JP2003341333A - Control device for automatic air-conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device for an automatic air-conditioner for a vehicle which can properly prevent window fogging from occurring by performing suitable compressor control. <P>SOLUTION: An air-conditioning control unit 40 turns on a compressor control flag when a total signal T is at a specified value or higher, and performs the on/off-control of a compressor 13 based on temperature Te after EVA when the compressor control flag is turned on. In addition, the air-conditioning control unit 40 determines a state wherein window fogging is easy to occur when a wiper switch 47 or an Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on even in a case that a total signal T is low, and performs demisting control by turning on the compressor control flag. At that time, the turning-on of the compressor control flag is prohibited until a set period of time elapses since the performance of on-operations of respective switches 47 and 48. Thus, the random turning-on of the compressor control flag by an euoveous operation or the like by a passenger is prevented from occurring. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner control device installed in a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle air conditioner for cooling, heating and dehumidifying the interior of a vehicle, the temperature of the vehicle interior is kept constant by adjusting the temperature of the air blown out and the mode of air blowing based on the temperature set by a driver or the like. Auto air conditioners for vehicles that operate automatically are widely used. In this type of vehicle auto air conditioner, generally, a comprehensive signal is calculated based on the vehicle environment such as the vehicle interior temperature, the outside air temperature, and the amount of solar radiation and the temperature set by the driver, and the compressor is calculated using the calculated comprehensive signal. Take control.

By the way, in this type of vehicular auto air conditioner, if the compressor control is simply performed by using the comprehensive signal, the operation of the compressor will be insufficient in rainy weather or cloudy weather, and window fogging will occur. It may be easier to do. To deal with this, conventionally, it was determined based on the operating state of the wiper, the outside air temperature, etc. whether the window fogging was likely to occur, and when it was determined that the window fogging was likely to occur, the defrost blowing was performed. Techniques have been proposed for performing demist control such as increasing the air flow rate from the outlet, controlling the compressor at a high operating rate, and forcibly and constantly controlling the compressor. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-124424 discloses a technique of increasing the air volume from the defrost outlet as the swing speed of the wiper increases when the wiper operates.

[0004]

However, the wiper may be actuated when the window washer is used as well as when it is raining, and the wiper switch is generally disposed near the steering wheel. Therefore, it is easy for the driver to make an erroneous operation. Therefore, if the demist control is simply performed based on the operation state of the wiper as in the above-described technique, there is a possibility that unnecessary demist control is performed. In particular, when performing demist control by controlling the drive of the compressor, the compressor is operated more frequently than necessary.
There is a risk that N / OFF will result in a reduction in fuel consumption.

In addition, in the control of the vehicular auto air conditioner based on the comprehensive signal, in the winter, etc., when the occupant is trying to raise the temperature inside the vehicle immediately after getting into the vehicle, the set temperature is set higher. However, the total signal may be set to an inappropriate value, the operating rate of the compressor may be reduced, and window fogging may easily occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, which can appropriately prevent a window from fogging by appropriately controlling a compressor.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle for automatically controlling a compressor by using a comprehensive signal calculated based on a vehicle environment and a passenger's setting. In the control device of
The easiness of window clouding is determined based on the operating state of the operation switch, and when it is determined that the window clouding is likely to occur, the compressor is controlled at a high operation rate or the compressor is constantly turned on. Demist control means for performing demist control for preventing window clouding, and demist control inhibiting means for inhibiting the demist control for a set time after it is determined that the window clouding is likely to occur. It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a control device for an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, which automatically controls a compressor using a comprehensive signal calculated based on a vehicle environment and a passenger's setting, the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature. If it is also low, it is determined that the window cloud is likely to occur, and a demist control means is provided for performing a high operation rate control of the compressor or constantly controlling the compressor to perform a demist control for preventing the window cloud. It is characterized by that.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic air conditioner, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a compressor control execution determination routine, and FIG. 3 is an explanation showing a compressor control execution determination threshold value. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a compressor control routine, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing ON / OFF determination thresholds of the compressor.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an in-vehicle auto air conditioner, and the auto air conditioner 1 switches between the outside air and the inside air (air inside the vehicle) and sucks in the engine room side duct 2.
And a vehicle interior duct 3 communicating with the downstream side of the engine room side duct 2.

The engine room side duct 2 is provided with an outside air introduction port 5 opening to the engine room and an inside air introduction port 6 opening to the passenger compartment. A pair of inside / outside air switching dampers 7 are attached to the outside air introducing port 5 and the inside air introducing port 6, and an inside / outside air switching actuator 8 is attached to each inside / outside air switching damper 7. Then, by the inside / outside air switching damper 7, the inside / outside air introduction ports 5 and 6 are opened when one is closed and one is opened when the other is closed.

The engine room duct 2 is provided with a blower fan 10 for pumping the introduced air from the inside air inlet 5 or the outside air inlet 6 to the vehicle interior duct 3. The blower fan 10 has a blower drive motor. 11 are connected.

An evaporator 12 is arranged downstream of the blower fan 10. Evaporator 12
Is a compressor 13 and a condenser (not shown),
It constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a receiver tank, an expansion valve, etc., and is designed to cool and dehumidify the introduced air blown from the blower fan 10. In the present embodiment, the compressor 13 is connected to an engine output shaft (not shown) via an electromagnetic clutch 14, and the drive control (ON / OFF control) of the compressor 13 is controlled by the ON / OFF control of the electromagnetic clutch 14. It is supposed to be done.

In the vehicle interior duct 3, an air outlet 21 communicating with the defroster 20 and the air outlet ducts 23, 24 are provided.
And air outlets 25 and 26 that communicate with each other. The air outlet opening / closing dampers 28, 29, 30 are attached to the air outlets 21, 25, 26, and the damper switching actuator 3 is attached to each of the dampers 28, 29, 30.
1 is attached.

A heater core 33, through which the engine cooling water temperature flows, is provided inside the vehicle interior duct 3. On both sides of the heater core 33, the amount of air passing through the heater core 33 is adjusted to adjust the air outlets 21, 25, 2 respectively.
Air mix door 34 for adjusting the temperature of the air blown from 6
And an air-mix door opening adjustment actuator 35 is attached to each air-mix door 34.

A control panel 41 is connected to an air conditioning control unit 40 for controlling the automatic air conditioner 1, and an inside air temperature detecting sensor 42 for detecting a passenger compartment temperature Ti and an outside air temperature detecting sensor 43 for detecting an outside air temperature To. , A solar radiation amount detection sensor 44 for detecting the solar radiation amount Q entering the vehicle interior, and a water temperature sensor 4 for detecting the engine cooling water temperature Tw.
5, outlet temperature of evaporator 12 (temperature after EVA) Te
Various sensors such as the post-EVA temperature detection sensor 46 for detecting the temperature are connected. Further, the air conditioning control unit 40 is provided with a wiper switch 47 as an operation switch for switching ON / OFF of a wiper (not shown) and an operation switch for switching ON / OFF of a hot wire type rear defogger (not shown). Rr defogger switch 48 and the like are connected. Here, in the present embodiment, the control panel 41 includes a room temperature setting switch for setting the room temperature, an auto switch for turning on / off the automatic operation mode, and a fuel saving (saving operation in the automatic operation mode). ) An ECON switch (none of which is shown) for turning on / off the control mode is provided.

In the air conditioning control unit 40, the vehicle interior temperature T
i, the outside air temperature To, the amount of solar radiation Q, the set temperature Ts set by the room temperature setting switch of the control panel 41, etc., the total signal T is, for example, T = Ks.Ts + Ki.Ti + Ko.To + Kq.Q +
Calculate by C. Note that Ks, Ki, Ko, Kq, and C are constants determined by experiments and the like. Then, the air conditioning control unit 40 controls the automatic air conditioner 1 based on the calculated total signal T, the engine cooling water temperature Tw, the post-EVA temperature Te, and the like. That is, the air conditioning control unit 40 controls the actuators 8, 31, 33 based on the above signals and controls the rotation speed of the blower drive motor 11 that drives the blower fan 10, and further controls the electromagnetic clutch 14 By controlling ON / OFF of the compressor 13 via the air conditioner, the air conditioning of the vehicle interior is performed according to the setting of the passenger.

Next, the compressor control (that is, electromagnetic clutch control) performed by the air conditioning control unit 40 when the automatic operation mode is set with the automatic switch of the control panel 41 turned on will be described in more detail.

The air conditioning control unit 40 controls ON / OFF of the compressor 13 when a compressor control flag described later is ON. That is, in the air conditioning control unit 40, when the compressor control flag is ON, the compressor 13 is ON / OFF-controlled (that is, the electromagnetic clutch 14 is ON / OFF-control) based on the result of comparison between the post-EVA temperature Te and a predetermined determination threshold value. To do. At that time, the econo switch is turned on in the air conditioning control unit 40.
When the selected fuel-saving control (Econo mode) is selected, the judgment threshold is set to be relatively higher than in the normal state when the econo switch is OFF. And becomes insensitive control.

ON / OFF of compressor control flag
(That is, the execution determination of the compressor control) is mainly performed based on the total signal T. That is, the air conditioning control unit 40 compares the total signal T with a predetermined determination threshold value, and when the total signal T is higher than the determination threshold value, turns on the compressor control flag.

Further, in the air conditioning control unit 40, when at least one of the wiper switch 47 and the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on, at present,
It is determined that window fogging is likely to occur, and even if the total signal T is low, the compressor control flag is forcibly turned on to increase the operation rate of the compressor 13 (that is, demist control is performed). At that time, in the air conditioning control unit 40, when the econo switch is in the ON state,
Release this to improve the demist effect.

In this demist control, in the air conditioning control unit 40, until the set time elapses after the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on, the compressor control flag caused by the ON operation is changed. By prohibiting the ON switching, it is possible to prevent the compressor control flag from being turned on unnecessarily due to an erroneous operation of a passenger.

That is, the air conditioning control unit 40 realizes the functions of the demist control means and the demist control prohibition means of the present invention.

Next, the execution determination of the compressor control executed by the air conditioning control unit 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This routine is executed every predetermined time. When the routine starts,
First, in step S101, it is checked whether or not the compressor control flag is currently in the ON state.

When it is determined in step S101 that the compressor control flag is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S102 to check whether the value of the total signal T is larger than "-9", for example. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, "-9" is a determination threshold when the compressor control flag is turned off from the on state, and is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

Then, in step S102, -9
If it is determined that <T, the process proceeds to step S103, and the routine exits while maintaining the ON state of the compressor control flag.

Further, when it is determined in step S101 that the compressor control flag is in the OFF state and the process proceeds to step S104, it is determined in step S104 whether the value of the total signal T is larger than "-7", for example. Find out. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, "-7" is a determination threshold value when the compressor control flag is turned on from the OFF state, and is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

Then, in step S104, -7
If it is determined that <T, the process proceeds to step S103, the compressor control flag is turned on, and then the routine is exited.

On the other hand, when it is judged in step S102 that -9 ≧ T, or in step S104, -7 ≧
If it is determined to be T, the process proceeds to step S105 to check whether or not at least one of the wiper switch 47 and the Rr defogger switch 48 is currently turned on.

When it is determined in step S105 that neither the wiper switch 47 nor the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on, step S10.
In step 6, the compressor control flag is turned off, and then the routine exits. The compressor control flag is OF
When in the F state, the electromagnetic clutch 14 is always off
Then, the compressor 13 is turned off.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that at least one of the wiper switch 47 and the Rr defogger switch 48 is ON, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, step S105
After the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 determined in step S1 is turned on, it is checked whether, for example, 15 seconds or more has elapsed. That is, step S107
Then, the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on to check whether or not a set time or more has elapsed, and thus the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on.
It is determined whether or not the ON operation of the defogger switch 48 is due to an erroneous operation by a passenger.

Then, in step S107, the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on.
If it is determined that 15 seconds or more have not elapsed since N, the process proceeds to step S106, the compressor control flag is turned off, and the routine is exited.

On the other hand, in step S107, the wiper switch 47 or the Rr defogger switch 48 is turned on.
If more than 15 seconds have passed after the
The operation is not an erroneous operation or the like, and it is determined that the window is likely to be fogged, and the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, it is checked whether or not the econo switch is turned on. And step S1
If it is determined at 08 that the econo switch is on, the econo switch is released from the on state at step S109, the process proceeds to step S103, the compressor control flag is turned on, and then the routine exits.

On the other hand, if the econo switch is OFF in step S108, the process proceeds to step S109 as it is, the compressor control flag is turned ON, and then the routine exits.

Next, when the compressor control flag is turned on in the above-described compressor control execution determination routine, the air conditioning control unit 40 executes the compressor control based on the post-EVA temperature Te. The compressor control is executed, for example, according to the routine shown in FIG. 4. When the routine starts, first in step S201, it is checked whether or not the econo switch is turned on.

If it is determined in step S201 that the econo switch is off, step S201
In step 202, it is checked whether the compressor 13 is currently turned on.

When it is determined in step S202 that the compressor 13 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S203 and the post-EVA temperature Te is, for example, 1.5.
Check whether it is higher than ℃. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, 1.5 ° C. turns the compressor 13 from the ON state to the OFF state during the normal control with the econo switch turned OFF.
It is a determination threshold value when performing, and is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

Then, in step S203, 1.
If it is determined that 5 <Te, step S20.
The routine proceeds to step 5, and the routine is exited while the ON state of the compressor 13 is maintained (that is, the ON state of the electromagnetic clutch 14 is maintained).

On the other hand, in step S203, 1.5
When it is determined that ≧ Te, step S206
After the compressor 13 is turned off (that is, the electromagnetic clutch 14 is turned off), the routine ends.

If it is determined in step S202 that the compressor 13 is off,
In step S204, it is checked whether the post-EVA temperature Te is higher than 4.5 ° C., for example. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, 4.5 ° C. is a determination threshold value when the compressor 13 is turned on from the OFF state during the normal control when the econo switch is turned off, and is obtained in advance by experiments or the like. .

Then, in step S204, 4.
If it is determined that 5 <Te, step S20.
After proceeding to step 5 and turning on the compressor 13, the routine exits.

On the other hand, in step S204, 4.5
When it is determined that ≧ Te, step S206
Then, the routine is exited while maintaining the OFF state of the compressor 13.

If it is determined in step S201 that the econo switch is turned on, the process proceeds to step S207, and it is checked whether or not the compressor 13 is currently turned on.

When it is determined in step S207 that the compressor 13 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S208 and the post-EVA temperature Te is, for example, 5.0.
Check whether it is higher than ℃. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, 5.0 ° C. is a determination threshold value for turning off the compressor 13 from the ON state during the fuel economy (Econo) control in which the econo switch is turned on. It has been demanded.

Then, in step S208, 5.
If it is determined that 0 <Te, step S20.
The routine proceeds to step 5 and exits the routine while maintaining the ON state of the compressor 13.

On the other hand, in step S208, 5.0
When it is determined that ≧ Te, step S206
After turning off the compressor 13, the routine exits.

If it is determined in step S207 that the compressor 13 is off,
In step S209, it is checked whether the post-EVA temperature Te is higher than 8.0 ° C., for example. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, 8.0 ° C. is a determination threshold value when the compressor 13 is turned on from the OFF state when the fuel economy control is selected with the econo switch turned on, and is obtained in advance by experiments or the like. ing.

Then, in step S209, 8.
If it is determined that 0 <Te, step S20.
After proceeding to step 5 and turning on the compressor 13, the routine exits.

On the other hand, in step S209, 8.0
When it is determined that ≧ Te, step S206
Then, the routine is exited while maintaining the OFF state of the compressor 13.

According to such an embodiment, the demisting control is prohibited for a predetermined time after the wiper switch 47 and the Rr defogger switch 48 are turned on, so that the compressor 13 is indiscriminately operated by an erroneous operation of a passenger.
Can be prevented from being driven.

Next, FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a compressor control execution determination routine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the compressor control is forcibly turned ON when the outside air temperature To is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.
The point of setting on the side is different from that of the above-described first embodiment.
In addition, the description of the same points as those of the above-described first embodiment will be omitted.

The execution determination of the compressor control executed by the air conditioning control unit 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This routine is executed every predetermined time. When the routine starts, first,
In step S301, it is checked whether the compressor control flag is currently in the ON state.

When it is determined in step S301 that the compressor control flag is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S302, and it is checked whether or not the value of the total signal T is larger than "-9", for example.

Then, in step S302, -9
If it is determined to be <T, the process proceeds to step S303 to exit the routine while maintaining the ON state of the compressor control flag.

When it is determined in step S301 that the compressor control flag is in the OFF state and the process proceeds to step S304, in step S304 it is determined whether the value of the total signal T is larger than "-7", for example. Find out.

Then, in step S304, -7
If it is determined that <T, the process proceeds to step S303, the compressor control flag is turned on, and then the routine exits.

On the other hand, when it is judged in step S302 that -9 ≧ T, or in step S304, -7 ≧
If it is determined to be T, the process proceeds to step S305, and it is determined whether the outside air temperature To is lower than the predetermined temperature To1. Here, To1 is set on the basis of, for example, the outside air temperature at which window fogging is likely to occur, which is obtained in advance by an experiment or the like, and is set to 10 ° C., for example.

Then, in step S305, To
When it is determined that ≧ To1, the process proceeds to step S306, the compressor control flag is turned off, and then the routine is exited.

On the other hand, in step S305, To <
If it is determined to be To1, step S307.
Proceed to and check whether the econo switch is turned on. If it is determined in step S307 that the econo switch is ON, step S307
After releasing the ON state of the econo switch at 308, the process proceeds to step S303, the compressor control flag is turned on, and then the routine exits.

On the other hand, if the econo switch is turned off in step S307, the process directly proceeds to step S303, the compressor control flag is turned on, and then the routine exits.

According to such an embodiment, when the outside air temperature To is lower than the temperature To1 at which the occurrence of window clouding is concerned, the compressor is forcibly forced to the high operating rate side regardless of the total signal T. Therefore, the occurrence of window clouding can be effectively reduced.

In this case, especially when the occupant sets the set temperature Ts to a high temperature in an early stage to increase the temperature inside the vehicle, the total signal T becomes higher than an appropriate value, and the compressor T is too high. It is possible to effectively prevent a problem such as a decrease in the operating rate of the.

In each of the above-described embodiments, when the state in which the window clouding is likely to occur is detected, the compressor control flag is turned on regardless of the total signal T to increase the operation rate of the compressor 13 to increase the demist. Although an example of performing control has been described, the present invention is not limited to this,
For example, when a state in which a window cloud is likely to occur is detected, the compressor 13 may be forcibly always ON-controlled to perform demist control.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, even if the compressor control flag continues to be in the ON state, it is determined whether the window cloud is likely to occur, and the eco-switch O is turned off.
At the time of N, when it is detected that the window cloud is likely to occur,
You may cancel the ON state of the econo switch.

Further, the compressor control execution determination routine described in the above-described first embodiment may be combined with the compressor control execution determination routine described in the above-described second embodiment to perform the compressor control execution determination. Of course.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately prevent the window fogging by appropriately controlling the compressor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a compressor control execution determination routine of the above.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a compressor control execution determination threshold value of the same as above.

FIG. 4 is the same as the flowchart of the compressor control routine.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an ON / OFF determination threshold value of the compressor.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a compressor control execution determination routine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Auto air conditioner 13 ... Compressor 40 ... Air conditioning control unit (demist control means, demist control prohibition means) 41 ... Control panel 42 ... Inside air temperature detection sensor 43 ... Outside air temperature detection sensor 47 ... Wiper switch (operation switch) 48 ... Rr defogger Switch (operation switch)

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kenji Furuse             1-7-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Fuji             Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3L011 AC02

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A controller for an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, which automatically controls a compressor using a comprehensive signal calculated based on a vehicle environment and a passenger's setting, generates a window cloud based on an operation state of an operation switch. Demist control means for determining the ease and performing the demist control for preventing the window cloud by controlling the compressor at a high operating rate or constantly controlling the compressor when it is determined that the window cloud is likely to occur. And a demist control prohibiting means for prohibiting the demist control during a set time after it is determined that the window cloud is likely to occur, and the control of the vehicle air conditioner. apparatus. 2. A controller for an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, which automatically controls a compressor by using a comprehensive signal calculated based on a vehicle environment and a passenger's setting, and when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, a window cloud is generated. A vehicle equipped with demist control means for determining that the condition is likely to occur and performing demist control to prevent window clouding by controlling the compressor at a high operating rate or constantly controlling the compressor to be on. Control device for auto air conditioner.