JPH04368212A - Automotive air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control an automotive oscillating air-conditioner properly with a microcomputer whose processing speed is slow. CONSTITUTION:A control mode which is set by a blower setting means 27 for setting the control mode of a blower motor 29 is an 'AUTO mode' which computes the voltage of the blower motor 29 from a preset temperature, an outside air temperature, a room temperature and so on. A blower voltage computing means 26 which computes the voltage of the blower motor 29 while a mix damper 24 is not operated, and a blower motor driving means which drives the blower motor 29 based on a control mode which is set by a blower set means 27 and blower voltage computed by the blower computing means, are provided.

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 automobiles.

0002

[Prior Art] In recent years, using microcomputers,
Information from various sensors installed inside and outside the vehicle is used to automatically control the rotation speed of the mix damper and blower motor that adjust the air temperature inside the vehicle, reducing the frequency of driver operations and improving safety and comfort. Improved air conditioning control is in place.

The mix damper is driven by a motor actuator, its position is detected by a potentiometer, etc., and it is controlled by a microcomputer. usually,
The microcomputer also calculates the position of the mix damper and controls the blower motor, and if the processing interval for controlling the motor actuator becomes long, the mix damper may hunt, causing problems with air conditioning control, so various countermeasures have been taken in the program. It has been.

[0004] As a prior art of the present invention, Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-2
There is one shown in Publication No. 01807.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional automobile air conditioner. Inputs from various sensors such as the inside air sensor and the water temperature sensor are selected by an analog switch 2 in response to a selection signal from the microcomputer 1, and are converted into digital signals by an A/D converter 3 and sent to the microcomputer 1.
is input. Microcomputer 1 also has A
Digital signals such as the /C switch and blower switch are also input. The microcomputer 1 uses this information to determine the mix damper position, blower motor voltage,
Comfortable air conditioning is realized by calculating the ON/OFF state of the compressor clutch and outputting it to the mix damper drive unit 4, blower motor drive unit 5, and clutch drive unit 6.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control by the microcomputer 1. In step 100, various switches are inputted, and in step 101, analog signals from various sensors, etc. are inputted. Thereafter, the mix damper is controlled in step 102, the blower motor is controlled in step 103, and the air conditioner is controlled in step 104.

FIG. 7 is a detailed flow chart of the mix damper control in step 102 of FIG. Step 11
At 0, it is determined whether the mix damper is in operation. If the mix damper is not in operation, the process proceeds to step 111, where the target position of the mix damper is calculated, and the process proceeds to step 112. If the mix damper is in operation, the process does not proceed to step 111 but proceeds to step 112. The target position of the mix damper at this time is a value calculated before the mix damper is driven. In step 112, the target position and the current position of the mix damper are compared, a stop determination, a driving direction, etc. are determined, and a drive signal is output to control the mix damper.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above configuration, although the processing time for mix damper control is shortened, if the processing time for blower motor control or air conditioner control becomes longer, the mix damper will cause hunting. A microcomputer with high processing speed must be used. As a measure to shorten the processing time, it is possible to avoid controlling the blower motor or air conditioner while the mix damper is operating. However, there is a problem that it does not respond. Furthermore, this countermeasure has the problem that if the mix damper fails to reach the target position due to a failure of the mix damper, the blower motor or air conditioner cannot be controlled.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example, and allows even a microcomputer with a slow processing speed to control the mix damper without problems such as hunting, and responds smoothly to the operation of the blower switch or air conditioner switch. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner for an automobile in which the blower motor and air conditioner are normally controlled even if the mix damper does not reach the target position due to a failure of the mix damper or the like.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the automotive air conditioner of the present invention is configured such that the control mode set by the blower setting means for setting the control mode of the blower motor is set temperature, outside temperature, indoor temperature. A blower voltage calculation means which calculates the voltage of the blower motor when the mix damper is not operating in the "AUTO" mode which calculates the voltage of the blower motor from temperature etc., a control mode set by the blower setting means and the blower calculation means. The apparatus is equipped with a blower motor driving means for driving the blower motor using the blower voltage calculated in the above.

Furthermore, it has an evaporator sensor that detects the temperature of the evaporator, and if the control mode set by the air conditioner setting means is an "OFF" mode in which the air conditioner is stopped, the air conditioner is stopped, and in a mode other than the "OFF" mode, the mix damper is If the evaporator is not in operation, the evaporator is equipped with an air conditioner control means that calculates the evaporator set temperature and compares it with the evaporator temperature detected by the evaporator sensor to control the air conditioner.

Further, a mix damper driving time measuring means for measuring the driving time of the mix damper is provided,
The contents of the blower voltage calculating means are such that the control mode set by the blower setting means is an "AUTO" mode in which the voltage of the blower motor is calculated from the set temperature, outside temperature, indoor temperature, etc., and the mix damper driving time measuring means This is replaced by a blower voltage calculating means that calculates the voltage of the blower motor if the measured driving time of the mix damper is longer than a certain time or if the mix damper is not in operation.

Furthermore, if the control mode set by the air conditioner setting means is an "OFF" mode in which the air conditioner is stopped, the contents of the air conditioner control means are changed to "OFF", which stops the air conditioner;
OFF" mode, if the drive time of the mix damper measured by the mix damper drive time measurement means is longer than a certain time, or if the mix damper is not in operation, calculate the EVA set temperature and use the EVA sensor. This is an alternative to air conditioner control means that controls the air conditioner by comparing it with the detected evaporator temperature.

[0014]

[Operation] With the above-described configuration, the present invention has a blower voltage calculating means that does not control the blower motor in the "AUTO" mode while the mix damper is operating, and an air conditioner's "O
By providing an air conditioner control means that does not perform any control other than "FF" mode while the mix damper is operating, even a microcomputer with a slow processing speed can control the mix damper without hunting. Able to react to changes without discomfort.

Furthermore, mix damper driving time measuring means for measuring the driving time of the mix damper is provided, the blower voltage calculating means is configured to perform normal control when the mix damper moves for a certain period of time, and the air conditioner control means is configured to control the mix damper. By performing normal control if the mix damper moves for more than a certain period of time, the blower motor and air conditioner can be controlled normally even if the mix damper does not reach the target position due to a failure of the mix damper.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automotive air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the automobile air conditioner is the same as the conventional example, so a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the control of an automobile air conditioner showing an embodiment of the present invention. Information on the set temperature, outside air sensor, and inside air sensor is provided by the mix damper position calculation means 21.
, the blower voltage calculation means 26, the air conditioner control means 30, and the mix damper drive time measurement means 34. The mix damper calculating means 21 calculates the target position of the mix damper based on inputs from various sensors and outputs the calculated target position to the mix damper drive determining means 22. The mix damper drive determining means 22 compares the target position of the mix damper with the current position of the mix damper 24 inputted from the mix damper position detecting means 25, and mixes a signal for stopping or driving the mix damper 24 with the mix damper driving means 23. It is output to the damper driving time measuring means 34. The mix damper drive means 23 drives the mix damper 24 based on the output of the mix damper drive determination means 22. The mix damper position detection means 25 outputs the current position of the mix damper 24 to the mix damper drive determination means 22.

The mix damper drive time measuring means 34 measures the time during which the mix damper 24 is working.
When the mix damper 24 stops, it becomes "0".

The blower voltage calculation means 26 receives information from various sensors, the driving time of the mix damper 24 from the mix damper driving time measuring means 34, and the blower setting means 27.
The control mode of the blower motor 29 is inputted from. The blower voltage calculating means 26 calculates the voltage of the blower motor 29 from these inputs and outputs it to the blower motor driving means 28. The blower motor drive means 28 drives the blower motor 29 using the input voltage.

The air conditioner control means 30 receives information from various sensors, the driving time of the mix damper 24 from the mix damper driving time measuring means 34, the air conditioner control mode from the air conditioner setting means 31, and the evaporator temperature from the evaporator sensor 32. There is. The air conditioner control means 30 determines whether the compressor is ON or OFF based on this information and outputs it to the clutch 33.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the blower setting means 27. "OFF" is a mode in which the blower motor 29 is stopped;
``AUTO'' is a mode in which the voltage of the blower motor 29 is automatically controlled based on outside air temperature, inside air temperature, etc., and the right side is ``MANUAL'' mode, in which the voltage of the blower motor 29 is fixed at a voltage proportional to the position of the knob.

The basic control flowchart is the same as that shown in FIG. 6 described in connection with the conventional example. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control of the blower motor 29 in this embodiment. Step 20
0, it is determined whether the control mode of the blower motor 29 set by the blower setting means 27 is "OFF", and if it is "OFF", the process proceeds to step 206 and the blower motor is stopped. If it is not "OFF", the process proceeds to step 201 and it is determined whether the control mode is "MANUAL". If "MANUAL", the process advances to step 207 and outputs the set blower voltage.

[0023] If not "MANUAL", step 20
Proceed to step 2. If it is neither "OFF" nor "MANUAL", the control mode is "AUTO". Step 20
In step 2, it is determined whether the mix damper is in operation. If the mix damper 24 is not in operation, the process advances to step 204.

If the mix damper 24 is in operation, the process advances to step 203. In step 203, it is determined how much time has passed since the mix damper 24 was driven. Normally, if it takes longer than the time it takes for the mix damper 24 to move to both ends, it can be determined that the mix damper 24 is malfunctioning. Assuming that the time is 5 seconds, if more than 5 seconds have elapsed since the mix damper 24 started driving, the process proceeds to step 204. If five seconds or more have not elapsed, the process advances to step 205. At this time, the blower voltage is mixed damper 2.
4 is the value immediately before being driven.

In step 204, the blower voltage is calculated from the outside air temperature, inside air temperature, etc., and the process proceeds to step 205. In step 205, the calculated blower voltage is output.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of air conditioner control. In step 220, it is determined whether the air conditioner control mode set by the air conditioner setting means 31 is the "OFF" mode, and if it is the "OFF" mode, the process proceeds to step 227 and the clutch is turned off. "OFF"
If it is not the mode, the process proceeds to step 221, where it is determined whether the mix damper 24 is in operation. If the mix damper 24 is not in operation, the process advances to step 223.

If the mix damper 24 is in operation, the process advances to step 222. In step 222, it is determined how much time has passed since the mix damper 24 was driven. Normally, if it takes longer than the time it takes for the mix damper 24 to move to both ends, it can be determined that the mix damper 24 is malfunctioning. Assuming that the time is 5 seconds, if 5 seconds or more have elapsed since the mix damper 24 started driving, the process proceeds to step 223. If 5 seconds or more have not elapsed, the air conditioner control routine is ended. At this time, the clutch 33 remains in the state immediately before the mix damper 24 is driven.

In step 223, the clutch 33 is turned on,
A determination temperature for determining OFF is calculated. Then, in step 224, the evaporator temperature is compared with the determination temperature, and if the evaporator temperature is lower, the process proceeds to step 226, where the clutch 33 is turned off. If the evaporator temperature is high, the clutch 33 is turned on.

[0029]

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention has the following features:
By not controlling the blower motor in ``AUTO'' mode and controlling the air conditioner in ``OFF'' mode while the mix damper is operating, even a microcomputer with a slow processing speed can control the mix damper without hunting. Furthermore, it can react to changes in the blower switch and air conditioner switch without any discomfort.

Furthermore, if the mix damper moves for more than a certain period of time, the blower motor and air conditioner are controlled normally, so even if the mix damper does not reach the target position due to a failure of the mix damper, the blower motor and air conditioner will continue to operate normally. can be controlled.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the control of an automotive air conditioner showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Front view of blower setting means

[Figure 3] Flowchart of blower motor control in this embodiment

[Figure 4] Flowchart of air conditioner control in this embodiment

[
Figure 5: Configuration diagram of a conventional automotive air conditioner

[Figure 6] Flowchart of control of the microcomputer

[Figure 7] Flowchart of control of the mix damper

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Microcomputer 2 Analog switch 3 A/D converter 4 Mix damper drive section 5 Blower motor control section 6 Clutch drive part 21 Mix damper position calculation means 22 Mix damper drive determination means 23 Mix damper driving means 24 Mix damper 25 Mix damper position detection means 26 Blower voltage calculation means 27 Blower setting means 28 Blower motor drive means 29 Blower motor 30 Air conditioner control means 31 Air conditioner setting means 32 Eva sensor 33 Clutch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A mix damper that adjusts the temperature of air supplied into a vehicle interior, a mix damper position calculating means that calculates the position of the mix damper from a set temperature, outside air temperature, indoor temperature, etc., and a position of the mix damper. mix damper position detection means for detecting the mix damper, and compares the target position of the mix damper calculated by the mix damper calculation means with the current position of the mix damper detected by the mix damper position detection means, and generates a drive signal for the mix damper. a mix damper drive determining means for outputting an output; a mix damper driving means for driving the mix damper according to a mix damper drive signal from the mix damper drive determining means; a blower motor for blowing air into a vehicle interior; and a control mode for the blower motor. The blower setting means to be set and the control mode set by the blower setting means must be an "AUTO" mode in which the voltage of the blower motor is calculated from the set temperature, outside temperature, indoor temperature, etc., and the mix damper must be in operation. For example, an air conditioner for an automobile comprising a blower voltage calculating means for calculating the voltage of the blower motor, and a blower motor driving means for driving the blower motor according to the control mode set by the blower setting means and the blower voltage calculated by the blower calculating means. Device. 2. A mix damper that adjusts the temperature of air supplied into a vehicle interior, a mix damper position calculation means that calculates a position of the mix damper from a set temperature, an outside temperature, an indoor temperature, etc., and a position of the mix damper. a mix damper position detection means for detecting the mix damper position detection means, and outputs a drive signal for the mix damper by comparing the target position of the mix damper calculated by the mix damper calculation means with the current position of the mix damper detected by the mix damper position detection means. mix damper drive determining means for determining the temperature of the evaporator; mix damper driving means for driving the mix damper according to a mix damper drive signal from the mix damper drive determining means; If the control mode set by the detecting Eva sensor and the air conditioner setting means is an "OFF" mode for stopping the air conditioner, the air conditioner is stopped;
An air conditioner for an automobile comprising an air conditioner control means for calculating an evaporator set temperature and comparing it with an evaporator temperature detected by the evaporator sensor to control the air conditioner when the mix damper is not operating in a mode other than the "OFF" mode. 3. The automotive air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising mix damper driving time measuring means for measuring the driving time of the mix damper, and the contents of the blower voltage calculation means being set by the blower setting means. The control mode selected is the "AUTO" mode in which the voltage of the blower motor is calculated from the set temperature, outside temperature, indoor temperature, etc., and the mix damper drive time measured by the mix damper drive time measurement means is longer than a certain time. The air conditioner for an automobile is replaced with a blower voltage calculation means that calculates the voltage of the blower motor if the mix damper is not in operation. 4. The automotive air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising mix damper drive time measuring means for measuring the time during which the mix damper is driven, and the content of the air conditioner control means being set by the air conditioner setting means. If the control mode is the "OFF" mode that stops the air conditioner, the air conditioner is stopped, and if the mix damper drive time measured by the mix damper drive time measuring means exceeds a certain time in a mode other than the "OFF" mode, the air conditioner is stopped. If the mix damper is not in operation, the evaporator set temperature is calculated and compared with the evaporator temperature detected by the evaporator sensor to control the air conditioner.