Patent ID: 6598670
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, said air conditioner comprising:an air conditioning case for defining an air passage through which air is blown into the passenger compartment, said air conditioning case having a face opening through which air is blown toward a front upper side of the passenger compartment, a pair of defroster openings through which air is blown toward a windshield of the vehicle, and a pair of foot openings through which air is blown toward a lower side of the passenger compartment; a cooling heat exchanger for cooling air in said air passage, said cooling heat exchanger having a cooling air inlet surface which is disposed more horizontal than vertical in said air conditioning case; a heating heat exchanger for heating air passing through said heating heat exchanger, said heating heat exchanger having a heating air inlet surface disposed more horizontal than vertical in said air conditioning case at a downstream air side of said cooling heat exchanger above said cooling heat exchanger to form a cool air passage through which air from said cooling heat exchanger bypasses said heating heat exchanger and to form a warm air passage through which air having passed through said heating heat exchanger flows; and a mode switching member for selectively opening and closing said face opening, said defroster openings and said foot openings, said mode switching member being disposed at a vehicle rear side relative to said heating heat exchanger, wherein: said cool air passage is provided at a vehicle rear side of said heating heat exchanger in a vehicle front-rear direction; said air passage has an air mixing chamber at a vehicle rear side of said heating heat exchanger In the vehicle front-rear direction, in which air from said warm air passage and air from said cool air passage are mixed; said face opening and said defroster openings are provided at a downstream air side of said air mixing chamber above said air mixing chamber; said foot openings is are provided at a the downstream air side of said air mixing chamber below said air mixing chamber; said defroster openings are provided at opposite sides of said face opening in a vehicle width direction; each of said foot openings is disposed under a respective defroster opening; the air conditioning case has a an enlarged passage portion in which a passage sectional area of said warm air passage is enlarged at opposite sides in the vehicle width direction, from a first position immediately after said heating heat exchanger to a second position of said face opening and said defroster openings; and said enlarged passage portion has an air outlet portion that is provided opposite to said defroster openings and said foot openings.