Air conditioners for vehicles

• US 6,123,267 A
• Filed: 07/31/1998
• Issued: 09/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Land Rover Group Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Teruhisa, Baker, Roger Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US09/117,627
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 237/12.3 R, 237/12.3 B, 237/2 A, 165/204, 165/42, 165/43, 454/75
• US Class Current: 237/12.30R
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0075 the input being solar radiation

Abstract

The heating feeling of an occupant is improved by setting the optimum time for a bi-level mode. A controller (7) switches an outlet mode to a FOOT/FACE mode (bi-level mode) if the water temperature (temperature of engine cooling water) rises to 45° C. or higher in the course of warm-up control, and the necessary blowing temperature TAO is not lower than 100° C. In the FOOT/FACE mode, the setting time (timer time) is variable depending on the outside air temperature and the presence/absence of solar radiation. Specifically, setting is done so that the lower the outside air temperature, the longer the timer time, and the higher the outside air temperature, the shorter the timer time. When solar radiation is present, the timer time is corrected in accordance with the time at which it is judged that solar radiation is present.

Claims

1. A vehicular air conditioner for blowing air into a cabin of a vehicle, the vehicular air conditioner comprising:

a blower for supplying blow air to the vehicular air conditioner;

a foot outlet and a face outlet being coupled to the blower, and each of the foot outlet and the face outlet selectively blows out air into the cabin of the vehicle;

the vehicular air conditioner including a heat source for performing a heating operation on said blow out air prior to exiting from one of the foot outlet and the face outlet;

a controller for controlling the discharge of blow out air from said foot outlet and the face outlet; and

said controller carrying out a warm-up control in which said controller prevents air from being blown out of said foot outlet from a time when said heating operation is started until a time when a temperature of said heat source reaches a certain temperature, and said controller switching, after said certain temperature is reached by said heat source, to operation of said foot outlet and the face outlet in a bi-level mode in which said blow out air is blown out from both of said foot outlet and said face outlet;

wherein said controller then maintains operation in said bi-level mode so that the blow out air is blown out from both of said foot outlet and said face outlet for a time period, the length of which time period is variable.

2. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said controller calculates a blowing temperature for said blow out air and, even if the temperature of said heat source reaches said certain temperature, cancels said foot outlet from blowing out air if an actual blowing temperature is below said calculated blowing temperature.

3. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said air conditioner further comprises an outside temperature sensor for supplying a signal to the controller indicative of a temperature outside the cabin and the length of said time period is varied in dependence on said temperature outside the cabin.

4. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said air conditioner further comprises a solar radiation sensor for supplying a signal to said controller indicative of a quantity of solar radiation and the length of said time period is varied in dependence on said quantity of solar radiation.

5. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein said air conditioner further comprises a control panel for setting a setting temperature for said cabin, and said controller calculates a necessary blowing temperature for said blow out air and cancels operation in said bi-level mode if said necessary blowing temperature is lower than said setting temperature.

6. A vehicular air conditioner for blowing air into a cabin of a vehicle, the vehicular air conditioner comprising:

a blower for supplying blow air to the vehicular air conditioner, and the blower having an inlet for receiving air from one of an interior of the cabin and an exterior of the cabin;

a foot outlet and a face outlet both being coupled to the blower for receiving blow air from the blower, and each of the foot outlet and the face outlet selectively blows out air into a designated portion of the cabin;

the vehicular air conditioner including a heat source for performing a heating operation on said blow out air prior to the blow out air exiting from one of the foot outlet and the face outlet;

a controller controlling discharge of the blow out air exiting from said foot outlet and the face outlet; and

said controller carrying out a warm-up control in which said controller prevents air from being blown out of said foot outlet from a time when said heating operation is started until a time when a temperature of said heat source reaches a certain temperature, and said controller switching, after said certain temperature is reached by said heat source, to operation of said foot outlet and the face outlet in a bi-level mode in which said blow out air is blown out from both of said foot outlet and said face outlet; and

said controller then maintaining operation of the vehicular air conditioner in said bi-level mode so that the blow out air is blown out from both of said foot outlet and said face outlet for a time period, the length of which time period is variable.

7. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein said controller calculates a blowing temperature for said blow out air and, even if the temperature of said heat source reaches said certain temperature, cancels said foot outlet from blowing out air if an actual blowing temperature is below said calculated blowing temperature.

8. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein said air conditioner further comprises an outside temperature sensor for supplying a signal to the controller indicative of a temperature outside the cabin and the length of said time period is varied in dependence on said temperature outside the cabin.

9. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein said air conditioner further comprises a solar radiation sensor for supplying a signal to said controller indicative of a quantity of solar radiation and the length of said time period is varied in dependence on said quantity of solar radiation.

10. The vehicular air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein said air conditioner further comprises a control panel for setting a setting temperature for said cabin, and said controller calculates a necessary blowing temperature for said blow out air and cancels operation in said bi-level mode if said necessary blowing temperature is lower than said setting temperature.