Patent ID: 8460073

Claim:
An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising: an air conditioning case defining an air passage through which air flows to a vehicle compartment; and a heating heat exchanger configured to heat the air, the heating heat exchanger being arranged inside the air conditioning case, wherein the air passage includes: a first warm-air passage in which warm air having passed through the heating heat exchanger flows; a cool-air passage in which cool air flows while bypassing the heating heat exchanger; an air mixing chamber located at a junction of the first warm-air passage and the cool-air passage such that the warm air flowing from the first warm-air passage and the cool air flowing from the cool-air passage are mixed to obtain conditioned air having a desired temperature; a plurality of outlet portions provided at a downstream portion of the air conditioning case downstream of the air mixing chamber in an air flow such that the conditioned air is blown from the plurality of outlet portions to a plurality of regions in the vehicle compartment; a warm-air bypass passage configured to introduce a part of the warm air from the heating heat exchanger into a predetermined area, which is opposite to the first warm-air passage with respect to the air mixing chamber, the warm-air bypass passage extending across the air mixing chamber; and a second warm-air passage communicating with the warm-air bypass passage, the second warm-air passage being provided at the predetermined area, the second warm-air passage is arranged to reverse a flowing direction of the warm air from the warm-air bypass passage and to introduce the warm air into the air mixing chamber, and the first warm-air passage and the second warm-air passage are arranged such that the cool air flowing from the cool-air passage to the air mixing chamber is inserted between the warm air flowing in a first direction from the first warm-air passage and the warm air flowing in a second direction, opposite the first direction from the second warm-air passage, from two sides of the cool air in order to enhance mixing.