Operating system for a motor vehicle automatic air-conditioning system

• US 5,931,378 A
• Filed: 01/08/1998
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valeo Klimasysteme GmbH, (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Klimasysteme GmbH, (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Schramm, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US08/913,983
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 236/94, 236/49.3, 62/126, 62/127, 62/161, 62/163, 62/244, 62/125, 165/42, 165/43, 165/202, 165/203, 165/204, 165/11.1, 454/75
• US Class Current: 236/94
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00964 Control systems or circuits characterised by including features for automatic and non-automatic control, e.g. for changing from automatic to manual control
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/139 Clusters of instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/139 Clusters of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2019/143 having at least two concentric turn knobs
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/181 using a programmable display, e.g. LED or LCD

Abstract

The invention concerns a control unit for an automatic air-conditioning system for motor vehicles, with adjusting and/or indicating means at least for "air distribution", "air volume" and "air temperature" with the following features:

(a) As nominal-value adjusting means for "air distribution" and/or "air volume" and/or "air temperature", provision is made in each case for an operator-regulated analog nominal-value adjusting device (2, 3 and 4, respectively);

(b) as nominal-value indicating means for "air distribution" and/or "air volume", an analog nominal-value indicating device (2.1; 2.2 or 2.1; 2.3 or 2.1; 2.4 or 3.1; 3.2) is associated with each nominal-value adjusting device (2 or 3), such indicating device being directly slaved by an independent separate drive;

(c) the nominal-value indicating device in the manual adjustment mode is, in the automatic mode, concomitantly used in each case as an actual-value indicating device for "air distribution" and/or "air volume", such actual-value indicating device being directly slaved by the separate drive in accordance with the given actual value.

Claims

1. A control unit for an automatic air-conditioning system for motor vehicles, with adjusting means and indicators at least for air distribution, air volume and air temperature, the automatic air-conditioning system having an automatic mode and a manual mode, the control unit comprising:

a nominal-value adjusting means for at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature, where provision is made for a manually adjustable, analog nominal-value adjusting means;

an indicator device for at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature, where an analog indicator device is associated with each analog nominal-value adjusting means; and

an independent separate analog drive for, in a manual adjustment mode, directly slaving the indicator device in accordance with a preset nominal value as the nominal-value indicator device and for, in an automatic adjustment mode, directly slaving the indicator device in accordance with the given value of at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature, as actual-value indicator device.

2. A control unit according to claim 1, wherein

at least one control knob acts as a nominal-value adjusting means for air volume or, air distribution or air temperature and

the indicator device acts as a nominal-value or actual value indicator of air volume and air distribution, each of the indicator devices slaving concentrically with the control knobs relative to a stationary indicating dial with the help of the separate drive.

3. A control unit according to claim 1, wherein automatic function of the air-conditioning system is dependent for switch-off purposes upon manual actuation of the nominal-value adjusting means for air distribution or air volume, respectively.

4. A control unit according to claim 3, further comprising manually actuated automatic--switch on means, wherein the automatic function of the air-conditioning system, following prior manual actuation of the nominal-value adjusting means, is, dependent for switch-on, upon the manually actuated automatic--switch on means.

5. A control unit according to claim 2, wherein a rotary ring serves as the adjusting means for air temperature, the rotary ring being concentric with the control knobs.

6. A control unit according to claim 5, wherein the rotary ring comprises an outer ring mounted concentrically with the control knob for air distribution.

7. A control unit according to claim 5, wherein an annular indicating dial for air temperature is radially arranged between the rotary ring for air temperature and the control knob for air distribution, with the indicator device for air temperature, associated with the dial on the side of the rotary ring.

8. A control unit according to claim 4, wherein the automatic switch-on means is arranged concentrically with one of the control knobs.

9. A control unit according to claim 8, wherein the adjusting means and the indicator device arranged concentrically with an identical axle or shaft are at least partly configured with different axial planes of actuation.

10. A control unit according to claim 1, wherein the indicator device comprises indicators and switched-on light-emitting diodes and activated LCD-fields associated with indicating dials, set according to the given nominal and actual values.

11. A control unit according to claim 4, wherein a rotary ring serves as the adjusting means for air temperature, the rotary ring being concentric with the control knobs.

12. A control unit according to claim 6, wherein an annular indicating dial for air temperature is radially arranged between the rotary ring for air temperature and the control knob for air distribution, with the indicator device for air temperature, associated with the dial on the side of the rotary ring.

13. A control unit for an air-conditioning system operable in an automatic mode and a manual mode, the control unit comprising:

at least one nominal-value adjusting device for adjusting at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature of the air-conditioning system;

at least an indicator associated with each adjusting device; and

analog drive for directly driving the indicator to indicate a pre-set nominal value in the manual mode and to indicate an actual value of at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature in the automatic mode.

14. The control unit according to claim 13, wherein manual actuation of the adjusting device for at least one of air distribution and air volume switches off the automatic mode.

15. The control unit according to claim 13, further comprising a switch for initiating the automatic mode of the air-conditioning system.

16. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein at least one adjusting device includes a control knob for air distribution and the switch comprises a pushbutton, the pushbutton being arranged concentrically with the control knob.

17. The control unit according to claim 16, wherein the at least one adjusting device further comprises a rotary ring for air temperature, the rotary ring being concentric with the control knob.

18. The control unit according to claim 17, wherein the indicator for temperature comprises an annular indicating dial for air temperature, the dial being radially arranged between the rotary ring and the control knob.

19. The control unit according to claim 13, wherein the adjusting device and the indicator are arranged concentrically with an identical axle or shaft and are arranged with different axial planes of actuation.

20. A control unit for an air-conditioning system operable in an automatic mode and a manual mode, the control unit comprising:

nominal-value adjusting means for adjusting at least one of air distribution, air volume and air-temperature of the air conditioning system;

means, associated with each said adjusting means, for indicating at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature; and

means for directly driving the indicator to indicate a pre-set nominal value in the manual mode and to indicate an actual value of at least one of air distribution, air volume and air temperature in the automatic mode.