Patent ID: 6247530
Filing Date: 2001-06-19
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, said air conditioning apparatus comprising:an air conditioning case for forming an air passage, said air conditioning case having a first opening portion for blowing air toward a front side of the passenger compartment and a second opening portion for blowing air toward a rear side of the passenger compartment, said first opening portion including a face opening through which air is blown toward a front upper side of the passenger compartment, a foot opening through which air is blown toward a front lower side of the passenger compartment, and a defroster opening through which air is blown toward an inner surface of a front windshield of the vehicle;a cooling heat exchanger, disposed in said air conditioning case, for cooling air in said air passage;a heating heat exchanger for heating air from said cooling heat exchanger, said heating heat exchanger being disposed in said air conditioning case to form first and second bypass passages through which air having passed through said cooling heat exchanger bypasses said heating heat exchanger and to form a warm air passage through which air flows after having passed through said heating heat exchanger;a first air mixing door for adjusting a ratio between an amount of air passing through said first bypass passage and an amount of air passing through said heating heat exchanger in such a manner that air blown toward the front side of the passenger compartment from said first opening portion has a predetermined temperature;a second air mixing door for adjusting a ratio between an amount of air from said second bypass passage and an amount of air from said warm air passage in such a manner that air blown toward the rear side of the passenger compartment from said second opening portion has a predetermined temperature;a switching door for partitioning said warm air passage into a first passage portion for introducing air toward said face opening, said foot opening and said defroster opening of said first opening portion, and a second passage portion for introducing air toward said second opening portion;a mode selecting member which is disposed to selectively open and close said face opening, said foot opening and said defroster opening to select any one of a face mode where said face opening is opened, a bi-level mode where both said face opening and said foot opening are opened, a foot mode where said foot opening is opened, and a defroster mode where said defroster opening is opened; anda control unit for controlling operation of said switching door in such a manner that both of said first and second passage portions of said warm air passage communicate with said first opening portion when said mode selecting member selects one of said defroster mode and said foot mode.