JP2916829B2 - Noise reduction device for vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a quiet mode control device for suppressing noise of a blower in a vehicle air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional automatic control of an air conditioner for a vehicle (AU)
At the time of (TO control), a total control signal is calculated from conditions such as the vehicle interior temperature, the outside air temperature, the amount of solar radiation, and the set temperature.
Comfortable air-conditioning control was performed by controlling each control device with this comprehensive signal.Blower voltage did not drop even when the cabin became almost comfortable, and blower noise felt loud. was there.

[0003] As a countermeasure against the noise of this blower, the actual open flat 1-
No. 89215 discloses a blower motor rotation speed setting unit, a vehicle speed dependent rotation speed setting unit of the blower motor, and a comparison unit. The vehicle speed is reduced, and the rotation of the blower motor such as engine noise, wind noise, road noise and the like is reduced. When the noise other than the sound is reduced, the rotational speed setting means and the vehicle speed dependent rotational speed setting means are compared by comparing means,
There is disclosed an apparatus in which the blower motor is driven with a smaller value to reduce the rotational speed of the blower motor and suppress noise.

[0004]

However, in the above cited reference, the noise of the blower can be suppressed when the rotation speed of the engine is low at the time of idling or the like. There is a problem that it is not possible to suppress noise when the heat load is large, such as when, or when the air conditioner is operating in the inside air circulation mode.

[0005] For this reason, the present invention provides a noise reduction device for a vehicle air conditioner that suppresses the noise of a blower while minimizing a decrease in air conditioning performance when the indoor comfort level reaches a predetermined level. Is to provide.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems Now, referring to FIG. 1, the present invention will be described. The inside air inlet 3 and the outside air inlet 4 provided at the most upstream side of the air conditioning duct 2, the inside air inlet 3 and the outside air An inside / outside air switching door 5 for selecting the inlet 4 according to the air introduction mode, and the inside air or outside air sucked from the inside air inlet 3 or the outside air inlet 4 selected by the inside / outside air switching door 5 to the downstream side of the air conditioning duct 2. In an air conditioner for a vehicle 1 having a blower 6 for blowing air and a temperature control means 100 for controlling the temperature of the air sent by the blower 6, an environmental state detecting means 1 for detecting an environmental state inside and outside the vehicle compartment.
10, a comfort determining means 120 for determining whether or not the comfort level in the vehicle compartment has reached a predetermined level based on a signal from the environmental state detecting means 110, and a comfort determining means 12
When it is determined that the comfort level has reached the predetermined level by 0, a noise level calculating means 130 for calculating an actual noise level, and a noise level lower than the noise level detected by the noise level calculating means 130 by a predetermined value. A target noise level calculating means 140 for calculating; a blower voltage calculating means 150 for calculating a blower voltage of the blower 6 in each air introduction mode corresponding to the target noise level calculated by the target noise level calculating means 140; A comparison is made between the blow-off air flow rate calculating means 160 for calculating the blow-off air flow rate when the blower voltage is supplied in the air introduction mode, and the respective blow-off air flow rates calculated by the blow-off air flow rate calculating means 160, and the one having the larger blow-off air flow rate is selected. Air flow amount selecting means 170 and the air flow selected by the In that it comprises a driving means 180 for driving the blower 6 and the inside and outside air switching door 5 by the blower voltage, and air introduction mode to determine the amount.

[0007]

Therefore, according to the present invention, the vehicle interior temperature,
Environment signals such as the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation are detected (environment signal detection means 110), and the comfort level in the vehicle interior is determined (comfort level determination means 120), whereby the comfort level in the vehicle interior reaches a predetermined level. If it is determined that the noise level has been exceeded, the noise level of the blower 6 is detected (noise level detecting means 130), and a target noise level lower than the noise level by a predetermined value is calculated (target noise level calculating means 140). Blower voltage calculation means 1
At 50, the blower voltage of the blower in each air introduction mode that generates the same noise as the target noise level is calculated, and the blower amount by the blower voltage in each air introduction mode is calculated by the blower amount calculator 160. The amount of air blown by the blower voltage of the blower in each air introduction mode obtained in this way is compared by the blower amount selection means 170, and the blower voltage in the air introduction mode having the largest amount of blown air is selected. 6 is driven, and the inside / outside air switching door 5 is driven in this air introduction mode (driving means 180). Thus, the blower 6 is driven at a predetermined low noise level, and the air introduction mode in which the amount of air blow is large is selected. Therefore, the reduction of the air conditioning effect can be suppressed to a minimum, and the above-described problem can be achieved.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A vehicle air conditioner 1 shown in FIG.
The inside air inlet 3 and the outside air inlet 4 are open at the uppermost stream of the air conditioning duct 2, and are appropriately selected by the inside / outside air switching door 5.

A blower 6 is provided downstream of the inside / outside air switching door 5 and sucks inside air or outside air from the inside air introduction port 3 or the outside air introduction port 4 selected by the inside / outside air switching door 5 to supply air to the air conditioning duct. 2 to the downstream side.

An evaporator 7 is provided downstream of the blower 6.
The heater core 11 is provided downstream of the evaporator 7. The evaporator 7 constitutes a cooling cycle together with the compressor 8, the condenser 9 and the expansion valve 10 which are sequentially connected to the pipes. The refrigerant circulation amount is established by connecting and disconnecting the connection between the compressor 8 and the power source (engine) by the electromagnetic clutch 18. Is to be adjusted. The heater core 11 uses engine cooling water as a heat source, and the supply amount is controlled by a solenoid valve 12. An air mix door 13 is arranged upstream of the heater core 11 so as to restrict air passing through the heater core 11.

The differential air outlet 1 is located at the most downstream of the air conditioning duct 2.
4, vent outlet 15, and foot outlet 16 are opened, and are appropriately opened by mode doors 17a, 17b, 17c.

In the vehicle air conditioner 1 having the above configuration,
The inside air or outside air sucked by the operation of the blower 6 from the inside air inlet 3 or the outside air inlet 4 selected by the inside / outside air switching door 5 is blown to the downstream side of the air conditioning duct 2, and cooled by passing through the evaporator 7. Is done.

The cooled air is mixed with air passing through the heater core 11 according to the opening of the air mixing door 13.
The air is divided into air bypassing the heater core 11, and the air heated by passing through the heater core 11 and the air that has been cooled by bypassing the heater core 11 are mixed on the downstream side of the heater core 11. The temperature of the air is controlled.

The temperature-controlled air is supplied to the mode door 17.
outlets 14, 1 selected by a, 17b, 17c
The air is blown into the vehicle interior from 5, 16 to control the temperature in the vehicle interior.

In order to control the vehicle air conditioner 1,
A microcomputer 19 is provided. The microcomputer 19 has a temperature sensor 22 for detecting at least the temperature in the passenger compartment, and a temperature sensor 2 for detecting the temperature of the outside air.
3. a temperature sensor 24 for detecting the temperature of the evaporator 7;
A signal from a solar radiation sensor 25 for detecting the amount of solar radiation is input via a multiplexer (MPX) 20 and an A / D converter 21, and further a signal from an operation panel 27 described below is input. And outputs each control signal. Note that the microcomputer 19 is a device known per se having at least a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output port (I / O).

The operation panel 27 includes an AUTO switch 29 for automatically controlling the air conditioner 1, an OFF switch 32 for stopping the operation of the air conditioner 1, an A / C switch 30 for stopping the operation of the compressor 8, a blow mode. Switch 40 for manually setting the differential mode to the differential mode, REC switch 31 for manually switching the air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode, up / down switches 33a and 33b for setting the temperature in the passenger compartment, and temperature display section 33
c, a MODE switch 34a for manually setting the blow mode, and a blow mode display section 3.
4b, an FAN switch 35a for manually switching the air volume of the blower 6, and an air volume setting device 35 including an air level display 35b. Also,
The operation panel 27 may be further provided with a quiet mode switch 26 indicated by a broken line.

The settings from the operation panel 27 are sent to the microcomputer 19, and the displays 33c, 34b and 35b of the operation panel 27 are controlled by the microcomputer 19 via the display circuit 36.

The microcomputer 19 outputs a control signal so that the actuator 38a for driving the inside / outside air switching door 5 is connected to the output circuit 37a, the blower 6 is connected to the output circuit 37b, and the electromagnetic clutch 18 is connected to the output circuit. Via the output circuit 37d, the actuator 38b for driving the air mixing door 13 via the output circuit 37e, and the mode door 17a, via the output circuit 37e.
The actuator 38c for driving the actuators 17b and 17c is controlled via an output circuit 37f.

Hereinafter, flowcharts of the silent mode control according to the present invention executed by the microcomputer 19 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The control in the quiet mode is periodically started by a jump command or a timer interrupt from a main program for automatically controlling the air conditioner 1.
In the next step 210, necessary data is read. Specifically, the data read in step 210 includes the vehicle interior temperature Tr, the outside air temperature Ta, the amount of solar radiation Qs, the air introduction mode Rec / Fre, and the blower voltage Vr.
It is.

At step 220, the air introduction mode is determined.
In the case of the outside air introduction mode, the process proceeds to step 240. The determination in step 220 is for determining whether the actual air-conditioning control is the cooling mode or the heating mode by determining the air introduction mode. In the automatic control (AUTO control), the case of the internal air circulation mode is used. Is determined as the cooling mode, and in the case of the outside air introduction mode, the heating mode is determined.

Based on the determination in step 220, in step 230, it is determined whether or not the vehicle interior temperature Tr is equal to or lower than an upper limit value T ₁ (for example, 27 to 28 ° C.)
In step 240, the vehicle interior temperature Tr is set to the lower limit value T.
₂ (for example, 21 to 22 ° C.) or more is determined. The determination in steps 230 and 240 is for determining whether or not the vehicle interior temperature Tr has reached a predetermined level, and is for determining the degree of comfort in the vehicle interior.

[0024] In step 230, if the vehicle interior temperature Tr is equal to or less than the upper limit value T _1, the routine proceeds to step 250, a determination outside air temperature is or less than a predetermined value T ₃ Further, at step 260, it is determined whether or not the amount of solar radiation Qs is equal to or less than a predetermined value S. Further, when larger than the upper limit value T ₁ in the step 230 proceeds to step 510, it is to return to the main program.

If it is determined in step 240 that the vehicle interior temperature Tr is lower than the lower limit value T ₂ ,
Performing a second quiet control of step 400, if the lower limit value T ₂ or more, the process proceeds to step 510, is to return to the main program.

According to the determinations at steps 250 and 260, the outside air temperature Ta and the insolation Qs become the predetermined values T ₃ , S
When the air introduction mode is switched to the outside air introduction mode because the outside temperature of the vehicle is high and the amount of solar radiation is large, the cooling condition deteriorates.
The quiet control is performed.
At 00, the first quiet control is performed.

As described above, steps 220, 230,
If the conditions of the vehicle interior temperature, the outside air temperature, and the amount of solar radiation are satisfied in the cooling mode by the determinations of 250 and 260, that is, if the comfort level in the vehicle interior has reached a predetermined level, the first quiet control is executed. If the conditions of the vehicle interior temperature are satisfied in the heating mode in steps 220 and 240, and the conditions of the vehicle interior temperature are satisfied in the cooling mode according to the determinations in steps 220, 230, 250 and 260,
If the outside conditions of the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation are not satisfied, the second quiet control is executed.

In the subroutine of the first quiet control started from step 300, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
r to the inside air circulation (Rec) according to the characteristic diagram shown in FIG.
This is for calculating the noise level Na [dB] in the mode. Note that the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. 7 is obtained by experiments on the relationship between the voltage applied to the blower 6 and the noise level in the vehicle compartment during the inside air circulation (Rec) mode and the outside air introduction (Fre) mode. .

In step 320, a predetermined value N is calculated from the noise level Na calculated in step 310.
[DB] low target noise level Nb [dB] is calculated (Nb
= Na-N) and is for calculating the characteristic diagram showing the blower voltage V ₁ of the Rec Mode blower voltage V ₂ and Fre mode corresponding to the noise level Nb 7 in step 330.

In step 340, each blower voltage V
_1, V ₂ from the air introduction mode, each of the blower voltage corresponds with the characteristic line diagram shown in FIG. 8 (blower voltages V ₁ specifically includes Fre mode, the blower voltage V ₂ is Rec mode)
At this time, the blown air amounts B ₁ , B ₂ of the blower 6 are calculated, and the size of the blown air amounts B ₁ , B ₂ is determined in step 350.

[0031] If it is determined that a large airflow volume B ₁ in the determination of step 350, step 360
And change the inside / outside air switching door (INTAKE) 5 to Fre
Switch to (outside air intake) mode is to set the blower voltage V ₁ at step 370.

Thus, in the case of the first silent control, the noise level of the blower 6 is lower than the normal control by N [dB], and the outside air introduction mode with a larger air flow is selected to thereby reduce the air conditioning level. The reduction can be minimized.

After this control, the process returns to step 500 in step 390, and this control is maintained while the temperature change ΔT in the vehicle compartment is smaller than the predetermined value α. The normal control is executed by returning to the program.

The subroutine of the second quiet control started from step 400 includes steps 410 and 42.
At steps 0 and 430, the same operations as steps 310, 320 and 330 of the first quiet control subroutine are performed to obtain blower voltages V ₁ and V ₂ .

[0035] Thereafter, in step 440, to determine the air introduction mode, if the Rec (recirculated air) mode is set to the blower voltage V ₂ air introduction mode when Rec mode in step 450, Fre (outside air intake) mode In the case of ( ₁₎ , the routine proceeds to step 460, where the blower voltage V1 in the Fre mode is set.

Thus, in the case of the second quiet control, the blower voltage is unconditionally set to a low N [dB], and the noise level in the vehicle interior is reduced by N [dB].

Thereafter, steps 470 to 51
Returning to 0, this control is continued while the temperature change ΔT in the vehicle compartment is smaller than the predetermined value α, and when it becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value α, the process returns to step 510 to return to the main program to execute normal control. Things.

Further, a quiet mode switch 26 indicated by a broken line can be arranged in the operation panel 27 of the air conditioner 1 to forcibly execute the quiet mode control.

As shown in the flow chart of FIG. 6, the quiet control when the quiet mode switch 26 is provided is started periodically from step 600 by a jump command or a timer interrupt from the main program. At 610, ON / OFF of the quiet mode switch 26 is determined.

If it is determined in step 610 that the quiet mode switch 26 has been turned on, the necessary data is read in step 620. This data is, specifically, a blower voltage Vr applied to the actual blower 6, and the blower voltage Vr is used to calculate the values in steps 630, 640, and 65.
0, the same operation as steps 310 through FIG. 350 of the first quiet control described above in step 660, and obtains airflow volume B ₁ and B _2.

In step 670, the blown air amount B ₁
And B ₂ are compared, and if B ₁ is larger, step 68
0, the inside / outside air switching (INTAKE) door 5 is Fre
(The outside air introduction) mode, it sets the blower voltage V ₁ in addition step 690, in which the flow proceeds to step 720. In step 670, the blown air amount B ₂
When it is large, the inside and outside air switching (INTAKE) door 5 proceeds to step 700 to set the Rec (recirculated air) mode, in which the flow proceeds to step 720 to set the blower voltage V ₂ at step 710.

In step 720, ON / OFF of the quiet mode switch 26 is determined again, and if it is OFF, the process proceeds to step 740 to return to the main program. In this step 720,
If the quiet mode switch 26 remains ON, the process proceeds to step 730, where it is determined whether or not the temperature change ΔT in the vehicle compartment is equal to or greater than a predetermined value α. The value set in step 690 or steps 700 and 710 is held, and during this time, ON / OFF of the quiet mode switch 26 in step 720 is determined.

If it is determined in step 730 that the temperature change ΔT in the vehicle compartment has become equal to or greater than a predetermined value, step 74 is executed.
Returning from 0 to the main program, normal control is executed.

Thus, by turning on the quiet mode switch 26, a decrease in the air conditioning level of the air conditioner 1 is minimized and the noise level of the blower 6 is reduced to N [dB].
It can be lowered.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the comfort level of the air conditioner reaches a predetermined level, the blower voltage for forcibly lowering the noise level in the passenger compartment to a predetermined value and the air having a large blow-off air volume are provided. By setting the introduction mode, it is possible to minimize the decrease in the air conditioning level of the air conditioner and to suppress the noise level in the vehicle compartment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a quiet mode control according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a subroutine showing a first quiet control.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a subroutine showing a second quiet control.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a quiet mode control by a quiet mode switch.

[FIG. 7] Inside air circulation (Rec) mode and outside air introduction (Fr)
FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a blower voltage and a vehicle interior noise level in e) mode.

FIG. 8: Inside air circulation (Rec) mode and outside air introduction (Fr)
FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a blower voltage and a blown air volume in an e) mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle air conditioner 2 Air conditioning duct 3 Inside air introduction port 4 Outside air introduction port 5 Interior / external air switching (INTAKE) door 6 Blower 100 Temperature control means

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-143721 (JP, A) JP-A-56-39911 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60H 1/00 101 B60H 1/00 103

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An inside / outside air switching door for selecting an inside air introduction port and an outside air introduction port provided on the most upstream side of an air conditioning duct, selecting the inside air introduction port and the outside air introduction port according to an air introduction mode, and an inside / outside air switching door. Air blower that blows the inside air or the outside air sucked from the inside air inlet or the outside air inlet selected by the air blower to the downstream side of the air conditioning duct, and a vehicle air conditioner having a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the air sent by the blower. An environmental state detecting means for detecting an environmental state inside and outside the vehicle interior; a comfort level determining means for determining whether or not the comfort level in the vehicle interior has reached a predetermined level based on a signal from the environmental state detecting means; A noise level calculator for calculating an actual noise level when the comfort level has been determined to have reached a predetermined level by the comfort level determiner; Target noise level calculating means for calculating a noise level lower by a predetermined value from the calculated noise level, and a blower voltage of the blower in each air introduction mode corresponding to the target noise level calculated by the target noise level calculating means. Blower voltage calculating means, and a blown air amount calculating means for calculating a blown air amount when a blower voltage is supplied in each of the air introduction modes, and comparing each blown air amount calculated by the blown air amount calculating means, A blow-out air amount selecting means for selecting a blow-out air amount is large, and a drive means for driving a blower and an inside / outside air switching door by a blower voltage and an air introduction mode for determining the blow-out air amount selected by the blow-out air amount selecting means. A noise reduction device for a vehicle air conditioner, comprising: