Device for and method of informing replacement time of air filter

• US 7,686,872 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Halla Climate Control Corporation (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kang, Boksun
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins; Robert A
• Application Number:
  US11/651,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 964/17, 964/18, 964/19, 964/21, 964/24, 553/853, 554/67, 55D/IG.34
• US Class Current: 96/417
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/50 for air conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/10 Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/46 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/34 Indicator and controllers

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for and a method of informing replacement time of an air filter, more particularly, to a device for and a method of informing replacement time of an air filter, in which the accumulation amount of the dust accumulated in the air filter is calculated based on the factors such as a contamination degree of the air introduced into the air filter, air introduction time, and air introduction volume, and then when the accumulation amount of the total dust in the air filter exceeds a reference value, a driver is informed of the replacement time of the air filter, so that it is possible to replace the air filter at an optimum instance to thereby maintain the pleasant interior circumstance of a vehicle, to prevent the dissipation of the expense caused by the unnecessary early replacement of the air filter, and to prevent the interior air contamination of the vehicle due to the delay of the replacement of the air filter, and the like.

Claims

1. A device for informing replacement time of an air filter in an air conditioning device for a vehicle, which includes a blower provided with an exterior/interior air switching door at the inside to selectively open and close interior/exterior air inlet openings formed at the inlet side according to interior/exterior air modes, and a blower for blowing the air introduced through the interior/exterior air inlet openings to a air conditioning case, and an air filter disposed at least one place of upstream and downstream of the blower, wherein the device further comprises:

an air contamination informing means for providing a contamination degree of air introduced into the air filter before the air passes through the air filter;

an air introduction time calculation means for calculating a time spent for the air to be introduced into the air filter;

an air introduction volume calculation means for calculating a volume of the air introduced into the air filter;

an indicating means for informing replacement time of the air filter; and

a controller for calculating and integrating dust supply amount and dust accumulation amount of the air filter based on factors such as values provided from the air contamination informing means, the air introduction time calculation means, and the air introduction volume calculation means, and then informing the replacement time of the air filter by way of the indicating means when the total dust accumulation amount of the air filter exceeds a reference value.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, in case of the exterior air mode, and when the blower is operated at an on state.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, driving time of vehicles is applied for the air introduction time, and air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, in case of the exterior air mode, and when the blower is operated at an off state.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, when the blower is operated at an on state and at initial interior air mode.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein a dust amount passing through the air filter with respect to the vehicle interior volume is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, when the blower is operated at on state and at a non-initial interior air mode state.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a dust supply amount (n+1), a dust accumulation amount (n+1), and a total dust accumulation amount (n+1) are calculated according to following Expressions:

dust supply amount (n+1)=contamination degree×

air introduction time+air introduction volume,

dust accumulation amount (n+1)=dust supply amount (n+1)×

filter efficiency,

total dust accumulation amount (n+1)=total dust accumulation amount (n)+dust accumulation amount (n+1).

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the contamination degree is calculated by the following Expression:

contamination degree=(dust supply amount−

dust accumulation amount)/vehicle interior volume.

8. The device according to claim 2, wherein an annual average atmospheric contamination degree at a driving area of the vehicle is applied for the atmospheric contamination degree.

9. The device according to claim 3, wherein an annual average atmospheric contamination degree at a driving area of the vehicle is applied for the atmospheric contamination degree.

10. A method of informing replacement time of an air filter in an air conditioning device for a vehicle, which includes a blower provided with an exterior/interior air switching door at the inside to selectively open and close interior/exterior air inlet openings formed at the inlet side according to interior/exterior air modes, and a blower for blowing the air introduced through the interior/exterior air inlet openings to a air conditioning case, and an air filter disposed at least one place of upstream and downstream of the blower, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

determining whether it is operated at an interior air mode or at an exterior air mode, when the vehicle is started and the air conditioning device is operated;

determining whether the interior air mode is at an initial interior air mode or not after the operation of the blower, when the result of determination is that it is operated at the interior air mode, and determining whether the blower is operated at an on state or at an off state if the result of the determination is that it is operated at the exterior air mode;

calculating a supply amount (n+1) of dust introduced into the air filter and an accumulation amount (n+1) of dust concentrated in the air filter by following Expressions, after dividing results of the determination into an initial interior air mode state and a non-initial interior air mode in the interior air mode, a blower-on state and a blower-off state in the exterior air mode;

dust supply amount (n+1)=contamination degree×

air introduction time×

air introduction volume,

dust accumulation amount (n+1)=dust supply amount (n+1)×

filter efficiency;

calculating a total dust accumulation amount (n+1) written by the following Expression by the application of the calculated dust accumulation amount (n+1);

total dust accumulation amount (n+1)=total dust accumulation amount (n)+dust accumulation amount (n+1); and

informing replacement time of an air filter when the calculated total dust accumulation amount (n+1) exceeds a reference value.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, in case of the exterior air mode, and when the blower is operated at an on state.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, driving time of vehicles is applied for the air introduction time, and air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, in case of the exterior air mode, and when the blower is operated at an off state.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein an atmospheric contamination degree is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, when the blower is operated at an on state and at initial interior air mode.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein a dust amount passing through the air filter with respect to the vehicle interior volume is applied for the contamination degree, an operation time of the blower is applied for the air introduction time, and an air introduction volume at the inlet side of the blower is applied for the air introduction volume, when the blower is operated at an on state and at a state other than the initial interior air mode.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the contamination degree is calculated by the following Expression:

contamination degree=(dust supply amount−

dust accumulation amount)/vehicle interior volume.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein an annual average atmospheric contamination degree at a driving area of the vehicle is applied for the atmospheric contamination degree.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein an annual average atmospheric contamination degree at a driving area of the vehicle is applied for the atmospheric contamination degree.