Control apparatus for air-conditioning

• US 5,172,856 A
• Filed: 09/12/1990
• Issued: 12/22/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota CHUO Kenkyusho and Nippondenso Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyawaki, Tadayuki, Tanaka, Hisashi, Taniguchi, Yousuke, Kitada, Motohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/580,935
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49, 236/3, 236/51, 236/1 R, 236/91 C, 165/43, 62/186
• US Class Current: 236/49.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/27 with sensing element responsive to radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness

Abstract

A control apparatus for an air-conditioner provided with a flow controlling means which controls the amount of air blown into a room, a temperature control means to which controls the temperature of air blown, a skin temperature detecting means which detects the actual skin temperature of persons in the room, a temperature sensation determining means which determines the actual temperature sensation of persons in the room in accordance with the skin temperature detected above and the rate of change of this detected skin temperature, and an electrical control means which makes the flow control means bring the temperature sensation determined above into line with the target temperature sensation and which makes the temperature control means perform temperature control.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a flow controlling means for controlling the amount of air blown into a room;

a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of air blown into a room;

a skin temperature detecting means for detecting actual skin temperature of persons in a room;

a temperature sensation determining means for determining the actual temperature sensation of persons in the room based on the detected skin temperature and a rate of change of the detected skin temperature; and

control means for controlling the flow controlling means so that the determined temperature sensation approaches a target temperature sensation, and for controlling the temperature control means.

2. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a skin temperature detecting means for detecting skin temperature of persons in a room;

a room temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the room;

a first calculating means for calculating an optimum rate of change of skin temperature;

a second calculating means for calculating a target room temperature on the basis of the detected skin temperature an optimum rate of change of skin temperature;

an air-conditioning means for controlling the room temperature in response to signals from the second calculating means;

a comparing means for comparing the detected room temperature and the target room temperature for a predetermined time interval and producing a comparison result;

a correcting means for correcting control performed by the air-conditioning means based on the comparison result;

and a target temperature changing means for causing the first and second calculating means to repeat their calculations.

3. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a blower for blowing temperature controlled air into a room;

detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room; and

control means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room based on the detected skin temperature and a target skin temperature by which a target thermal sensation can be achieved within a predetermined time until the detected skin temperature equals the target skin temperature, and the control means activating the blower to blow the determined amount of air into the room.

4. A control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means determines the amount of air to be blown into a room based on a temperature difference between the detected skin temperature and a target skin temperature by which a target thermal sensation can be achieved within a predetermined time until the detected skin temperature equals a target skin temperature.

7. A control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means determines the amount of air to be blown into a room based solely on the detected skin temperature until the detected skin temperature substantially equals a target skin temperature.

5. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a blower for blowing temperature controlled air into a room;

detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room; and

a control means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room to achieve a target thermal sensation based on the detected skin temperature, and for activating the blower to blow the determined amount of air into the room,

wherein the control means determines the amount of air to be blown into the room based on a rate of change of the detected skin temperature.

6. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a blower for blowing temperature controlled air into a room;

detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room; and

a control means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room to achieve a target thermal sensation based on the detected skin temperature, and for activating the blower to blow the determined amount of air into the room,

wherein the control means determines the amount of air to be blown into the room based on a difference between the detected skin temperature and an estimated future skin temperature.

8. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a blower for blowing temperature controlled air into a room;

detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room; and

a control means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room to achieve a target thermal sensation based on the detected skin temperature, and for activating the blower to blow the determined amount of air into the room,

wherein the control means comprises;

a first processing means for calculating a target thermal sensation;

a second processing means for calculating a target skin temperature based on the target thermal sensation;

and a third processing means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room based on a difference between the target skin temperature and the detected skin temperature.

9. A control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means further comprises:

fourth processing means for calculating a target room temperature;

fifth processing means for calculating variations in target skin temperature based on the target room temperature;

sixth processing means for calculating a target temperature of air to be blown into the room based on the target room temperature; and

temperature control means for controlling the temperature of air to be blown into the room based on the target temperature.

10. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner comprising:

a blower for blowing temperature controlled air into a room;

detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room; and

a control means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room to achieve a target thermal sensation based on the detected skin temperature, and for activating the blower to blow the determined amount of air into the room,

wherein the target thermal sensation is calculated based on at least one of an external temperature, a room temperature, a skin temperature at the beginning of the air-conditioner operation, and quantity of solar radiation representative of a thermal load to which a person has been exposed before the air conditioner has started.

11. A control apparatus for an air-conditioner equipped with a flow controlling means for controlling the air-conditioner so that a thermal sensation of persons in a room to be air conditioned approaches and maintains a target thermal sensation, said control apparatus comprising:

a first detecting means for detecting a thermal condition of persons in a room before the air conditioner has started;

a second detecting means for detecting at least one of an initial room temperature, a quantity of solar radiation, and an external temperature;

means for determining a target thermal sensation in response to one of the detected thermal condition, initial room temperature, quantity of solar radiation, and external temperature; and

an adjusting means for adjusting the target thermal sensation so that when any one of initial room temperature, quantity of solar radiation, and external temperatures is increased and decreased the target thermal sensation is adjusted to a cooler and a warmer state, respectively.

12. A control apparatus according to claim 11, equipped with a skin temperature detecting means for detecting a skin temperature of persons in the room to be air conditioned, said control apparatus further comprising:

first processing means for calculating a target skin temperature to obtain a target thermal sensation; and

second processing means for determining an amount of air to be blown into the room based on a difference between the target skin temperature and the detected skin temperature.

13. A control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control apparatus further comprises:

third processing means for calculating a target room temperature

fourth processing means for calculating variations in target skin temperature, based on the target room temperature;

fifth processing means for calculating a target temperature of air to be blown into the room based on the target room temperature; and

temperature control means for controlling the temperature of air to be blown based on the target temperature.