Inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use

• US 20060030253A1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Asai, Norio, Honda, Yuuji
• Application Number:
  US11/151,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00849 for selectively commanding the induction of outside or inside air B60H1/00842 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0085 Smell or pollution preventing arrangements B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence

Abstract

At the time of the inside air mode, the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment is calculated (S80). When the calculated value of the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment exceeds a predetermined value, the inside and outside change-over door is changed over to the outside air mode (S90, S20).

Claims

1. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use comprising:

an inside and outside air change-over means (6) for changing over between an inside air mode to introduce the inside air from a vehicle passenger compartment and an outside air mode to introduce the outside air from the outside of the vehicle passenger compartment, the introduced inside air or outside air being introduced to a blowing port to the vehicle passenger compartment; and

a control unit (29) for controlling an operational position of the inside and outside air change-over means (6),

the control unit (29) including;

a calculation means (S80) for calculating the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode; and

a change-over control means (S20, S90) for changing over the inside and outside air change-over means (6) to the outside air mode when the calculated concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment exceeds a predetermined value, wherein

the calculation means (S80) calculates the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode according to the elapsed time, which is a variable, after the change-over to the inside air mode and also according to the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment, which is a variable, generated by dynamic pressure of vehicle running at the time of the inside air mode.

2. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means (S80) calculates the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode according to the elements including the amount of CO₂ generated by a passenger at the time of the inside air mode, an elapsed time after the change-over to the inside air mode, the amount of ventilated air generated by dynamic pressure of vehicle running at the time of the inside air mode and a volume inside the vehicle passenger compartment.

3. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 2, wherein the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment is calculated from an information value relating to a vehicle speed, which is a variable, and

the calculation means (S80) calculates the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode when the elapsed time after the change-over to the inside air mode and the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment are used as variables and the fixed values, which have been previously set, are used for the other elements.

4. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 2, wherein the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment is calculated from the information value relating to the vehicle speed, including variables, the amount of CO₂ generated by passengers at the time of the inside air mode is calculated from the number of passengers, which is a variable, and

the calculating means (S80) only includes the variables of the elapsed time after the change-over to the inside air mode, the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment and the amount of CO₂ generated by passengers at the time of the inside air mode and also includes the previously determined fixed values of the other elements so as to calculate the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode.

5. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 3, further comprising a sensor (30) for detecting an information value relating to the vehicle speed, wherein a value obtained after the detection value of the sensor (30) has been smoothed is used for calculating the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment as the information value relating to the vehicle speed.

6. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 3, wherein the information value relating to the vehicle speed is a vehicle speed or an engine speed of the vehicle.

7. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 3, wherein when the information value relating to the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined value, the inside air mode is maintained.

8. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 7, wherein when the information value relating to the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined value, the calculation of the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment conducted by the calculation means is stopped and the inside air mode is maintained.

9. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 1, further comprising a fan and a heat exchanger arranged between the inside and outside air change-over means (6) and the blowing port, wherein a flow of air, the temperature of which is adjusted when it has passed through the heat exchanger (9, 15), is blown into the vehicle passenger compartment via the blowing port.

10. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic switch for outputting an operational signal to automatically control the inside and outside air change-over means into the control unit,

the control unit (29) including a means in which, when the automatic switch is turned on, the inside and outside air change-over means is changed over to the outside air mode, it is judged whether or not the elapsed time after the change-over to the outside air mode has passed through a predetermined time, the outside air mode is continued when the elapsed time after the change-over to the outside air mode does not exceed a predetermined period of time, and the control for changing over the outside air mode to the inside air mode is executed as an initial mode when the elapsed time has reached a predetermined period of time.

11. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 10, further comprising:

a timer means for measuring the elapsed time of the inside air mode after the automatic switch has been turned on, arranged in the control unit; and

a means for judging whether or not the information value relating to the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined value, wherein

when the judging means judges that the information value is an information value relating to the vehicle speed not less than the predetermined value, the measurement of time by the timer means is reset, and when the information value relating to the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined value, the calculation means calculates the concentration of CO₂ at the time of the inside air mode according to the elapsed time measured by the timer means and also according to the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment, which is a variable, generated by dynamic pressure of running vehicle at the time of the inside air mode.

12. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 10, wherein the calculation means calculates the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of inside air mode in such a manner that while consideration is being given to the amount of CO₂ generated by passengers, the amount of CO₂ generated by the passengers is found from the product of the amount of CO₂ generated by one passenger and the number of the passengers, and the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment is found according to the Information value relating to the vehicle speed.

13. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 12, wherein the amount of ventilated air in the vehicle passenger compartment is found by the product of the amount of ventilated air per unit vehicle speed, which is set for each vehicle, and the vehicle speed.

14. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 10, wherein the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the point of time when the predetermined period of time has passed after the change-over to the inside air mode is calculated as a function, the variables of which are at least the amount of ventilated air per unit vehicle speed at the time of the inside air mode, the vehicle speed of the vehicle, the elapsed time after the change-over to the inside air mode, the volume in the vehicle passenger compartment, the amount of generated CO₂ per one passenger and unit time, the number of passengers and the concentration of CO₂ of the outside air.

15. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 14, wherein the amount of ventilated air per unit vehicle speed at the time of the inside air mode, the volume in the vehicle passenger compartment, the amount of generated CO₂ per one passenger and unit time, the number of passengers and the concentration of CO₂ of the outside air are the fixed values which have been previously set, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the elapsed time after the change-over to the inside air mode include variables.

16. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 10, wherein

a predetermined value is set as a value of the level at which a passenger in the vehicle passenger compartment feels uncomfortable due to an increase in the concentration of CO₂,

the inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use further comprises a means for judging whether or not the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment at the time of the inside air mode calculated after the change-over to the inside air mode is not less than the above predetermined value, and

when the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment is lower than the predetermined value, the state of inside air mode is maintained, and when the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment is not less than the predetermined value, the inside air mode is changed over to the outside air mode, and the outside air mode is continued until a predetermined condition is established.

17. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 16, wherein the establishment of the predetermined condition is that a predetermined period of time has passed after the change-over to the outside air mode or that the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment calculated after the change-over to the outside air mode has decreased to a predetermined level, and the outside air mode is changed over to the inside air mode after the establishment of the predetermined condition.

18. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 17, wherein the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment calculated after the change-over to the outside air mode is calculated as a function, the variables of which are at least the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the elapsed time after the change-over to the outside air mode.

19. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 18, wherein the concentration of CO₂ in the vehicle passenger compartment calculated after the change-over to the outside air mode is calculated as a function, the variables of which are the amount of ventilated air per unit vehicle speed at the time of the outside air mode, the vehicle speed of the vehicle, the elapsed time after the change-over to the outside air mode, the volume in the vehicle passenger compartment, the amount of generated CO₂ per one passenger and unit time, the number of passengers and the concentration of CO₂ of the outside air.

20. An inside and outside air change-over control unit for vehicle use according to claim 19, wherein the amount of ventilated air per unit vehicle speed at the time of the outside air mode, the volume in the vehicle passenger compartment, the amount of generated CO₂ per one passenger and unit time, the number of passengers and the concentration of CO₂ of the outside air are the fixed value which have been previously set, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the elapsed time after the change-over to the outside air mode include variables.