Patent ID: 8511371
Filing Date: 2013-08-20
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
1. An air conditioner for an automobile, the air conditioner comprising: a case having an air passage formed therein, the air passage including a cold air passage having an evaporator, a hot air passage having a heater core, a plurality of discharge passage systems communicating with outlets and including a first discharge passage and a second discharge passage, and a merging area in which the cold air passage and the hot air passage merge, wherein air flows into each of the outlets from the merging area; a door disposed in the merging area and including a partition wall configured to be movable between an advanced position and a retreated position where the partition wall retreats from the advanced position; and a mixing area formed by the partition wall of the door at an area where the cold air passage meets the hot air passage, wherein the outlets include a vent outlet and a foot outlet provided downstream of the merging area, wherein the door partially blocks air flowing from the merging area to the first discharge passage to mix cold air from the cold air passage and hot air from the hot air passage in the mixing area when the door is in the advanced position, and guides air from the mixing area to the first discharge passage along the partition wall through detour passages when the door is in the advanced position, the detour passages being configured to communicate with the vent outlet and the foot outlet, wherein the door closes air flow to the second discharge passage and does not block air flow to the first discharge passage when the door is in the retreated position, wherein the door includes a pair of substantially sector-shaped sidewalls which are parallel with each other and a stem acting as a hinge of the sidewalls, and each of the sector-shaped sidewalls has edges which extend in a radial direction from the stem, wherein the partition wall is connected to outer circumferential edges of the sidewalls, wherein the door is formed as a rotary door that rotates about the stem, and the door is rotatably and pivotally supported by the case, wherein the door is configured such that a distance from the stem to an end portion of the partition wall in a circumferential direction on a rear side of the door is shorter than a distance from the stem to the end portion of the partition wall in the circumferential direction on a front side of the door, the front side of the door being in front of the rear side of the door in an advancement direction of the door, wherein a rotational angle of the door between the advanced position and the retreated position is larger than a central angle between the edges of each of the sector-shaped sidewalls, and wherein the case and the door are configured such that air is blown from both the vent outlet and the foot outlet through the detour passages when blowing the air from both the vent outlet and the foot outlet simultaneously.