JP2005088724A - Defogging device and air-conditioner electronic control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a defogging device capable of immediately defogging a window when quick defogging is needed, for example, because of sudden occurrence of a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment. <P>SOLUTION: This defogging device 1 includes a window opening/closing detection part 7 for detecting opening and closing motions of the vehicle window. A determination part 9, when the window opening/closing detection part 7 detects the opening and closing motions even if it determines no need of defogging, determines it as need of defogging so that a defogging means 3 may operate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a defroster or other automobile defogging device and an air conditioner electronic control device.

  Some of these types of defogging devices are based on the detection results of a detection sensor that detects the state of fogging environmental factors inside and / or outside the vehicle (for example, temperature differences inside and outside the vehicle, humidity inside the vehicle, etc.). There is a type of determining whether or not it is necessary to remove the fog on the window and removing the fog on the vehicle window according to the determination result. Incidentally, there is Patent Document 1 as a background art regarding defogging.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-178885

  In the defogging apparatus as described above, when the state of the cloudy environmental factor inside or outside the vehicle suddenly changes due to boarding immediately after eating or exercising, eating and drinking in the vehicle, or sudden change in weather, etc., the state of the cloudy environmental factor suddenly changes. For example, it takes a certain amount of time to reach the detection sensor, so that the detection of the detection sensor cannot catch up with the sudden change, and there is a drawback that the start of the window defogging operation may be delayed accordingly. .

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a defogging device and a related technology for quickly removing defogging of a window even when the fogging environment factor inside and outside the vehicle room suddenly changes and the defogging of the window suddenly becomes necessary. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 includes a defogging means for removing fogging of a vehicle window, a detection sensor for detecting the state of a fogging environment factor inside and / or outside the vehicle, and Determination means for determining whether or not defogging is necessary from the detection result of the detection sensor; and control means for operating the defogging means when the determination means determines that defogging is necessary. And a window opening / closing operation detecting means for detecting an opening / closing operation of the window of the vehicle, wherein the determination means determines that it is not necessary to remove the fog according to the detection result of the detection sensor. Even in this case, if the window opening / closing operation is detected by the window opening / closing operation detecting means, it is determined that it is necessary to remove the fog.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the determination means calculates a defogging index from the detection result of the detection sensor, and needs to remove defogging depending on whether or not the defogging index is greater than a preset threshold value. The number of times that the opening / closing operation of the window is detected and it is determined that defogging is necessary exceeds the predetermined number of times when the defogging index is not greater than the threshold value. And a threshold value correcting means for correcting the threshold value to a lower threshold value.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the determination means and the control means according to the first aspect, or the determination means, the control means and the threshold value correction means according to the second aspect are incorporated in an air conditioner electronic control device. It is a thing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when it is determined that the detection result of the detection sensor does not require the defogging, the defogging is necessary when the window opening / closing operation is detected by the window opening / closing operation detecting means. Therefore, even if the condition of the cloudy environment factor inside and outside the vehicle changes suddenly and the detection sensor cannot catch up with the sudden change, it can be detected from the window opening and closing operation that it is necessary to remove the fog. As a result, even if the state of the cloudy environmental factor inside and outside the vehicle cabin changes suddenly and the window needs to be defrosted suddenly, the defrosting of the window is quickly performed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the opening / closing operation of the window is detected when the defogging index is not greater than the threshold and the number of times that it is determined that defogging is necessary exceeds a predetermined number, Since the threshold value is corrected to a lower threshold value, the threshold value can be automatically corrected to an appropriate value so that the necessity of defogging is appropriately determined based only on the magnitude relationship between the defogging index and the threshold value.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the air conditioner electronic control device includes the determination means and control means according to the first aspect, or the determination means, control means and threshold correction means according to the second aspect. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air conditioner electronic control device that exhibits the effect of the invention of claim 1 or the effect of the invention of claim 2.

<Embodiment>
The defogging device of this embodiment is configured as a defroster that removes defogging of a vehicle window using, for example, warm air from an in-vehicle air conditioner. As shown in FIG. 1, the defogging apparatus 1 includes an on-vehicle air conditioner (fogging removal means) 3 having a defogging function for blowing hot air toward a vehicle window to remove the fogging of the window, A temperature sensor (detection sensor) 5 that measures each temperature and detects a temperature difference between them (a state of a cloudy environment factor inside and / or outside the vehicle interior), and a window opening / closing operation detection that detects an opening / closing operation of the vehicle window And a determination unit (determination unit) 9 for determining whether or not the window needs to be defrosted based on the detection results of the temperature sensor 5 and the window opening / closing operation detection unit 7. And a control unit (control means) 11 that activates the defogging function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3 when it is determined by the determination unit 9 that defogging is necessary.

  Note that the determination unit 9 and the control unit 11 are configured to be incorporated in, for example, an ECU (air conditioner electronic control unit) 13 for air conditioner control of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3.

  As a normal determination process, the determination unit 9 calculates a defogging index (for example, an absolute value of a temperature difference inside and outside the vehicle interior) B from the detection result of the temperature sensor 5, and the mist index B is set to a preset threshold A. It is determined whether or not the window needs to be defrosted depending on whether or not it is larger.

  In addition, the determination unit 9 determines whether the defogging index B is not larger than the threshold value A (that is, the defogging is necessary in the normal determination process) as a determination process in a non-normal time (when the temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor suddenly changes). Even when it is determined that there is no fogging), when the window opening / closing operation is detected by the window opening / closing operation detection unit 7, it is determined that the fog removal needs to be performed so that the fog removal function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3 is activated. That is, when the opening operation of the window is detected when the defogging index B is not greater than the threshold A, the determination unit 9 causes the occupant to open the window in order to remove the mist due to some reason. It is determined that the opening operation has been performed, and it is determined that defogging is necessary. Further, if the window closing operation is detected when the defogging index B is not greater than the threshold value A, the determination unit 9 predicts that the window will be fogged because the window is closed due to rain or the like. Therefore, it is determined that defogging is necessary.

  Next, the operation of the ECU 13 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In step S <b> 1, the defogging index B is calculated from the detection result of the temperature sensor 5 by the determination unit 9. In step S2, the determination unit 9 compares the defogging index B with the threshold value A set in advance. As a result of the comparison, if the defogging index B is not greater than the threshold value A, the process proceeds to step S3. If the window opening / closing operation is not detected by the window opening / closing operation detecting unit 7 in step S3, the determining unit 9 detects the clouding of the window. It is determined that there is no need for removal, and the process returns to step S1. Then, steps S1 to S3 are repeated.

  Then, in the repetition, when the defogging index B becomes larger than the threshold value A at step S2 at time T1 in FIG. 3, it is necessary to remove the mist from the window by the determination unit 9 according to the normal determination process. Determination is made and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the control unit 11 that has received the determination result of the determination unit 9 activates the defogging function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3, and the process returns to step S1. The defogging function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3 is automatically stopped after being operated for a certain time by the control unit 11, for example.

  Further, in the repetition, when the opening / closing operation of the window is detected by the window opening / closing operation detection unit 7 at time S2 and T3 in FIG. If no window opening / closing operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S5 according to the non-normal determination process, and the threshold value A is temporarily reduced by a predetermined width by the determination unit 9 in step S5 (for example, threshold A ′ ( Temporarily reduced to <A)). In step S6, the determination unit 9 compares the threshold value A 'with the defogging index B.

  As a result of the comparison in step S6, when the defogging index B is larger than the threshold value A 'as shown at time T2 in FIG. 3, the determination unit 9 determines that the window needs to be defogged, and the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the determination unit 9 returns the threshold value A ′ to the original threshold value A. In step S8, the control unit 11 activates the defogging function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3 and the process returns to step S1. The defogging function of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3 is automatically stopped after being operated for a certain time by the control unit 11, for example.

  On the other hand, as a result of the comparison in step S6, when the defogging index B is not larger than the threshold value A ′ as shown at time T3 in FIG. 3, it is determined by the determination unit 9 that there is no need to defrost the window, and the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the determination unit 9 returns the threshold value A ′ to the original threshold value A, and the process returns to step S1.

  According to the defogging device 1 configured as described above, even when the defogging index B is not greater than the threshold value A, it is necessary to remove defog when the window opening / closing operation detecting unit 7 detects the window opening / closing operation. Even if the state of the cloudy environmental factor (in this case, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle interior) suddenly changes and the detection of the temperature sensor 5 cannot catch up with the sudden change, the cloudiness is caused by the opening / closing operation of the window. The need for removal can be detected, so that even if the condition of the cloudy environment factor inside and outside the vehicle interior changes suddenly and the window needs to be removed, the window can be removed quickly.

  In addition, when the window opening / closing operation is detected in the non-normal processing, the defogging is performed only when the threshold A is lowered by a constant width and the defogging index B is larger than the lowered threshold A ′. In the case where the window is opened and closed, the fog removal function of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 3 can be activated only when there is a possibility that the window is actually clouded. It is possible to prevent the defogging function from being activated.

  Moreover, since the determination part 9 and the control part 11 are built in ECU13, ECU13 which has said effect can be provided.

  In this embodiment, the temperature difference outside and inside the vehicle interior is used as a cloudy environment factor inside and / or outside the vehicle interior. However, the present invention is not limited to the temperature difference outside and inside the vehicle interior. The humidity, rainfall, etc. may be used.

<Modification>
As shown in FIG. 4, the defogging device 1B of this modified example is used when the defogging index B is not larger than the threshold A in addition to the configuration of the defogging device 1 of the above embodiment (see FIG. 1). A counter 17 that counts the number of times that the opening / closing operation of the window is detected and it is determined that defogging is necessary, and the count number of the counter 17 is, for example, a predetermined number of times during a certain travel distance (or during a certain time). For example, a threshold value correction unit (threshold correction unit) 19 is provided that determines that the set value of the threshold value A is too high when it exceeds N times and corrects the threshold value A to a lower threshold value A ″.

  The counter 17 and the threshold value correction unit 19 are configured together with the determination unit 9 and the control unit 11 in, for example, an ECU (air conditioner electronic control unit) 13B for air conditioner control of the in-vehicle air conditioner 3.

  Next, the operation of the ECU 13B will be described with reference to FIGS. The operation of the ECU 13 of this modification is obtained by adding steps S10 to S13, for example, after step S8 of the operation of the ECU 13 of the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 2) as shown in FIG.

  That is, after step S8, one count is added by the counter 17 at step S10 (that is, when the defogging index B is not larger than the threshold A at step S2, the opening / closing operation of the window is detected at step S6). 1 is added to the number of times determined that defogging is necessary).

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not the count number of the counter 17 exceeds a predetermined number (for example, N times). If the count number does not exceed the predetermined number, the process returns to step S1, and the count number exceeds the predetermined number. If YES, go to step S12. In step S12, the threshold value correction unit 19 corrects the threshold value A to a lower threshold value (for example, a threshold value lower by a predetermined width) A ″ as shown at time T4 in FIG. 3, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, it is determined whether the vehicle equipped with the defogging device 1B has traveled a certain distance (or whether a certain time has elapsed). That is, for example, when the defogging device 1B is activated or if it has already been reset in step S13 after the defogging device 13B is activated, the vehicle has traveled a certain distance (or a certain time has elapsed since the most recent reset) Is determined. In step S13, if the vehicle has not traveled a certain distance, the process returns to step S1 as it is. If the vehicle has traveled a certain distance, the count is reset to zero by the counter 17 in step S14, and the process returns to step S1. Then, the threshold value A ″ is used instead of the threshold value A, and steps S1 to S14 are repeated.

  According to the defogging device 1B configured as described above, when the defogging index B is not greater than the threshold A, the number of times that the opening / closing operation of the window is detected and it is determined that defogging is necessary is the predetermined number of times. When the threshold value is exceeded, the preset threshold value A is corrected to a lower threshold value A ″, so that it is automatically determined that the necessity of defogging is properly determined only by the magnitude relationship between the defogging index and the threshold value. Thus, the threshold value can be corrected to an appropriate value.

  In addition, since the determination unit 9, the control unit 11, the counter 17, and the threshold value correction unit 19 are built in the ECU 13B, the ECU 13B that exhibits the above effects can be provided.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a defogging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the flow of operation | movement of the fog removal apparatus of FIG. It is an example figure of the time fluctuation | variation of the defogging index | exponent B in the defogging apparatus of FIG. It is the structure schematic of the fog removal apparatus of a modification. It is a figure explaining the flow of operation | movement of the fog removal apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1B Fog removal apparatus 3 Car-mounted air conditioner 5 Temperature sensor 7 Window opening / closing operation detection part 9 Judgment part 11 Control part 13, 13B ECU
17 Counter 19 Threshold correction unit

Claims (3)

A defogging means for removing the fog of the vehicle window, a detection sensor for detecting the state of the fog environment factor inside and / or outside the vehicle, and whether or not the defogging is necessary from the detection result of the detection sensor. In a defogging apparatus comprising: a determination means for determining; and a control means for operating the defogging means when the deciding means determines that defogging is necessary.
Furthermore, a window opening / closing operation detecting means for detecting an opening / closing operation of the window of the vehicle is provided,
The determination means determines that defogging is necessary when the window opening / closing operation is detected by the window opening / closing operation detecting means even when it is determined that defogging is not necessary based on the detection result of the detection sensor. A defogging device characterized in that: The determination means determines whether or not defogging is necessary depending on whether or not the defogging index is greater than a preset threshold value by calculating a defogging index from the detection result of the detection sensor,
Further, when the number of times that the opening / closing operation of the window is detected and it is determined that defogging is necessary exceeds a predetermined number when the defogging index is not greater than the threshold, the threshold is set to a lower threshold. The defogging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a threshold correction unit for correcting.   An air conditioner electronic control device comprising the determination unit and the control unit according to claim 1 or the determination unit, the control unit and the threshold value correction unit according to claim 2.

Images