Vehicle air conditioner

• US 7,246,656 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ichishi, Yoshinori, Ito, Tatsuya, Kumada, Tatsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford; John K.
• Application Number:
  US10/694,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20040089005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49.3, 236/51, 236/91.C, 374/121, 374/141, 374/132, 165/11.1, 165/202, 165/42, 165/43, 250/338.1
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00978 Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioner has an IR sensor that detects a temperature of air inside a vehicle compartment. The IR sensor is disposed on an instrument panel so that the sensor is disposed above switches and a face blowout port on the instrument panel. Accordingly, a detecting range of the IR sensor is prevented from interfering by hands of a driver or an occupant even when the switches are operated by the driver. Thus, the air conditioner is capable of stable air conditioning.

Claims

1. A vehicle air conditioner for a vehicle, the vehicle having an instrument panel on which at least one of a temperature-setting switch, an air volume-setting switch, an audio switch, and a navigation switch is disposed, the vehicle air conditioner comprising:

a non-contact temperature sensor that detects a temperature of inside air of the vehicle;

a control unit that controls a temperature of conditioned air flowing into a vehicle compartment based on the temperature detected by the non-contact temperature sensor, and

a memory that stores a plurality of detection values detected by the non-contact temperature sensor;

wherein

the non-contact temperature sensor is disposed on the instrument panel so that the non-contact temperature sensor is disposed above at least one of the temperature-setting switch, the air volume-setting switch, the audio switch, and the navigation switch; and

upon detecting an operation of one of the temperature-setting switch, the air volume-setting switch, the audio switch, and the navigation switch, the control unit controls the temperature of the conditioned air based on the detection values that is an average of the plurality of detection values stored in the memory.

2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact temperature sensor is disposed above the temperature-setting switch and the air volume-setting switch.

3. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact temperature sensor is positioned off a centerline of the vehicle toward a passenger seat.

4. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor, and a sign of the infrared temperature sensor is placed on one side of the infrared temperature sensor to indicate its existence.

5. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the instrument panel has a front recess in a shape of one of a cone and a pyramid, and has a temperature-sensing window positioned at the bottom of the front recess.

6. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the front recess is opened toward the vehicle compartment so that the front recess has a bottom surface sloping down toward the vehicle compartment.

7. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the front recess is directly formed in a facing plate that is a part of the instrument panel.

8. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the non-contact temperature sensor includes:

a temperature sensing element that has a thermocouple;

a sensor container that houses the temperature sensing element;

wherein the temperature-sensing window has a lens and a filter that is disposed at front side of the sensor container, and

the thermocouple is disposed in an inner part of the sensor container.

9. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the instrument panel has a facing plate that has a hole in which the non-contact temperature sensor is disposed.