Vehicle air-conditioning device and train communication system

• US 10,654,494 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tashiro, Yusuke, Hamada, Mamoru, Ochiai, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US16/095,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20190126949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 702182
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00371 for vehicles carrying large numbers of passengers, e.g. buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00657 Remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00978 Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3205 Control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3225 characterised by safety arrangements, e.g. compressor anti-seizure means or by signalling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 27/00 Heating, cooling, ventilating, or air-conditioning heating, cooling or ventilating devices for vehicles in general B60H1/00; devices for moistening air in vehicles B60H3/02; devices for filtering air in vehicles B60H3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 27/0018 Air-conditioning means, i.e. combining at least two of the following ways of treating or supplying air, namely heating, cooling or ventilating air-conditioning in general F24F
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0018 Communication with or on the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0063 Multiple on-board control systems, e.g. "2 out of 3"-systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 for compression type machines, plants or systems

Abstract

A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigeration cycle that performs air-conditioning in a vehicle interior of a vehicle; a controller that includes a plurality of operation modes with different continuous operation times for a compressor, and that selects one operation mode from among the plurality of operation modes according to an air-conditioning load in the vehicle interior and executes the one operation mode, during travel operation of the vehicle; a storage unit; and a fault diagnosis unit. The fault diagnosis unit performs, during travel operation of the vehicle, fault diagnosis for the refrigeration cycle, after the high-load operation mode from among the plurality of operation modes, in which the continuous operation time is equal to or longer than a time that is set in advance is selected and executed by the controller at the timing stored in advance in the storage unit and while the refrigeration cycle is stable.

Claims

1. A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a pressure reducing device and a second heat exchanger, and configured to perform air-conditioning in a vehicle interior of a vehicle;

a controller configured to execute a plurality of operation modes with different continuous operation times for the compressor, and configured to select one operation mode from among the plurality of operation modes according to an air-conditioning load in the vehicle interior and executes the one operation mode, during travel operation of the vehicle;

a storage unit configured to store in advance a timing of selecting, from among the plurality of operation modes, a high-load operation mode, the high-load operation mode having the continuous operation time equal to or longer than a time that is set in advance, and the controller configured to select and execute the high-load operation mode at the timing stored in the storage unit; and

a fault diagnosis unit configured to perform, during travel operation of the vehicle, fault diagnosis for the refrigeration cycle, after the high-load operation mode is selected and executed by the controller at the timing stored in the storage unit and while the refrigeration cycle is stable.

2. The vehicle air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, comprising a traveling position acquisition unit configured to acquire a current traveling position of the vehicle, wherein

the storage unit stores, as the timing, a traveling position of the vehicle, and

the fault diagnosis unit performs fault diagnosis after the current traveling position of the vehicle acquired by the traveling position acquisition unit reaches the traveling position stored in the storage unit and while the refrigeration cycle is stable.

3. The vehicle air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of operation modes are further divided into a plurality of operating rate patterns with different operating rates, and

the controller is configured to select one operating rate pattern from among the plurality of operating rate patterns according to the air-conditioning load, and execute the one operating rate pattern.

4. The vehicle air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the timing that is stored in the storage unit is at least one of after departure of the vehicle and at a time of advance operation for increasing air-conditioning performance prior to arrival at a stop.

5. The vehicle air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time that is set in advance is set based on an amount of refrigerant and a flow rate in the refrigeration cycle.

6. A train communication system comprising:

a plurality of vehicle air-conditioning apparatuses of claim 1, and

a ground system that is communicably connected to the plurality of vehicle air-conditioning apparatuses, wherein

the plurality of vehicle air-conditioning apparatuses each include a first communication unit that transmits a diagnosis result of the fault diagnosis unit to the ground system, and

the ground system includes

a second communication unit that receives the diagnosis result that is transmitted from the first communication unit of each of the plurality of vehicle air-conditioning apparatuses, and

a storage unit that stores the diagnosis result that is received by the second communication unit.

7. The train communication system of claim 6, wherein the ground system includes a comparative diagnosis unit that receives diagnosis results from the plurality of vehicle air-conditioning apparatuses installed in respective vehicles operating on a same line, and performs fault diagnosis by comparing the diagnosis results for travel operation diagrams for the same line.