Heating apparatus for vehicle

• US 5,938,115 A
• Filed: 09/24/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Yasushi, Aoki, Shinji, Morikawa, Toshio, Ito, Hajime, Uchida, Goro, Ban, Norifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US08/937,050
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 237/12.3 B, 237/12.3 R, 126/247, 122/26, 123/142.5 R
• US Class Current: 237/12.30R
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00764 the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/038 from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from a viscous fluid heater
• CPC Class Codes: F24V 40/00 Production or use of heat resulting from internal friction of moving fluids or from friction between fluids and moving bodies

Abstract

When a driver performs a steering operation with a small steering angle when a vehicle is stopped, a viscous clutch of a viscous heater is turned on after setting an idling rotational speed of an engine to a high value to prevent an engine stall. Further, when a driver performs the steering operation with a large steering angle when the vehicle is stopped, the viscous clutch is not turned on so that the viscous heater is not operated, thereby greatly reducing a driving load applied to the engine and a V-belt thereof.

Claims

1. A heating apparatus for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle having a driving source unit, comprising:

a heating heat exchanger for heating said passenger compartment by performing heat-exchange between a thermal medium and air to be blown into said passenger compartment;

a heat-generating unit using a shearing force, said heat-generating unit including a rotor which rotates when a driving force of said driving source unit is applied thereto and a heat-generating chamber for sealing therein viscous fluid which generates heat for heating said thermal medium to be supplied to said heating heat exchanger when a shearing force generated by a rotational force of said rotor is applied to said viscous fluid;

a rotating unit which rotates when the driving force of said driving source unit is transmitted thereto;

a driving force transmission unit having a clutch unit for intermitting a transmission of the driving force, from said driving source unit to said rotor, the driving force, from said driving source unit to said rotor, the driving force of said driving source unit being transmitted to said rotor and said rotating unit through said clutch unit; and

a heating control unit which controls said clutch unit to a stop a rotation of said rotor when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than a predetermined value;

wherein said rotating unit is a hydraulic pump for generating an oil pressure for driving a power steering device,

said heating control unit includes load detection means for detecting a load applied to said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop said rotor when a load applied to said hydraulic pump, detected by said load detection means, is more than a predetermined value.

2. A heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a pressure of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when said physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a predetermined value.

3. A heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a flow amount of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when said physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a predetermined value.

4. A heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

said heating control unit includes steering angle detection means for detecting a steering angle of a driver'"'"'s steering operation, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when the steering angle detected by said steering angle detection means is more than a predetermined value.

5. A heating apparatus for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle having a driving source unit, comprising:

a heating heat exchanger for heating said passenger compartment by performing heat-exchanger between a thermal medium and air to be blown into said passenger compartment;

a heat-generating unit using a shearing force, said heat-generating unit including a rotor which rotates when a driving force of said driving source unit is applied thereto and a heat-generating chamber for sealing therein viscous fluid which generates heat for heating said thermal medium to be supplied to said heating heat exchanger when a shearing force generated by a rotational force of said rotor is applied to said viscous fluid;

a rotating unit which rotates when the driving force of said driving source unit is transmitted thereto;

a driving force transmission unit having a clutch unit for intermitting a transmission of the driving force, from said driving source unit to said rotor, the driving force of said driving source unit being transmitted to said rotor through said clutch unit; and

a heating control unit which controls said clutch unit to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than a first set value and lower than a second set value.

6. A heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than said second set value.

7. A heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

said rotating unit is a hydraulic pump for generating an oil pressure for driving a power steering device,

said heating control unit includes load detection means for detecting a load applied to said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when a load applied to said hydraulic pump, detected by said load detection means, is more than a first set value and lower than a second set value.

8. A heating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when a load applied to said hydraulic pump is more than said second set value.

9. A heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a pressure of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when the physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a first set value and lower than a second set value.

10. A heating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when the physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than said second set value.

11. A heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a flow amount of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when said physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a first set value and lower than a second set value.

12. A heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

said heating control unit includes steering angle detection means for detecting a steering angle of a driver'"'"'s steering operation, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when the steering angle detected by said steering angle detection means is more than a first value and lower than a second value.

13. A heating apparatus for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle having a driving source unit, comprising:

a heating heat exchanger for heating said passenger compartment by performing heat-exchange between a thermal medium and air to be blown into said passenger compartment;

a heat-generating unit using a shearing force, said heat-generating unit including a rotor which rotates when a driving force of said driving source unit is applied thereto and a heat-generating chamber for sealing therein viscous fluid which generates heat for heating said thermal medium to be supplied to said heating heat exchanger when a shearing force generated by a rotational force of said rotor is applied to said viscous fluid;

a rotating unit which rotates when the driving force of said driving source unit is transmitted thereto;

a driving force transmission unit for transmitting the driving force of said driving source unit to said rotor and said rotating unit;

shearing state switching means for switching a shearing state of the viscous fluid by the rotational force of said rotor; and

a heating control unit which controls said shearing state switching means to stop a shearing force applied to the viscous fluid by the rotational force of said rotor when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than a predetermined value;

wherein said rotating unit is a hydraulic pump for generating an oil pressure for driving a power steering device,

said heating control unit includes load detection means for detecting a load applied to said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop said rotor when a load applied to said hydraulic pump, detected by said load detection means, is more than a predetermined value.

16. A heating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a pressure of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when said physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a predetermined value.

17. A heating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, said heating control unit includes physical amount detection means for detecting a physical amount relative to a flow amount of oil discharged from said hydraulic pump, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when said physical amount detected by said physical amount detection means is more than a predetermined value.

18. A heating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, said heating control unit includes steering angle detection means for detecting a steering angle of a driver§

s steering operation, and

said heating control unit controls said clutch unit to stop a rotation of said rotor when the steering angle detected by said steering angle detection means is more than a predetermined value.

14. A heating apparatus for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle having a driving source unit, comprising:

a heating heat exchanger for heating said passenger compartment by performing heat-exchange between a thermal medium and air to be blown into said passenger compartment;

a heat-generating unit using a shearing force, said heat-generating unit including a rotor which rotates when a driving force of said driving source unit is applied thereto and a heat-generating chamber for sealing therein viscous fluid which generates heat for heating said thermal medium to be supplied to said heating heat exchanger when a shearing force generated by a rotational force of said rotor is applied to said viscous fluid;

a rotating unit which rotates when the driving force of said driving source unit is transmitted thereto;

a driving force transmission unit for transmitting the driving force of said driving source unit to said rotor and said rotating unit;

shearing state switching means for switching a shearing state of the viscous fluid by the rotational force of said rotor; and

a heating control unit which controls said shearing state switching means to rotate said rotor after increasing an idling rotational speed of said driving source unit to a predetermined value when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than a first set value and lower than a second set value.

15. A heating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said heating control unit controls said shearing state switching means to stop a shearing force applied to the viscous fluid by the rotational force of said rotor when a load applied to said driving source unit is more than said second set value.