Air-conditioner for vehicle

• US 10,639,962 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okamoto, Tsuyoshi, Watanabe, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moubry, Grant
• Application Number:
  US16/073,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20190030990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/034 from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3208 Vehicle drive related control of the compressor drive means, e.g. for fuel saving purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3213 for increasing the efficiency in a vehicle heat pump
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32281 comprising a single secondary circuit, e.g. at evaporator or condenser side
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3266 related to the operation of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/448 Electrical distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2005/125 Driving auxiliary pumps electrically
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2007/146 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/32 Engine outcoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/24 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/14 Condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/164 by varying pump speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A heat pump and a heater core are provided at a heating coolant water circuit connected to an engine. As heating thermal amount control, the control of decreasing the output of the heat pump and increasing the output of the engine with an increase in an engine outlet water temperature detected by an engine outlet water temperature sensor, thereby ensuring a target heating thermal amount. Thus, in response to a decrease in a heat generation efficiency of the heat pump with an increase in the engine outlet water temperature, the output of the heat pump is decreased so that fuel economy can be improved while the output of the engine is increased so that the target heating thermal amount can be ensured.

Claims

1. An air-conditioner for a vehicle comprising:

a coolant water circuit configured such that coolant water of an engine, which is a vehicle drive source, circulates between the engine and a heat pump configured to heat the coolant water;

a water temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the coolant water flowing in the coolant water circuit; and

an output controller configured to execute thermal amount control of setting, according to a coolant water temperature as the temperature of the coolant water detected by the water temperature sensor, output of the heat pump and output of the engine to ensure a predetermined target thermal amount;

wherein the output controller performs, as the thermal amount control, control of decreasing the output of the heat pump and increasing the output of the engine with an increase in the coolant water temperature to ensure the target thermal amount.

2. The air-conditioner for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the output controller performs, as the thermal amount control, control of setting the output of the heat pump to a value within a predetermined range set according to the coolant water temperature, thereby setting the output of the engine such that the target thermal amount is ensured at the set output of the heat pump.

3. The air-conditioner for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power generator to be driven by power of the engine,

wherein the output controller increases a power generation amount of the power generator by an amount corresponding to an output increment of the engine by the thermal amount control.

4. The air-conditioner for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power generator to be driven by power of the engine, wherein

the output controller performs, as the thermal amount control, control of

setting a characteristic of a heat generation efficiency as a percentage of a coolant water heating amount with respect to consumed energy of the heat pump based on the coolant water temperature and

setting a characteristic of a power generation efficiency as a percentage of a power generation amount of the power generator with respect to a consumed fuel amount of the engine,

thereby setting the output of the heat pump and the output of the engine such that an integrated efficiency of the heat generation efficiency of the heat pump and the power generation efficiency of the engine is highest under a condition where the target thermal amount can be ensured.

5. The air-conditioner for the vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

a battery to be charged with power generated by the power generator,

wherein the output controller corrects the output of the heat pump and the output of the engine according to a remaining capacity of the battery during execution of the thermal amount control.