Apparatus for controlling an air flow of an automobile air-conditioner

• US 5,008,803 A
• Filed: 04/11/1989
• Issued: 04/16/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diesel Kiki Co Ltd (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Diesel Kiki Co Ltd (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Iida, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US07/338,931
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 98/2.01, 98/2.11, 165/2, 165/16, 165/28, 165/30, 237/5, 364/140, 364/148, 364/557
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence

Abstract

An air flow control apparatus of an automobile air-conditioner is capable of controlling the air flow of a blower according to the thermal load within the passenger compartment. The air flow control apparatus limits the maximum air flow of the blower to a predetermined low level based on an external environmental condition such as, for example, the outside air temperature when the temperature of an upper part of the vehicle compartment is lower than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling air flow in an air-conditioner of a motor vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

(a) total signal calculation means for calculating a thermal load of the air-conditioner based on at least a desired temperature of the air inside a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and on a temperature representative of that of the air inside the passenger compartment, and for issuing a total signal indicative of the calculated thermal load;

(b) target air flow calculation means operatively connected to said total signal calculation means for receiving said total signal and for calculating, based on said total signal, a target air flow to be supplied to the passenger compartment;

(c) external environment detection means for detecting an environmental condition outside the passenger compartment which exerts an influence upon an air-conditioning state of the passenger compartment;

(d) maximum air flow limit calculation means operatively connected to said external environment detection means for calculating a limit value for the maximum air flow to be supplied to the passenger compartment, according to the environmental condition detected by said external environment detection means;

(e) upper-part temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of air at an upper part of the passenger compartment;

(f) control air flow determination means operatively connected to said upper-part temperature detecting means for establishing a control mode in which the air flow in the air-conditioner is regulated to said target air flow until temperature of the air at the upper part of the passenger compartment, as detected by said upper-part temperature detecting means, becomes lower than a predetermined temperature, and operatively connected to said maximum air flow limit calculation means for substituting said target air flow with said limit value calculated by said maximum air flow limit calculation means to establish a control mode in which the air flow in the air-conditioner is regulated to said limit value once the temperature of the air at the upper portion of the passenger compartment, as detected by said upper-part temperature detection means, has become lower than the predetermined temperature; and

(g) control means for controlling the rotational speed of a blower of the air-conditioner according to the control mode established by said air flow determination means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said external environment detection means comprises an outside air temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of air outside the passenger compartment.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said maximum air flow limit calculation means is operative to increase said limit value as the temperature detected by said outside air temperature sensor increases.