SLIDING DOOR STRUCTURE FOR HVAC SYSTEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0192330, filed on Dec. 20, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a door structure applied to a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art

An HVAC system includes a door for adjusting an air volume. For example, an HVAC system includes a flat-type or butterfly-type door for adjusting the volume of air flow to a heater core in order to control a discharge air temperature.

In a conventional HVAC system, in order to secure a required air volume, an area of a door for temperature control is increased, and for such increase in the area, a length of the door is increased. As the length of the door is increased, an overall area of the door increases, and consequently, the air volume increases. However, increasing the air volume in such a manner causes a problem in that a length of the HVAC system in a forward-backward direction increases. As a result, in order to secure a gap for components disposed around the HVAC system, an overall size of a cockpit increases, thereby reducing space utilization.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute related (or prior) art.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a door structure for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system capable of securing a required air volume while minimizing an area thereof.

A door structure for adjusting an air flow in an HVAC system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a case slot formed in a case of the HVAC system, a door engaged with the case slot so as to be slidable along the case slot, and a driving shaft rotatably supported by the case and coupled to the door to allow the door to slide along the case slot through rotation of the driving shaft.

The door may include a door plate slidably engaged with the case slot and a trajectory portion protruding from the door plate and having a guide slot formed therein. The driving shaft may include a lever and a pin provided at the lever and movably inserted into the guide slot.

The guide slot may be formed to allow a change of a relative position of the door plate with respect to the pin so as to allow a sliding motion of the door plate along the case slot.

The trajectory portion may include a chamfer leading to the guide slot to guide insertion of the pin into the guide slot.

The case may include a guide configured to support an end portion of the door plate when the door plate is displaced at a predetermined first position.

The guide may be located on a rear side of the end portion of the door plate based on an air flow direction in the case.

The door plate may have an arc-shaped cross-section, and the case slot may have an arc shape to allow a sliding motion of the door plate.

The door plate may have a linear cross-section, and the case slot may have a linear shape to allow a sliding motion of the door plate.

The door plate may be inserted into the case slot by an insertion amount ranging from 3 mm to 8 mm.

The trajectory portion may be located at a central portion of the door plate in the sliding direction of the door plate.

The trajectory portion may be located at a position offset to one side from the center of the door plate in the sliding direction of the door plate.

The door structure may further include first and second guides located at an end of the case slot and configured to respectively support both surfaces of the door plate in the insertion direction of the door plate.

The first and second guides may be formed at positions offset from each other in the insertion direction of the door plate.

The first guide may be formed on a side facing an air flow direction in the case, and the second guide may be formed opposite the first guide with respect to the door plate.

An end portion of the door plate inserted into the case slot and the case slot may define a gap in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the door plate.

The door plate may include a tension structure configured to allow the end portion of the door plate inserted into the case slot to be pushed by an air flow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments and serve to further illustrate the technical ideas of the disclosure in conjunction with the detailed description of exemplary embodiments that follows, and the disclosure is not to be construed as limited to what is shown in such drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to which a door structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a view showing an operational state of the door structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the door structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is mounted in a case of the HVAC system;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a door of the door structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a view showing a door structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are provided to more fully illustrate the disclosure to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. The embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more faithful and complete and to completely convey the idea of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can readily carry out the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system 10 may include a case 11 and may include an evaporator core 12 and a heater core 13, which are disposed in the case 11. The evaporator core 12 is a heat exchange element for cooling air, and the heater core 13 is a heat exchange element for heating air. As shown in FIG. 1, the evaporator core 12 and the heater core 13 may be sequentially disposed in the case 11 so that air to be supplied to the interior of a vehicle first passes through the evaporator core 12 and then passes through the heater core 13. Although not shown in the drawings, the HVAC system 10 may include a blower unit configured to generate an air flow. The air flow generated by the blower unit may be supplied to the interior after passing through the evaporator core 12 and the heater core 13.

Door structures 21, 22, and 23 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be disposed in the case 11 to control an air flow. The door structure indicated by reference numeral 21 may be disposed between an upper side of the evaporator core 12 and the heater core 13 and may function to allow air that has passed through the upper side of the evaporator core 12 to flow to the heater core 13 or to flow into a passage that bypasses the heater core 13. The door structure 21 may selectively open and close an air passage 15 leading to an upper side of the heater core 13 and a bypass air passage 16 through which air that has passed through the evaporator core 12 bypasses the heater core 13. FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, a state in which the door structure 21 closes the air passage 15 leading to the upper side of the heater core 13 and opens the bypass air passage 16. In this case, air that has passed through the upper side of the evaporator core 12 may flow to the interior through the bypass air passage 16 rather than into the air passage 15 leading to the heater core 13. If the door structure 21 is positioned to close the bypass air passage 16, air that has passed through the upper side of the evaporator core 12 may pass through the heater core 13, and may then be supplied to the interior.

The door structure indicated by reference numeral 22 may be disposed between a lower side of the evaporator core 12 and the heater core 13 and may function to allow air that has passed through the lower side of the evaporator core 12 to selectively flow to the heater core 13. The door structure 22 may open and close an air passage 17 connected to a lower side of the heater core 13. The door structure indicated by reference numeral 23 may operate to selectively open and close outlets 25 and 26 for supplying air that has passed through the evaporator core 12 and/or the heater core 13 to the interior. Hereinafter, the door structure 21 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and the door structure 22 according to another embodiment will be sequentially described.

The door structure 21 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured as a sliding-type door. Unlike the conventional flat-type or butterfly-type door, the door structure 21 may be configured to operate in a sliding manner by combining a plate-shaped door with a shaft having a lever structure. Accordingly, the door structure 21 may open and close a wider passage while having an area similar to that of the conventional door. As a result, a larger air volume may be secured without increasing the area of the door.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the door structure 21 may include a driving shaft 31 and a door 32. The driving shaft 31 may include a lever 33 and may be coupled to the door 32 so that driving force is transmitted to the door 32 via the lever 33. The door 32 may include a door plate 34 and a pair of trajectory portions 35 protruding from one surface of the door plate 34. Each of the pair of trajectory portions 35 may include a guide slot 36, and the lever 33 may include pins 37, each of which is movably inserted into a respective one of the guide slots 36. The pair of guide slots 36 respectively formed in the pair of trajectory portions 35 may be disposed to face each other. The pair of pins 37 may protrude from both sides of the lever 33 and may be movably inserted into the pair of guide slots 36, respectively. If the driving shaft 31 performs a rotational motion, each of the pins 37 may move to a specific position in a respective one of the guide slots 36, and as a result, the door 32 may move to a desired position. Referring to FIG. 3, the trajectory portions 35 may be formed at an approximately central portion of the door 32 in a sliding direction of the door 32 (a vertical direction in FIG. 3).

Both side end portions of the door plate 34 in a width direction may be movably inserted into case slots 38 formed in the case 11, respectively, so that the door plate 34 may move to open and close the air passage. The door plate 34 may be formed to have an arc-shaped cross-section, and correspondingly, the case slots 38 may also have an arc shape.

The driving shaft 31 may be supported by the case 11 so as to be rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof by an actuator (not shown) such as a motor. Referring to FIG. 4, the driving shaft 31 may rotate in directions indicated by curved arrows, and the lever 33 may also rotate about the longitudinal axis of the driving shaft 31. As the lever 33 rotates, the pins 37 of the lever 33 may rotate the door 32. In order to allow the door 32 to move along the case slots 38, the pins 37 of the lever 33 may move relative to the door 32 along the guide slots 36 in directions indicated by straight arrows. Due to such movement of the pins 37 relative to the guide slots 36, trajectory compensation may be achieved to allow the door 32 to perform a sliding motion along the trajectory of the case slots 38.

Referring to FIG. 3, the lever 33 may have a through-hole 41 formed therein. Because air is allowed to pass through the through-hole 41 formed in the lever 33, air resistance caused by the lever 33 may be minimized.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 5, each of the trajectory portions 35 may include a chamfer 43 formed at a position at which each of the pins 37 is inserted into a respective one of the trajectory portions 35. The chamfer 43 may be formed to lead to the guide slot 36 in each of the trajectory portions 35. Due to the chamfer 43, assemblability of the pin 37 may be improved, and once the pin 37 is fitted into the guide slot 36, separation of the pin 37 may be prevented.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, guides 47 and 48 may be provided to support end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 in the sliding direction. The guides 47 and 48 may be parts of the case 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the guides 47 and 48 may be located behind the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 and may be respectively located on both sides of the air passage 15 leading to the heater core 13. The end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 may be configured to be bendable. With this structure, if air pushes the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 as shown in FIG. 6, the end portions 45 and 46 may come into close contact with the guides 47 and 48, thereby maintaining airtightness. Accordingly, sealing may be secured under a cold air mode or warm air mode condition.

Referring to FIG. 7, the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 may be configured to be bendable through tension structures 53 and 54. The tension structures 53 and 54 may be implemented as any structure capable of being more easily bent than other portions. With this structure, if an air flow pushes the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34, the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34 may be pushed to the right as indicated by arrows in FIG. 7, and may come into close contact with the guides 47 and 48, thereby maintaining sealing.

First and second guides 51 and 52 may be provided to guide and support insertion of an end portion of the door plate 34. As shown in FIG. 6, the first and second guides 51 and 52 may be located at an end of each of the case slots 38 and may be located to respectively support both surfaces of the door plate 34 based on a direction in which air flows. For example, the first guide 51 may be located on a front side facing the air flow, and the second guide 52 may be located on a rear side of the first guide 51. If the end portion of the door plate 34 is pushed by the air flow, the end portion of the door plate 34 may come into close contact with the second guide 52, thereby blocking air from flowing around the rear side and more effectively maintaining sealing. As shown in FIG. 6, the positions of the first and second guides 51 and 52 may be offset from each other by a distance D1 in the insertion direction (I.D.) of the door plate 34. This structure may prevent jamming or interference that may occur when the door plate 34 enters or exits.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 6, which shows a state in which an end portion of the door plate 34 is inserted into the case slot 38. An insertion amount D1 of the door plate 34 into the case slot 38 may be maintained within a predetermined range, for example, within a range of 3 mm to 8 mm. This insertion amount may allow the door plate 34 to maintain airtightness even when the door plate 34 is pushed to one side due to positional deviation.

Referring again to FIG. 8, a dimension T1 of the door plate 34 in a thickness direction may be set to be less than a dimension T2 of a corresponding case slot 38 in the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 8, a gap may be defined in the thickness direction of the door plate 34, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the door plate 34. This may ensure smooth sliding behavior of the door plate 34. Such presence of the gap may cause rattling during operation of the door plate 34 or during driving of the vehicle. However, the occurrence of rattling may be prevented by the setting of the above-described tension structures 53 and 54. Due to the application of the tension structures 53 and 54, if air pushes the end portions 45 and 46 of the door plate 34, the end portions 45 and 46 may come into close contact with walls of the case slots 38, thereby reducing rattling caused by the presence of the gap and improving sealing performance.

FIG. 9 shows a door structure 22 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Redundant descriptions of the same parts as those in the above-described embodiment will be omitted. Referring to FIG. 9, the door structure 22 may include a driving shaft 61 and a door 62. The driving shaft 61 may include a lever 63 and may be coupled to the door 62 so that driving force is transmitted to the door 62 via the lever 63. The door 62 may include a door plate 64 and a pair of trajectory portions 65 protruding from one surface of the door plate 64. Each of the pair of trajectory portions 65 may include a guide slot 66, and the lever 63 may include pins 67, each of which is movably inserted into a respective one of the guide slots 66. Unlike the embodiment described above, the door plate 64 may have linear cross-section. Accordingly, case slots formed in the case may also have a linear shape. The trajectory portions 65 may be located offset to one side, rather than being formed at a central portion of the door plate 64. With this structure, the door plate 64 may slide along an asymmetric trajectory about the driving shaft 61.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, because the door structure is configured to operate in a sliding manner, it may be possible to increase an air volume without increasing the area of the door structure.

Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the exemplary embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.