JP2000219023A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain electric power saving and to improve comfortableness at cooling by controlling an air flow and operation/non-operation of a blower according to thermal load in a vehicle room and/or wind speed or air quantity of open air introduced to the open air introducing port of a ventilation duct. SOLUTION: A main controller 25 inputs the output signals of an in-vehicle temperature setter 26, an open air temperature sensor 28, a solar radiation sensor 25, an in-vehicle temperature sensor 27, and a cooler outlet air temperature sensor 30, and computes the target blow-off temperature based on target in-vehicle temperature, open air temperature, a solar radiation quantity, and in-vehicle temperature. When the target blow-off temperature is, for example, under 20 deg.C or over 40 deg.C, it is controlled by characteristic similar to customary control, and when the vehicle speed becomes 16 km/h for example, the voltage of the blower is lowered to maintain the operation rate of the blower 7 to be 100%. When the vehicle speed becomes 28 km/h, the blower voltage is kept to be 3 V, and the rate of operation is lowered to 50%. When the vehicle speed becomes over 40 km/h, the operation of the blower 7 is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly to an air conditioner for a vehicle in which power saving and comfort are improved.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional vehicle air conditioner is shown in FIG.
0. In FIG. 10, 10
Reference numeral 1 denotes an entire mechanical component of the vehicle air conditioner, and an inside air inlet 10 is provided at the inlet side of the ventilation duct 102.
An inside / outside air switching damper 105 is provided for controlling the ratio between the amount of air intake (introduction amount) from the third side and the amount of air intake (introduction amount) from the outside air introduction port 104 side. The sucked air is sucked and pressure-fed into the duct 102 by a blower 107 driven by a motor 106. By controlling the motor 106, the amount of air blown by the blower 107 is controlled.

[0003] An evaporator 108 as a cooler is provided downstream of the blower 107, and a hot water heater 109 as a heater is provided downstream thereof. The engine coolant 110 is circulated through the hot water heater 109 to heat the sucked air.

[0004] A refrigerant circulated in the cooling circuit 111 is supplied to the evaporator 108. The refrigerant is compressed by, for example, a variable capacity compressor 112, condensed by a condenser 113, sent to an evaporator 108 via a receiver tank 114 and an expansion valve 115, and sucked into the compressor 112 from the evaporator 108. Is done. The operation of the compressor 112 can be arbitrarily controlled by the clutch controller 116.

An air mix damper 117 is provided immediately downstream of the hot water heater 109. The air mix damper 117, which is operated by an air mix damper actuator 118, is heated by passing through the heater 109 by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix damper 117. The ratio between the amount of air and the amount of air to be bypassed can be controlled.

[0006] The temperature-controlled air is supplied to each of the outlets 119 and 12.
The air is blown into the vehicle interior via 0, 121 (for example, DEF, VENT, FOOT outlet). Each outlet 11
9, 120 and 121 have dampers 122 and 12 respectively.
3, 124 are provided. Dampers 122, 123,
The outlet is selected by 124.

The voltage (rotational speed) of the motor 106 of the blower 107 and the air mix damper actuator 11
8. The clutch controller 116 of the compressor 112 is controlled based on a signal from a main controller (control device) 125.

The main controller 125 includes a target vehicle interior temperature Trs set by a vehicle interior temperature setting device 126 and an outside air temperature sensor 128 as shown in FIG.
Ambient temperature AMB detected by the solar radiation sensor 129
Solar radiation RAD detected by the vehicle, temperature sensor 12 in the vehicle
The vehicle compartment temperature TR detected by the control unit 7 is input. Based on these input signals, the target outlet temperature TOs
Is calculated.

On the basis of the target blowing temperature TOs, the blower voltage BLV is calculated by, for example, BLV = f (TOs). Further, based on the target outlet temperature TOs and the outside air temperature AMB, the target value T of the cooler outlet air temperature is determined.
V is calculated. On / off of the clutch of the compressor 112 is controlled based on the calculated TV and the cooler outlet air temperature Te detected by an appropriate sensor. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the TV is provided with a hysteresis of ± 1 ° C., the clutch is turned on when Te> TV + 1, and the clutch is turned off when Te <TV−1.

Further, an opening degree AMD of the air mix damper 117 is calculated by, for example, AMD = f (TOs, TW, TV). TW is the heater inlet hot water temperature.

A blower voltage signal, an air mix damper position signal, and a clutch control signal are transmitted from the main controller 125 to the blower voltage controller, the air mix damper actuator 118, and the clutch controller 1, respectively.
16 is sent.

In the conventional air conditioner for a vehicle configured as described above, usually, (1) when the operation of the blower is stopped, the operation of the compressor in the cooling circuit (cooler cycle) is also stopped. (2) Also, when cooling / dehumidification of vehicle interior air is required, a blower is always operated to maintain compressor durability during a cooler cycle. In an air conditioner that automatically controls the air temperature in a vehicle, it is assumed that the air conditioner always operates a blower. (3) Further, the blower below the minimum starting voltage cannot be operated.

[0013]

However, such a conventional apparatus may cause the following problems.

(1) First, when the operation of the blower is stopped,
Since the compressor is always stopped, cooling / dehumidification of the passenger compartment becomes impossible at this time. In particular, in an air conditioner using a fixed displacement compressor, if the compressor is used while the blower is stopped, the suction pressure is abnormally reduced, and the amount of circulating refrigerant is extremely reduced. This may cause damage and frost formation on the evaporator. (2) Further, since the blower is actually always operated, it is difficult to reduce the power consumption due to the constant operation. (3) Furthermore, especially when the vehicle interior is being cooled, when the air outlet is VENT, the wind may be uncomfortable even at the minimum air volume, and it is difficult to improve the comfort by improving this. Was.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to focus on the problems in the conventional apparatus as described above, and to stop or limit the operation of the blower according to conditions, thereby achieving power saving without causing inconvenience. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner for a vehicle that can improve comfort during cooling.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention is provided with a blower for blowing air into a ventilation duct opened in a vehicle cabin, and an air blower in a ventilation duct. A cooler for cooling the air by heat exchange, a heater for heating the air, an outlet air temperature adjusting means for adjusting the outlet air temperature of the ventilation duct according to the degree of heating by the heater, and circulating the refrigerant to the cooler In a vehicle air conditioner provided with a variable capacity compressor provided in a cooling circuit to be blown and air flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the air flow rate of the blower, the operating conditions of the blower including the stoppage of the operation of the blower during the operation of the compressor Is provided.

In the above-described vehicle air conditioner, the control means may control the heat load in the vehicle compartment and / or the wind speed or the amount of outside air introduced into the outside air inlet of the ventilation duct.
It is possible to control the blower volume and the operation / non-operation of the blower. The vehicle speed can be used as a value corresponding to the wind speed or air volume of the introduced outside air.

Further, the blower may be operated intermittently and its operating rate may be controlled.

When cooling or dehumidification is not required when the blower is not operating, it is preferable to minimize the capacity of the compressor.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner further includes an outside air temperature detecting means for detecting an outside air temperature, and a cooler temperature detecting means for detecting a cooler temperature, and the evaporation temperature T of the refrigerant flowing in the cooler. Is preferably controlled to satisfy Tice <T, TOs> T, and AMB> T. Where T
ice: cooler frost limit temperature, TOs: target outlet temperature,
AMB: outside air temperature.

Further, in the case where a defroster outlet for blowing air to the inner surface of the glass is provided to remove fogging and frost on the glass on the front of the vehicle, when the defroster mode is selected, the blower can be stopped without stopping. It is preferable to operate at a voltage or higher.

In the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention as described above, means is provided for controlling the air volume of the blower during the operation of the compressor, including stopping the operation of the blower. In other words, when the vehicle is running, an air volume for natural ventilation flowing from outside the vehicle compartment is generated. Air-conditioning /
When the air volume for dehumidification can be supplied, the blower can be stopped or its operation can be restricted while the compressor is running, and the power required for the blower can be reduced by stopping or restricting the operation of the blower.

When the blower is stopped or the operation is restricted, VE
Even when the NT outlet is selected, it is possible to reduce the amount of air that hits the occupant as compared with the conventional case of the minimum air volume, and the comfort is improved.

Also, the compressor capacity limitation when the blower is stopped is as follows.
When cooling / dehumidification is required, the air conditioner can be operated with an appropriate capacity for cooling / dehumidification, and when unnecessary, it can be operated with a minimum capacity. By operating the compressor with the minimum capacity, power saving can be further promoted.

When the blower sends a predetermined amount of air to the DEF outlet when the defroster (DEF) mode is selected, the ability to remove fogging and frost from the glass is ensured well.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a device system diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes the entire mechanical components of the vehicle air conditioner.
An inside / outside air switching damper 5 is provided to control the ratio between the amount of air suctioned from the inside air inlet 3 (introduction amount) and the amount of air suctioned from the outside air inlet 4 (introduction amount). The sucked air is sucked and pressure-fed inside the duct 2 by a blower 7 driven by a motor 6. The control of the motor 6 controls the amount of air blown by the blower 7. Further, the blower 7 is provided with a switch (not shown) so that operation / non-operation can be manually selected.

An evaporator 8 as a cooler is provided downstream of the blower 7, and a hot water heater 9 as a heater is provided downstream thereof. The hot water heater 9 has
The engine cooling water 10 is circulated to heat the sucked air.

The evaporator 8 is supplied with a refrigerant circulated in a cooling circuit (cooler cycle) 11. The refrigerant is compressed by, for example, a variable capacity compressor (compressor) 12 and condensed by a condenser 13, and then is cooled by the receiver tank 1.
4. It is sent to the evaporator 8 via the expansion valve 15 and is sucked into the compressor 12 from the evaporator 8. This suction pressure can be arbitrarily controlled by the suction pressure controller 16.

An air mix damper 17 is provided immediately downstream of the hot water heater 9. The air mix damper 17, which is operated by an air mix damper actuator 18, is heated by passing through the heater 9 by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix damper 17. The ratio between the amount of air and the amount of air to be bypassed can be controlled.

The temperature-controlled air is supplied to each of the outlets 19, 20,
21 (for example, DEF, VENT, FOOT outlet)
Is blown out into the vehicle interior. Each outlet 19, 20,
21 is provided with dampers 22, 23 and 24, respectively. The outlet is selected by the dampers 22, 23, and 24.

The voltage (rotation speed) of the motor 6 of the blower 7, the air mix damper actuator 18, and the suction pressure controller 16 of the compressor 12 are controlled based on signals from a main controller (control device) 25. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the main controller 25 detects the target vehicle interior temperature Trs set by the vehicle interior temperature setting device 26, the outside air temperature AMB detected by the outside air temperature sensor 28, and the sunshine sensor 29. The solar radiation amount RAD, the vehicle interior temperature TR detected by the vehicle interior temperature sensor 27, and the cooler outlet air temperature Te detected by the cooler outlet air temperature sensor 30 are input. Based on these input signals, the target outlet temperature TOs and the like are calculated.

As shown in FIG. 2, in particular, for the calculation of the blower voltage (BLV), the signal 31 of the selection mode of the outlet and the wind speed or air volume of the outside air introduced into the outside air inlet 4 of the ventilation duct 2. As a value corresponding to the vehicle speed signal 32
Is entered.

As shown in FIG. 2, the target outlet temperature TOs
Are the target vehicle interior temperature Trs set by the vehicle interior temperature setting device 26, the outdoor air temperature AMB detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor 28, the solar radiation amount RAD detected by the solar radiation sensor 29, and the vehicle interior temperature TR detected by the vehicle interior temperature sensor 27. TOs = Kp1 (TR−Trs) + f (AMB, RA
D, Trs). Kp1 is a predetermined constant. Using the TOs, the target value T of the blower voltage BLV, the air mix damper opening AMD, and the cooler outlet air temperature is used.
V is calculated.

The blower voltage BLV is calculated by BLV = f (TOs). As shown in FIG. 3, this BLV is in a region of a certain target outlet temperature (economy region a section).
Is changed depending on the vehicle speed. In addition, in the present embodiment, the operation rate of the blower is also limitedly controlled at the time of the blower voltage change control.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the target blowing temperature is 20 ° C. or lower and 40 ° C. or higher, the control is performed with the same characteristics (solid line) as the conventional control,
Even when the vehicle speed is 0, control is performed according to the conventional characteristics (solid line).

When the vehicle speed rises and reaches $ 16 km / h, the blower voltage (blower voltage) is reduced (for example, from 5 V to 3 V) as indicated by the dotted line, and the operation rate of the blower is 100%. Keep it. Vehicle speed is 28km
/ H, the blower voltage is kept at 3 V, and when the operating rate of the blower is reduced to 50%, the average blower voltage is reduced to 1.5 V as a result. The operating rate of the blower can be controlled intermittently by repeatedly turning on and off the blower, and using the ratio of the on-time as the operating rate. Further, when the vehicle speed becomes 40 km / h or more, the operation rate is reduced to 0, that is, the operation of the blower is stopped. Therefore, the average voltage is also zero. The operation control of the blower according to the vehicle speed shown by such a dotted line,
The change control is performed continuously according to the degree of increase in the vehicle speed, or stepwise at each predetermined vehicle speed.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the control characteristics shown in FIG. That is, when the vehicle speed is 16 km / h or less, the voltage control is mainly performed, and the vehicle speed is 16 km / h.
As described above, in addition to the voltage control, the operation rate limit control comes into play. When the vehicle speed becomes 40 km / h or more, the operation of the blower is stopped.

As described above, by controlling the operating conditions of the blower in accordance with the vehicle speed, including stopping the operation, the power consumed by the blower is greatly reduced. That is, in the present invention, the outside air naturally introduced into the outside air inlet 4 in accordance with the vehicle speed is effectively used as the amount of air to be blown by the blower, and the power of the blower can be saved as much as the amount of outside air can cover. Further, when the VENT mode is selected, the wind is prevented from hitting the occupant too strongly, and the comfort is improved.

The target value TV of the cooler outlet air temperature is calculated according to the mode at that time. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the DEF (defroster) mode is selected, TV = C. Here, C is a predetermined, relatively low value, and is a value determined so that fogging and frost on the glass can be efficiently removed. In the case of the normal mode, TV = D. Here, D is a predetermined value lower than C. Further, in the case of the economy mode, the calculation is performed by TV = f (TOs, AMB).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, only in the DEF mode, the blower voltage is controlled to be higher than when other modes are selected, and the amount of air blown by the blower is increased. With this control, when the DEF mode is selected, fogging and frost on the glass are more efficiently removed. In the case of defroster blowing, the compressor always performs capacity control.

The TV calculated as described above is the above TO
s is used together with s to calculate the air mix damper opening degree AMD, and AMD is calculated by AMD = f (TOs, TW, TV). Here, TW is a heater (hot water heater) inlet hot water temperature detected by an appropriate sensor.

The calculated TV is used for calculating a control signal PS for a compressor.
Is calculated by PS = f (TV, BLV, AMB).

As described above, the calculated blower voltage signal BLV, air mix damper opening signal (air mix damper position signal) AMD, and compressor control signal (suction pressure control signal) PS are respectively a blower voltage controller, The air mix damper actuator is sent to the suction pressure controller of the compressor.

In this embodiment, there are two modes called "economy mode" and "normal mode". In the economy mode, the evaporating temperature T is controlled to ABCD in the figure, and the compressor capacity is forcibly operated at the minimum capacity in the CD section.
On the other hand, the evaporation temperature T in the normal mode is ABE-
It is controlled as FGD, and in the FG section, the compressor is operated with the minimum compressor capacity only when the blower is switched off. In the GD section, the compressor capacity is forcibly operated at the minimum capacity as in the CD section in the economy mode.

However, depending on the degree of importance of dehumidification, comfort, and power saving, the evaporation temperature control does not necessarily have to be performed according to this embodiment. That is, the control may be performed so that the range surrounded by the triangular CGHC in FIG. 6, that is, the evaporation temperature T satisfies Tice <T, TOs> T, and AMB> T. Where Tice
Indicates the frost limit temperature of the cooler.

The temperature of the air blown from the air conditioner is controlled by feedforward (predictive) control of the compressor capacity regardless of whether the blower is operating or not.

FIG. 7 shows a control example of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present embodiment configured as described above. Paying particular attention to the blower average voltage (blower average voltage), in the present embodiment, compared to the conventional characteristics shown by the solid line, the power is saved by the area shown by the oblique lines.
Further, in this economy region, the amount of air blown into the vehicle compartment is suppressed to a small amount, so that the wind does not hit the occupant too strongly, and the comfort is improved.

The control according to the present invention is particularly effective during cooling / dehumidification when receiving no solar radiation. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 comparing the case with solar radiation and the case without solar radiation, when there is no solar radiation compared with the case with solar radiation,
The control execution area in the economy section has been greatly expanded, and the power saving effect is correspondingly large.

[0050]

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the operating condition of the blower can be controlled to the restricted state including the stoppage of the operation during the operation of the compressor. This makes it possible to prevent the wind from hitting the occupant too strongly when the VENT mode is selected, thereby improving the comfort. The present invention is particularly effective in cooling / dehumidifying when receiving no solar radiation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a device system diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a main controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a control example of an average fan voltage according to a vehicle speed in the control of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a relationship diagram between a vehicle speed and a fan average voltage in the control of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram of a fan average voltage showing a control example when the DEF mode is selected.

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating an example of control region restriction.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing a control example during actual running.

FIG. 8 is a control characteristic diagram when there is solar radiation;

FIG. 9 is a control characteristic diagram when there is no solar radiation;

FIG. 10 is a system diagram of a conventional vehicle air conditioner.

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of the main controller of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a control characteristic diagram of a clutch of the device of FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 air conditioner 2 ventilation duct 3 inside air introduction port 4 outside air introduction port 5 inside and outside air switching damper 6 motor 7 blower 8 evaporator as cooler 9 hot water heater as heater 10 engine cooling water 11 cooling circuit (cooler cycle) 12 variable Capacity compressor 13 Condenser 16 Suction pressure controller 17 Air mix damper 18 Air mix damper actuator 19, 20, 21 Blow outlet 22, 23, 24 Damper 25 Main controller (control means) 26 In-vehicle temperature setting device 27 In-vehicle temperature sensor 28 Outside air temperature sensor 29 Solar radiation sensor 30 Cooler outlet air temperature sensor (cooler temperature detecting means) 31 Air outlet selection mode signal 32 Vehicle speed signal

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hirotaka Sakurai 20th Kotobukicho, Isesaki-shi, Gunma F-term in Sanden Co., Ltd. (reference) 3L011 AU01 AW02

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A blower for blowing air into a ventilation duct opening into a vehicle interior, a cooler in the ventilation duct for cooling air by heat exchange with air, and a heater for heating air. Outlet air temperature adjusting means for adjusting the ventilation duct outlet air temperature according to the degree of heating by the heater;
In a vehicle air conditioner including a variable capacity compressor provided in a cooling circuit for circulating a refrigerant to the cooler and an air volume adjusting unit for adjusting an air volume of the air blower, the operation of the air blower is stopped during operation of the compressor. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising: means for controlling operating conditions of the blower including the air conditioner. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the air flow rate and the operation / non-operation of the blower in accordance with a heat load in a vehicle compartment and / or a wind speed or a flow rate of outside air introduced into an outside air inlet of the ventilation duct. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1. 3. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a vehicle speed is used as a value corresponding to a wind speed or a flow rate of the introduced outside air. 4. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the blower is operated intermittently and the operation rate is controlled. 5. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the capacity of the compressor is minimized when cooling or dehumidification is not required when the blower is not operating. 6. An external air temperature detecting means for detecting an external air temperature, and a cooler temperature detecting means for detecting a cooler temperature, wherein an evaporation temperature T of a refrigerant flowing in the cooler is Tice <T, and The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein control is performed such that TOs> T and AMB> T are satisfied. Here, Tice: cooler frost limit temperature, TOs: target outlet temperature, AMB: outside air temperature. 7. A defroster outlet for blowing air to the inner surface of the glass in order to remove fogging and frost from the glass on the front of the vehicle. When a defroster mode is selected, a predetermined voltage is maintained without stopping the blower. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is operated as described above.