JP2004181999A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle capable of ventilating the inside of a car interior by generating negative ions and positive ions under a condition suitable for survival of virus and breeding of mold. <P>SOLUTION: An automatic air conditioner amplifier 30 is driven by making a driving mode of an ion supply device 16 a clean mode (step S605∼S611, S615∼S619) during specified time (step S615) when humidity W in the car interior detected by a humidity sensor 42 is less than W1 or more than W2 (step S603 denied) even in the case when odor intensity S in the car interior detected by an odor sensor 41 is less than S1 (step S602 denied). T1 is a value previously set which is required for extinction of influenza virus and the mold in the air conditioner AC for the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that can blow air containing ions into a vehicle cabin.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art There is known an air purifier including an ion generator capable of switching between an operation mode for generating negative ions and an operation mode for generating negative ions and positive ions (see Patent Document 1). This air purifier includes an odor sensor, and controls an operation mode according to the intensity of the odor.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-216933 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, with conventional air purifiers, viruses and mold cannot be detected by the odor sensor, so that it is not always possible to set the operation mode to generate positive ions even under conditions suitable for virus survival and mold propagation. Was.
[0005]
The present invention provides a vehicle air conditioner that can generate positive ions and blow air into a vehicle cabin under conditions suitable for survival of viruses and propagation of mold.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention includes an ion generating means for generating ions, a blower fan for blowing ions generated from the ion generating means together with the conditioned air into a vehicle interior, a humidity sensor for detecting humidity, and a humidity sensor. When the detected humidity in the vehicle cabin indicates a predetermined value suitable for the survival of viruses and the growth of mold, control means for controlling the ion generating means so as to generate at least positive ions from the ion generating means. Features.
[0007]
【The invention's effect】
The air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention is configured such that when the detected humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor indicates a predetermined value suitable for the survival of a virus or the growth of mold, ions are generated so that at least positive ions are generated from the ion generating means. Control the generating means. Thereby, under conditions suitable for the survival of the virus and the propagation of mold, positive ions can be generated and blown into the vehicle interior, so that the interior of the vehicle interior can be cleaned.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention blows conditioned air containing positive ions into a vehicle compartment at a predetermined low humidity or high humidity. This will be described below with reference to FIGS.
---overall structure---
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle air conditioner AC according to an embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner AC includes, in its case 10, a blower motor 12 for driving a fan 11, an evaporator 13 for dehumidifying and cooling air blown by the fan 11, and a blown air dehumidified and cooled by the evaporator 13. The apparatus includes a heater core 14 for heating, an air mix door 15 for adjusting an air distribution ratio to the heater core 14, and an ion supply device 16 for generating charged ions.
[0009]
The types of ions generated by the ion supply device 16 include positive ions and negative ions. Positive ions are effective for odor decomposition and bacteria elimination. In addition, negative ions have the effect of relaxing humans. Therefore, the ion supply device 16 changes the type of ions to be generated depending on the operation mode. That is, negative ions are generated in the refresh mode, and positive ions and negative ions are generated in the clean mode. The change of the operation mode will be described later.
[0010]
The blown air pressurized and blown by the fan 11 driven by the blower motor 12 controlled by the voltage passes through the evaporator 13 and is dehumidified and cooled. The air that has passed through the evaporator 13 is distributed to air that passes through the heater core 14 and air that does not pass through the heater core 14 at an air distribution ratio determined by the air mix door 15. The air distributed by the air mixing door and passing through the heater core 14 and the air not passing through the heater core 14 merge again downstream of the heater core 14 and are supplied into the vehicle cabin together with the ions generated by the ion supply device 16.
[0011]
The vehicle air conditioner AC includes a vent port 17 provided on an instrument panel of the vehicle and a vent port 17 for distributing conditioned air containing negative ions and positive ions generated by the ion supply device 16 into the vehicle. A vent duct 19 connected to the opening 17, a vent door 18 opening and closing the vent duct 19, a differential opening 20, a differential duct 22 connected to the differential opening 20, a differential door 21 opening and closing the differential duct 22, and a foot opening 23. , A foot duct 25 connected to the foot opening 23, and a foot door 24 for opening and closing the foot duct 25.
[0012]
The vehicle air conditioner AC includes an auto air conditioner amplifier 30 and various heat load sensor groups 35 for detecting a heat load of the vehicle air conditioner AC. The automatic air-conditioning amplifier 30 calculates the air-conditioning operation conditions based on the information from the thermal load sensor group 35 so that the temperature in the passenger compartment becomes the set temperature set by the occupant. Based on the calculated air-conditioning operation conditions, the auto air-conditioner amplifier 30 controls the voltage VF of the blower motor 12 so as to obtain a predetermined air volume, and also controls the opening degree M of the air mix door 15 and the opening degree of each of the doors 18, 21, and 24. Control the degree. The auto air conditioner amplifier 30 controls the operation mode of the ion supply device 16.
[0013]
The opening M of the air mix door 15 and the voltage VF of the blower motor 12 are represented by the following equations.
(Equation 1)
M = f1 (Tw, Tam, Tin, Ts, Tptc, Q) (1)
(Equation 2)
VF = f2 (M) (2)
Here, Tw is the engine outlet water temperature, Tam is the outside air temperature, Tin is the vehicle interior temperature, Ts is the fan intake air temperature, Tptc is the vehicle set temperature, and Q is the amount of solar radiation. These are the heat of the vehicle air conditioner. This is a parameter related to load.
When M is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the air mix door 15 is fully opened.
[0014]
Further, the vehicle air conditioner AC includes an odor sensor 41 that detects the odor intensity in the vehicle compartment and a humidity sensor 42 that detects the humidity in the vehicle compartment. Each of the sensors 41 and 42 detects the state of the vehicle, and outputs an output signal as a detection result to the auto air conditioner amplifier 30.
[0015]
In the vehicle air conditioner AC having the above-described configuration, the voltage (rotation speed) of the blower motor 12 and the opening of the air mix door 15 and the doors 18, 21, and 24 are controlled by the auto air conditioner amplifier 30, so that the interior of the vehicle interior reaches the set temperature. The air volume and temperature are adjusted so that the air is blown (air-conditioned air) containing ions into the vehicle interior. As will be described later, the vehicle air conditioner AC changes the operation mode of the ion generator 16 by determining the odor intensity in the vehicle compartment and the humidity in the vehicle compartment.
[0016]
――― Operation of vehicle air conditioner AC ―――
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation of an air conditioning operation program executed by the vehicle air conditioner AC. The program shown in FIG. When the ignition switch is turned on and the air-conditioning switch (not shown) is turned on in a state where power is supplied to the automatic air-conditioning amplifier 30 of the vehicle air conditioner AC, the program in FIG. 2 starts operating. In step S100, the previous operation state of the vehicle air conditioner AC stored in the memory (not shown) of the auto air conditioner amplifier 30 is read, and the process proceeds to step S200. In step S200, based on the previous operation state of the vehicle air conditioner AC read in step S100, the detection signal from the heat load sensor group 35, and the state signals of operation switches (not shown) such as the air volume and the set temperature. Then, the blowing temperature of the blown air is calculated.
[0017]
In step S300, the opening degree M of the air mix door 15 corresponding to the blowing temperature calculated in step S200 is calculated based on the above equation (1), and the process proceeds to step S400. In step S400, the voltage VF (target blower motor voltage) of the blower motor 12 is calculated based on the equation (2), and the process proceeds to step S500. In step S500, the outlet is determined based on the M and VF calculated in each step, the input signal from the thermal load sensor group 35, and the state signal of each operation switch (not shown), and the process proceeds to step S600. In the subroutine of step S600, the operation mode of the ion supply device 16 is determined according to the state of the vehicle interior detected by the odor sensor 41 and the humidity sensor 42, and the process proceeds to step S700. The subroutine of step S600 will be described later. In step S700, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner AC is started based on the result calculated in each step, and the process returns to step S100.
[0018]
――― Operation mode of ion generator 16 ―――
In order to decompose the odor when the odor intensity in the vehicle compartment is high, and to kill viruses and mold when the humidity in the vehicle compartment is within a predetermined range, blast air containing positive ions is supplied into the vehicle compartment. Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner AC, as described later, the operation mode of the ion supply device 16 is controlled in accordance with the state of the vehicle interior detected by the odor sensor 41 and the humidity sensor 42.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program for determining the operation mode of the ion supply device 16. The processing by this program is performed in step S600. In step S601, a timer (not shown) is reset, and the mode flag is set to 0 (refresh mode). In step S602, it is determined whether or not the odor intensity N in the vehicle cabin detected by the odor sensor 41 is equal to or greater than N1. N1 is a strength that is determined in advance as being uncomfortable for the occupant. If step S602 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S611, the mode flag is set to 1 (clean mode), and the process proceeds to step S615.
[0020]
If a negative determination is made in step S602, the process proceeds to step S603, and it is determined whether the humidity W in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor 42 is within the range of W1 <W <W2. W1 is the upper limit value of the humidity that is suitable for the survival of the influenza virus, and is a value that is set in advance to 20% in the present embodiment. W2 is a lower limit value of humidity at which mold is liable to breed, and in this embodiment, is a value preset at 60% humidity. If a negative determination is made in step S603, the process proceeds to step S605, and it is determined whether the continuous operation time of the ion supply device 16 in the clean mode measured by a timer (not shown) is equal to or longer than a predetermined time T1.
[0021]
If a negative determination is made in step S605, the process proceeds to step S607. In step S607, it is determined whether or not the mode flag is 1 (clean mode). If a negative determination is made in step S607, the process proceeds to step S609, and it is determined whether the continuous operation time in the refresh mode of the ion supply device 16 measured by a timer (not shown) is equal to or longer than a predetermined time T2.
[0022]
If either step S603 or S605 is affirmatively determined, or if step S609 is negatively determined, the process proceeds to step S613, and the mode flag is set to 0 (refresh mode). If any of steps S602, S607, and S609 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S611, and the mode flag is set to 1 (clean mode). Then, in step S615, the operation mode of the ion supply device 16 is determined based on the mode flag set in step S611 or S613, and the process proceeds to step S617. In step S617, it is determined whether or not the mode flag has changed before and after execution of step S611 or step S613. If an affirmative determination is made in step S617, the flow advances to step S619, where a timer (not shown) is reset and restarted, and the flow returns to step S602. If a negative determination is made in step S617, the process returns to step S602.
[0023]
By the above-described subroutine of step S600, the vehicle air conditioner AC can determine the operation mode of the ion supply device 16 according to the state of the vehicle interior detected by the odor sensor 41 and the humidity sensor 42.
[0024]
According to the vehicle air conditioner described above, the following operation and effect can be obtained.
(1) When the odor intensity in the vehicle compartment is high (Yes at Step S602), the operation mode of the ion supply device 16 is set to operate in the clean mode (Steps S611 and S615). As a result, the odor unpleasant to the occupant can be decomposed in a short time to keep the passenger compartment comfortable.
(2) When the odor intensity in the passenger compartment is not strong, but the humidity is in a low humidity state below the predetermined value W1, or when the humidity is in a high humidity state above the predetermined value W2 (No in step S603). Then, the ion supply device 16 is operated in the clean mode for a predetermined time T1 (step S605) to kill influenza virus and mold. This makes it possible to clean the interior of the vehicle.
(3) After the ion supply device 16 has been operated in the clean mode for a predetermined time T1 (Yes at Step S605), the ion supply device 16 is operated for a predetermined time T2 in the refresh mode (Step S609). This makes it possible to keep the interior of the vehicle clean and comfortable.
(4) When the odor intensity in the vehicle interior is not strong and the vehicle interior humidity W is W1 <W <W2 (Yes in step S603), the ion supply device 16 is operated in the refresh mode (steps S613 and S615). Thereby, the interior of the vehicle can be kept comfortable.
[0025]
In the above description, when the ion supply device 16 is operated in the clean mode, the positive ions and the negative ions are supplied into the vehicle interior together with the air-conditioning air, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the ion supply device 16 is operated in the clean mode, only positive ions may be supplied to the vehicle interior together with the air-conditioning air.
[0026]
In the above description, the humidity values of 20% and 60% are used as the preset values of the predetermined humidity values W1 and W2, but the present invention is not limited to these values. In the above description, the predetermined time during which the ion supply device 16 is operated in the clean mode is T1 regardless of whether the humidity is equal to or less than the predetermined value W1 or the humidity is equal to or more than the predetermined value W2. Not limited to The predetermined time for operating the ion supply device 16 in the clean mode can be changed between when the humidity is equal to or less than the predetermined value W1 and when the humidity is equal to or more than the predetermined value W2.
[0027]
The ion supply device 16 may alternatively generate at least positive ions and negative ions. Further, the odor sensor 41 is not essential, and the charged state of ions may be changed according to humidity.
[0028]
In the above embodiment and its modifications, for example, the ion supply unit is realized by the ion supply device 16 and the control unit is realized by the auto air conditioner amplifier 30, respectively. Note that the present invention is not limited to the device configuration in the above-described embodiment, as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of a program executed in the vehicle air conditioner AC of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Case 11 Fan 12 Blower Motor 13 Evaporator 14 Heater Core 15 Air Mix Door 16 Ion Supply Device 17 Vent Port 18 Vent Door 20 Differential Port 21 Differential Door 23 Foot Port 24 Foot Door 30 Auto Air Conditioner Amplifier 35 Thermal Load Sensor Group 41 Odor Sensor 42 Humidity Sensor

Claims (6)

Ion generating means for generating ions,
A blower fan that blows the ions generated from the ion generating means into the passenger compartment together with the air-conditioning wind,
A humidity sensor for detecting humidity,
When the detected humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor indicates a predetermined value suitable for survival of virus and growth of mold, the ion generating means is controlled so as to generate at least positive ions from the ion generating means. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising: a control unit. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
The ion generating means has a first mode for generating only negative ions and a second mode for simultaneously generating positive ions and negative ions,
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the ion generating unit to be in the second mode when the humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor indicates the predetermined value. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
After controlling the ion generating means to generate positive ions, the control means stops generating positive ions after a certain period of time even if the humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor is the predetermined value. An air conditioner for a vehicle, characterized by controlling ion generating means. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2,
After controlling the ion generating means to be in the second mode, the control means may control the first mode after a certain period of time even if the humidity in the vehicle cabin detected by the humidity sensor is the predetermined value. An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein an ion generating means is controlled so as to be as follows. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The above-mentioned predetermined value is a low humidity area suitable for influenza virus survival or a high humidity area suitable for mold propagation. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 5,
The low-humidity region has a humidity of 20% or less,
The high-humidity area has a humidity of 60% or more.

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