Vehicle air conditioner

• US 20050045322A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Makoto, Oomura, Mitsuyo, Homan, Toshinobu
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00785 by the detection of humidity or frost
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3207 for minimizing the humidity of the air
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3245 of air

Abstract

In a vehicle air conditioner, a controller calculates a first target post-evaporator temperature for defogging a windshield based on a detection humidity of a humidity sensor, and calculates a second target post-evaporator temperature for defogging the windshield regardless of the detection humidity of the humidity sensor. Then, the controller determines a smaller one between the first and second target post-evaporator temperatures, as a target post-evaporator temperature. Accordingly, even when the humidity sensor detects a humidity lower than an actual humidity of a passenger compartment when a blower operates by a low air-blowing amount, a windshield is prevented from fogging.

Claims

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle having a compartment, the air conditioner comprising:

an air conditioning duct through which air flows into the compartment;

a cooling heat exchanger, disposed in the air conditioning duct, for cooling and dehumidifying air in the air conditioning duct in accordance with operation of a compressor;

a temperature detection unit which detects a temperature of air cooled in the cooling heat exchanger;

a humidity detection unit which detects a humidity of air passing a ventilation passage through which air inside the compartment is ventilated in accordance with an air flow amount in the air conditioning duct; and

a controller which controls the compressor so that the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit approaches a target cooling temperature, wherein;

when the air flow amount in the air conditioning duct is equal to or larger than a predetermined amount, the controller calculates the target cooling temperature of air to be cooled by the cooling heat exchanger, for defogging a windshield of the vehicle, based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit; and

when the air flow amount in the air conditioning duct is lower than the predetermined amount, the controller calculates the target cooling temperature for defogging the windshield based on a set humidity higher than the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the set humidity is a predetermined constant humidity.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the set humidity is higher than the detected humidity of the humidity detection unit by a predetermined value.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a heating heat exchanger disposed in the air conditioning duct for heating air after passing the cooling heat exchanger by using a cooling water for cooling a heat-generating member of the vehicle as a heating source; and

a blower, disposed in the air conditioning duct, for blowing air into the compartment, wherein;

the control unit controls an air blowing amount of the blower at a general amount corresponding to one of a temperature of the cooling water flowing into the heating heat exchanger and a relation value relating to the temperature of the cooling water when the one of the temperature of the cooling water and the relation value relating the temperature of the cooling water is in a range between a first value and a second value higher than the first value;

the control unit determines a fogging generation condition of the windshield when the one of the temperature of the cooling water and the relation value relating to the temperature of the cooling water is lower than the first value; and

in the fogging generation condition, the control unit controls the air blowing amount of the blower to be lower than the general amount.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines the fogging generation condition based on at least one of an air temperature inside the compartment and an air temperature outside the compartment.

6. An air conditioner for a vehicle having a compartment, the air conditioner comprising:

an air conditioning duct through which air flows into the compartment;

a cooling heat exchanger, disposed in the air conditioning duct, for cooling and dehumidifying air in the air conditioning duct in accordance with operation of a compressor;

a temperature detection unit which detects a temperature of air cooled in the cooling heat exchanger;

a humidity detection unit which detects a humidity of air passing a ventilation passage through which air inside the compartment is ventilated in accordance with an air flow amount in the air conditioning duct; and

a controller which controls the compressor such that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit becomes a target cooling temperature, wherein;

the controller calculates a first temperature for performing a defogging of a windshield of the vehicle based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit, and calculates a second temperature for performing the defogging of the windshield regardless of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit; and

the controller determines a lower one between the first temperature and the second temperature, as the target cooling temperature.

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

the controller compares a comparison temperature that is lower by a predetermined temperature than a defogging temperature of air cooled by the cooling heat exchanger for defogging the windshield, with a frost-preventing temperature of air cooled by the cooling heat exchanger, which is set to prevent a frost of the cooling heat exchanger; and

the controller determines a higher one between the frost-preventing temperature and the comparison temperature, as the second temperature.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, further comprising

a heating heat exchanger disposed in the air conditioning duct for heating air after passing the cooling heat exchanger by using a cooling water for cooling a heat-generating member as a heating source,

wherein the controller increases the second temperature in accordance with an increase of a temperature of the cooling water or a relation value relating to the temperature of the cooling water.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the controller increases the second temperature such that an increase rate of the second temperature relative to an increase of the temperature of the cooling water or the relation value relating to the temperature of the cooling water is maintained at a set rate or becomes larger.

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

the controller determines whether the comparison temperature is lower than the frost-preventing temperature;

when the comparison temperature is lower than the frost-preventing temperature, the controller maintains the second temperature at the frost-preventing temperature for a predetermined time, and thereafter increases the second temperature in accordance with the increase of the temperature of the cooling water or the relation value.

11. An air conditioner for a vehicle having a compartment, the air conditioner comprising:

an air conditioning duct through which air flows into the compartment;

a cooling heat exchanger, disposed in the air conditioning duct, for cooling and dehumidifying air in the air conditioning duct in accordance with operation of a compressor;

a temperature detection unit which detects a temperature of air cooled in the cooling heat exchanger;

a humidity detection unit which detects an air humidity relating to a humidity of the compartment; and

a controller which controls the compressor such that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit becomes a target cooling temperature, wherein;

the controller calculates a first temperature for performing a defogging of a windshield of the vehicle based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit, and calculates a second temperature for performing the defogging of the windshield regardless of the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit; and

the controller determines a lower one between the first temperature and the second temperature, as the target cooling temperature.