JPH10236151A - Controller for vehicular compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve ease of installing a motor on a vehicle by reducing the size of the motor. SOLUTION: This compressor 4 conducts low capacity control before driven by the motor 9. After the minimum delivery capacity (low capacity condition) which can be set by a solenoid control valve mechanism 4a is obtained forcibly, the motor 9 is started. As a result, the capacity of the compressor 4 is reduced, so that the driving force for driving the compressor 4 is smaller than that when the capacity is large. It is possible to drive the compressor 4 sufficiently without using a motor whose driving force and size are large when the compressor 4 is driven by the motor 9, thus minimizing the size of the motor 9 and improving ease of installing the motor 4 on the vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle compressor that drives a compressor by an electric motor mounted on a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a compressor of a refrigeration cycle is driven by an electric motor mounted on a vehicle.
There is one described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-87678. In this apparatus, when the engine is stopped while the compressor is driven by the engine, the operation of the compressor is continued by starting the electric motor.

[0003]

However, the conventional apparatus has the following problems. In the above-described conventional apparatus, for example, when the compressor is driven by the electric motor, for example, particularly when the electric motor is started, a large driving force is required, and the output of the electric motor must be large. Therefore, there is a problem that the physical size of the electric motor is increased, and the mountability to the vehicle is deteriorated.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the electric motor and improve the mountability of the electric motor on a vehicle.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present inventor has focused on an external variable displacement compressor in which the capacity of the compressor can be arbitrarily changed from outside. In other words, it was thought that if the capacity of the external variable displacement compressor is reduced, the driving force required for driving is reduced, and the compressor can be driven sufficiently with a small electric motor.

Based on such a concept, the following technical means are employed in the inventions according to claims 1 to 3 to achieve the above object. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the compressor (4) is an external variable displacement compressor whose capacity can be arbitrarily varied from outside, and before starting the electric motor (9), the capacity of the compressor (4) is set to a predetermined value. It is characterized by a small low capacity state.

[0007] Thus, since the electric motor is started after the capacity of the compressor is reduced to a low capacity state, the driving force required to drive the compressor is smaller than when the capacity is large. Therefore, the compressor can be driven sufficiently when the compressor is driven by the electric motor without using a large electric motor having a large driving force.
As a result, the physical size of the electric motor can be reduced, and the mountability of the electric motor on a vehicle can be significantly improved.

[0008]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
3 will be described. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle that carries a load such as a truck. Further, in the truck in the present embodiment, the engine is stopped when the vehicle stops to prevent carrying out the luggage while the engine is driven.

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram of a drive device of a vehicle hybrid compressor according to this embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes an engine, which is a traveling drive source mounted on a vehicle. A drive pulley 2 is provided on an output shaft of the engine 1, and the drive pulley 2 is configured to rotate in conjunction with driving of the engine 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a well-known electromagnetic clutch as power intermittent means, and reference numeral 4 denotes a compressor which is a component of the refrigeration cycle 5 of the vehicle.

The drive shaft of the compressor 4 has a passive pulley 6
Is provided. The passive pulley 6 and the rotating shaft of the electromagnetic clutch 3 are coaxially arranged.
A belt 7 as a power transmission member is wound around the drive pulley 2 and the electromagnetic clutch 3. Thereby, when the electromagnetic clutch 3 is energized (ON) and is connected to the compressor 4 via the first passive pulley 6, the compressor 4 is driven by the engine 1.

The compressor 4 includes an electric motor 9 (DC motor) mounted on a vehicle other than the engine 1.
It is designed to be driven by. The electric motor 9 is driven by being supplied with electric power from a vehicle-mounted battery (not shown).
A drive pulley 10 is provided on an output shaft of the electric motor 9. The drive pulley 10 and the passive pulley 6
A belt 8 as a power transmission member is wound. That is, in the present embodiment, when the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9 when the engine 1 is stopped, the power supply to the electromagnetic clutch 4 is cut off (off), and the connection between the engine 1 and the compressor 4 is cut off. After that, the electric motor 9 is driven to drive the compressor 4.

Here, the refrigeration cycle 5 will be briefly described. First, in the present embodiment, the compressor 4 is constituted by an external variable displacement compressor which can arbitrarily change the discharge capacity from outside. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the compressor 4 is an external variable displacement compressor of a swash plate type, and controls the pressure Ps in a crank chamber (not shown) to change the swash plate angle and to vary the displacement. It has a valve mechanism 4a.

The refrigeration cycle 5 includes, in addition to the compressor 4, a condenser 11 for condensing and liquefying the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 4, and a receiver 11 for separating the condensed and liquefied refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant. It is a well-known device comprising a liquid device 12, an expansion valve 13 for expanding and reducing the liquid-phase refrigerant from the liquid receiver 12, and an evaporator 14 for evaporating and expanding the expanded refrigerant.

The evaporator 14 constitutes a cooling heat exchanger of the vehicle air conditioner 100 for air-conditioning the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle air conditioner 100 is a well-known one, and will be briefly described. The vehicle air conditioner 100 has an air conditioner case 101 forming an air passage to a vehicle interior. In the air conditioning case 101,
The air-conditioning blower fan 102 and the evaporator 14 are housed and arranged. A well-known heater core 103 that uses engine cooling water as a heat source, a well-known air mix door 104 that adjusts the temperature of conditioned air, and the like are provided downstream of the evaporator 14.

The above-described electromagnetic clutch 3, compressor 4 and electric motor 9 are controlled by a control device 15 (hereinafter, referred to as ECU) which is a well-known computer means. The ECU 15 is configured to be supplied with electric power from a vehicle-mounted battery (not shown) when an ignition switch 16 serving as a switch unit that enables the vehicle to travel is turned on.

The ECU 15 is connected as output terminals to a clutch control circuit 17, a motor drive circuit 18, and a capacity control circuit 19. And, the electromagnetic clutch 3
Are controlled by the ECU 15 through the clutch control circuit 17. The electric motor 9 is
It is controlled by the ECU 15 through the motor drive circuit 18. The electromagnetic control valve mechanism 4a of the compressor 4 is controlled by the ECU 15 through the capacity control circuit 19.

The ECU 15 also has an external temperature sensor 20 as means for detecting the outside temperature (outside temperature) as an input terminal, an inside temperature sensor 21 as a means for detecting the inside temperature (inside temperature), and a vehicle interior as input terminals. A solar radiation sensor 22, which is a means for detecting the amount of solar radiation incident on the vehicle, and a temperature setting device 23 for setting a set temperature in the vehicle compartment are connected. The ECU 15 further includes a vehicle speed sensor 24 as a means for detecting a vehicle speed, an air conditioner switch 25 for automatically controlling the vehicle air conditioner 100 based on signals from the sensors 20 to 22, the temperature setting device 23, and the evaporator 14. A temperature sensor 26 for detecting the temperature of the air immediately after the passage (temperature after the evaporator) is connected. In the present embodiment, the air conditioner switch 2
For the first time when the compressor 4 is turned on,
In addition, the air-conditioning fan 102 is automatically driven and controlled.

Next, the control contents of the ECU 15 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart is executed when the ignition switch is turned on. First, in step S30, information reading is performed, and the sensors 20 to 22, 24,
25 and the signal from the temperature setting device 23 are read and stored.

Thereafter, in step S40, it is determined whether or not the air conditioner switch 25 is on. When the air conditioner switch 25 is off, the vehicle air conditioner 10
It is not necessary to operate 0 to air-condition the interior of the vehicle, so the process proceeds to step S50, where the electric motor 9 is stopped and the electromagnetic clutch 3 is turned off. Thus, the compressor 4 is stopped.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S40 that the air conditioner switch 25 is ON, the process proceeds to step S60. In step S60, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 24 is 0. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is not 0, that is, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, the process proceeds to step S70, and the electromagnetic control valve mechanism 4a At compressor 4
After performing the capacity control, the process proceeds to step S70, where the engine is driven and the electromagnetic clutch 3 is turned on to drive the compressor 4.

Here, the capacity control in step S70 will be briefly described. Outlet temperature TA
Calculate O. Then, based on the target outlet temperature TAO, the target air temperature TEO immediately after passing through the evaporator 14 is obtained.
To determine. Note that the target air temperature TEO is determined so as to increase as the target outlet temperature TAO increases, as shown in FIG.

Then, in the above-mentioned electromagnetic control valve mechanism 4a,
The temperature detected by the temperature sensor 26 is equal to the target air temperature TE.
The capacity of the compressor 4 is controlled to be O. Accordingly, the capacity of the compressor increases as the target air temperature TEO increases. By doing so, the target air temperature TEO is considered to be the cooling load in the vehicle cabin. Therefore, when the cooling load is reduced, the discharge capacity of the compressor 4 is reduced, and the load on the engine 1 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, before starting the engine 1 and driving the compressor 4, step S
After the displacement control is performed at 70 and the displacement of the compressor 4 is set to a predetermined amount, the engine 1 is started and the electromagnetic clutch 3 is turned on at step S80. on the other hand,
If the vehicle speed is determined to be 0 in step S60, for example, if the truck arrives at the destination and stops, step S60
At 90, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in the cool-down state, that is, whether or not the cooling load (required cooling capacity) in the vehicle compartment is larger than a predetermined value (predetermined required capacity).

Here, step S6 in the present embodiment.
The specific determination contents of 0 are as follows. In the present embodiment, for example, when the outside air temperature is very high, such as in summer, for example, when the outside air temperature is 30 ° C. or higher, and when the temperature in the vehicle interior is high, for example, 30 ° C. or higher, when the cooling load is larger than a predetermined value. is there. In other words, it is determined whether or not the capacity of the compressor 4 is larger than a predetermined capacity between the settable maximum value and the minimum value, thereby determining whether the refrigerant circulation amount of the refrigeration cycle 5 is larger than the predetermined value. Has been determined. The compressor 4 in the present embodiment can only detect the capacity indirectly, and estimates the capacity based on the outside air temperature and the inside air temperature as described above.

If the cooling load in the cabin is larger than the predetermined value, step S7 is performed according to the cooling load in the cabin.
Proceeding to 0 and 80, the capacity control is performed. If the cooling load in the passenger compartment is smaller than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S
Proceeding to 100, the engine 1 is stopped, and the electromagnetic clutch 4 is also turned off. As described above, in the present embodiment, if the cooling load is smaller than a predetermined value when the truck stops at the destination of the luggage and the vehicle speed becomes 0, for example, when the ignition switch 16 is on, the engine is automatically turned on. 1 is stopped. For example, when the truck arrives at the destination and stops the vehicle to carry out the luggage, the engine 1 does not need to be driven. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle stops, the engine 1
Is stopped, so that exhaust gas is not exhausted from the engine 1 during the above operation, and pollution of the atmosphere can be prevented. Also, when the vehicle stops due to waiting for a traffic light or the like, the engine 1 is similarly stopped.

However, when the engine 1 is stopped as described above, the compressor 4 that has been driven is stopped, so that the refrigerant does not circulate in the refrigeration cycle 5 and the cooling capacity of the vehicle air conditioner becomes zero. Therefore, the air conditioning in the passenger compartment cannot be continuously performed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the cooling load is smaller than the predetermined value, the electric motor 9 is started and the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9. That is, when the cooling load is smaller than the predetermined value, the capacity of the compressor 4 is smaller than the predetermined capacity,
Is small, the driving force for driving the compressor 4 is small. Therefore, in this case, the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9 having a small driving force.

On the other hand, when NO is determined in step S50 and the cooling load is larger than the predetermined value, the capacity of the compressor 4 is also larger than the predetermined capacity. 4
The driving force for driving the motor increases. Therefore, in this case, even if the vehicle stops, the engine 1 having a large driving force can be used.
The compressor 4 is driven.

By doing so, the compressor can be driven by the small electric motor 9, and the mountability of the electric motor 9 on the vehicle can be improved. Further, in this embodiment, the compressor 4 is of an external variable capacity type,
Since the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9 when the cooling load is smaller than the predetermined value, that is, when the capacity is smaller than the predetermined capacity, the driving force for driving the compressor 4 is smaller than when the compressor 4 is of a fixed capacity type. Small enough. As a result, in the present embodiment, the size of the electric motor 9 can be made smaller than when the compressor 4 is of a fixed displacement type.

The compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9 in this manner. In this embodiment, before the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9, step S is executed.
Low capacity control such as 110 is performed. That is, in step S110, the electric motor 9 is started after forcibly setting the capacity of the compressor 4 to the minimum discharge capacity (low capacity state) by the electromagnetic control valve mechanism 4a. As a result, the capacity of the compressor 4 is reduced, and the driving force for driving the compressor 4 is smaller than when the capacity is large.

Therefore, the compressor 4 is controlled by the electric motor 9.
, The compressor 4 can be driven sufficiently without using a large electric motor having a large driving force.
As a result, the size of the electric motor 9 can be further reduced, and the mountability of the electric motor 4 in a vehicle can be significantly improved. Although not shown in the present embodiment, once the compressor 4 is driven by the electric motor 9, the low capacity state is maintained until the engine 1 is driven again. At this time, the rotation speed of the electric motor 9 (compressor 4) is constant.

As a result, even if the refrigeration cycle 5 cannot exhibit the required cooling capacity for sufficiently cooling the passenger compartment, the cooling of the vehicle can be continued to some extent. Therefore, for example, when the truck is loading and unloading the luggage in summer, the temperature rise of the cabin can be reduced, and the discomfort given to the occupant after the unloading of the luggage can be alleviated.

Then, in the present embodiment, step S13
At 0, it is determined whether the drive continuation time of the electric motor 9 has elapsed a predetermined time T. If the predetermined time T (for example, 2 minutes) has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S140, and the electric motor 9 is stopped. This can prevent the battery from running down due to the electric motor 9. When the vehicle is driven by driving the engine 1 again while the compressor 4 is being driven by the electric motor 9, for example, the ignition switch 16 is turned off once, and the ignition switch 1 is turned on again.
By turning on 6, the engine 1 is started.

When the engine 1 is restarted,
If the vehicle speed is 0, the engine 1 stops immediately. Therefore, once the ignition switch 16 is turned on, it is preferable that the engine 1 is not stopped for a predetermined time even if the vehicle speed is 0. (Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, the refrigeration cycle 5 is for cooling a cabin of a vehicle.
For example, it may be for a freezer car or a refrigerator car. In this case, the freezing room and the refrigerator compartment can be continuously cooled when the vehicle stops and carries out an operation such as carrying out a load.

The present invention may be applied to an electric vehicle running by an electric motor, or to a so-called hybrid vehicle which can run by an electric motor or an engine according to running conditions. Further, the present invention may be applied to a vehicle in which an engine dedicated to power generation is mounted, an electric motor is driven by electric power generated by the engine, and the electric motor is used as a driving power source.

In each of the above embodiments, the electric motor 9
Although the number of revolutions is constant, the number of revolutions may be varied according to, for example, a cooling load. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the capacity of the compressor 4 is set to the minimum value that can be set before the electric motor 9 is started. However, the present invention is not limited to this. And may be between the capacities.

In each of the above embodiments, when the engine 1 is driven, the electric motor 9 always rotates together. Therefore, an electromagnetic clutch or the like is further provided between the compressor 4 and the electric motor 9 so that the engine 1
, The connection between the electric motor 9 and the compressor 4 may be disconnected. In the above embodiments, the electric motor 9 is a DC motor, but may be an AC motor.

In each of the above embodiments, the compressor 4 is of the swash plate type. However, the compressor 4 may be of a school type or any type. In the above embodiments, the electric motor 9 is a DC motor, but may be an AC motor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control contents of an ECU 15 in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a target air temperature TAO and a target air temperature TEO in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Engine, 4 ... Compressor, 5 ... Refrigeration cycle,
9 ... Electric motor, 15 ... ECU.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vehicular compressor control device configured to drive a compressor of a refrigeration cycle (5) of a vehicle by an electric motor (9) mounted on the vehicle. A vehicle having an external variable displacement compressor capable of arbitrarily varying the displacement of the compressor, wherein the displacement of the compressor (4) is set to a low displacement state smaller than a predetermined value before starting the electric motor (9). Control device for compressor. 2. The control apparatus for a vehicle compressor according to claim 1, wherein said capacity is set to a minimum settable low capacity state. 3. The compressor (1) of the vehicle is driven by either the engine (1) mounted on the vehicle or the electric motor (9), and the vehicle can run. When the vehicle stops, the engine (1) is stopped when the vehicle is stopped by the switch means (16). The motor (9) drives the compressor (4).
Or a control device for a vehicle compressor according to 2.