Air conditioner for automobiles

• US 4,744,511 A
• Filed: 11/26/1986
• Issued: 05/17/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kakehi, Tohru, Ohba, Masahiro, Matsui, Katsumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US06/935,683
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49, 236/13, 236/91 R, 236/91 D, 62/244, 62/186, 62/180, 165/16, 165/30, 165/42, 364/557, 364/551, 364/149, 364/150, 364/151
• US Class Current: 236/13
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00807 the input being a specific way of measuring or calculating an air or coolant temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/20 with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature G05D23/13 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioner for automobiles comprising an air conditioning unit for adjusting at least temperature of blow-off air discharged into a vehicle compartment, a decision device for determining whether the air conditioning unit is in an initial state that the air conditioning unit is started, and an air conditioning control unit for feedback controlling the air conditioning unit so that the detected internal temperature becomes equal to the set target temperature. The air conditioning control unit is formed as an integral-added optimal regulator which performs the feedback control on the basis of optimal feedback gain predetermined in accordance with a dynamic model of an air conditioning system. The air conditioning control unit outputs to the air conditioning unit controlled variables decided in accordance with the results of the determination made by the decision device.

Claims

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

(a) air duct means for supplying said vehicle compartment with air;

(b) supply heat quantity controlling means for controlling an amount of heat of the air supplied from said air duct means to said vehicle compartment;

(c) temperature setting means for setting a target temperature for air in said vehicle compartment;

(d) compartment temperature detecting means for detecting an actual temperature of air in said vehicle compartment as a detected compartment temperature;

(e) deviation computing means for computing a temperature deviation of said detected compartment temperature from said target temperature;

(f) temperature perturbation component computing means for computing perturbation components of said detected compartment temperature relative to a reference temperature of said vehicle compartment under a steady air-conditioning state according to a dynamic model used for controlling the heat quantity which is predetermined through system identification;

(g) internal state estimating means for estimating an estimated internal state of said dynamic model using said perturbation components computed by said temperature perturbation component computing means;

(h) initial state decision means for determining whether said supply heat quantity controlling means is in an initial state in which said supply heat quantity means is being started;

(i) adjusting amount perturbation component computing means for computing adjusting amount perturbation components of said supply heat quantity controlling means relative to a reference adjusting amount under said steady air-conditioning state in said dynamic model on the basis of said temperature deviation computed by said deviation computing means, said estimated interval state of said internal state estimating means, and the determination made by said initial state decision means; and

(j) control adjusting amount determining means for determining an adjusting control amount of said supply heat quantity controlling means on the basis of said adjusting amount perturbation components and said reference adjusting amount.

2. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supply heat quantity controlling means includes means for controlling an amount of air fed from said air duct means to said vehicle compartment, a capability of cooling the air within said air duct means, and a degree of reheating cooled air.

3. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temperature perturbation component computing means comprises dynamic model selecting means for selecting a dynamic model that satisfies a linear approximation in accordance with the deviation of the detected compartment temperature, said dynamic model selecting means computing a reference compartment temperature under said steady air-conditioning state in the selected dynamic model.

4. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said internal state estimating means is also for computing a state estimation value indicative of an internal state of said dynamic model on the basis of the adjusting amount perturbation components and the temperature perturbation components.

5. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means comprises:

integrator means for integrating said temperature deviation to provide an integrated temperature difference, and

feedback amount computing means for computing said adjusting amount perturbation components on the basis of the integrated temperature difference from said integrator means, said estimated internal state obtained by said internal state estimating means, and an optimal feedback gain for causing said compartment temperature with said dynamic model to approach said target temperature.

6. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 3, wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means comprises integrated means for integrating said temperature deviation to provide an integrated temperature difference, and feedback amount computing means for computing said adjusting amount perturbation component on the basis of said integrated temperature difference from said integrator means, said estimated internal state obtained by said internal state estimating means, and an optimal feedback gain for causing said compartment temperature with said dynamic model to approach said target temperature, said feedback amount computing means comprising feedback gain determining means for determining said optimal feedback gain in accordance with said dynamic model selected by said dynamic model selecting means.

7. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means includes means for computing the adjusting amount perturbation component on the basis of deviation-accumulated values determined in accordance with the determination of said initial state decision means.

8. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:

(a) air duct means for supplying a vehicle compartment with air;

(b) supply heat quantity controlling means for controlling an amount of heat of the air supplied from said air duct means to said vehicle compartment;

(c) temperature setting means for setting a target temperature for air in said vehicle compartment;

(d) compartment temperature detecting means for detecting an actual temperature of air in said vehicle compartment as a detected compartment temperature;

(e) deviation computing means for computing a temperature deviation of said detected compartment temperature from said target temperature;

(f) temperature perturbation component computing means for computing perturbation components of said detected compartment temperature relative to a reference temperature of said vehicle compartment under a steady air-conditioning state in a dynamic model used for controlling the heat quantity which is predetermined through system indentification;

(g) internal state estimating means for estimating an estimated internal state of said dynamic model using said perturbation components computed by said temperature perturbation component computing means;

(h) control condition determining means for determining whether the control condition of said supply heat quantity controlling means is within a predetermined range;

(i) adjusting amount perturbation component computing means for computing adjusting amount perturbation components of said supply heat quantity controlling means relative to a reference adjusting amount under said steady air-conditioning state in said dynamic model on the basis of said temperature deviation computed by said deviation computing means, said estimated internal state of said internal state estimating means, and the control condition determined by said control condition determining means; and

(j) control adjusting amount determining means for determining an adjusting control amount of said supply heat quantity controlling means on the basis of said adjusting amount perturbation components and said reference adjusting amount.

9. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 8, wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means includes means for computing the adjusting amount perburbation component on the basis of deviation-accumulated values determined in accordance with the control condition determined by said control condition determining means.

10. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 8, further comprising initial state decision means for determining whether said supply heat quantity controlling means is in an initial state in said said supply heat quantity means is started and wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means includes means for computing the adjusting amount perturbation component on the basis of deviation-accumulated values determined in accordance with the result of the determination of said initial state decision means.

11. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 8, wherein said adjusting amount perturbation component computing means includes means for computing the adjusting amount perturbation components on the basis of the limits of the predetermined range when said control condition of said supply heat quantity controlling means is not within the predetermined range and the initial temperature is in a predetermined relation to the target temperature.

12. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 11, wherein said predetermined relation is that the initial temperature approaches the target temperature up to a predetermined value.

13. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the predetermined relation is that the initial temperature is coincident with the target temperature.

14. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the predetermined relation is that the range of change in process that the initial temperature approaches the target temperature becomes between predetermined upper and lower limits.

15. An air conditioner as claimed in claim 8, wherein accumulation of the deviation is interrupted until the initial temperature assumes a predetermined value in the case that the control condition of said supply heat quantity controlling means is not within the predetermined range.