JP2008247272A - Operation unit for on-vehicle air conditioner, and on-vehicle air conditioner control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly drive a pointer even when a parameter set value is changed in a large span forming a plurality of times of a changing unit in an operation unit for an on-vehicle air conditioner having a pointer type display device. <P>SOLUTION: When a set value of a control parameter is varied at a total variation margin forming a plurality of times of an operation unit allowed in a setting input part 53, making a movement speed of the pointer 104 on a dial 101 converted from an average variation speed of the set value in the total variation margin as a reference pointer speed, movement drive of the pointer 104 corresponding to the changing margin is performed in the form that the pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed is set. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit and an on-vehicle air conditioner control device.

JP 2002-71389 A

  In an operation panel of an in-vehicle air conditioner used for an automobile or the like, in order to improve the visibility related to the current setting contents of control parameters such as the air volume and the outlet position, and to improve the design, Patent Document 1 discloses a pointer type. A display device is disclosed. In this display device, when the air conditioner is in the manual mode, the pointer is analog-driven on the dial by a motor in response to the parameter setting value change by the dial knob operation. In the auto mode, when the air volume and outlet are changed spontaneously on the air conditioner side for automatic temperature control, the parameter setting value that is changed every moment is displayed in an analog manner using the pointer, The parameter set value can be read directly at any time, and the operating state of the air conditioner in the auto mode can be grasped in more detail.

  However, in the conventional configuration, even if the parameter setting value is changed in a large span that is a multiple of the change unit by the dial knob in the auto mode, the movement of the pointer remains at the scale position corresponding to the break of the change unit. It has a step shape that stops once each time, and is not only troublesome to the eye but also has a drawback of easily deteriorating the sense of quality.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to smoothly drive a pointer even when a parameter setting value is changed in a large span that is a multiple of a change unit in an in-vehicle air conditioner operation unit having a pointer type display device. In the point.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above-described problem, an operation unit for an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention includes:
There is a scale plate that is calibrated so that the current set values of control parameters other than the set temperature of the in-vehicle air conditioner can be read directly, a pointer that is rotatably arranged on the scale plate, and a pointer drive motor that rotationally drives the pointer A pointer-type display device,
A setting input unit for inputting control parameter setting values in a stepwise manner;
Current setting value acquisition means for acquiring the current setting value of the control parameter;
A pointer operation control means for controlling the operation of the pointer drive motor so that the pointer moves on the scale plate in response to a temporal change in the set value of the acquired control parameter;
The average of the set values in the total change allowance when the set value of the control parameter currently acquired by the set value acquisition means changes in the total change allowance that is a multiple of the operation unit allowed in the setting input unit. The pointer movement control means sets the pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed by setting the movement speed of the pointer on the scale plate converted from the typical change speed as the reference pointer speed, and sets the pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed. It is characterized by carrying out movement drive.

Moreover, the vehicle-mounted air conditioner control device of the present invention is
The on-vehicle air conditioner operating unit of the present invention,
Air conditioner drive control means for driving and controlling the in-vehicle air conditioner based on a set input value of the control parameter from the setting input unit.

  According to the present invention, the vehicle air conditioner operating unit includes the pointer type display device. When the set value of the control parameter changes at the total change allowance that is a multiple of the operation unit allowed at the setting input unit, it is converted from the average change speed of the set value at the total change allowance. The moving speed of the pointer corresponding to the change allowance is performed in such a manner that the moving speed of the pointer on the scale plate is set as a reference pointer speed, and a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed is set. In other words, by deliberately setting the follower speed of the pointer with respect to the temporal change speed of the actual set value, even if the set value changes stepwise, the movement of the pointer is delayed by the small follow speed. . As a result, the flat section (that is, the section where the pointer should have stopped) that had occurred in the temporal change profile of the set value is reduced by the amount of delay in the movement of the pointer in the corresponding pointer movement angle profile. The shape is reduced, and a smooth pointer movement with a step-like change reduced from the profile becomes possible.

  In-vehicle air conditioner operation can be switched between a manual mode in which the set value of the control parameter is manually input regardless of the air conditioner set temperature, and an auto mode in which the control parameter is automatically changed and controlled according to the air conditioner set temperature. It can be. In this case, the on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit of the present invention is provided with a mode switching input unit for switching the operation of the on-vehicle air conditioner between the manual mode and the auto mode. The on-vehicle air conditioner control device is provided with mode switching means for switching the operation mode of the air conditioner between the manual mode and the auto mode based on the input information from the mode switching input unit. Is controlled in either manual mode or auto mode.

  In the auto mode, the operation control is performed in such a manner that the set values of the respective control parameters are automatically adjusted so that the vehicle interior temperature is maintained at the air conditioner set temperature input and set by a user operation or the like. The target control parameters are the air flow rate of the air conditioner, the air outlet type, the ratio of mixing hot air and cold air (for example, the opening of the air mix damper), etc., and the detected value of the passenger compartment temperature is the air conditioner set temperature. The set values of the individual control parameters are adjusted so as to approach each other. In this case, disturbance factors such as the outside air temperature and the degree of sunshine are separately detected and the change sequence of the set values of each control parameter is adjusted so that the vehicle interior temperature reaches and balances the air conditioner set temperature in a shorter time. (Both are well-known techniques and will not be described in detail).

  Then, when the set value is changed in the total change allowance that is a multiple of the operation unit in the auto mode, the above-described pointer operation control means performs the movement of the pointer at a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed. Can be. According to this configuration, the movement of the pointer of the pointer type display device becomes smoother during the auto mode operation of the in-vehicle air conditioner, and a higher-class feeling can be produced.

  If the setting value of the control parameter currently acquired by the setting value acquisition means changes in multiple steps at a fixed unit time interval corresponding to the operation unit, the total change time obtained by multiplying the number of change steps by the unit time interval Thus, a value obtained by dividing the total change amount of the set value is determined as an average change speed of the set value. This means that the change profile of the set value of the control parameter has a step shape with equal intervals in the time axis direction, and the above average change speed is given by the gradient of the envelope with respect to the change profile. . By setting a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed corresponding to the average change speed, the pointer is moved within the angle section on the dial plate corresponding to the total change allowance (without stopping at the scale position). ) It can be driven to move continuously.

  In particular, in the above-described auto mode, when the set value is changed at a total change margin that is a multiple of the operation unit, the set value is increased step by step with respect to the current set value acquisition means. Thus, it can be configured such that the input is continued sequentially until the final set value is reached. The pointer operation control means can be configured to update the drive target position of the pointer to a value corresponding to the acquired set value every time the set value sequentially input in a stepwise increasing manner is acquired. The pointer is driven at a speed smaller than the reference needle speed indicated by the envelope gradient with respect to the step change profile of the set value, so the set value is updated before reaching the currently set drive target position. Since the driving target position moves away in the direction of movement of the pointer, the driving of the pointer is continued while always following the driving target position moving away stepwise. As a result, it is possible to control the pointer so as to continuously move in the angle section on the scale plate corresponding to the total change allowance.

  As described above, the control parameter can be the air flow rate of the air-conditioner air flow, and the pointer type display device can be configured to display the current set value of the air flow rate. When a vehicle occupant is dissatisfied with the air-conditioning condition of the air conditioner, what is most worrisome is the air flow rate of the air-conditioner air flow (the air temperature), and the frequency of visual recognition is high. Smoothing the movement of the pointer is particularly effective.

  If the air volume is configured to be changed at once in multiple stages in auto mode, etc., the change amount of the air volume setting value that gives the pointer target position is engraved in stages as described above. The final set value is suddenly input. When the pointer is driven at a high speed in response to the change, not only does the movement of the pointer become awkward, but the actual air volume change becomes slower than the movement of the pointer due to the mechanical transient characteristic of the blower, and the sense of incongruity is great. In this case, the operation unit for the on-vehicle air conditioner of the present invention is provided with a blown air volume temporal change rate acquisition means for acquiring a temporal change rate of the blown air volume of the air conditioner airflow, and a scale plate converted from the temporal change rate of the airflow If the movement speed of the pointer is set as the reference pointer speed and the pointer movement control means is configured to drive and move the pointer by setting a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed, it follows the actual air flow change. This makes it possible to alleviate such problems.

  The pointer drive motor can be configured by a stepping motor, for example. In this case, the pointer operation control means can easily control the driving speed of the pointer by the input pulse rate to the stepping motor. However, the type of the pointer driving motor is not limited to the stepping motor, and may be configured by a brushless motor, for example. In this case, the driving speed of the pointer can be set and changed by PWM control of the driving AC input waveform.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the front appearance of an operation unit for an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention. This on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit 100 independently performs each blowout control of a driver's seat air conditioner outlet (not shown) and a passenger seat air conditioner outlet (not shown) provided in the instrument panel portion of the vehicle. For this purpose, a driver's seat temperature setting switch 54D and a passenger's seat temperature setting switch 54P each composed of a swing switch are arranged on the housing panel 110 so as to be laterally distributed.

  Further, the housing panel 110 has a first display device 41 that displays the current setting value of the blowout air volume as a control parameter as a pointer-type display device, and a second display device that displays the current setting type of the outlet as a control parameter. 42 is provided. The first display device 41 includes a scale plate 101 that is calibrated so as to directly read the current setting value of the blown air volume, a pointer 104 that is rotatably arranged on the scale plate 101, and a pointer drive that rotationally drives the pointer 104 And a motor 181 (FIG. 3). The second display device 42 also has a scale plate 105 that is calibrated so that the current set value of the outlet is directly readable, a pointer 106 that is rotatably arranged on the scale plate 105, and rotationally drives the pointer 106. It has a pointer drive motor 191 (FIG. 3).

  Both scale plates 101 and 105 are printed with scale figures such as airflow values and outlet icons. Each of the units 41 and 42 is circular, and a dial-type air volume setting switch (air volume setting input unit) 52 for the first display device 41 and a dial for the second display device 42 are arranged on the outer periphery. A blowout port changeover switch (blowout port setting input unit) 53 is rotatably mounted.

  In addition, the housing panel 110 includes a set temperature display section (configured by a liquid crystal display) 63 using left and right temperature setting switches 54D and 54P, and an interlocking mode selection switch 61 for both temperature setting switches 54D and 54P. , An auto changeover switch 103 (mode changeover input unit: having an LED indicator 102 that lights in the auto mode), an A / C switch 59, a rear differential mode selection switch 62, and an inside air / outside air changeover switch 60 are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the air conditioner control apparatus CA. The air conditioner control apparatus CA includes a duct 1, and an internal air intake port 13 for circulating the air inside the vehicle and an external air intake port 14 for taking in air outside the vehicle are formed in the duct 1. Either one is used for switching. Air from the inside air inlet 13 or the outside air inlet 14 is sucked into the duct 1 by a blower 16 driven by a blower motor 23.

  In the duct 1, there are an evaporator 17 for cooling the sucked air to generate cool air, and a heater core 2 (heating operation by waste heat of engine cooling water) that heats this to generate warm air. Is provided. And these cold air and warm air are mixed in the ratio corresponding to the angular position of the air mix damper 3, and it blows off from the blower outlets 4,5,6. Among these, the front windshield defrosting outlet 4 is located at the upper rear of the instrument panel corresponding to the lower inner edge of the front glass, the face outlet 5 is located at the center of the front of the instrument panel, and the foot outlet 6 is installed at the rear of the lower surface of the instrument panel. It opens at a position facing the person's feet, and is individually opened and closed by the outlet switching dampers 7, 8, 9. Specifically, depending on the rotational input phase for damper control from the motor 20, the damper drive gear mechanism 10 has only the differential outlet 4 opened, the face outlet 5 only opened, the foot outlet. 6 is opened, the face outlet 5 and the differential outlet 4 are opened, the foot outlet 6 and the differential outlet 4 are opened, the face outlet 5, the differential outlet 4 and the foot outlet. Switch between all 6 open states.

  The inside / outside air switching damper 15 is electrically driven by a motor 21, the air mix damper 3 is electrically driven by a motor 19, and the outlet switching dampers 7, 8, 9 are electrically driven by a motor 20. These motors 19, 20, 21 are constituted by, for example, stepping motors, and the individual operations are centrally controlled by an air conditioner ECU 50 that forms the main body of the air conditioner drive control means. Further, the blower motor 23 is composed of a brushless motor or the like, and the blowing air volume is adjusted by controlling the rotational speed by PWM control. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner ECU 50 is computer hardware in which a CPU 151, a RAM 152, a flash memory 153 (which stores air conditioner control firmware 153 a), and an input / output unit 154 are connected via an internal bus 155. The input / output unit 154 is connected to an evaporator sensor 51, an inside air sensor 55, an outside air sensor 56, a water temperature sensor 57, and a solar radiation sensor 58.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit 100 also has an independent operation unit ECU 160, and has an air volume setting switch 52, an outlet switching switch 53, temperature setting switches 54D and 54P, an A / C switch 59, an auto switch, The changeover switch 103, the inside / outside air changeover switch 60, the first display device 41 and the second display device 42 described above are connected. The operation unit ECU 160 is connected to the air conditioner ECU 50 by a communication bus 30 (for example, a serial communication bus such as a LIN communication bus) via serial communication interfaces 156 (with a communication buffer 57) as shown in FIG.

  The operation unit ECU 160 is also a computer hardware in which a CPU 161, a RAM 162, a flash memory 163 (motor driving firmware for driving a pointer and a pointer speed table 163T are stored) and an input / output unit 165 are connected by an internal bus 166. The input / output unit 165 includes the air volume setting switch 52, the outlet switching switch 53, the temperature setting switches 54D and 54P, the A / C switch 59, the auto switching switch 103, the inside / outside air switching switch 60, and the first display device described above. 41 and the second display device 42 are connected. An indicator LED 102 and a set temperature display unit 102 are also connected. The pointer driving motors 181 and 191 of the first display device 41 and the second display device 42 are both configured as stepping motors in the present embodiment, and both are connected to the input / output unit 165 via the motor drivers 182 and 192. It is connected.

  The motor drivers 182 and 192 have a well-known logic sequencer that receives drive pulse signals in the forward direction or the reverse direction and excites the stepping motors 181 and 182 in a corresponding direction, and a drive pulse counter. The current angle position of the motor shown and the command angle value from the signal operation unit ECU 160 are compared, and the drive pulse signal in the forward direction or the reverse direction necessary to rotate the rotation angle position of the motor to the command angle value is A drive pulse control unit (configured by a microcomputer or dedicated logic) that outputs to a logic sequencer is provided. When the drive pulse input to the logic sequencer is generated, the pointer of the pointer type display device 41 is rotationally driven with the indicated angle value as the target position. If no drive pulse input is generated, the pointer position is Self-held.

  The operation input states of the air volume setting switch 52, the air outlet changeover switch 53, the temperature setting switches 54D and 54P, the A / C switch 59, the auto changeover switch 103 or the inside / outside air changeover switch 60 are transmitted from the operation unit ECU 160 via the communication bus 30. To the air conditioner ECU 50.

Specifically, the air conditioner ECU 50 performs the following control by executing the air conditioner control firmware 153a in cooperation with the operation unit ECU 160.
In response to the operation input state of the inside / outside air changeover switch 60, a control command is issued to the corresponding drive IC of the motor 21 so that the inside / outside air switching damper 15 is tilted to either the inside air side or the outside air side.
The operation of the evaporator 17 is turned on / off according to the operation state of the A / C switch 59.

Based on the input state of the auto switch 103, the operation mode of the air conditioner is switched between the manual mode and the auto mode (mode switching means).
In the auto mode, the input information of the set temperature by the temperature setting switches 54D and 54P and the output information of the inside air sensor 55, the outside air sensor 56, the water temperature sensor 57, and the solar radiation sensor 58 are referred to so that the in-vehicle temperature approaches the set temperature. Corresponding motors 19 and 23 are adjusted so that the blowout temperature is adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix damper 3, the air volume is adjusted by the blower motor 23, and the positions of the blowout port switching dampers 7, 8, and 9 are changed according to a known sequence. , 20 operation control commands.
In the manual mode, the blower motor 23 adjusts the air volume in response to the operation input state of the air volume setting switch 52 and the air outlet changeover switch 53, and the air outlet change dampers 7, 8, 9 are in the corresponding open / closed state. Thus, a drive control command to the motor 20 is performed.

  The value of each control parameter indicating the air conditioner operation state from the air conditioner ECU 50, that is, the setting value indicating the air flow setting value and the selection state of the outlet is set via the communication bus 30 in the form of a control confirmation value in the air conditioner ECU 50. It is sent to the operation unit ECU160. Information indicating the operation mode setting state (auto / manual) on the air conditioner ECU 50 side is also sent to the operation unit ECU 160 via the communication bus 30. Based on the received information from the air conditioner ECU 50, the operation unit ECU 160 includes the pointer 104 of the first display device 41 indicating the air flow setting value and the pointer 106 of the second display device 42 indicating the selection state of the outlet. The motors 181 and 191 respectively drive the motors. Therefore, the operation unit ECU 160 functions as a pointer operation control means together with the motor drivers 182 and 192.

  Hereinafter, the flow of operation processing in the first display device 41 showing the air volume setting value will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the system is activated, an initialization process is performed in S1. In relation to the present invention, at the time of this initialization process, the operation unit ECU 160 performs an initialization process of the angle origin position of the pointer drive motor 181 configured as a stepping motor. Next, in S2, the air conditioner ECU 50 receives the operation state of the auto changeover switch 103 from the operation unit ECU 160 side, and performs the corresponding mode setting (if the air volume setting switch 52 is operated during the auto mode setting, The operation state of the air volume setting switch 52 is transmitted to the air conditioner ECU 50 for mode setting so that the automatic mode switch 103 is automatically switched to the manual mode without being operated. The air conditioner ECU 50 transmits, to the operation unit ECU 160, whether the mode determined by the setting is auto or manual together with the target airflow value displayed as a pointer.

  In the manual mode, the air conditioner ECU 50 starts driving the blower motor 23 with the instructed air volume setting, and transmits the determined air volume setting value to the operation unit ECU 160. On the other hand, in the auto mode, the air volume instruction value that is automatically changed in the flow of the auto air conditioner control executed by the air conditioner control firmware 153a is periodically transmitted to the operation unit ECU 160.

  The operation unit ECU 160 receives the mode information and the air volume setting value in S2. When the pointer 104 is driven, an instruction angle value corresponding to the currently effective air volume setting value (that is, the current air volume setting value) is stored in the RAM 162, and the instruction angle value is input to the motor driver 182. The The motor driver 182 compares the input indicated angle value with the current angle value indicated by the count value of the drive pulse counter. If there is a difference between the two, the motor drive direction and the number of pulses necessary for eliminating the difference are calculated. Based on the calculation result, the stepping motor 41 is driven in the forward or reverse direction with the indicated angle value as the target position. In S3, the current setting value of the air volume is compared with the received setting value. If this value is different, the process proceeds to S4, and the current set value is updated with the received set value. On the other hand, if the values are the same, S4 is skipped and no update is performed.

  The air volume setting switch 52 is configured by a dial type operation unit so that a set value of the air volume (control parameter) can be changed stepwise according to an input pulse of a pulse switch (not shown) with a predetermined angle as an operation unit. (In this embodiment, seven stages of 0 to 6). In FIG. 2, the air conditioner ECU 50 sequentially acquires from the operation unit ECU 160 the command value for the air volume setting that is input while being changed stepwise by the air volume setting switch 52.

  In the manual mode, the air conditioner ECU 50 does not become the main body for changing the air volume, so it is necessary to change the air volume setting in accordance with the air volume setting command value acquired from the operation unit ECU 160 indefinitely. Therefore, even when the air volume change operation is performed on the operation unit ECU 160 side with a large span of two or more stages by the operation of the air volume setting switch 52, the air volume setting command value that passes in the middle should be ignored by the air conditioner ECU 50 side without permission. I can't. Accordingly, in this case as well, the air conditioner ECU 50 performs an effective air volume setting for every air volume setting command value received during the air volume changing span, and sequentially returns the setting confirmation value to the operation unit ECU 160.

  As a result, the operation unit ECU 160 obtains a definite value of the air volume setting that changes stepwise from the air conditioner ECU 50, and the instruction angle value of the pointer 104 corresponding thereto is sequentially increased at intervals corresponding to the air volume changing operation speed. It is transmitted to the driver 182. In the manual mode, the operation mode or moving speed of the pointer is not particularly limited. For example, as in the conventional case, the pointer is temporarily stopped at each air volume scale position engraved corresponding to the operation unit of the air volume setting switch 52. The pointer 104 can be configured to be step-driven.

  On the other hand, in the auto mode, the pointer 104 is driven according to the change in the air flow setting value input from the air conditioner ECU 50 regardless of the current operation position of the air flow setting switch 52. At this time, when the air volume is automatically changed and controlled so that the input change of the air volume setting value from the air conditioner ECU 50 has a large span of two or more steps in the operation unit of the air volume setting switch 52, the pointer in the following form Operation control is performed.

  That is, as described above, when there is a change due to a total change allowance that is a multiple of the operation unit allowed by the air volume setting switch 52 (setting input unit) (that is, two or more steps per operation unit), the total change When the moving speed of the pointer 104 on the scale plate 101 converted from the average change speed of the set value in the middle is considered as the reference pointer speed, the moving speed of the pointer 104 is set smaller than the reference pointer speed. .

  For example, when the set value of the air volume (control parameter) changes in a plurality of steps at a constant unit time interval corresponding to the operation unit of the air volume setting switch 52, the total number obtained by multiplying the number of change steps by the unit time interval. Based on the change time, a value obtained by dividing the total change amount of the set value is determined as an average change speed of the set value. This means that, as shown in FIG. 6, the change profile of the set value of the air volume (control parameter) becomes stepped at equal intervals in the time axis t direction. The average rate of change is given by the slope of the envelope A3 with respect to the change profile. Then, the actual needle speed is set as indicated by A2 or A1 in FIG. 6 so as to be smaller than the reference needle speed corresponding to the average change speed (that is, the virtual needle speed tracing the envelope A3). It is.

  In the auto mode, input from the air conditioner ECU 50 to the operation unit ECU 160 (current set value acquisition means) is continued until the air flow set value reaches the final set value in a stepwise increment in the above operation unit. . On the operation unit ECU 160 side, every time the set values sequentially input in a stepwise increase are acquired, the drive target position of the pointer 104 is sequentially updated to an angular position corresponding to the acquired set value.

  If the speed of the pointer 104 is larger than the reference pointer speed indicated by the gradient of the envelope A3 with respect to the step-like change profile of the airflow setting value, the airflow setting value is driven before the airflow setting value is updated as shown in FIG. Since the pointer 104 catches up to the target position and the pointer stops at that position until the airflow setting value is updated to the next value, the conventional intermittent pointer movement form is obtained. However, taking the case of the present invention in which the pointer 104 is driven according to, for example, A2, as shown by the dashed arrow at time t1 to t2 in the figure, the pointer 104 driven according to A2 has the above change profile. Before reaching the drive target position (for example, “1” immediately before time t1) set immediately before the change edge position arrives, the pointer setting value is updated to the next value “2”. That is, since the drive target position sequentially moves away in the moving direction before the pointer 104 reaches, the pointer 104 is continuously driven while always following the drive target position that moves away in stages.

  For example, when the airflow setting value before the change is “3” and the final airflow target value after the change is “1”, the operation unit ECU 160 advances “3” → The air volume setting value that decreases in a stepwise manner from “2” to “1” is sequentially received and sequentially transferred to the motor driver 182. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the motor driver 182 starts moving from the angular position that was initially “3” toward the target position “2” at that time. However, since the moving speed of the pointer is determined as described above, the target position is updated to “1” before the pointer 104 reaches “2”. Since the next target position “1” is already given when the pointer 104 passes “2”, the pointer 104 continues to move toward “1” without stopping at “2”. Thus, the pointer 104 continuously moves in the angle section “3” → “1”. As described above, the pointer 104 moves slowly and continuously over a relatively large angle section corresponding to the change amount of the air volume setting value (two steps of the operation unit in FIG. 4), thereby enhancing the effect in the auto mode. It is done.

  In the auto mode, it is possible to configure the air volume to be changed at once in a plurality of spans, but in this case, for example, an air volume setting for giving a pointer target value from the current display position “6”. The change allowance up to the value “1” is not engraved stepwise as “6” → “5” as described above, but directly as “6” → “3”, “3” → “1”. A value is suddenly entered. When the pointer 104 is driven at a high speed in response to the change, not only does the movement of the pointer 104 become awkward, but the actual air volume change becomes slower than the movement of the pointer 104 due to the mechanical transient characteristics of the blower 16, so that a sense of incongruity is felt. large.

  In this case, the operation unit ECU 160 may be configured to acquire not only the air volume setting value (blower target instruction value) but also the temporal change rate of the blown air volume from the air conditioner ECU 50. Then, the movement speed of the pointer is set in such a manner that a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed is set with the movement speed of the pointer on the dial plate converted from the rate of change of the air volume as a reference pointer speed. . FIG. 7 is an improvement of the flowchart of FIG. 5 taking this point into consideration. Since the blown air volume can be specified by, for example, the rotational speed of the blower 16, the air conditioner ECU 50 monitors the drive pulse rate of the blower motor 23 and outputs a differential value of the pulse rate to the operation unit ECU 160. As shown in FIG. 8, when the blower rotational speed ω changes, the average change rate Δωx within the sampling period of the rotational speed ω is transmitted to the operation unit ECU 160 (S2E). Then, the operation unit ECU 160 multiplies the Δωx by a speed conversion coefficient α smaller than 1 to convert it to Δωx ′, and refers to a table prepared in advance showing the relationship between the Δωx ′ and the pointer speed, and determines the pointer speed. Determine (S4A). As a result, the pointer can be operated following the actual change in the air volume.

  In the configuration of the air conditioner control apparatus CA described above, the operation input and display output control are shared by the operation unit ECU 160 and the operation control of the air conditioner is shared by the air conditioner ECU 50. May be. Thereby, all the communication processing between both ECU50,160 via the communication bus 30 in the said embodiment becomes unnecessary.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pointer operation in the manual mode is an operation mode different from the auto mode (for example, a step-like operation). There was also an advantage that it was possible to distinguish between auto and manual. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control may be performed so that the pointer operation in the manual mode is the same as the pointer operation in the auto mode.

  In this case, the auto / manual mode setting information transmitted from the air conditioner ECU 50 is not particularly referred to if it is limited to the pointer operation control. However, the mode setting information can also be used for control elements other than the pointer drive unit of the operation unit. For example, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3, an auto mode LED 110 and a manual mode LED 111 having different lighting colors are added as LEDs for illuminating the dials 101 and 105, and these are set in the above mode setting. With reference to the information, it can be configured to be switched according to the mode. In this way, even if the pointer operation is the same in auto / manual mode, the mode can be identified by the color of light-up. When the pointer operation in the manual mode is an operation mode different from that in the auto mode, only one type of light-up LED may be used.

The front view which shows an example of the operation unit to which the operation unit for vehicle-mounted air conditioners of this invention was applied. The whole block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner control apparatus of this invention. The block diagram which shows the principal part of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation example in the auto mode of the operation unit for vehicle-mounted air conditioners of this invention. The flowchart which shows the 1st example of the flow of the control processing in the operation unit for vehicle-mounted air conditioners of this invention. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a correspondence relationship between a change in the air volume setting value and a pointer action in the control process of FIG. 5. The flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the flow of the control processing in the operation unit for vehicle-mounted air conditioners of this invention. The figure which shows the conversion relationship of the air volume (blower rotation speed) change rate in the control processing of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

100 On-vehicle air conditioner operation unit CA Air conditioner control device 41 First display device (pointer type display device)
42 Second display device (pointer-type display device)
50 Air conditioner ECU (air conditioner drive control means, mode switching means)
101, 105 Scale plate 104, 106 Pointer 160 Operation unit ECU (current set value acquisition means, pointer operation control means)
181, 182 Pointer drive motor 182, 192 Motor driver (pointer operation control means)

Claims (8)

A scale plate that is calibrated so that the current set values of control parameters other than the set temperature of the on-vehicle air conditioner can be directly read, a pointer that is rotatably arranged on the scale plate, and a pointer drive motor that rotationally drives the pointer A pointer-type display device,
The setting input unit for inputting the setting value of the control parameter in a stepwise manner;
Current setting value acquisition means for acquiring a current setting value of the control parameter;
Pointer operation control means for controlling the operation of the pointer drive motor so that the pointer moves on the scale plate in response to a temporal change in the set value of the control parameter acquired,
When the set value of the control parameter acquired by the current set value acquisition means changes in the total change allowance that is a multiple of the operation unit allowed in the setting input unit, the change in the total change allowance With the movement speed of the pointer on the scale plate converted from an average change speed of a set value as a reference pointer speed, the pointer operation control means sets a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed. An operation unit for an on-vehicle air conditioner, which moves and moves the pointer corresponding to the change allowance. The operation of the in-vehicle air conditioner is controlled in a manual mode in which a set value of the control parameter is manually input regardless of an air conditioner set temperature, and the set value of the control parameter is automatically changed according to the air conditioner set temperature. It is possible to switch between auto mode,
The pointer movement control means is configured to drive the movement of the pointer at a pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed when the set value is changed in a total change margin that is a multiple of the operation unit in the auto mode. The operation unit for in-vehicle air conditioners according to claim 1 which performs.   When the setting value of the control parameter acquired by the current setting value acquisition means changes in a plurality of stages at a constant unit time interval corresponding to the operation unit, the change time number is obtained by multiplying the unit time interval. When the value obtained by dividing the total change allowance of the set value by the total change time is determined as the average change speed of the set value, the pointer operation control means is configured to use the reference corresponding to the average change speed. The on-vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pointer is moved and driven so as to continuously move in an angular section on the scale plate corresponding to the total change allowance at a pointer speed smaller than the pointer speed. Operation unit. The operation of the in-vehicle air conditioner includes a manual mode in which a set value of the control parameter is manually input regardless of an air conditioner set temperature, and an auto mode in which the control parameter is automatically changed and controlled according to the air conditioner set temperature. Has a mode switching input section for switching between,
In the auto mode, when the set value is changed with a total change margin that is a multiple of the operation unit, the set value is increased step by step with respect to the current set value acquisition unit. In this way, input continues until the final set value is reached,
The pointer movement control means updates the reference driving target position by updating the pointer to a value corresponding to the acquired setting value each time the setting value sequentially input in a stepwise increasing manner is acquired. 4. The on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit according to claim 3, wherein the setting unit is configured to drive and move the pointer at a pointer speed smaller than a pointer speed so as to continuously move within the angle section on the scale plate corresponding to the total change allowance. .   The on-vehicle air conditioner operation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control parameter is a blown air volume of the airflow of the air conditioner, and the pointer type display device displays a current set value of the blown air volume. unit.   A blower air volume temporal change rate acquisition means for acquiring a temporal change rate of the blown air volume of the air conditioner airflow, and a moving speed of the pointer on the dial plate converted from the temporal change rate of the airflow is a reference pointer The on-vehicle air conditioner operation unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pointer operation control means drives and moves the pointer while setting the pointer speed smaller than the reference pointer speed. The operation unit for in-vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Air conditioner drive control means for driving and controlling the in-vehicle air conditioner based on the set input value of the control parameter from the setting input unit;
A vehicle-mounted air conditioner control device comprising:   On the basis of input information from the mode switching input unit, the air conditioner drive control means includes mode switching means for switching the operation mode of the air conditioner between the manual mode and the auto mode. The vehicle-mounted air conditioner control device according to claim 7, wherein the drive control is performed in any one of the automatic mode and the auto mode.

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