Motor vehicle with an air-conditioning system

• US 20040003614A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Luk Fahrzeug-Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Luk Fahrzeug-Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Parsch, Willi, Rinne, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,302,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/228.1
• 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 1/3216 for improving a change in operation duty of a compressor in a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3266 related to the operation of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3273 related to the operation of the vehicle, e.g. the compressor driving torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3275 to control the volume of a compressor

Abstract

In a motor vehicle with a combustion engine, an electronic engine-management device, and an air-conditioning system with an air-conditioning control device, the air-conditioning compressor has reciprocating pistons whose displacement stroke is adjustable through one or more control valves. The electronic engine-management device has direct access to and priority control over the adjustment of the piston stroke, so that the electronic engine management device takes precedence over the air-conditioning control device in controlling the adjustment of the piston stroke.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising a combustion engine with an electronic engine-management device and further comprising an air-conditioning system with a compressor and with an air-conditioning control device using characteristic data fields;

wherein the compressor has reciprocating pistons whose displacement stroke is adjustable, a drive chamber receiving fluid under pressure, and at least one control valve; and

wherein the piston stroke is adjusted by controlling the fluid pressure in the drive chamber by means of the at least one control valve, wherein further the electronic engine-management device has direct access to and priority control over said adjustment of the piston stroke and, by virtue of said priority control, the electronic engine management device takes precedence over the air-conditioning control device in controlling said adjustment of the piston stroke.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the compressor comprises a piston-drive element having an adjustable tilt angle, and wherein, if the combustion engine does not have enough torque available to drive the air-conditioning compressor with the piston-drive element at least partially deployed, the electronic engine-management device will cause at least a partial cutback of said tilt angle.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein if the combustion engine subsequently has enough torque available to drive the air-conditioning compressor with the piston-drive element at least partially deployed, the electronic engine-management device will return control of the tilt-angle regulation to the air-conditioning control device.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein said priority control comprises a direct controlling access to the at least one control valve.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning system comprises an internal control loop using a detected driving torque of the compressor as a control variable, and wherein said priority control comprises a direct controlling access to said internal control loop.

6. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning system comprises sensors and further comprises an internal control loop using a driving torque of the compressor as a control variable, said driving torque being calculated from signals generated by the sensors, and wherein said priority control comprises a direct controlling access to said internal control loop.

7. The motor vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an integrated control box arranged in the area of the compressor, wherein said priority control is performed by the integrated control box controlling the at least one control valve based on an input signal, and wherein the input signal comprises a target value for the compressor torque received from the engine-management device.

8. The motor vehicle of claim 7, wherein the input signal further comprises an actual value for the compressor torque.

9. The motor vehicle of claim 8, wherein said actual value is based on a direct measurement at the compressor.

10. The motor vehicle of claim 8, wherein the actual value is calculated from measurement values of the air-conditioning system by way of a characteristic data field.