JP2002137630A - Auto air conditioner control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a highly accurate defroster control by predicting in-cabin humidity. SOLUTION: The presence or absence of rainfall is decided by depending on whether a wiper switch 50 is turned on or not (step S12). The number of occupants is decided by depending on whether a seat belt switch 52 is turned on or not (step S15). In the case of rainfall (step S13) and in the case of two or more occupants (step S16), a threshold value of a map is corrected (step S14 and S17). Whether a defroster mode is required in a control mode of an auto air conditioner or not is judged by depending on where a point fixed by a temperature within the cabin and a temperature on the outside of the cabin is located for the threshold value of the map (step S18). When the defroster mode is decided to be required, the mode is changed to the defroster mode (step S19).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to control of a vehicle automatic air conditioner, and more particularly to control of a defroster in a vehicle automatic air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the temperature outside a vehicle compartment and the temperature inside a vehicle compartment are detected, and the air temperature inside the vehicle compartment is set to a set temperature based on the detected outside temperature and the temperature inside the vehicle compartment. There is a vehicle equipped with an automatic air conditioner that controls the blowout temperature and air volume of the vehicle. In this automatic air conditioner, defroster control for preventing fogging inside a windshield or the like is performed. As a defroster control of an automatic air conditioner, a dehumidifying time is set based on a preset number of occupants, and the interior of the vehicle is dehumidified to prevent fogging of a windshield or the like (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-32143).
And the information detected by the raindrop sensor is used as one element of the traveling conditions of the vehicle, and based on the traveling conditions, defroster control is performed to prevent fogging of a windshield or the like (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-24239). Proposed.

[0003]

Incidentally, whether or not the inside of the window glass of the vehicle becomes cloudy is determined based on the humidity inside the vehicle compartment in addition to the temperature outside the vehicle compartment and the temperature inside the vehicle compartment. However, in the above-described defroster control of the auto air conditioner, it is not determined whether or not the control mode of the auto air conditioner is set to the defroster mode in consideration of the change in the humidity in the vehicle interior. I couldn't do it. An object of the present invention is to perform highly accurate defroster control by estimating the vehicle interior humidity.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic air conditioner control device for a vehicle, comprising: an outside air temperature detecting means for detecting an outside air temperature; an inside air temperature detecting means for detecting an inside air temperature; Humidity prediction means for predicting the humidity of the vehicle, the temperature outside the vehicle cabin detected by the outside air temperature detection means, the temperature in the vehicle cabin detected by the inside air temperature detection means and the humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity prediction means Determining means for determining whether the control mode of the auto air conditioner needs to be changed to the defroster mode; and, if the determining means determines that it is necessary to change to the defroster mode, changing the control mode of the auto air conditioner to the defroster mode. And a mode changing means for changing the mode.

[0005] According to the vehicle air conditioner control device of the first aspect, the humidity predicting means predicts the vehicle interior humidity, and based on the predicted vehicle interior humidity, the outside air temperature and the inside air temperature, Since the determination means determines whether it is necessary to change the control mode of the automatic air conditioner to the defroster mode, highly accurate defroster control can be performed even when the humidity in the vehicle interior changes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle air conditioner control device further comprises at least one of an occupant number judging means for judging the number of occupants and a rainfall judging means for judging the presence or absence of rain. The vehicle interior humidity is predicted based on at least one of the determination results of the number of occupants determination unit and the rainfall determination unit.

According to the vehicle air conditioner control device of the second aspect, the humidity in the vehicle compartment is predicted based on the number of occupants and the presence or absence of rain. That is, when the number of occupants is large, the humidity in the cabin increases, and also when there is rainfall, the humidity in the cabin also increases. Predicting and performing defroster control based on the predicted vehicle interior humidity enables highly accurate defroster control.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic air conditioner control device for a vehicle, comprising: a judging means for judging whether or not the rear defroster is operating; A mode changing means for changing a control mode of the automatic air conditioner to a defroster mode.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control mode of the automatic air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode by determining whether the rear defroster is operating. That is, when the rear defroster is operating, the inside of the window glass is easily fogged, so that the control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode to effectively prevent the fogging inside the window glass. can do.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an automatic air conditioner control apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning passage of an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle. As shown in this figure, at one end of the ventilation duct 10, an inside / outside air intake portion 12 for taking in air outside the vehicle compartment (outside air) or air inside the vehicle compartment (inside air) is provided. The air intake section 12 is provided with an inside / outside air switching damper 14 for switching between inside air circulation and outside air introduction.

Downstream of the inside / outside air switching damper 14, a blower 18 is rotated by driving a blower motor 16.
The cooling unit 20 that cools the air flowing through the ventilation duct 10 is provided downstream of the cooling unit 20.

A heater core 22 is provided on the downstream side of the cooling unit 20. An air mix damper 24 is provided on the back side of the heater core 22 for adjusting the amount of air passing through the heater core 22 and the amount of air bypassing the heater core 22 by the degree of opening. Is provided.

At the other end of the ventilation duct 10, a def damper 30 for blowing air to a front differential 26 facing the inside of the windshield and a side differential 28 facing the inside of the side glass when opened, and an occupant when opened. A vent damper 34 for injecting air into a vent duct 32 facing forward and a lower damper 3 for injecting air into a heater duct 36 which is opened toward the foot of the occupant when opened;
8 are provided.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the vehicle air conditioner control device. As shown in this figure, an electronic control unit (ECU) 42 controls a CPU 42a for controlling the entire vehicle air conditioner, a program for controlling the vehicle automatic air conditioner, and whether to change the control mode of the automatic air conditioner to the defroster mode. ROM 42b, ECU 42 storing a map or the like used to determine whether or not
42c, ECU for storing data and the like input to the ECU
Input / output control unit 42d for controlling the input / output of data to / from 42
CPU 42a, ROM 42
b, the RAM 42c and the input / output control unit 42d
Connected to each other.

The ECU 42 is connected to a room temperature setting unit 44 for setting a desired temperature in the vehicle compartment, and inputs the set room temperature information. The ECU 42 is connected to an inside temperature sensor 46 for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle compartment and an outside temperature sensor 48 for detecting the temperature outside the vehicle compartment. The temperature outside the vehicle cabin detected by the temperature sensor 48 is input.
The ECU 42 further includes a wiper switch 50 for outputting an ON signal for driving the wiper, and a seat belt switch 52 for outputting an ON signal when the seat belt is worn.
A rear differential switch 54 for outputting an ON signal for operating the rear defroster is connected, and an ON signal output from each switch is input.

On the other hand, the ECU 42 is connected to the heater core 22 and the blower motor 16, and outputs a control signal for controlling the heater core 22 and the blower motor 16.
The ECU 42 includes a compressor drive circuit 55 for driving the compressor, a damper drive unit 56 for opening / closing the inside / outside air switching damper 14, and an air mix damper 2.
4, an air mix damper drive unit 58 for opening and closing the differential damper 30, a differential damper drive unit 60 for opening and closing the differential damper 30, a vent damper drive unit 62 for opening and closing the vent damper 34, and a lower damper drive unit 64 for opening and closing the lower damper 38 are connected. The opening and closing of each damper is controlled by a control signal output from the ECU 42.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map stored in the ROM 42b of the ECU 42, that is, a map used to determine whether to change the control mode of the automatic air conditioner to the defroster mode. This map has a threshold A indicating a point defined by the outside temperature (° C.) and the inside temperature (° C.) when the standard humidity in the vehicle compartment is 40%.
If it is located above, it indicates that the inside of the window glass is not fogged, and if it is located below the threshold A, it indicates that the inside of the window glass is fogged.

Next, the defroster control in the vehicular automatic air conditioner control device will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. First, the ECU 42 determines whether or not an ON signal output from the rear differential switch 54 has been input (step S10). When the rear differential switch 54 is ON, the inside of the window glass is clouded. Therefore, the control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode in which the air heated by the heater core 22 is discharged from the front differential 26 and the side differential 28 by opening the valve of the denf damper 30 (step S19).

On the other hand, when the ON signal output from the rear differential switch 54 is not input, the temperature inside the vehicle cabin detected by the internal air temperature sensor 46 and the temperature outside the vehicle cabin detected by the external air temperature sensor 48 are obtained. Is performed (step S11).

Next, the output signal of the wiper switch 50 is input (step S12). If an ON signal for driving the wiper is output, it is determined that there is rainfall (step S13), and FIG. Modify the map shown.
That is, when there is rainfall, it can be predicted that the humidity in the vehicle compartment is higher than when there is no rainfall (it can be predicted that the inside of the window glass of the vehicle is easily clouded). Then, a correction for shifting the threshold value A of the map upward by a predetermined amount is performed (step S14). Specifically, ROM
The map stored in the map 42b is read, and the threshold A in the map is shifted upward by a predetermined amount in parallel (threshold A 'in FIG. 3) and stored in the RAM 42c.

Next, the output signal of the seat belt switch 52 is input (step S15). If it is determined that the number of occupants is two or more (step S16), the vehicle is compared with the case of one person. Since it can be predicted that the indoor humidity is rising (it can be predicted that the inside of the window glass of the vehicle is in an easily fogged state), a correction is made to shift the threshold value A of the map upward by a predetermined amount (step S17). . That is,
If the corrected map is stored in the RAM 42c, the threshold value A in this map is further shifted upward by a predetermined amount and stored in the RAM 42c. On the other hand, if the corrected map is not stored in the RAM 42c,
The map stored in b is read, and the threshold A in the map is shifted upward by a predetermined amount and stored in the RAM 42c.

Next, in the case where a corrected map is stored in the RAM 42c, a point determined by the inside temperature of the vehicle detected by the inside temperature sensor 46 and the outside temperature of the vehicle detected by the outside temperature sensor 48 is stored. If the corrected map and the corrected map are not stored in the RAM 42c, whether the control mode of the auto air conditioner needs to be changed to the defroster mode depends on where the map is stored in the ROM 42b. A determination is made (step S18).

If the point determined by the temperature inside the vehicle compartment and the temperature outside the vehicle compartment is located below the threshold value A in the map, the inside of the window glass of the vehicle is liable to become cloudy, so that the automatic air conditioner is not used. The control mode is changed to the defroster mode (step S19).

When the control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode, if the compressor is off, a control signal is output to the compressor drive circuit 55 to turn on the compressor. Further, a control signal for driving the inside / outside air switching damper 14 to the side that takes in outside air is output from the ECU 42 to the inside air dedicated damper driving unit 56. Further, the air flowing through the air mix damper 24 in the ventilation duct is entirely supplied to the heater core
A control signal for driving to the side passing through the two sides is output. Further, a control signal for opening the differential damper 30 is output to the differential damper driving unit 60, and a control signal for closing the vent damper 34 and the lower damper 38 is output to the vent damper driving unit 62 and the lower damper driving unit 64.

Therefore, the air heated by the heater core 22 is blown out from the front differential 26 and the side differential 28 and blown into the window glass, so that the inside of the window glass can be prevented from fogging.

According to the vehicle air conditioner control device, the vehicle interior humidity is predicted based on the presence or absence of rainfall and the number of occupants, and the threshold value A of the map is corrected based on the predicted vehicle interior humidity. Whether the control mode of the auto air conditioner needs to be changed to the defroster mode depends on where the point determined based on the temperature outside the vehicle compartment and the temperature inside the vehicle compartment is located with respect to the corrected threshold value A of the map. Is determined. Therefore, highly accurate defroster control can be performed even when the humidity in the vehicle interior changes.

Since the humidity in the passenger compartment is determined based on the presence or absence of rain (the presence or absence of a wiper switch ON signal) and the number of occupants (the presence or absence of a seat belt switch ON signal), the humidity in the vehicle compartment is known. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a humidity sensor or the like, and it is possible to perform highly accurate defroster control in consideration of the humidity in the vehicle interior without increasing the manufacturing cost.

Further, the control mode of the automatic air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode by determining whether or not the rear defroster is operating. Therefore, when the rear defroster is operating, that is, when the inside of the window glass is easily fogged, the control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode to effectively prevent the inside of the window glass from being fogged. Can be.

In the above-described embodiment, the threshold value A when the standard humidity in the vehicle compartment is set to 40% is corrected based on the predicted humidity, but as shown in FIG.
The threshold A1 when the humidity in the vehicle interior is 80%, the threshold A2 when the humidity in the vehicle interior is 60%, and the humidity in the vehicle interior 4
Using a map having a threshold value A3 when the vehicle interior humidity is set to 0%, a threshold value A4 when the vehicle interior humidity is set to 20%, and a threshold value A5 when the vehicle interior humidity is set to 10%, the region where the vehicle is sold is used. One of the thresholds may be selected in advance based on the threshold, or one of the thresholds may be selected based on the season, and the selected threshold may be corrected based on the predicted humidity in the vehicle.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of rain is determined by the presence or absence of the ON signal of the wiper switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a rain sensor is provided to determine the presence or absence of rain. May be.

In the above-described embodiment, the number of occupants is determined based on the presence / absence of the ON signal of the seat belt switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of occupants may be determined based on the presence or absence of a signal.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of rain is judged, and if there is rain, the map is corrected by a predetermined amount. Is likely to become cloudy, so determine the intensity of rainfall based on the operating speed of the wiper and change the correction amount of the map according to the intensity of rainfall (if the rainfall is strong, increase the correction amount). May be.

In the above-described embodiment, the number of occupants is determined, and the map is corrected by a predetermined amount when two or more occupants are used. Is likely to become cloudy, the number of occupants is determined based on the ON signal of the seat belt switch, and the correction amount of the map is changed according to the number of occupants (when the number of occupants is large, the correction amount is increased). May be.

[0034]

According to the present invention, the humidity inside the vehicle is predicted by the humidity predicting means, and the control mode of the automatic air conditioner is controlled by the determining means based on the predicted vehicle humidity, the outside temperature and the inside temperature. It is determined whether or not it is necessary to change to the defroster mode, so that highly accurate defroster control can be performed even when the humidity in the vehicle interior changes. Also, it is determined whether or not the rear defroster is operating, and when the rear defroster is operating, that is, when the inside of the window glass is easily fogged, the control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to the defroster mode. The fogging inside the window glass can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an air conditioning passage of a vehicular automatic air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the vehicular automatic air conditioner control device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map used for defroster control of the vehicular automatic air conditioner control device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating defroster control of the vehicular automatic air conditioner control device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another map used for defroster control of the vehicular automatic air conditioner control device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... ventilation duct, 12 ... inside and outside air intake part, 14 ... inside and outside air switching damper, 16 ... blower motor, 18 ... blower, 20
... cooling unit, 22 ... heater core, 24 ... air mix damper, 26 ... front differential, 28 ... side differential, 30 ... def damper, 42 ... ECU, 46 ... internal temperature sensor, 48 ... outside air temperature sensor, 50 ... wiper switch, 52
... Seat belt switch, 54 ... Rear differential switch.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An outside air temperature detecting means for detecting an outside air temperature, an inside air temperature detecting means for detecting an inside air temperature, a humidity estimating means for estimating the humidity inside the cabin, and the outside air temperature detecting means. The control mode of the auto air conditioner is changed to a defroster mode based on the detected outside temperature of the vehicle, the temperature of the inside of the vehicle detected by the inside temperature detecting unit, and the humidity of the vehicle room detected by the humidity predicting unit. Determining means for determining whether or not it is necessary to perform, and mode changing means for changing the control mode of the auto air conditioner to the defroster mode when the determining means determines that it is necessary to change to the defroster mode. An automatic air conditioner control device for a vehicle, comprising: 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a number of occupants determining means for determining the number of occupants, and a rain determining means for determining whether or not there is rain. 2. The vehicle air conditioner control device according to claim 1, wherein the humidity in the vehicle interior is predicted based on at least one of the results. 3. A determination means for determining whether or not a rear defroster is operating, and when the determination means determines that the rear defroster is operating, changing a control mode of the automatic air conditioner to a defroster mode. And a mode changing unit for performing the operation.