Automotive air conditioning system

• US 20050056413A1
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Homan, Toshinobu, Yoshida, Makoto, Oomura, Mitsuyo
• Granted Patent: US 7,325,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/203
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00921 where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

In a hybrid vehicle air conditioning system in which coolant is supplied to a heater core from a vehicle running engine, for heating, a demand of the operation of the vehicle running engine is controlled to obtain respective set coolant temperatures TWS2 for target air-outlet temperature TAO of air sent out into a passenger compartment during a bilevel mode operation and TWS1 for the target air-outlet temperature TAO during a foot mode operation by setting the set coolant temperature TWS2 higher than the set coolant temperature TWS1.

Claims

1. An automotive air conditioning system comprising:

a heater for heating air sent out into a passenger compartment;

a face outlet provided on a downstream side of the heater as viewed along the flow of air for sending out air toward the faces of occupants in the passenger compartment;

a foot outlet provided on the downstream side of the heater as viewed along the flow of air for sending out air toward the feet of the occupants in the passenger compartment;

a target air-outlet temperature (TAO) calculating unit for calculating a target air-outlet temperature (TAO) for air sent out into the passenger compartment;

an outlet mode setting unit for setting at least a bilevel mode in which the face outlet and the foot outlet are opened at the same time and a foot mode in which the face outlet is closed, whereas the foot outlet is opened;

a heating source for heating a heating medium supplied to the heater; and

a control unit for controlling the operation of the heating source;

wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the heating source such that the heating capacity of the heater for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during an operation in the bilevel mode becomes larger than the heating capacity of the heater for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during an operation in the foot mode.

2. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the heating source is a vehicle running engine, wherein

the heater is a hot-water heater core to which a coolant is supplied from the vehicle running engine as a heating medium, and wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the vehicle running engine such that the temperature of the coolant for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the bilevel mode operation becomes higher than the temperature of the coolant during the foot mode operation.

3. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the heater is a high-pressure side radiator into which a high-pressure refrigerant discharged from a compressor of a refrigeration cycle flows as the heating medium, wherein

the heating source is the compressor, and wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the compressor such that the heating capacity of the high-pressure side radiator for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the bilevel mode operation becomes larger than the heating capacity of the high-pressure side radiator for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the foot mode operation.

4. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the heating source is a heating source for heating provided separately from the vehicle running power source, wherein

the heater is a hot-water heater core to which hot water heated by the heating source for heating is supplied as the heating medium, and wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the heating source for heating such that the temperature of the hot water for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the bilevel mode operation becomes higher than the temperature of the hot water for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the foot mode operation.

5. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the heating source for heating can be made up of an electric heater.

6. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls such that an air mix door is located at a maximum heating position when the outlet mode for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) is in the foot mode and controls such that the air mix door is located at an intermediate open position when the outlet mode for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) is in the bilevel mode.

7. An automotive air conditioning system comprising:

a heater for heating air sent out into a passenger compartment;

a face outlet provided on a downstream side of the heater as viewed along the flow of air for sending out air toward the faces of occupants in the passenger compartment;

a foot outlet provided on the downstream side of the heater as viewed along the flow of air for sending out air toward the feet of the occupants in the passenger compartment;

a target air-outlet temperature (TAO) calculating unit for calculating a target air-outlet temperature (TAO) for air sent out into the passenger compartment; and

an outlet mode setting unit for setting at least a bilevel mode in which the face outlet and the foot outlet are opened at the same time and a foot mode in which the face outlet is closed, whereas the foot outlet is opened;

the heater being adapted to adjust the heating capacity thereof directly on their own, and comprising further;

a control unit for controlling the operation of the heating source;

wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the heater such that the heating capacity of the heater for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the bilevel mode operation becomes larger than the heating capacity of the heater for the target air-outlet temperature (TAO) during the foot mode operation.

8. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the heater is an electric heater.