Vehicle air conditioner with ventilating function while parking

• US 20040107713A1
• Filed: 12/01/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 6,957,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/208
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00064 for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00207 characterised by the position of the HVAC devices with respect to the passenger compartment B60H1/00021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00285 for vehicle seats vehicle seats with heating or ventilation means independent from the HVAC system of the vehicle B60N2/56
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/247 Disposition of several air-diffusers in a vehicle for ventilation-air circulation in a vehicle cabin
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/248 Air-extractors, air-evacuation from the vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00099 comprising additional ventilating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5628 coming from the vehicle ventilation system, e.g. air-conditioning system
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5657 blown towards the seat surface

Abstract

An air conditioning apparatus preferentially ventilates a space close to a seat and/or a steering wheel on which a passenger directly makes a contact in a passenger compartment while a vehicle is parked. The uncomfortable feeling of a passenger that might occur when he/she is getting into the parked vehicle can be reduced using a small capacity in the air conditioning as compared to the air conditioning apparatus ventilating the whole space in the vehicle.

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

an air blowing portion provided for a seat in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, said air blowing portion capable of blowing air through a surface of the seat to ventilate the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

2. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

3. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where amount of sunlight incident therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

4. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature at an outside of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

5. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

6. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

7. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

an air blowing portion provided for steering means for the vehicle, said air blowing portion capable of blowing air toward said steering means to ventilate the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

8. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said air blowing portion has a blow-out port provided close to an indicating member for indicating information relating to the vehicle to blow out the air toward the steering means.

9. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

said air blowing portion has a blow-out port in which a louver is provided to regulate flow of the air, wherein said louver is operable by an actuator so that the air is oriented toward the steering means.

10. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

11. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where amount of sunlight incident therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

12. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature at an outside of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

13. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

14. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

15. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

an air blowing portion provided at a front side in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, said air blowing portion capable of introducing air from an outside of the vehicle and blowing the air into the passenger compartment to ventilate the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

16. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

17. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where amount of sunlight incident therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

18. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature at the outside of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

19. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

20. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

21. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

an air blowing portion provided at a rear side in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, said air blowing portion capable of exhausting air from the passenger compartment to an outside of the vehicle to ventilate the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

22. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

23. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where amount of sunlight incident therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

24. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature at an outside of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

25. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

26. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

27. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

an air blowing portion provided in the vehicle, said air blowing portion capable of introducing air from an outside of the vehicle, blowing the air toward an instrumental panel of the vehicle provided at a front side of a passenger compartment and forcing the air into the passenger compartment to ventilate the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

28. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

29. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where amount of sunlight incident therein is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

30. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

the air blowing portion is activated to ventilate the passenger compartment in a condition where temperature at the outside of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

31. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 27, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

32. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

33. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a detecting portion mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked;

a plurality of ventilating portions each of which is provided in the vehicle, and each of which is designed to ventilate a respective specific part of space in a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and

a controller capable of independently controlling said plurality of ventilating portions when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked;

wherein said controller activates said plurality of ventilating portions in accordance with a power level of a battery mounted on the vehicle so that one of said plurality of ventilating portions is activated when said power level of the battery is lower than a predetermined level while the other of the plurality of ventilating portions is prohibited from being activated.

34. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the other of the plurality of ventilating portions is activated when the power level of the battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined level.

35. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 33, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

36. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

37. An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a control device mounted on a vehicle capable of determining whether the vehicle is parked; and

means for reducing sunlight incident into a passenger compartment of the vehicle, wherein said means reduces the sunlight incident into the passenger compartment when said control device determines that the vehicle is parked.

38. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 37, wherein:

said means for reducing sunlight is activated in a condition where a detected position of the sun is within a predetermined range.

39. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 37, wherein a refrigerant device for the air conditioning apparatus is activated in a situation where a control switch provided in the passenger compartment is operated by a passenger.

40. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 37, further comprising:

a wall for an interior of the passenger compartment composed of a net structural body having a plurality of three dimensional vents at a back side thereof and having a breathable surface at a front side thereof, wherein the air is blown through said net structural body to the passenger compartment.

41. An air conditioning apparatus for lowering temperature in a passenger compartment of a vehicle by ventilation, comprising:

an air conditioning unit for conditioning an inside of the passenger compartment;

a seat air conditioning unit for blowing air through a surface of a seat provided in the passenger compartment; and

a control device for controlling said air conditioning unit and said seat air conditioning unit, wherein said control device has;

means for setting an outside-air introducing mode in which air is introduced into the passenger compartment from an outside of the vehicle by controlling said air conditioning unit in a case where the control device detects a condition in which temperature in the compartment is equal to or higher than a predetermined level when the vehicle is parked, and for blowing the air through the surface of the seat by activating a blower provided in the seat air conditioning unit to ventilate the passenger compartment.

42. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising:

means for determining whether the vehicle is parked in accordance with a condition of a starter switch for the vehicle, wherein said means for setting the outside-air introducing mode and for blowing the air is activated when it is determined that the vehicle is parked.

43. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said air conditioning unit has at least one of a steering blow-out port for blowing the air toward a steering for a passenger which is provided close to an indicator section of an instrumental panel, a center face blow-out port and a side face blow-out port, wherein;

said control device further includes;

means for blowing the air toward the steering through the one of the steering blow-out port, the center face blow-out port and the side face blow-out port when it is determined that the vehicle is parked and when a remaining power level of a battery mounted on the vehicle is equal to or higher than a first predetermined level.

44. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 43, further comprising:

a rear-side air conditioning unit, wherein;

said control device further includes means for exhausting the air inside the passenger compartment to the outside of the vehicle by activating a blower provided in said rear-side air conditioning unit when the remaining power level of the battery is equal to or higher than a second predetermined level greater than said first predetermined level.

45. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 44, further comprising:

a sunlight incident reducing device, wherein;

said means for exhausting the air operates said sunlight incident reducing device to reduce the amount of sunlight incident into the passenger compartment when the remaining power level of the battery is equal to or higher than a second predetermined level greater than said first predetermined level.

46. An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 41, wherein:

said condition in which the temperature in the compartment is equal to or higher than the predetermined level is determined when at least one of specific conditions is detected, wherein said specific conditions are a condition where an outside temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined outside temperature, a condition where an inside temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined inside temperature, and a condition where an amount of sunlight incident into the passenger compartment is equal to or higher than a predetermined amount.