Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle air conditioner

• US 5,603,226 A
• Filed: 12/28/1994
• Issued: 02/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Naldec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Naldec Corporation
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Toshikazu, Tsuchida, Takashi, Enno, Yasuhiro, Doi, Shigetoshi, Kajimoto, Shinshi, Ukita, Eiji, Nagayama, Yoshiaki, Asou, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US08/365,400
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 62/180, 62/182, 62/186, 62/176.6, 236/44 C, 236/49.3, 236/91 R, 236/91 E, 236/91 C, 236/DIG. 9, 165/11.1, 165/12, 165/16, 165/39
• US Class Current: 62/182
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00735 Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00814 Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00864 Ventilators and damper doors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00892 Devices specially adapted for avoiding uncomfortable feeling, e.g. sudden temperature changes B60H1/00885 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which can obtain a combination of an outlet air flow rate V_a and an outlet air temperature T_o, which is desirable for comfort of a passenger, under a condition of air-conditioning control based on a heat balance equation. In order to achieve this object, this invention provides a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, including the first step of obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V_a and the outlet air temperatures T_o necessary for maintaining the passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature, the second step of calculating comfort indices each representing the comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V_a and the outlet air temperatures T_o obtained in the first step, and the third step of searching a combination of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature, which can provide a comfort index closest to an optimal value of the comfort indices calculated in the second step.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, wherein a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation are compared with each other, and when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.

2. A vehicle air conditioner comprising:

comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as parameters, factors which influence comfort of a passenger in heating control during a warm-up operation;

detection means for detecting information necessary for calculating the comfort index; and

outlet mode control means for changing an outlet mode in the heating control during the warm-up operation in accordance with a value of the comfort index calculated by said comfort index calculation means.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the parameters of the comfort index include a passenger room temperature.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the parameters of the comfort index include an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of air-conditioning air.

5. A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising:

room temperature detection means for detecting a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and

air flow rate control means for receiving a signal from said room temperature detection means, and for, when the passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control is low, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high.

6. A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising:

calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as a parameter, a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and

air flow rate control means for, when the passenger room temperature is low and the comfort index has a small value, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high and the comfort index has a large value, in accordance with the comfort index.

7. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, comprising:

comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at a beginning of an operation of the air conditioner;

detection means for detecting information which is necessary for calculating the comfort index;

air conditioning ability determining means for determining an air conditioning ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and

control means for controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined by the air conditioning ability determining means.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner is the beginning of a warming operation.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner is the beginning of a cooling operation.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle air conditioner executes a warming operation by using heat of the cooling water of an engine, and the air conditioning ability determining means determines a temperature of the cooling water at the beginning of the warming operation of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the air conditioning ability determining means determines a temperature of an evaporator at the beginning of the cooling operation of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index.

12. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising:

calculation means for calculating a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation;

comparing means for comparing the discomfort level with the comfort level; and

control means for controlling the air conditioner so that when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.

13. A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising:

a detecting step of detecting information which is necessary for calculating a comfort index;

a comfort index calculation step of calculating the comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of an operation of the air conditioner;

an air conditioning ability determining step of determining an air conditioner ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and

a control step of controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined at the air conditioning ability determining step.