Patent ID: 6920921
Filing Date: 2005-07-26
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
1. An air conditioner in combination with a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising: a case member defining an air passage extending in a vehicle width direction, the case member having an outside air suction port for introducing outside air outside the passenger compartment into the air passage, and first and second openings opened in the air passage at right and left end sides of the air passage in the vehicle width direction, one of the first and second openings being used as an inside air suction port for introducing inside air inside the passenger compartment into the air passage, and the other one of the first and second openings being used as an air outlet port; a blower for blowing air, the blower having a suction port from which air from the air outlet port of the case member is sucked; a connection member through which the air outlet port of the case member is coupled to the suction port of the blower; and an inside/outside air switching member, disposed in the case member, for opening and closing the outside air suction port and the inside air suction port; wherein the case member has therein the blower, a heat-exchanging portion for performing a heat exchange with air blown by the blower, and a mode switching portion for switching a flow direction of air to be blown into the passenger compartment, the case member is arranged at a vehicle center portion in a vehicle width direction, and the connection member is detachably connected to the case member; the one of the first and second openings is positioned at a vehicle right side, the other one of the first and second openings is positioned at a vehicle left side and the suction port of the blower is positioned at the vehicle left side when the vehicle has a right steering wheel; and the one of the first and second openings is positioned at the vehicle left side, the other one of the first and second openings is positioned at the vehicle right side and the suction port of the blower is positioned at the vehicle right side when the vehicle has a left steering wheel.