Patent ID: 7134487

Claim:
An air conditioner for a vehicle comprising: a cooling device for cooling air; a heating device provided downstream of the cooling device for heating air; an air mix door for adjusting a ratio of a volume of air that bypasses the heating device and which flows through a first passage communicating with a first opening to a volume of air that flows through the heating device and through a second passage communicating with a second opening, thereby controlling a temperature of air to be blown into a passenger compartment of the vehicle; a unit case housing the cooling device, the heating device and the air mix door, wherein the unit case defines the first opening through which air to be blown toward an upper region of the passenger compartment flows and the second opening through which air to be blown toward a lower region of the passenger compartment flows; and a switching door rotatably supported in the unit case, the switching door movable between a first position where the first passage is open and the second passage is closed and a second position where the first passage is closed and the second passage is open; wherein the switching door includes a guide plate that is rotatable with the switching door, and the guide plate is disposed to direct heated air, which is heated by the heating device, such that the heated air merges with the cooled air flowing in the first passage when the switching door is in the first position and to direct the cooled air such that the cooled air merges with the heated air flowing in the second passage when the switching door is in the second position.