Vehicle air-conditioning system

• US 9,327,580 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Sunaga, Hideki, Nomura, Masato, Yamasaki, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, ALEXIS K
• Application Number:
  US13/144,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20110271697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 622/39, 621/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0075 the input being solar radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0252 Constructional arrangements for compensating for fluctuations caused by, e.g. temperature, or using cooling or temperature stabilization of parts of the device; Controlling the atmosphere inside a photometer; Purge systems, cleaning devices protection against electromagnetic interferences G01J2001/0276
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/18 using comparison with a reference electric value
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4266 for measuring solar light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/064 Ambient temperature sensor; Housing temperature sensor; Constructional details thereof

Abstract

A vehicle air-conditioning system includes a solar radiation amount detection element configured to detect the amount of solar radiation incident on an instrument panel, a temperature correction element configured to correct a detection signal value output from the solar radiation amount detection element according to a temperature on the instrument panel, a solar radiation sensor configured to output a detection signal in which a temperature is corrected by the temperature correction element, and an air conditioner configured to control air conditioning inside a vehicle based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning system provided to a vehicle, the vehicle including a windshield, an instrument panel, and an operation panel, the air-conditioning system comprising:

an air conditioner;

a solar radiation sensor positioned on the instrument panel of the vehicle, the solar radiation sensor including a solar radiation amount detection element and a thermistor; and

a vehicle interior temperature sensor disposed in the operation panel to detect a vehicle interior temperature,

wherein the solar radiation amount detection element is configured to detect an amount of solar radiation entering the vehicle, and output a detection signal based on the detected amount of solar radiation,

wherein the thermistor is configured to correct the detection signal output from the solar radiation amount detection element according to a temperature of a space between the instrument panel and the windshield,

wherein the solar radiation sensor is configured to output a corrected detection signal, the corrected detection signal being the detection signal corrected by the thermistor, and

wherein the air conditioner is configured to control air conditioning inside the vehicle based on the vehicle interior temperature detected by the vehicle interior temperature sensor and the corrected detection signal output by the solar radiation sensor.

2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the solar radiation amount detection element includes a photodiode configured to output electric current proportional to the amount of solar radiation incident on the instrument panel,

the thermistor has a temperature feature in which a resistance value of the thermistor is lowered with an increase in the temperature of the space between the instrument panel and the windshield, and

the thermistor corrects an electric current value of the detection signal output from the photodiode by using the temperature feature.

3. The air-conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the photodiode and the thermistor are connected in series.

4. The vehicle air-conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the photodiode and the thermistor are connected in parallel.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the solar radiation sensor includes a sensor portion having an automatic light function.

6. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the solar radiation sensor is provided on a top surface of the instrument panel of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle, comprising:

an instrument panel;

a windshield;

an air-conditioning system; and

an operation panel,

wherein the air-conditioning system comprises;

an air conditioner;

a vehicle interior temperature sensor disposed in the operation panel to detect a vehicle interior temperature; and

a solar radiation sensor positioned on the instrument panel of the vehicle, the solar radiation sensor including a solar radiation amount detection element and a thermistor,

wherein the solar radiation amount detection element is configured to detect an amount of solar radiation entering the vehicle, and output a detection signal based on the detected amount of solar radiation,

wherein the thermistor is configured to correct the detection signal output from the solar radiation amount detection element according to a temperature of a space between the instrument panel and the windshield,

wherein the solar radiation sensor is configured to output a corrected detection signal, the corrected detection signal being the detection signal corrected by the thermistor, and

wherein the air conditioner is configured to control air conditioning inside the vehicle based on the vehicle interior temperature detected by the vehicle interior temperature sensor and the corrected detection signal output by the solar radiation sensor.