply of fresh-air to the heat exchangers in the fresh-air device and in that the heat exchanger fresh-air opening is arranged flow-technically besides and parallel connected to the liquefier fresh-air opening.

The air-conditioning device may be arranged in such a manner that in the circulating-air device, the regulating unit locks up an enclosed space arranged in continuation to the heat exchanger fresh-air opening, in which space a dynamic pressure is formable.

The fresh air-opening may extend upwards from the roof of the vehicle, and the heat exchangers and the liquefier unit may be located, at least partly, on the roof of the vehicle.

The fresh-air opening unit may substantially point in the driving direction of the vehicle, oblique upwards and/or at an angle of 0-90°, particularly of about 45°, towards the central axis of the vehicle.

The heat exchangers may be arranged on both sides of the liquefier unit and the heat exchanger fresh-air opening may be arranged more in the front in relation to the liquefier-fresh-air opening.

The heat exchanger-fresh-air opening may be spread out as an oblique surface which points towards the central axis of the vehicle and terminates at the liquefier fresh-air opening.

The liquefiers may be arranged in an oblique manner and may extend from the front above to the rear below said device.

The regulating units may be formed as flaps which may be swung around a common swinging axis extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and which flabs enable in the substantially vertical position the circulating air-operation, and in the substantially horizontal position the fresh-air operation.

The liquefier unit may comprise axial blowers, known per se, which blow upwards and which are located below the liquefier.

A backwards extending wedge-shaped space may be located between the roof of the vehicle and the liquefier, which space is closed on the front side by the liquefier fresh-air opening.

The blowers of the liquefier unit are preferably arranged displaced one against another in a space-saving manner.

The blowers of the liquefying unit are preferably located, in the projection, partially or entirely, in an overlapping manner over a blower.

The blowers of the liquefier unit are advantageously located, at least in the projection, between the heat exchangers and the length of the air device may be determined substantially by the length of the heat exchangers.

The heat exchangers are suitably provided with heated heat exchangers and/or evaporators at the front, to which a filter is connected, which filter extends over the entire length of the heat exchangers .

In view of the fact that the air-conditioning device according to the present invention may be provided, in a manner known per se, with fresh-air/circulating-air flaps in front of the heat exchangers, a regulatable fresh-air and/or circulating-air operation is enabled. A special advantage of said device is achieved in that in the circulating-air operation the fresh-air opening may be blocked flow-technically. Practically, in the space between the fresh-air opening and the fresh-air/circulating-air flap an over pressure is built up by the dynamic pressure formed, so that the fresh-air opening, arranged in an oblique manner and allocated to the heat exchanger, increases automatically the dynamic pressure in the circulating-air operation.

This results in a strengthened flow flowing through the liquefiers so that the blowers for the liquefiers may be dimensioned smaller in an adequate manner. The arrangement of the liquefier in which the front end is lying tightly below the upper end of the climate hood and the rear end thereof is lying on the roof of the bus is particularly advantageous. Thus, a wedge-like over-pressure space is obtained which collects the dynamic pressure in a very good manner which favors the flow through the liquefier. Moreover, thereby the possibility is obtained to arrange the liquefier blowers at least partly above the lower/rear end of the liquefier. By this arrangement not only space is gained, but also an arrangement is enabled to meets the outer of the under-pressure formed by the drive wind at the outlet of the blowers.

Thus, this arrangement enables an automatic efficiency increase for the liquefier in the circulating-air operation, which is particularly advantageous as the air-conditioning is regularly performed with circulating-air. However, there is also a dynamic pressure available when a supply of fresh-air is desired, e.g. in the heating operation. The dynamic pressure at the liquefiers is in this position again automatically reduced, which is advantageous as those liquefiers are then not required as in case of an excessive dynamic pressure they serve only as a flow hindrance.

The air-resistance factor is thus as low as possible due to the automatic and planned change-over (Umschaltung) which causes a maximum dynamic pressure at the required places. In view of the fact that in addition, the blower performance is reducible by the optimal dynamic pressure due to the support of both the heat exchanger-blowers as of the liquefier-blowers there is obtained a significantly improved energy balance in comparison with that of the known solutions.

In spite of the above mentioned significant advantages, the invention can be realized with simple means. It requires only a swinging flap in front of the heat exchanger which, for example, may be actuated electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically. In particular, it is not required to provide a swinging flap in the contamination sensitive entrance flow range of the air-conditioning device. Rather on the contrary the most coarse dirt can be kept outside the swinging flap due to the turning movement of the flow in an arrangement of a circular parallel axis of the swinging flap.

In view of this particularly advantageous compact arrangement, the possibility is obtained to provide a filter in a suitable place, in the front or in the rear of the fresh-air/circulating-air flaps.

In a further, particularly advantageous arrangement, the liquefier blowers are arranged displaced one against another in a space-saving manner. In spite of the comparatively large air path cross-section a compact form of the liquefier unit may be realized. The arrangement in the range of the maximal under-pressure contri-butes in this case to the further reduction of the required performance.

Further details, advantages and features of the air-conditioning device according to the present invention become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of such device as shown in the drawings. This embodiment does not limit the scope of the present invention and serves only for illustrative purposes. In all Figs, identical reference numbers describe identical parts. In said drawings: Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an air-conditioning device according to the present invention which may be mounted on the roof of a bus; Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-section along line II-II of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-section along line III-III of Fig. 1.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, air-conditioning unit 10 comprises heat exchangers 12 and 14 which are located along a roof of a vehicle (now shown) . Heat exchangers 12 and 14 , consist each of an evaporator 16 and of heated heat exchanger 18. Outside, i.e. distanced more away from central axis 20 of the vehicle, double radial blowers 22 are provided which blow the air flowing through heat exchangers 12 and 14 into the interior of the vehicle.

Thus, air flows from the inside to the outside of heat exchangers 12 and 14. Moreover, filters 24 are provided at the inlet of heat exchangers 12 and 14. Fresh-air/circulating-air regulating units, which are formed as fresh-air/circulating-air flaps, are connected to the front of said filters 24. Fresh- air/circulating-air flaps 26 enable selectively the supply of circulating-air from the interior of the vehicle and the supply of fresh-air from space 28. Space 28 is arranged in flow connection with heat exchanger-fresh-air opening 30 which, for example, may 36 be covered by lattice 9*, as can be seen from Fig. 3.

Heat exchanger-fresh-air openings extend along oblique surfaces 32 and consistute by way of their effectivity a kind of a jet towards central axis 20. Said openings extend practically over the entire oblique surface 32 and are therefore connected in continuation to liquefier fresh-air opening 34, which opening 34 is contemplated over the entire width between heat exchanger/fresh-air openings 30 and 30.

Liquefier-fresh air opening 34 is also covered by a lattice 36, as can be seen from Fig. 3. In continuation to said liquefier-fresfi-air opening 34 extend wedge-like space 38 and liquefier 40 and in continuation of the latter liquefier 42. Liquefier 40 is slightly smaller than liquefier 42 so that space 28, when looking in a horizontal plane, extends also in a wedge-like form. Here a certain turning around movement around the baffle plate is desired in order to separate eventually appearing dirt particles before they reach the range of fresh-air/circulating-air flaps 26. Moreover, the required air flow is less in the rear range of the fresh-air/circulating-air flaps so that a correspondingly lesser flow cross-section is sufficient.

On the other hand, the possibility is given, due to the larger width of liquefier 42, to arrange liquefier blowers 44, 46, 48 and 50 in a compact manner displaced one against another so that they liquefier overlap to a certain extent heat M.ohangcr 42 and operate in the range of maximal under-pressure, so that the effectiveness of blowers 44 to 50 is supported by the drive wind. In this connection it has been shown to be particularly advantageous when forward liquefier blowers 46 and 48 each overlap half of .boat liquifier oxchangor 42.

The construction of the air-conditioning device 10 according to the present invention is shown in cross-section in Fig. 2. As can be seen, space 28 extending in continuation of oblique surface 32 is sufficiently large in order to enable a flow steadiness. Fresh-air/circulating-air flaps 26 are swingable around swinging axis 52 in about 90°. In substantially vertical position 54, the pure circulating-air operation is contemplated in which circulating air is sucked off, via circulating-air opening 56, from interior space 58 of the bus. Said circulating-air is forwarded after filtration through filter 24 in succession to heating heat exchanger 18, evaporator 16 and double radial blower 22. Double radial blower 22 blows then the circulating-air into pressure space 52, which is provided, in a known manner, with—jets which are located above the seats of the passengers.

The space receiving evaporator 16 and heat exchanger 18 is formed a little bit deeper so that condensation tube 60 is formed. Said tube 60 is, in a manner known per se, provided with an outlet socket, which is not shown in Fig. 2.

Contrary thereto, fresh-air/circulating-air flap 26 is in the pure fresh air operation device in horizontal position 62, so that 28 the air, without further turning-around, may flow from space/-*2- into heat exchangers 12 and 14.

As can also be seen from Fig. 2, the upper edge of liquefier liquefiers unit 64, which liquefier unit 64 surrounds JUvupui aLui L 40 and 42, evaporator blowers 44 to 50 and evaporator fresh-air opening 34, is located substantially at the same height as the unit of heat exchangers 12 and 14 so that the air resistance value of the car is not reduced by projecting parts.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, liquefiers 40 and 42 extend in a right flat angle from the front to the rear. In order to increase the incoming flow effect an oblique air conducting element 66 may be contemplated which improves the incoming flow of front liquefier 40.

As can also be seen from Fig. 3, roof skin 68 of the vehicle in the range of the liquefier unit 64, is not broken. It is understood that the required circulating-air openings and outlet flow openings for double radial blowers 22, are provided in the range of heat exchangers 12 and 14. Moreover, it is understood that roof skin 68 is provided with openings for the supply of the cooling means to liquefiers 40 and 42 which opening can be mounted at a suitable place. A corresponding cooling means connector 70 is indicated below blower 46.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, particularly advantageous axial blowers may be used as liquefier blowers 44 and 46. However, it is readily understood that said axial blowers may be substituted, if desired, by radial blowers.

The invention also enables the pre-mounting at hood 72 which constitutes the upper closing of air-conditioning unit 10. For the mounting proper it is therefore only required to connect the electrical and hydraulic connections so that the final mounting is relatively price favorable.

Moreover, it is possible that liquefier blowers 44 to 50 may blow to the rear and/or that the axial blowers may be substituted by radial blowers.

Claims

1. CLAIMS . Air conditioner on a roof for motor vehicles, especially for fast traveling vehicles such as busses, with heat exchangers arranged lengthways along a part of the roof of the vehicle and with a liquefier unit with essentially flat laying liquefiers arranged on the roof and a liquefier-fresh air opening for conveying fresh air to the liquefiers, characterised in that the heat exchangers can admit either fresh air and/or recirculated air by means of fresh air/circulating air control units, such as fresh air/circulating air flaps with which control units fresh air operation and/or recirculated air operation may be selected, that a heat exchanger fresh air opening for conducting fresh air to the heat exchangers in fresh air operation is provided and that the heat exchanger fresh air opening is arranged fluidically next to and switched parallel to the liquefier-fresh air opening.

2. Air conditioner according to claim 1 , characterised in that during recirculated air operation the control unit closes off a closed area connected to the heat exchanger fresh air aperture, in which dynamic pressure can be formed.

3. Air conditioner according to claim 1 , characterised in that the fresh air roof openings extend upwards from the feed of the vehicle and that the heat exchangers and the liquefier unit are placed at least partially on the roof of the vehicle.

4. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fresh air openings point essentially diagonally upwards and/or at an angle from 0 to 90°, especially around 45° in the direction of travel of the vehicle, to the centre axis of the vehicle. >

5. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that heat exchangers are placed on either side of the liquefier unit and the heat exchanger-fresh air opening is placed opposite the liquefier-fresh air opening further forward.

6. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the heat exchanger-fresh air opening grips a diagonal surface, which merges towards the middle axis of the vehicle on the liquefier-fresh air opening.

7. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the liquefiers are positioned diagonally and extend from front above to rear below.

8. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control units are formed as flaps, which can be pivoted around a common swivelling axis, extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and which permit recirculated air operation in the essentially vertical position and fresh air operation in the essentially horizontal position.

9. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, the liquefier unit uses known axial ventilators, which blow out towards the top and are positioned below the liquefiers.

10. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that between the vehicle roof and the liquefiers a wedge-shaped space, which is separated on its front side from the liquefierO-fresh air aperture, extends towards the rear.

11. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the ventilators of the liquefier unit are positioned compactly offset opposite each other.

12. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the ventilators of the liquefier unit are arranged partly or completely overlapping a liquefier in projection.

13. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised that the ventilators of the liquefier unit are at least positioned in projection between the heat exchangers and that the construction length of the air conditioner is essentially determined by the construction length of the heat exchangers.

14. Air conditioner according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the heat exchangers feature heat exchangers for heating purposes and/or evaporators, to which in particular a filter, which extends along the entire length of the heat exchangers, is connected. For the Applicant Dr. Yitzhak Hess & Partners