Patent ID: 6079484
Filing Date: 2000-06-27
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising:a blower for blowing air;a cooling heat exchanger for cooling said air blown by said blower;a heating heat exchanger disposed at an air downstream side of said cooling heat exchanger, for heating said air blown by said blower by using fluid always flowing through said heating heat exchanger as a heating source;an air-mixing door disposed at an air upstream side of said heating heat exchanger, for controlling a temperature of conditioned air to be blown into said passenger compartment by adjusting a ratio between an amount of air flowing through said heating heat exchanger and an amount of air bypassing said heating heat exchanger;a case having therein a hot air passage formed between an air downstream side of said heating heat exchanger and a mixing point where said air flowing through said heating heat exchanger mixes with said air bypassing said heating heat exchanger, said case further having a plurality of air passages formed at an air downstream side of said mixing point for introducing the conditioned air toward different portions of said passenger compartment, said plurality of air passage including at least a face air passage for introducing the conditioned air toward an upper portion of said passenger compartment; andan air outlet mode switching door disposed at an air downstream side of said mixing point for selectively opening and closing said plurality of air passages, wherein,said hot air passage has a first dimension at an air upstream location from said mixing point when said face air passage is closed and a second dimension at said air upstream location from said mixing point when said face air passage is open, said second dimension being narrower than said first dimension.