Air-conditioner for automobiles

• US 5,293,928 A
• Filed: 06/04/1993
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zexel Valeo Climate Control Corporation (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Zexel Corporation
• Inventors: Iida, Katsumi, Yamaguchi, Hideo, Sakurai, Yoshihiko, Yano, Teruaki, Takano, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US08/071,001
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 165/42, 165/43, 165/16, 165/22, 236/91 E, 236/91 F, 237/2 A, 237/12.3 R, 237/12.3 B, 237/123 A, 62/228.5, 62/203, 62/244, 62/179, 62/180
• US Class Current: 165/204
• 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

Abstract

An automobile air-conditioner wherein a controlled variable used to determine the control mode of a component of the air-conditioner is corrected or restricted according to the amount of shifting of the head part setting temperature for driving the component of the air-conditioner based on the corrected or restricted controlled variable. With this arrangement, an occupant of the automobile senses an enhanced change of the air-conditioning operation when the head part setting temperature is changed.

Claims

1. An air-conditioner for an automobile, comprising:

(a) an air-conditioning unit including an air-flow passage having upper and lower air outlets opening to a passenger compartment of the automobile, said upper air outlet being distinct from defrost outlets of the automobile, said air-conditioner unit having means for selectively heating and cooling air as the air flows downwardly through said air-flow passage so that the temperature of the air is regulated before the air is discharged from one of said upper and lower air outlets;

(b) a bypass passage for leading air to said upper outlet directly from a first portion of said air-flow passage which is located upstream of a second portion where the air is heated, said bypass passage having a bypass door for opening and closing said bypass passage;

(c) head part temperature setting means for setting a temperature of the head part of an occupant so as to control said opening of said bypass door;

(d) total signal calculation means for calculating a total signal corresponding to a thermal load in the passenger compartment based on at least temperature signals representing a vehicle passenger compartment temperature and a setting temperature;

(e) air-conditioning control calculation means for calculating various control modes of components of said air-conditioning unit by using said total signal as at least one factor;

(f) correction/restriction control calculation means responsive to a setting of said head part temperature setting means for calculating one of a correction variable and a restriction variable for correcting or restricting at least part of the control modes of said components of said air-conditioning unit which are calculated by said air-conditioning control calculation means, said correction/restriction control calculation means including, at least, enhanced control calculation means for calculating a relatively large correction variable or a relatively large restriction variable, and moderate control calculation means for calculating a relatively small correction variable or a relatively small restriction variable;

(g) control mode selection means for selecting an output from said enhanced control calculation means in place of an output from said moderate control calculation means when said head part temperature setting means operates after the control of said air-conditioner reaches to a substantially stable condition;

(h) correction/restriction controlled variable determination means responsive to the result of selection by said control mode selection means for determining a controlled variable through a correction or a restriction of said at least part of the various control modes of the components of said air-conditioning unit which are calculated by said air-conditioning control calculation means; and

(i) drive means for driving said air-conditioning unit based on the controlled variable obtained by said correction/restriction controlled variable determination means.

2. An air-conditioner according to claim 1, further including outside air temperature sensor for detecting a temperature outside the automobile, wherein said enhanced control calculation means includes a plurality of control patterns each of which is selected according to the temperature detected by said outside air temperature sensor.