Air conditioning apparatus for vehicle

• US 7,080,523 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Maeda, Kazunari, Sakamaki, Makoto, Sassa, Yukiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M.
• Application Number:
  US10/925,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 622/44, 622/39, 621/26, 382/103, 382/104, 382/106
• US Class Current: 62/244
• 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 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00849 for selectively commanding the induction of outside or inside air B60H1/00842 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0085 Smell or pollution preventing arrangements B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence

Abstract

In an air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, a distance between the vehicle and a forward vehicle is detected. When the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, a pollutant threshold of a concentration of exhaust gas pollutants is changed from a first level to a second level that is lower than the first level. Then, it is determined whether the concentration of exhaust gas pollutants is equal to or less than the second level. When the concentration is greater than the second level, an inside air mode is selected. When it is determined that the distance is greater than the predetermined distance, it is determined whether the concentration is equal to or greater than the first level of the pollutant threshold. When the concentration is greater than the first level, the inside air mode is selected.

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a distance detector that detects a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle ahead;

a pollutant detector that detects a quantity of exhaust gas pollutants in an outside air;

an inside/outside air switching device that switches an inside/outside air mode between an inside air mode and an outside air mode; and

a controller that controls the inside/outside air switching device to switch the inside/outside air mode, wherein

the controller stores a predetermined pollutant level to determine the quantity of exhaust gas pollutants, the predetermined pollutant level is set to different levels in accordance with the detected distance, and

the controller is programmed such that the outside air mode is selected when the detected distance is greater than a predetermined distance and a detected quantity of exhaust gas pollutants is equal to or less than a first predetermined pollutant level, and the inside air mode is selected when the detected distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and the detected quantity of exhaust gas pollutants is greater than a second predetermined pollutant level that is lower than the first predetermined pollutant level.

2. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance preset in the controller is changeable.

3. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller memorizes a distance at a time the inside air mode is manually selected, and

the controller is programmed to set the distance as the predetermined distance.

4. An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a distance detector that detects a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle ahead;

a pollutant detector that detects a quantity of exhaust gas pollutants in an outside air;

an inside/outside air switching device that switches an inside/outside air mode between an inside air mode and an outside air mode; and

a controller that controls the inside/outside air switching device to switch the inside/outside air mode, wherein

the pollutant detector has a first detecting means and a second detecting means for detecting the quantity of exhaust gas pollutants, wherein the first detecting means and the second detecting means have the same output level,

the controller stores a first predetermined pollutant level and a second predetermined pollutant level to determine the quantity of exhaust gas pollutants, the second predetermined pollutant level being lower than the first predetermined pollutant level, and

the controller is programmed such that the outside air mode is selected when a detected distance is greater than a predetermined distance and a quantity of exhaust gas pollutants detected by the first detecting means is equal to or less than the first predetermined pollutant level, and the inside air mode is selected when the detected distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and a quantity of exhaust gas pollutants detected by the second detecting means is greater than the second predetermined pollutant level.

5. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined distance preset in the controller is changeable.

6. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the controller memorizes a distance at a time the inside air mode is manually selected, and

the controller is programmed to set the distance as the predetermined distance.

7. An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a distance detector that detects a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle ahead;

a pollutant detector that detects a quantity of exhaust gas pollutants in an outside air;

an inside/outside air switching device that switches an inside/outside air mode between an inside air mode and an outside air mode; and

a controller that controls the inside/outside air switching device to switch the inside/outside air mode, wherein

the pollutant detector has a first detecting means and a second detecting means to determine the quantity of exhaust gas pollutants, wherein an output level of the second detecting means is higher than that of the first detecting means, and

the controller is programmed such that the outside air mode is selected when the detected distance is greater than a predetermined distance and an output of the first detecting means is equal to or less than a predetermined pollutant level, and the inside air mode is selected when the detected distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and an output of the second detecting means is greater than the predetermined pollutant level.

8. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance preset in the controller is changeable.

9. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the controller memorizes a distance at a time the inside air mode is manually selected, and

the controller is programmed to set the distance as the predetermined distance.