Air conditioner for vehicle

• US 20050039902A1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Oga, Akira, Samukawa, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/203
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0073 Control systems or circuits characterised by particular algorithms or computational models, e.g. fuzzy logic or dynamic models
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00821 the components being ventilating, air admitting or air distributing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces

Abstract

In an air conditioner for a vehicle having first and second air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a front seat in a vehicle compartment and third and fourth air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a rear seat in the vehicle compartment, the air conditioner includes calculating means for calculating each of target blowing-out temperatures of air blown out to the first to fourth air conditioning zones in accordance with environmental conditions and desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones. In the air conditioner, the calculating means corrects an influence from the other air conditioning zones by using a selected desirable temperature in the desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones, while calculating the individual target blowing-out temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones.

Claims

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle having first and second air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a front seat in a vehicle compartment, and third and fourth air conditioning zones positioned at right and left sides of a rear seat in the vehicle compartment, the air conditioner comprising:

environmental condition determining means for determining environmental conditions of the first to fourth air conditioning zones by respectively detecting the environmental conditions or by estimating the environmental conditions from at least one of detected values;

setting means for setting each of desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones by a passenger in the vehicle compartment;

calculating means for calculating each of target blowing-out temperatures of air blown out to the first to fourth air conditioning zones in accordance with the environmental conditions determined by the environmental condition determining means and the desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones; and

control means for respectively independently controlling temperatures of air blown out to the first to fourth air conditioning zones, to the target blowing-out temperatures, respectively, wherein

the calculating means corrects an influence from the other air conditioning zones by using a selected desirable temperature in the desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones, while calculating the individual target blowing-out temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

,

the calculating means respectively calculates the target blowing-out temperatures of the first and second air conditioning zones by using a temperature difference between the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone; and

the calculating means also respectively calculates the target blowing-out temperatures of the third and fourth air conditioning zones by using a temperature difference between the desirable temperature of the third air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone, and a temperature difference between the desirable temperature of one of the first and second air conditioning zones and the desirable temperature of one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein:

the environmental condition determining means includes a detecting means for detecting an air temperature of at least a predetermined air conditioning zone in the first to fourth air conditioning zones, and an estimating means for estimating air temperatures of the other air conditioning zones, except for the predetermined air conditioning zone; and

the calculating means calculates the target blowing-out temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones in accordance with desirable temperatures of the first to fourth air conditioning zones, the air temperatures estimated by the estimating means and the air temperature detected by the detecting means.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the estimating means calculates a temperature difference between each desirable temperature of the other air conditioning zones and the desirable temperature of the predetermined air conditioning zone, and estimates each air temperature of the other air conditioning zones based on the calculated temperature difference and the air temperature of the predetermined air conditioning zone detected by the detecting means.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein:

the calculating means corrects an influence due to a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the first and second air conditioning zones, when calculating the target blowing-out temperatures of the first and second air conditioning zones; and

the calculating means corrects an influence due to a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the third and fourth air conditioning zones and an influence due to a temperature difference between each desirable temperature of the third and fourth air conditioning zones and each desirable temperature of the first and second air conditioning zones, when calculating the target blowing-out temperatures of the third and fourth air conditioning zones.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein:

the calculating means includes a first calculation portion for calculating the target blowing-out temperature of the first air conditioning zone, a second calculation portion for calculating the target blowing-out temperature of the second air conditioning zone, a third calculation portion for calculating the target blowing-out temperature of the third air conditioning zone, and a fourth calculation portion for calculating the target blowing-out temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone;

the first calculation portion calculates the target blowing-out temperature of the first air conditioning zone by using at least the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone and a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone;

the second calculation portion calculates the target blowing-out temperature of the second air conditioning zone by using at least the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone and a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone;

the third calculation portion calculates the target blowing-out temperature of the third air conditioning zone by using the desirable temperature of the third air conditioning zone, a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the third air conditioning zone, and a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the third air conditioning zone; and

the fourth calculation portion calculates the target blowing-out temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone by using the desirable temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone, a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the first air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone, and a correction portion that is a difference between the desirable temperature of the second air conditioning zone and the desirable temperature of the fourth air conditioning zone.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

the environmental condition determining means includes first to fourth inside air temperature sensors for detecting inside air temperatures of the vehicle compartment, respectively, corresponding to the first to fourth air conditioning zones; and

the calculating means calculates the target blowing-out air temperature of each air conditioning zone by using inside air temperatures detected by the first to fourth inside air temperature sensors.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

the environmental condition determining means includes a first inside air temperature sensor for detecting an inside air temperature of one of the first and second air conditioning zones, and a second inside air temperature sensor for detecting an inside air temperature of one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones;

the environmental condition determining means approximates an inside air temperature of the other one of the first and second air conditioning zones based on the inside air temperature detected by the first inside air temperature sensor and a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the first and second air conditioning zones; and

the environmental condition determining means approximates an inside air temperature of the other one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones based on the inside air temperature detected by the second inside air temperature sensor and a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the third and fourth air conditioning zones.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein:

the environmental condition determining means includes an inside air temperature sensor for detecting an inside air temperature of one of the first and second air conditioning zones in the vehicle compartment;

the environmental condition determining means approximates an inside air temperature of one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones based on the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor and a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the one of the first and second air conditioning zones and the one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones; and

the environmental condition determining means approximates an inside air temperature of the other one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones based on the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor and a temperature difference between the desirable temperatures of the one of the first and second air conditioning zones and the other one of the third and fourth air conditioning zones.