JP2002362135A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate troublesome operation for smoking, for example, requiring a plurality of procedures to set air conditioning conditions suitable for smoking (such as introduction of outside air, foot mode, and small blow quantity). SOLUTION: Setting means 41-46 are provided for setting air conditioning conditions in a cabin as desired by an occupant. When a memory command is given by the occupant, specified air conditioning conditions set by the setting means 41-46 are memorized, and the air conditioning conditions in the cabin are controlled to make the specified air conditioning conditions memorized when an execution command is given by the occupant. By once setting specific air conditioning conditions suitable to a specified situation, the specified air conditioning conditions are set by inputting an execution command (such as pressing a prescribed switch, for example) from next time. Troublesomeness of taking manual setting actions every time in the specific situation can thus be eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle having a so-called automatic air conditioner function for automatically controlling an air condition in a passenger compartment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner for a vehicle having this type of auto air conditioner function has a temperature setting and an environmental condition (inside air temperature,
Based on a target blowout temperature calculated based on the outside air temperature, the amount of solar radiation, and the like, the blowout mode, the amount of blown air, and the blowout temperature are automatically controlled in a specific control pattern (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 268526).

Further, in order to respond to personal preference, when an occupant operates an air-conditioning state manual setting switch such as an air volume switch, a control pattern is changed (learned) based on environmental conditions at that time. Have been.

[0004]

However, the purpose of manually setting the air volume and the like by the occupant is in a situation peculiar to an individual, for example, smoking or drying a foot. In such a case, automatic control is required. Since a setting outside the range is often made, it is regarded as a disturbance, and the control pattern is not changed (learned). Therefore, for example, at the time of smoking, it is necessary to perform a plurality of operations in order to set an air-conditioning state (for example, outside air introduction, foot mode, small air volume) suitable for each time of smoking, and there is a problem that the operation is very troublesome. Was.

[0005] By the way, there is a kind of so-called tunnel switch which performs a plurality of operations such as introduction of inside air, operation start of an air conditioner, and lighting of lights by pressing a single switch. There was nothing that could handle various different situations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to eliminate the trouble of setting an air-conditioning state suitable for a specific situation.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air conditioner for automatically controlling an air conditioning state of a vehicle interior based on a set temperature and environmental conditions. Setting means (41-46) for the occupant to arbitrarily set the state, and storing the specific air-conditioning state set by the setting means (41-46) when the occupant storage command is issued, and executing the occupant. A control means (30) for controlling the air-conditioning state in the vehicle compartment so that the stored specific air-conditioning state is obtained when the command is issued.

According to this, once a specific air-conditioning state suitable for a specific situation is set, the specific air-conditioning state is set only by issuing an execution command (for example, pressing a predetermined switch) from the next time. In the situation described above, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of performing a plurality of manual settings each time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the storage command of the occupant is issued in a state where the amount of the conditioned air is set by the setting means (41 to 46), the setting means (41 to 46) is operated. The air volume and setting means (4
(1) to (46), and if the operation is performed in the direction of decreasing the ventilation amount, the set ventilation amount is stored as the upper limit value, and if the operation is performed in the direction of increasing the ventilation amount, the setting is performed. The stored air volume is stored as a lower limit value.

[0010] According to this, when the operation is performed in the direction of lowering the air flow and the air flow is stored, the air volume is reduced when the specific air-conditioning state is set next time, contrary to the intention of the occupant to lower the air flow. It is possible to avoid a situation where the control is performed beyond the upper limit. Similarly, if the operation is performed in the direction of increasing the airflow and the airflow is stored, when the specific air-conditioning state is set from the next time onward, the airflow becomes less than the lower limit value contrary to the intention of the occupant to increase the airflow. Controlled situations can be avoided.

[0011] According to the present invention, at least one of a window opening / closing state, a headlight on / off state, a room light on / off state, and an audio volume state is controlled together with a specific air-conditioning state. The information is stored in the means (30).

According to this, for example, when a predetermined amount of window is opened during smoking, that information is stored, and when a specific air-conditioning state is set, the window is opened by a predetermined amount. , A corresponding setting state can be realized.

According to the invention of claim 5, the control means (30)
Is characterized in that a plurality of specific air-conditioning states can be stored.

[0014] According to this, for example, it is possible to use properly for each occupant or each situation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic switch (42) for setting an automatic control state, and an infrared sensor for outputting a signal corresponding to a temperature. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not an occupant storage command has been issued based on the signal, and whether or not an occupant execution command has been issued based on a signal from the infrared sensor.

According to this, in a vehicle in which an infrared sensor is installed near an occupant for the purpose of air-conditioning control or airbag control for the purpose of occupant detection or the like, a new sensor or a new sensor can be provided by using the infrared sensor. There is no need to provide a switch, so that cost increase can be suppressed.

The reference numerals in parentheses of the above-mentioned means indicate the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall system configuration of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. External air is introduced to the most upstream side of an air flow of an air conditioner unit 10 constituting an indoor unit of the vehicle air conditioner. An inside / outside air switching box 11 having an opening 11a and an inside / outside air introduction port 11b is disposed, and inside the inside / outside air switching box 11, an inside / outside air switching door 12 serving as inside / outside air mode switching means for setting an inside / outside air mode is turned. It is installed movably.

The inside / outside air switching door 12 is connected to the outside air inlet 1.
It is arranged at a branch point between 1a and the inside air inlet 11b, and is driven by an actuator 12a to switch the air introduced into the air conditioning unit 10 between inside air and outside air, or to adjust the mixing ratio of inside air and outside air.

The blower 13 serving as a blower is for sucking air into the inside / outside air switching box 11 and blowing it to the downstream side of the air conditioning unit 10. 15.
An evaporator 16 and a heater core 17 are provided downstream of the blower fan 15.

The evaporator 16 is a cooling heat exchanger, and is connected to a compressor or the like driven by a vehicle engine (not shown) to form a refrigeration cycle. The low-pressure refrigerant inside the evaporator 16 absorbs heat from air and evaporates. Cool the air. The heater core 17 is a heat exchanger for heating, in which cooling water (warm water) of a vehicle engine (not shown) circulates, and heats the air using the engine cooling water as a heat source.

On the upstream side of the heater core 17, an air mix door 18 as a blown air temperature adjusting means is rotatably provided, and the opening of the air mix door 18 is adjusted by being driven by an actuator 18a. by this,
The ratio of the air passing through the heater core 17 and the ratio of the air bypassing the heater core 17 is adjusted, and the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle interior (outlet temperature) is adjusted.

A defroster door 2 for opening and closing a defroster (DEF) outlet 19 is located at the most downstream side of the air conditioning unit 10.
0, a face door 22 that opens and closes a FACE outlet 21 and a foot door 24 that opens and closes a foot outlet 23 are provided.

Each of the doors 20, 22, and 24 constitutes a blow mode switching means for setting a blow mode.
Various blowing modes (face mode, bi-level mode, foot mode, foot differential mode, defroster mode, etc.) are set by opening and closing 9, 21, and 23. Then, temperature-controlled air (air-conditioned air) is blown into the vehicle interior from the air outlets opened according to the respective blow-out modes.

An air conditioning control device (hereinafter referred to as EC)
U) 30 has a microcomputer 31 and adjusts the motor rotation speed by adjusting the applied voltage (blower voltage) of the blower motor 14 via the drive circuit 32 based on the output signal from the microcomputer 31. Is controlled by The other actuators 12
a, 18a, and 25 are also controlled by the drive circuit 32 based on the output signal from the microcomputer 31.

The microcomputer 31 includes a central processing unit 31a (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a standby RA
M31b, ROM, RAM, I / O not shown
It has a port, an A / D converter, etc., and is itself well known.
Numeral 31a is a calculating means for calculating the air-conditioning control amount.

The standby RAM 31b of the microcomputer 31 serves as a storage means, and is an ignition switch (hereinafter, I / O) for interrupting the operation of the vehicle engine.
G) is a RAM for storing (backing up) the learned values of the occupants' preferences even in the off-state,
Even when the IG is off, power is supplied directly from the vehicle battery without going through the IG. Further, a backup power supply (not shown) for supplying power to the microcomputer 31 for a short time even when the electrical connection between the microcomputer 31 and the battery is cut off is provided.

An operation signal is input to the microcomputer 31 from an air-conditioning operation unit 40 installed on the dashboard in the vehicle compartment. This air-conditioning operation unit 40 includes a compressor operation
An air conditioner switch 41 for setting a stop, an auto switch 42 for setting an automatic control state of the air conditioner, an inside / outside air switch 43 for manually switching and setting an inside / outside air mode,
A blow mode switching switch 44 for manually switching and setting the blow mode, a blow volume switch 45 for manually switching and setting the blow volume of the blower 13, and a passenger's favorite vehicle interior temperature (set temperature) TSET are set. A temperature setting switch 46 and a storage switch 47 are provided.

These switches 41 to 46 serve as setting means for the occupant to manually set the air-conditioning condition in the passenger compartment, and are manually set by the switches 41 to 46 when the storage switch 47 is turned on. The air-conditioning state is stored in the microcomputer 31.

The microcomputer 31 receives signals from various sensors for detecting environmental conditions that affect the air-conditioning condition in the passenger compartment. Specifically, an inside air temperature sensor 5 that detects an air temperature (inside air temperature) TR in the vehicle compartment
1. An outside air temperature sensor 52 for detecting an air temperature (outside air temperature) TAM outside the vehicle compartment, a solar radiation sensor 53 for detecting an amount of solar radiation TS entering the vehicle cabin, an evaporator temperature (specifically, an evaporator blow-out air temperature) TE From the evaporator temperature sensor 54 for detecting the engine temperature, the water temperature sensor 55 for detecting the engine water temperature TW circulating through the heater core 17, and the like are input to the microcomputer 31 via the respective level conversion circuits 33,
These are A / D converted and read by the microcomputer 31. The signal from the temperature setting switch 46 is also level-converted by the level conversion circuit 33 and input to the microcomputer 31.

Next, control processing performed by the microcomputer 31 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the IG of the vehicle engine is turned on, power is supplied to the ECU 30 and the control routine of FIG. 2 is started.

Then, the microcomputer 31 performs ordinary air conditioning control in step S100. In step S100, when the automatic control state of the air conditioner is set by the auto switch 42, the target blowing of the air to be blown into the vehicle compartment based on the set temperature and the environmental conditions (the inside air temperature, the outside air temperature, the amount of solar radiation). The temperature TAO is calculated, and the inside / outside air mode, the blowing mode, the air flow rate, the blowing temperature, and the necessity of operating the compressor are calculated based on the target blowing temperature.
a, 18a, 25, the blower motor 14, and the compressor.

If it is determined in step S100 that at least one of the inside / outside air mode, the blowout mode, and the airflow rate is manually set by the inside / outside air changeover switch 43, the blowout mode changeover switch 44, and the airflow rate changeover switch 45, Except for the manually set air-conditioning state, control is performed in the same manner as the automatic control state described above.

Next, in step S110, it is determined whether or not the storage switch 47 has been turned on, for example, for one second or longer. If the storage switch 47 is turned on for one second or longer, the process proceeds to step S120, and the switches 41 to 4 are turned on.
At step 6, the microcomputer 31 stores the current air-conditioning state manually set, and stores the air-conditioning state not manually set as an automatic state in the microcomputer 31. The air-conditioning state stored in step S120 is hereinafter referred to as a specific air-conditioning state.

Next, proceeding to step S130, if the storage switch 47 is turned on for a short period of time, for example, less than one second, step S130 becomes YES and step S140
Proceed to. In step S140, the information on the specific air-conditioning state stored in step S120 is read. Then, the process proceeds to step S150, and the air conditioning state is set so as to be the specific air conditioning state stored in step S120.

Next, in step S160, it is determined whether or not the storage switch 47 has been turned on for a short period of time, for example, less than one second.
Proceeding to 170, it is determined whether the auto switch 42 has been turned on. If step S170 is NO, the process returns to step S160. Therefore, while both the steps S160 and S170 remain NO, the control of the specific air-conditioning state is continued.

Next, if the storage switch 47 is turned on for a short period of time, for example, less than one second, and the result of step S160 is YES, the process proceeds to step S180, and the process proceeds to step S180.
At 180, the air conditioning state is set so as to be the control state before shifting to the control of the specific air conditioning state. Then, the process returns to step S100 to perform normal air conditioning control.

If the auto switch 42 is turned on and the result of step S170 is YES, the program proceeds to step S19.
In step S190, the setting of the specific air-conditioning state is released, and the automatic control state is set. Then, normal air conditioning control is performed in step S100.

Here, the following cases can be considered as situations in which a plurality of manual settings are performed by the switches 43 to 46, and the blowing mode and the like are set as follows according to each situation. .

During smoking: introduction of outside air, foot mode, small air volume.

When the foot is wet: foot mode, large air volume, high set temperature, air conditioner switch 41 on.

When the hair is wet: Face mode, large air volume, high set temperature, air conditioner switch 41 on.

At the time of exhaust gas intrusion: The inside air is introduced, and the air volume is reduced to a level at which blower noise cannot be heard (to cope with an increase in the air volume caused by switching from the introduction of the outside air to the introduction of the inside air, and an increase in the blower noise caused by the increased air volume).

According to the present embodiment, in a specific situation where a plurality of manual settings are performed as described above, if a specific air-conditioning state suitable for the situation is set once and stored (step S120), the next time the air conditioning state is set, Is set to a specific air-conditioning state only by issuing an execution command (pressing the storage switch 47), so that it is possible to eliminate the trouble of performing a plurality of manual settings each time in a specific situation.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, step S170 is set to YES only when the auto switch 42 is turned on. However, one of the switches 41 to 46 for manual setting is operated. Also in this case, step S170 may be set to YES. In this case, normal air-conditioning control may be performed in step S100 after setting the air-conditioning state before shifting to control of the specific air-conditioning state, or normal air-conditioning control may be performed in step S100 from the specific air-conditioning state. It may be.

When the direction of the conditioned air from the face outlet 21 can be set by driving an unillustrated outlet grill provided at the face outlet 21 by an actuator (not shown), the conditioned air blowing direction Alternatively, the program may be stored in the microcomputer 31 in step S120 of the above embodiment.

When the air volume is manually switched by operating the air volume switch 45, the air volume is often set manually with the intention of lowering (or increasing) the air volume than immediately before the setting. In view of this, among the information stored in the microcomputer 31 in step S120 of the above-described embodiment, regarding the information on the airflow, the manually set airflow may be stored as an upper limit (or lower limit).

Specifically, the air volume in the automatic control state immediately before the air volume switch 45 is operated and the air volume set by the air volume switch 45 are compared, and the air volume is decreased. If it is, the set air volume is stored as the upper limit value. When the storage switch 47 is pressed next time and the result of step S160 is YES, if the air blowing amount at that time is larger than the stored upper limit value, the air blowing amount is controlled to the upper limit value, and if the air blowing amount is smaller than the upper limit value, The air volume is not changed.

Similarly, when the operation is performed in the direction of increasing the air flow, the set air flow is stored as the lower limit value, and the storage switch 47 is pressed after the next time, and the step S160 becomes Y.
In the case of ES, if the air volume at that time is smaller than the stored lower limit, the air volume is controlled to the lower limit, and if it is larger than the lower limit, the air volume is not changed.

Thus, a situation in which the air flow is controlled to exceed the upper limit value against the occupant's intention to lower the air flow amount, or the air flow amount becomes the lower limit value in contrast to the occupant's intention to increase the air flow amount It is possible to avoid a situation in which the control is performed less than the above.

In step S120 of the above embodiment, only the information on the specific air-conditioning state is stored. However, the air volume and temperature of the seat air-conditioning, the operation state of the air purifier, the open / close state of the window, and the turning on / off of the headlights. Status, room light on / off status, audio volume status, etc.
The vehicle setting information may also be stored in the microcomputer 31.

Specifically, for example, when a predetermined amount of windows are opened during smoking, the information is transmitted to the microcomputer 31.
When the specific air-conditioning state is set in step S150, the storage information regarding the open / closed state of the window is transmitted from the air-conditioning control ECU 30 to the window control ECU to open the window by a predetermined amount. By doing so, it is possible to realize a setting state that responds to the needs of the occupant.

Further, by providing a plurality of storage switches 47 and storing a plurality of specific air-conditioning states, it is possible to selectively use each of the occupants or each situation.

A switch 41 for manually setting the air-conditioning state is provided.
When an occupant who has operated 〜46 is provided with, for example, an occupant recognition unit that identifies the occupant from a fingerprint or a voiceprint, the specific air-conditioning state may be stored for each occupant specified by the occupant recognition unit.

Further, the storage switch 47 of the above embodiment is used.
Alternatively, an infrared sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature may be used. Specifically, by holding a hand in front of the infrared sensor, the infrared sensor detects a temperature equal to or higher than a threshold (surface temperature of the hand). When a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold is detected for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined that a command to store the occupant has been issued, and the air-conditioning state at that time is stored. Determines that the execution instruction of the occupant has been issued, and sets the stored specific air-conditioning state.

In the case where the infrared sensor is provided as described above, when the auto switch 42 is pressed for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the storage command of the occupant has been issued and the air-conditioning state at that time is stored, and the infrared sensor is stored in the infrared sensor. If a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold value is detected, it may be determined that an occupant execution command has been issued and the stored specific air-conditioning state may be set. According to this, in a vehicle in which an infrared sensor is installed near the occupant for the purpose of occupant detection or the like for air-conditioning control or airbag control, by using the infrared sensor, the storage as in the above embodiment is performed. Switch 4
7 can be eliminated, and cost increase can be suppressed.

As the infrared sensor, a thermal infrared sensor such as a thermopile may be used, or an infrared sensor composed of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control process performed by the microcomputer of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

30 ... ECUs as control means, 41 to 46 ... Switches as setting means.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeki Harada 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. Denso Corporation

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner for a vehicle that automatically controls an air conditioning state in a vehicle interior based on a set temperature and environmental conditions, wherein setting means for an occupant to arbitrarily set the air conditioning state in the vehicle interior. And when the storage command of the occupant is issued, the setting means (4
Control means (30) for storing the specific air-conditioning state set by (1) to (46) and controlling the air-conditioning state of the vehicle interior so as to be in the stored specific air-conditioning state when the execution instruction of the occupant is issued. ). 2. The specific air-conditioning state stored in the control means (30) includes a setting state of an inside / outside air mode, a setting state of a blowing mode, a setting state of an air-conditioning air flow rate, a setting state of the set temperature, and The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is at least one of a setting state of a blowing direction of the conditioned air and a setting state of operation / stop of a compressor for compressing the refrigerant. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of air-conditioned air blown is determined by the setting means.
When the storage command of the occupant is issued in the state set by (46), the air flow rate in the automatic control state and the setting means (41-46) immediately before the setting means (41-46) are operated. Is compared with the air flow rate set in the above, if the operation is performed in the direction of decreasing the air flow rate, the set air flow rate is stored as the upper limit value, and if the operation is performed in the direction of increasing the air flow rate, the set air flow rate is set The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein? Is stored as a lower limit value. 4. The control means (30) includes at least one of a window open / close state, a headlight on / off state, a room light on / off state, and an audio volume state together with the specific air-conditioning state. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein 5. The control means (30) is capable of storing a plurality of the specific air-conditioning states.
A vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1. 6. An occupant recognizing means for specifying an occupant operating the setting means (41 to 46), wherein the control means (30) is configured to control the specific air conditioning state for each occupant specified by the occupant recognizing means. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein is stored. 7. An infrared sensor for outputting a signal corresponding to a temperature, wherein the control means (30) determines whether or not a storage command and an execution command of the occupant have been issued based on the signal of the infrared sensor. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed. 8. An auto switch (42) for setting the automatic control state, and an infrared sensor for outputting a signal corresponding to a temperature, wherein the control means (30) includes an auto switch (42).
Determining whether or not a command to store the occupant has been issued based on the signal of the occupant, and determining whether or not a command to execute the occupant has been issued based on a signal from the infrared sensor. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to 1.