Vehicular air conditioning apparatus

• US 8,267,165 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nanaumi, Kyosuke, Kitamura, Tsunetoshi, Kanemaru, Junichi, Kakizaki, Shinji, Yelles, Daniel, Imasawa, Mitsufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOULE, IAN B
• Application Number:
  US12/500,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20110005710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 165/41, 165/42, 165/43, 165/204, 165/202, 165/244, 416/36, 416/38, 416/55, 454/75, 454/229, 454/239, 454/256
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00064 for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00099 comprising additional ventilating means

Abstract

In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus, a connection duct connects a first blower unit having a first blower fan to a side of a casing forming air passages, whereas a second blower unit having a second blower fan, different from the first blower unit, is connected to a lower portion of the casing. By driving the first blower fan and second blower fan simultaneously, air is supplied to a vehicle compartment from the first blower unit and the second blower unit through inside the casing. A controller controls the driving of the first blower fan and the second blower fan.

Claims

1. A vehicular air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a casing having a plurality of passages through which air flows, cooling means for cooling air to supply cooled air, heating means for heating air to supply heated air, and a damper mechanism for switching flow of the air that flows through the passages,

the cooling means, the heating means and the damper mechanism being disposed in an interior of the casing, wherein

the vehicular air conditioning apparatus further comprises;

a first passage disposed in the casing, the air flowing through the first passage;

a first blower connected to the first passage, a blowing rate of the air blown from the first blower to the first passage being changeable;

a second passage disposed in the casing separately from the first passage, the air flowing through the second passage;

a second blower connected to the second passage and having a maximum capacity smaller than that of the first blower, a blowing rate of the air blown from the second blower to the second passage being changeable; and

a controller for controlling driving of each of the first blower and the second blower, and

wherein the controller controls the driving of each of the first blower and the second blower such that a total power consumed when the first and second blowers are driven simultaneously is less than a total power consumed when firstly the first blower is driven and then the second blower is driven, with respect to a desired air blowing amount, wherein the controller is configured to determine load voltages for the first blower and the second blower, respectively, based on power consumption characteristic curves of a fist blower fan and a second blower fan, the load voltages providing the desired air blowing amount and providing the lower total power consumed when the first and second blowers are driven simultaneously than the total power consumed when firstly the first blower is driven and then the second blower is driven.

2. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the driving of each of the first blower and the second blower such that the total power consumed when the first and second blowers are driven simultaneously is minimized with respect to the desired air blowing amount.

3. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an opening disposed in the casing for connecting the first passage and the second passage, wherein when the first passage and the second passage are placed in communication the air flows between the first passage and the second passage through the opening.

4. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an opening disposed in the casing for connecting the first passage and the second passage, wherein when the first passage and the second passage are placed in communication the air flows between the first passage and the second passage through the opening.

5. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the first passage and the second passage are placed in communication the air flows from the first passage to the second passage through the opening.

6. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the first passage and the second passage are placed in communication the air flows from the first passage to the second passage through the opening.

7. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first passage is a passage for the air to be blown toward a front seat or front seats in a vehicle compartment, and the second passage is a passage for the air to be blown toward a rear seat or rear seats in the vehicle compartment.

8. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the controller determines load voltages for the first blower and the second blower, respectively, that provide the desired air blowing amount and provided the lower total power consumed when the first and second blowers are driven simultaneously than the total power consumed when firstly blower is driven and then the second blower is driven.

9. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine load voltages for the first blower and the second blower, respectively, based on drive voltage data maps of a first blower motor and a second blower motor, the load voltages providing the desired air blowing amount and providing the lower total power consumed when the first and second blowers are driven simultaneously than the total power consumed when firstly the first blower is driven and then the second blower is driven.

10. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller further comprises a memory unit that stores the drive voltage data maps.

11. The vehicular air conditioning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the drive voltage data maps comprises drive voltages corresponding to rotation numbers of the first and second blower motors for various blow-out modes.