System and method for providing an air conditioner efficiency control for a vehicle

• US 9,333,832 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Burns, Trevor, Adelman, Derek Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US14/247,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20150283871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/005 Regenerative cooling means, e.g. cold accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/323 characterised by comprising auxiliary or multiple systems, e.g. plurality of evaporators, or by involving auxiliary cooling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3266 related to the operation of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/327 related to a compressing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3273 related to the operation of the vehicle, e.g. the compressor driving torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/05 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/24 Storage receiver heat
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 16/00 Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery

Abstract

A system and method for providing an air conditioning compressor efficiency in a vehicle. The method and system includes determining one or more vehicle driving scores based on one or more vehicle driving factors. The system and method additionally includes predicting when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle stop state based on the one or more vehicle driving scores and providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states. The providing of air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes disabling an air conditioner compressor and providing cooling to a vehicle cabin from a cold storage evaporator when the vehicle is put into the vehicle idle stop state and continuing to provide cooling from the cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to an engine enabled state.

Claims

1. A method for providing an air conditioning compressor efficiency control in a vehicle comprising:

determining one or more vehicle driving scores based on one or more vehicle driving factors;

predicting when the vehicle will be put into a vehicle idle stop state based on the one or more vehicle driving scores including a vehicle cruise control actuation score that is a summation of the cruise control signal actuation over the course of a predetermined amount of time;

determining an air conditioning operating state based on the prediction of when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle state;

providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states during at least one of;

an engine enabled state and a vehicle idle stop state; and

wherein providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes disabling an air conditioner compressor and providing cooling to a vehicle cabin from a cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state and continuing to provide cooling to the vehicle cabin from the cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the engine enabled state until a sufficient amount of cold storage material remains frozen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more vehicle driving scores includes additionally evaluating at least one of:

a vehicle speed, an engine throttle position, and a vehicle brake signal actuation to predict when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle stop state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more vehicle driving scores includes evaluating each of the vehicle speed, the engine throttle position, the vehicle brake signal actuation, and the vehicle cruise control actuation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle state includes determining a total driving score and categorizing a driving style profile that is based on at least one of:

the vehicle cruise control actuation score, a vehicle speed score that is a rolling average of the vehicle speed over the course of the predetermined time, a vehicle brake signal actuation score that is a rolling summation of the brake signal actuation over the course of the predetermined amount of time, and a vehicle throttle position score that is a rolling average of the position of the vehicle throttle over the course of the predetermined time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the air conditioning operating state includes selecting at least one of:

a traditional operating state, or an AC control efficiency operating state based on one or more of;

the total driving score and the driving style profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes freezing a determined volume of cold storage material in a cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state is the engine enabled state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes enabling an air conditioner compressor and providing cooling to a vehicle cabin from an AC evaporator when the vehicle operating state is the engine enabled state.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes disabling the air conditioner compressor when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state and re-enabling the air conditioner compressor when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle state to the engine enabled state.

9. A system for providing an air conditioning compressor efficiency control for an air conditioner in a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of modules including a cruise control module for determining one or more driving scores based on one or more vehicle driving factors;

a vehicle idle prediction component for predicting when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle stop state based on one or more vehicle driving scores including a vehicle cruise control actuation score determined by the cruise control module that is a rolling summation of the cruise control actuation score over a predetermined amount of time;

an air conditioner control unit that determines an air conditioning operation state based on the prediction of when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle state and enables air conditioning to be provided during at least one of an engine enabled state and a vehicle idle stop state; and

wherein the air conditioner control unit disables an air conditioner compressor and provides cooling to a vehicle cabin from a cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state and continues to provide cooling to the vehicle cabin from the cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the engine enabled state until a sufficient amount of cold storage material remains frozen.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of modules for monitoring one or more vehicle driving factors includes additionally:

a vehicle speed module, a throttle position module, and a brake signal module.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the air conditioner control unit is configured to determine an air conditioning operating state based on at least one of:

a total driving score and a driving style profile provided by the vehicle idle prediction component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the air conditioning operating state includes the air conditioner control unit selecting the air conditioner to be in at least one of:

a traditional operating state and an energy efficient operating state based on one or more of;

the total driving score and the driving style profile.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle idle prediction component is configured to determine a total driving score based on at least one of:

the vehicle cruise control actuation score, a vehicle speed score that is a rolling average of the vehicle speed over the course of the predetermined time, an engine throttle position score that is a rolling average of the position of the engine throttle over the course of the predetermined time, and a vehicle brake signal actuation score that is a rolling summation of the brake signal actuation over the predetermined amount of time.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a compressor clutch enabling the compressor and an AC evaporator providing cooled air to freeze cold storage material in the cold storage evaporator at a required temperature when the vehicle operating state is in the vehicle functioning state.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the cold storage evaporator provides cooling when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state and an AC evaporator provides cooling when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the engine enabled state.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the compressor clutch disables the compressor when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state, and the compressor clutch enables the compressor when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the vehicle functioning state.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the cold storage evaporator provides cooling to the vehicle cabin when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state, and continues to provide cooling to the vehicle cabin when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the vehicle functioning state, and the AC evaporator provides cooling to the vehicle cabin when the cold storage material in the cold storage evaporator no longer remains frozen and the vehicle is in the vehicle functioning state.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the compressor clutch enables the air conditioner compressor when the vehicle operating state is the engine enabled state and the cold storage material in the cold storage evaporator no longer remains frozen.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the processor of the computer to implement a method comprising:

determining one or more vehicle driving scores based on one or more vehicle driving factors;

predicting when the vehicle will be put into a vehicle idle stop state based on the one or more vehicle driving scores including a vehicle cruise control actuation score that is a summation of the cruise control signal actuation over the course of a predetermined amount of time;

determining an air conditioning operating state based on the prediction of when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle state;

providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states during at least one of;

an engine enabled state and a vehicle idle stop state based on the prediction of when the vehicle will be put into the vehicle idle stop state; and

wherein providing air conditioning during a plurality of vehicle operating states includes disabling an air conditioner compressor and providing cooling to a vehicle cabin from a cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state is the vehicle idle stop state and continuing to provide cooling to the vehicle cabin from the cold storage evaporator when the vehicle operating state changes from the vehicle idle stop state to the engine enabled state until a sufficient amount of cold storage material remains frozen.