1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to air conditioners adapted to be installed in automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an automobile air conditioner for conditioning the temperature of the air in the driver's seat side and the temperature of the air in the assistant driver's seat side of the vehicle, independently of each other.
2. Description of the Related Art:
One example of an automobile air conditioner of the type described above is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61-185873 filed by the present assignee. The disclosed air conditioner, as illustrated here in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings, includes two juxtaposed air flow passages 3a, 3b connected at their downstream ends to an air distribution chamber 17 and containing a pair of independently controllable blowers 10a, 10b disposed, respectively, adjacent the upstream ends of the air flow passages 3a, 3b, and further containing a heat exchanger 12 for cooling and heat exchangers 13a, 13b for heating sequentially disposed, adjacent the downstream ends of the air flow passages 3a, 3b. The cooling heat exchanger 12 extends transversely across the two air flow passages 3a, 3b. The heating heat exchangers 13a, 13b are disposed in the respective air flow passages 3a, 3b and each receive a controlled quantity of hot water. The rotation of the individual blowers 10a, 10b and the flow quantity of the individual heating heat exchangers 13a, 13b are controlled such that the air in the left side and the right side of a vehicle passenger compartment are air-conditioned independently of each other.
In the automobile air conditioner described above, a pair of independently controllable blowers and a pair of heating heat exchangers must be provided. This arrangement requires complicated wiring and piping, thus making it difficult to construct the air conditioner at a reduced manufacturing cost. Another problem is that since the full reheat-type air conditioner is incapable of controlling the temperature distribution in a vertical direction of the air flow passage, air-conditioning to keep the occupant's head cool and his feet warm is difficult to obtain, particularly when the air conditioner is operating in the bi-level mode.