Air conditioner
First Claim
1. An air conditioner for air conditioning the Interior of a compartment, comprising:
- a variable displacement compressor, wherein the compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement;
an electric motor for driving the compressor;
a motor controller for rotating the motor at a constant reference speed;
a detection device for detecting information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner;
a current sensor for detecting the value of current supplied to the electric motor; and
a controller for controlling the compressor based on the detected thermal load information and the detected current value, wherein the controller;
computes a target torque of the compressor based on the thermal load information;
computes a target currant value to be supplied to the electric motor in accordance with the computed target torque; and
controls the displacement of the compressor such that the detected current value matches the target currant value.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air conditioner for air conditioning the interior of a compartment includes a compressor and an electric motor. The compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement. The electric motor drives the compressor. A motor controller rotates the motor at a constant reference speed. A detection device detects information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner. A current sensor detects the value of current supplied to the electric motor. A controller controls the compressor based on the detected thermal load information and the detected current value. The controller computes a target torque of the compressor based on the thermal load information. In accordance with the computed target torque, the controller computes a target current value to be supplied to the electric motor. The controller further controls the displacement of the compressor such that the detected current value matches the target current value.
6 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An air conditioner for air conditioning the Interior of a compartment, comprising:
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a variable displacement compressor, wherein the compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement;
an electric motor for driving the compressor;
a motor controller for rotating the motor at a constant reference speed;
a detection device for detecting information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner;
a current sensor for detecting the value of current supplied to the electric motor; and
a controller for controlling the compressor based on the detected thermal load information and the detected current value, wherein the controller;
computes a target torque of the compressor based on the thermal load information;
computes a target currant value to be supplied to the electric motor in accordance with the computed target torque; and
controls the displacement of the compressor such that the detected current value matches the target currant value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An air conditioner for air conditioning the passenger compartment of a vehicle having an engine, comprising:
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a variable displacement compressor, wherein the compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement;
a one-way clutch, wherein, when the engine is running, the one-way clutch selectively transmits the power of the engine to the compressor;
an electric motor for driving the compressor when the engine is not running;
a motor controller for rotating the motor at a constant reference speed;
a detection device for detecting information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner;
a current sensor for detecting the value of current supplied to the electric motor;
a controller for controlling the compressor based on the detected thermal load information and the detected current value, wherein the controller;
computes a target torque of the compressor based on the thermal load information;
computes a target current value to be supplied to the electric motor in accordance with the computed target torgue; and
controls the displacement of the compressor such that the detected current value matches the target current value. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for controlling an air conditioner that air conditions the interior of a compartment, the air conditioner including a variable displacement compressor and an electric motor, wherein the compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement, and wherein the electric motor drives the compressor, the method comprising:
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computing required cooling performance based on information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner;
computing a target torque of the compressor based on the computed cooling performance;
computing a target current value to be supplied to the electric motor in accordance with the computed target torque; and
controlling the displacement of the compressor such that a current value detected by a current sensor matches the target current value.
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Specification