FR2813048A1 - HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING INSTALLATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a heating and air-conditioning installation (10) for a vehicle. It includes an air guiding casing (12) in or on which components are arranged which include a fan (14), possibly filters, at least a heat exchanger, air flow control elements, actuators (40, 42), and possibly sensors. It also includes control electronics (44) which can receive signals from an operation unit and are connected by power lines (46) and / or fiber optic cables to at least some of the components. According to the invention, the control electronics are arranged immediately in the vicinity of the air guide housing, for example mounted on an outer side of the housing (12) or integrated into a wall of the housing (12) or mounted on a housing. (16) fan or filter (22) or air distribution (30). This electronics can in particular consist of individual sub-units, arranged at different locations in the installation.

Description

The present invention relates to an installation for heating and

  air conditioning for a motor vehicle, referred to simply as a vehicle in the following, which includes an air guide casing, in which or on which components of the installation are arranged, in which the components include a fan, possibly filters, at least one heat exchanger, air flow control elements, actuators and possibly sensors, and which also include control electronics into which control signals can be entered by an operating unit and which is connected by electrical lines and / or fiber optic cables to at least some of the components of the installation. Current air conditioning systems are controlled or regulated by a control device which consists of a modular unit with an operating unit which is arranged in the center console or in the dashboard. The control and operating device comprises operating elements such as switches, push-buttons, rotary buttons, etc. by means of which settings can be entered by the user, for example a desired temperature, a desired distribution of air. The signals entered are processed electronically in the control device and are sent via electrical connections to the air conditioning device which includes an air guide housing in which filters, a heat exchanger, and adjustment elements are arranged. air flow, actuators and possibly sensors. The electrical components of the air conditioning system, for example sensors and actuators such as stepper motors for the air flow control elements as well as the fan, are electrically connected to each other via a

cable harness.

  Important factors for the structure of air conditioning systems are, on the one hand, the space which the air conditioning unit occupies in the vehicle and, on the other hand, the manufacturing costs of air conditioning systems. Actuators are being used more and more to operate air flaps and more and more sensors to perform a wide variety of functions, for example monitoring temperatures such as the temperature of the evaporator to avoid icing of the evaporator, monitor air flow rates, monitor air quality (particles, pollutants, odorants), etc. Actuators and sensors are generally accompanied by a greater amount of wiring and therefore increased costs. The increased use of electronic components also leads to very high communication complexity, for example by bus systems, so that the corresponding priority assignments and real-time work become increasingly difficult and

  risk of failure increases.

  It is the aim of the present invention to remedy the above drawbacks or at least

to reduce them.

  This object is achieved by an installation of the type mentioned in the introduction in which the control electronics are arranged immediately in the vicinity of the air guide housing. This eliminates the modular unit usually arranged so far between the operating device and the control device, and the control unit is supported on the operating device in the air conditioning casing or near it, that is ie where

  the air is conditioned and regulated in temperature.

  Since the dimensions of the operating device can now be much smaller, since it essentially only serves to hold the individual operating elements, it is possible to save space for other components, for example control modules voice, CD-ROM drives, navigation device, or the like. The overall control of the individual players and of the electrical components of the air conditioning installation is carried out by the electronic control which is arranged directly on the air conditioning installation, that is to say on the air guide housing. Such an air conditioning system can be used in various vehicles because the various operating devices can be connected in the simplest way to the air conditioning system which contains the control electronics for the most diverse vehicles. If the control electronics are programmable, air conditioning systems with various functions can be installed in different vehicles, these functions being programmable in the air conditioning system by software using its control electronics. This makes it possible to achieve considerably higher standardization and corresponding cost reductions. Variants are configured mainly by software. The structure of various air conditioning systems is the same, but their

functions differ.

  In addition, installation-specific data relating to sensors and actuators such as calibration data and characteristic fields can also be recorded, which considerably improves the quality of

regulation of each installation.

  The control electronics can, economically, either be mounted on an external side of the casing by screws or clamps or by gluing or the like, or be already integrated in a wall of the casing during the manufacture of the casing. air conditioning system, for example when

injection molding.

  The control electronics can be arranged in the most diverse locations, for example on a fan casing or an air distributor casing, on a fan casing, or a filter casing, or a

air distribution housing.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control electronics are made up of individual sub-units, which can be arranged at different locations in the installation. For example, a fan control unit can be arranged on a fan casing and a control unit for the air flow control elements can be arranged in the area of the actuators which are arranged in the air distribution casing. air. According to another example, the fan control unit and a fan power electronics, with power transistors to be cooled, can constitute separate modules which are connected by

power lines.

  An air quality control unit can be arranged on an air intake opening or on the fan casing or on the selection flap.

  fresh air / air in internal circulation.

  Furthermore, an evaporator temperature control unit can be arranged on the

  installation housing in the evaporator area.

  The control electronics or the various control units may comprise at least one rigid printed circuit board which can be fixed to the housing by screws, clamps or the like, or a flexible printed circuit board which can be fixed, d 'an appropriate way, for example by gluing on the housing. A flexible printed circuit board offers the advantage of being able to adapt to the contour of the air conditioning installation housing,

  which reduces the space occupied.

  All the electronic components of the air conditioning installation, including those of the control electronics such as electronic control sub-units and / or certain actuators and / or sensors are advantageously connected to each other via electrical lines which may consist of flat cables, which may for example be glued to the casing, or conductive tracks in thin film. The connections can also consist, for example, of optical fiber cables. Another embodiment consists of composite, rigid and flexible conductors, which include "rigid" parts for receiving the electronic components as a control, actuators or sensors and "flexible" parts consisting of conductive tracks, which provides the advantage of fewer contact locations. According to another possibility, the lines consist of stamped gratings which are surrounded by injection by the plastic material of the casing, which

  avoids separate laying of the wiring.

  According to an advantageous method, the actuators and / or the sensors are brought into contact with the conductors simultaneously during insertion into the housing, so that no separate plug is necessary, which saves on the one hand of material and on the other hand a considerable assembly time because the actuators and / or the individual sensors no longer have to be connected separately to the wiring by plug connections. According to another embodiment, the actuators, the sensors, are

  directly connected to the conductive tracks.

  When the control electronics are divided into individual sub-units, it is possible to make separate modules which can be mounted separately individually and which can then work as desired simply by being

  simply driven by electrical signals.

  The control electronics may for example include a separate fan control unit which is arranged on the fan casing which achieves an "intelligent" fan which requires only an electrical signal by means of which an air flow of instructions are for example communicated. The fan control unit is connected here to a fan power electronics and possibly to

  air flow sensors, for example anemometers.

  All the fan electronics form a closed circuit on its own, so that the "intelligent" fan can be regulated in a way

  self-contained to provide the desired air flow.

  It is also possible to design an evaporator temperature control unit which automatically controls the temperature of the evaporator, for example by means of an evaporator temperature sensor, an electronically controlled expansion valve and / or an adjustable condenser of refrigerant medium, in such a way as a predetermined evaporator temperature setpoint

is kept constantly tuned.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control electronics and / or the electronic control sub-units are programmable. It is

  indeed conceivable to assemble, from these sub-

  individual "intelligent" units, various air conditioning systems, each distinguished by their functions, these functions can be simply programmed by appropriate software in the sub-units. This therefore allows overall standardization

  considerable and therefore a considerable saving.

  The aims, features and advantages of the present invention set out above, as well as others, will become more apparent on reading the

  following description of preferred embodiments

  of the invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 both represent, in perspective view, embodiments of an air conditioning installation of the invention; Figs. 3 and 4 show, also in perspective views, possibilities of arrangement of the control electronics and the fan power electronics on a fan motor support; Figs. 5 to 7 are functional diagrams for controlling the air conditioning installation of the invention. An air conditioning installation 10 of the invention comprises a housing 12 for guiding air in or on which various components of the air conditioning installation are arranged. Figures 1 and 2 simply show a perspective view of such an air conditioning system, so that components mounted inside the air guide housing are not visible. The structure of the air conditioning system is known per se. A fan 14 is arranged in a casing 16 of

  fan surrounding a fan wheel 14.

  An air intake mouth 18 is arranged upstream of the fan on the air flow side, and a fan motor 54 is held in a fan motor support 20. The fan casing 16 is followed by a filter casing 22 in which one or more filters for cleaning the transported air are arranged. The filter housing 22 is itself followed by an air temperature adjustment housing 24 in which an evaporator 26 and a heating body 28 are arranged to cool and heat the air. The air temperature adjustment housing 24 is followed by an air distribution housing 30 in which the air is distributed to the various air outlets 32, 34, 36, 38. The air outlets can be closed by means of air shutters, for example shutters of the jealousy type. The individual air flaps and the flaps which are arranged inside the air temperature adjustment casing 24 and inside the air distribution casing 30, and are therefore invisible in the figures, can be operated by actuators, for example stepping motors. Only two stepper motors 40 and 42 are shown in

title of examples in Figs. 1 and 2.

  The evaporator 26 is connected, in a manner shown, in a refrigerant circuit which consists of a refrigerant compressor, a refrigerant condenser, an expansion valve, and supply lines. cooling medium

who connect them.

  The air conditioning installation further comprises an operating unit 80 which is arranged so as to be easily accessible in the vicinity of a vehicle user, preferably in the dashboard or in a center console, and which allows entry the desired setpoints for temperature and for air distribution and air flows. The operating unit 80 is connected by electrical lines and / or by optical fiber cables to a control electronics 44 in which control signals from the operating unit 80 can be processed. The control signals which come from the operating unit 80 are processed in the control electronics 84 and the corresponding components of the air conditioning system are then controlled correspondingly, as described more fully

detailed in the following.

  According to the present invention, the control unit 44 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the air guide housing 12. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the control electronics are arranged on the

  outer side of the air guide housing 12.

  The control electronics can for example include a rigid printed circuit board which can be fixed to the casing 12 in an appropriate manner by means of

  screws or pliers, or by gluing or the like.

  The control electronics 44 preferably comprises a flexible printed circuit board which can adapt to the contour of the casing, as indicated in the

Fig. 1 and in FIG. 2.

  As a variant, the control electronics 44 could also be arranged in other zones of the air guide casing 12 of the air conditioning system 10, for example on the air distribution casing 30, the casing 22 of filter or the

fan housing 16.

  According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the control electronics 44 could be injection molded into a casing wall during a plastic molding process.

  during the manufacture of the air guide housing 12.

  All the electronic components which are arranged in or on the air guide casing 12 are connected together by electrical lines 46, which can consist of flat cables which can be glued to the casing 12. As a variant, the lines 46 can also consist of conductive thin film tracks, which can also be glued to the casing 12. As a variant, the lines 46 can consist of optical fiber cables which can themselves

  also be glued to the housing 12.

  Alternatively, the lines may also consist of a stamped grid, which is surrounded by the plastic material of the casing 12 and which is included in the walls of the casing during the manufacturing process

housing 12.

  All the actuators 40, 42 as well as possible sensors, for example an evaporator temperature sensor which measures the temperature of the air after the evaporator, are configured here in such a way that they can have their contacts with the lines 46 can be established by simultaneous insertion into the casing 12, so that an insertion opening in the casing 12 simultaneously constitutes a plug for establishing the electrical contacts. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show an advantageous arrangement of the control electronics 44 in which the control electronics 44 is arranged in the region of the fan casing 16. Fig. 2 shows a first arrangement in which the control electronics 44 is arranged on the external side of the support 20 of the fan motor. Fig. 2 also shows fan power electronics 48 which includes power transistors 50 to be cooled which must therefore be arranged so as to project into the air stream transported by the fan 14 so that it cools them. Figs. 3 and 4 simply show the fan motor support 20 in which a fan motor 54 is arranged. In Fig. 3, the control electronics 44 is arranged in a secondary air suction channel 52, with the power electronics 46 of the fan and the power transistors 50 to be cooled. In Fig. 4, the control electronics 44 and the power electronics 48 of the fan are arranged separately from each other on the internal side of the support 20 of

fan motor.

  In embodiments which are not shown in more detail, the control electronics 44 consist of individual sub-units which can be arranged separately at different locations in the air guide housing 12 of

the air conditioning system 10.

  The individual subunits, the functions of which are explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 5 to 7, may include a fan control unit, an air quality control unit, an evaporator temperature control unit and a unit

  air distribution control.

  Figures 5 to 7 show identical block diagrams for controlling the air conditioning system 10 of the invention, in which elements which functionally belong respectively to a sub-unit are printed in bold in each of the figures. These coherent sets are simply presented as examples and could include other elements and / or signals. The operating modes described below are also given only by way of examples. Other functions of the subunits

individual are conceivable.

  For example, the fan control unit of FIG. 5 comprises, on the output side, the fan 14 and a fan regulator 14a which obviously includes the power electronics 48, and on the input side, an external temperature sensor 60, a medium temperature sensor 62 refrigerant, an instrument 64 for measuring vehicle speed, a cabin temperature sensor 66 and a solar sensor 68, as well as corresponding functional areas of the control electronics 44. The maneuvering unit 80 makes it possible to adjust the ventilation power, either manually or via the control electronics when an automatic mode is engaged. In automatic mode, fan control is mainly determined by the difference between the setpoint temperature

  the passenger compartment and the actual passenger compartment temperature.

  In case of a large deviation, the fan power is increased. On the other hand, the power of the fan is reduced when the temperature of the cooling water is for example less than 50 ° C. and the air conditioning installation operates in the "heating" mode, or when the vehicle speed is increased. The fan power can be

  increased as the solar radiation increases.

  Other deviations from the "normal" fan regulation would be conceivable, for example when a determined position of shutters is adjusted or when the fan has an offset which depends

of the external temperature.

  Fig. 6 shows in bold lines the components corresponding to an air quality control unit, which includes an external temperature sensor 60, as well as a multifunction sensor 70 which detects, for example, pollutants such as CO, CO2, NOx , suspended matter in the air such as soot and dust, and odorous matter and which includes on the outlet side the control of an actuator 72 of a fresh air / air flap in internal circulation as well as a actuator 76 of a shutter 78 of filters and corresponding elements of the control electronics 74. The air quality control control unit can operate independently of the inputs of the operating device 80 in an automatic mode which can be engaged in such a way that the operating device 80 always guarantees optimum air quality, regardless of the set values. In this mode, for example, the proportion of air circulating inside can be changed for high external temperatures, in order to be able to cool the passenger compartment more quickly and for a less need of cooling power, without influencing the quality of the air in the passenger space. When the outside air contains high levels of pollutants, the installation is switched to operation with internal air circulation. A return to fresh air operation can take place automatically after a preprogrammable period of time, depending on the external temperature. Fig. 7 shows in bold lines the components which can be joined functionally to constitute an evaporator temperature control unit. These include an evaporator temperature sensor 82, the external temperature sensor 60, a pressure and coolant temperature sensor 84, a battery voltage sensor 86, a motor rotation speed sensor 88, the refrigerating medium temperature sensor 62 as well as the multifunctional sensor, pollutant element sensor 70. On the external side, the evaporator temperature regulation includes the refrigerating medium compressor 90, possibly a thermostatic expansion valve 92 and a heating valve not shown, an electric aerator 94 which drives air through the condenser of the refrigerant medium circuit, as well as an actuator 96 which operates a flap 98 of air mixture which is arranged in the casing 24 air temperature adjustment. When cooling operation is activated, the temperature control of the evaporator can perform several functions. For a relative humidity content of the air from 0 to 50%, for example, the air mixing flap is adjusted in such a way that the air conditioning system does not operate in reheat operation, or reheat according to the Anglo-Saxon term. For a relative humidity content of the air of 50 to 85%, algorithm, the installation performs a slight heating effect with regulation of uniformization of the temperature of the evaporator between 0 and 12 C for example, and it performs a complete warming effect for a relative humidity of 85 to 100%. The evaporator temperature is set to a minimum value. The functional units which belong to the evaporator temperature control make it possible to monitor the filling state of the refrigerating medium, because the state of the refrigerating medium can be determined by calculation from the pressure and the temperature of the cooling medium determined by the sensor 84 downstream of the compressor, by means of a curve 44 recorded in the control electronics, so that the cooling operation can be abandoned

  when the filling state is insufficient to protect the air conditioning system.

FIGURE LEGENDS

  Fig. 5 to 7 Central part and bus 44 = control electronics Eingangsignale = input signals Ausgangsignale = output signals Subbus = Klimabus sub-bus = air conditioning bus First column 82 = evaporator temperature sensor = external temperature sensor 84 = coolant pressure and temperature indicator 86 = battery voltage 88 = engine speed indicator 62 = coolant temperature sensor 64 = vehicle speed 66 = internal air temperature sensor 68 = solar sensor 70 = multifunction sensor (CO, NOx) dew point sensor second column signal detection and control module engine control device Combination instrument control device third column internal air temperature sensor before last column detection module signals and control device 14a = fan regulator Last column: = Millet compressor refrigerant part Hot water circulation pump Rear window heating 94 = electric air / motor ventilator 14 = air conditioning fan 74 = fresh air / circulating air flap 78 = active carbon filter flap 98 = mixing flap d air defrost flap

  foot space flap ventilation flap.

Claims (19)

  1. A heating and air conditioning installation (10) for a vehicle which includes an air guiding casing (12) in or on which installation components (10) are arranged, which include a fan (14) , possibly filters, at least one heat exchanger, air flow control elements, actuators (40, 42), and possibly sensors, and further includes control electronics (44) which can receive control signals sent by an operating unit (80) and which is connected by electrical lines (46) and / or fiber optic cables to at least some of the components of the installation (10), characterized in that the control electronics (44) is arranged immediately in the vicinity of the air guide housing (12). 2. Installation (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control electronics (44)   is mounted on an outer side of the housing (12).   3. Installation (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control electronics (44) is integrated in a wall of the casing (12), for example by being injected simultaneously during an injection molding process, during manufacturing. 4. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control electronics (44) is arranged on a fan housing (16) (14).   5. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control electronics (44) is arranged on a filter housing (22).   6. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control electronics (44) is arranged on a air distribution housing (30).   7. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control electronics (44) consists of   individual units, which are arranged in different   installation locations (10).   8. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that a   fan control unit (14) is arranged on a fan casing (16) (14).   9. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the fan control unit (14) and a fan power electronics (48) (14), with power transistors (50) to be cooled, constitute separate modules which are connected by lines electric (46).   10. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that a   air quality control unit is arranged on an air intake port or on the fan casing (16) or on the fresh air / air shutter. internal circulation.   11. Installations according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that a   evaporator temperature control unit (26) is arranged on the casing (24) of the installation (10)   in the evaporator area (26).   12. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control electronics (44) or the various control units include at least one rigid printed circuit board which can be attached to the housing by screws, pliers or the like.   13. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   the control unit (44) comprises at least one flexible printed circuit board which can be fixed to the casing in an appropriate manner, for example by gluing. 14. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the   electronic control sub-units and / or certain actuators (40,42, 72, 76) and / or sensors are connected to each other via electrical lines (46) and / or fiber optic cables which consist of cables flat and which are glued to the housing. 15. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the   lines (46) consist of stripes in the form of tracks conductive thin film.   16. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the   lines (46) consist of stamped grids which are surrounded by the plastic of the housing during injection molding.   17. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the   actuators (40,42, 72, 76) and / or the sensors are brought into contact with the conductors simultaneously during insertion into the housing.   18. Installation (10) according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the   actuators (40,42, 72, 76) and / or the sensors are brought into contact with the conductors before mounting in the housing.   19. Installation (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that   the control electronics and / or the electronic control sub-units (44) are programmable.