JP2009166827A - Vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle air conditioner capable of reducing occurrence of noise when blocking means to be arranged in a rear seat duct is closed. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle air conditioner includes: a main air blower (12) for sending conditioned air into a cabin; a rear seat duct (32) for introducing conditioned air to a rear seat outlet (36) for a rear seat in the cabin; an auxiliary air blower (33) provided on the rear seat duct (32) to increase the volume of conditioned air to be blown to the rear seat; blocking means (34) arranged to be openable and closable at a downstream side of the auxiliary air blower (33) for the rear seat duct (32) to block conditioned air from blowing out from the rear seat outlet (36); opening and closing detection means (37a, 37b) for detecting an opening or closing state of the blocking means (34); and control means (100) for controlling to decrease the rotation speed of the auxiliary air blower (33) when the opening and closing detection means (37a, 37b) determine that the blocking means (34) is in a closed state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner that performs air conditioning in a vehicle interior.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle air conditioner that can supply conditioned air to the rear seat side in addition to the front seat side in the vehicle interior. This vehicle air conditioner has, as a supply system of conditioned air to the rear seat, a rear seat duct that distributes the conditioned air blown to the rear seat side, and an assist blower provided in the rear seat duct. is doing.

Furthermore, a flat-shaped blocking door for opening and closing the rear seat duct is provided at the rear seat outlet, which is the front end opening of the rear seat duct. The blocking door is rotatable about a rotation axis, and an operation knob disposed around the rear seat outlet is connected to the rotation axis. Accordingly, the blocking door can be opened and closed by manually operating the operation knob by the rear seat passenger.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-86138

  By the way, in the above configuration, when the shut-off door is closed by manual operation by the rear seat occupant, the assist blower continues to operate, and the pressure loss in the rear seat duct becomes extremely high. For this reason, an abnormal sound of “go” is generated, which gives rise to a problem that the passenger feels uncomfortable.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can reduce the occurrence of abnormal noise when the blocking means provided in the rear seat duct is closed.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air conditioner that is mounted on a vehicle and performs air conditioning in the vehicle interior, and the main blower (12) that blows conditioned air into the vehicle interior, and the conditioned air in the vehicle interior rear seat The rear seat duct (32) that circulates to the rear seat outlet (36), which is the side outlet, and the air volume of the conditioned air that is provided in the rear seat duct (32) and is blown to the rear seat side of the vehicle interior The auxiliary air blower (33) for increasing the air flow and the auxiliary air blower (33) of the rear seat duct (32) are provided on the downstream side so as to be openable and closable, and block the blowing of conditioned air from the rear seat air outlet (36). When the blocking means (34), the open / close detecting means (37a, 37b) for detecting the open / closed state of the blocking means (34), and the open / close detecting means (37) determine that the blocking means (34) is closed. The rotational speed of the auxiliary blower (33) than before the judgment. And a controlling means (100) for controlling so as to made.

  According to this configuration, when the blocking means (34) is in the closed state, the rotational speed of the auxiliary blower (33) is set lower than before, so that the pressure loss in the rear seat duct (32) is reduced. It is restrained and generation | occurrence | production of unusual noise in the duct (32) for rear seats can be reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 2, when it is determined that the shut-off means (34) is in the closed state, the control means (100) reduces the rotational speed of the main blower (12) more than before the determination. It is characterized by controlling as follows.

  Generally, when the air distribution to the rear seat outlet (36) is reduced, the air volume on the front seat side is increased, and the passenger feels uncomfortable. However, according to this configuration, when it is determined that the blocking means (34) is in the closed state and the rotational speed of the auxiliary blower (33) is reduced, the rotational speed of the main blower (12) is also reduced. The change in the air volume on the front seat side can be reduced, and the discomfort to the passenger can be reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the open / close detection means (37b) comprises a micro switch that is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the shut-off means (34). When the shut-off means (34) is in the closed state, the contact open state is established. When the means (34) is in the open state, it is a normally closed switch that maintains the contact closed state.

  Generally, at the final stage of the vehicle assembly line, when checking the connection of various sensor devices and open / close detection means (37b) mounted on the vehicle air conditioner, the main blower (12) and the auxiliary blower (33) In order to check operation, motor connector connection and the like at the same time, the shut-off means (34) is opened. In this configuration, since the open / close detection means (37b) is configured as a normally closed switch that maintains the contact closed state, that is, the energization on state when the blocking means (34) is in the open state, the energization is detected. Thus, it can be easily detected that the open / close detection means (37b) is correctly connected.

  For example, in the case of a switch that is in the contact open state (energized off state) when the blocking means (34) is in the open state, the state where the current is not energized is due to the contact open (normal), or the switch connector is poorly connected It cannot be determined whether or not For this reason, it is necessary to temporarily check the connection by closing the blocking means (34), and the inspection process becomes complicated. According to this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the complexity in the inspection process.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the control means (100) closes the shut-off means (34) when checking the function of the open / close detection means (37b) with the shut-off means (34) in the open state. When the state is recognized, an abnormality warning is performed.

  The “abnormality warning” can be implemented by, for example, displaying an error message on the air conditioner operation panel or sounding a buzzer sound. According to this configuration, in the inspection on the vehicle assembly line, the operator can easily recognize problems such as the malfunction of the opening / closing detection means (37b) and the connection failure of the switch connector.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means of embodiment description later mentioned.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle air conditioner 1 has an air conditioning case 10 that defines an air passage 11 through which air flows. The air conditioning case 10 is disposed inside the instrument panel in the front part of the vehicle interior.

  The air conditioning case 10 is provided with a centrifugal front blower (main blower) 12 that generates an air flow toward the vehicle interior in the air passage 11. The front blower 12 is controlled in operation by an air conditioning ECU 100 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, and rotates at a predetermined rotational speed based on a blower voltage applied to a drive motor.

  An inside / outside air switching box 13 is provided on the upstream side of the air flow of the front blower 12. The inside / outside air switching box 13 is formed with an outside air introduction port 14 for introducing air outside the vehicle compartment (outside air) and an inside air introduction port 15 for introducing air inside the vehicle compartment (inside air). The inside / outside air switching box 13 is provided with an inside / outside air switching door 16 that opens and closes the outside air introduction port 14 and the inside air introduction port 15 in order to switch and introduce outside air or inside air based on the suction port mode. The inside / outside air switching door 16 is controlled by the air conditioning ECU 100.

  An evaporator 17 that cools the conditioned air by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing inside is disposed in the air passage 11 and downstream of the front blower 12. The evaporator 17 constitutes a part of the refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant circulates.

  An air mix door 18 is provided on the downstream side of the air flow of the evaporator 17. A heater core 19 that heats the air cooled by the evaporator 17 is provided on the further downstream side of the air mix door 18 by heat exchange with engine cooling water that circulates inside the air mix door 18. A bypass passage 21 that bypasses the heater core 19 and flows air is formed above the heater core 19. The air mix door 18 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) based on the control of the air conditioning ECU 100, the flow rate of high-temperature air reheated after passing through the heater core 19, and the bypass passage 21 bypassing the heater core 19. The ratio with the flow rate of the passing low temperature air can be adjusted.

  A defroster opening 22, a common opening 23, and a foot opening 24 are provided on the downstream side of the heater core 19 and the bypass passage 21. The defroster opening 22 and the common opening 23 are opened and closed by a common outlet mode switching door 25. The foot opening 24 is opened and closed by an outlet mode switching door 26. The air outlet mode switching doors 25 and 26 are controlled by the air conditioning ECU 100 based on the front air outlet mode.

  That is, in the configuration of the present embodiment, when the front seat outlet mode is the face mode, the common opening 23 is opened, and the defroster opening 22 and the foot opening 24 are closed. In the bi-level mode, the common opening 23 and the foot opening 24 are opened, and the defroster opening 22 is closed. In the foot mode and the foot differential mode, the defroster opening 22 and the foot opening 24 are opened, and the common opening 23 is closed. In the defroster mode, the defroster opening 22 is opened, and the common opening 23 and the foot opening 24 are closed.

  From the defroster opening 22, air blown out to the inner surface of the windshield of the vehicle and the like flows out. From the foot opening 24, the air blown out to the lower body side such as a leg portion of an occupant in the front seat of the vehicle interior flows out.

  A center face duct 27 and a side face duct 28 that are formed separately from the air conditioning case 10 are branched and connected to the common opening 23. The air flow downstream end side of the center face duct 27 is connected to a center face outlet 29 that blows conditioned air to the upper body side such as the face of the passenger in the front seat of the vehicle interior. The air flow downstream end side of the side face duct 28 is connected to a side face outlet 31 that blows conditioned air to the upper body side of the passenger in the front seat of the vehicle interior. The center face outlet 29 is provided near the center of the instrument panel, and the side face outlet 31 is provided on the side of the instrument panel.

  A rear seat duct 32 is branched from the center face duct 27 to blow out part of the conditioned air passing through the center face duct 27 to the upper body side of the passenger in the rear seat of the vehicle interior. In the middle of the rear seat duct 32, an assist blower (auxiliary blower) 33 that increases the air volume of the conditioned air blown to the rear seat side is provided. The operation of the assist blower 33 is controlled by the air conditioning ECU 100, and the assist blower 33 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed based on the assist blower voltage applied to the drive motor. The downstream end side of the rear seat duct 32 is connected to the rear seat face outlet 36.

  Further, the rear seat face outlet 36 is provided with a flat-shaped blocking door 34 that opens and closes the rear seat duct 32. The blocking door 34 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 35, and an operation knob (not shown) arranged around the rear seat face outlet 36 is connected to the rotation shaft 35. Accordingly, the blocking door 34 can be opened and closed by manually operating the operation knob by the rear seat passenger.

  The air conditioner 1 further includes an open / close detection switch 37a (open / close detection means) that generates a signal corresponding to the closed state of the air blowing from the rear-seat face outlet 36. The opening / closing detection switch 37a is a micro switch that is linked to the opening / closing operation of the blocking door 34, and is turned on when the blocking door 34 is closed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioning ECU (control means) 100 of the vehicle air conditioner 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning ECU 100 receives switch signals from various switches of the control panel 110 provided in the vicinity of the instrument panel, switch signals from the open / close detection switch 37a, and detection signals from various sensors. The Further, the air conditioning ECU 100 controls the operation of control devices such as the air outlet mode switching doors 25 and 26, the inside / outside air switching door 16, the air mix door 18, the front blower 12, and the assist blower 33 based on the switch signal and the detection signal. It is like that.

  The switch of the control panel 110 includes an air conditioner switch for operating / stopping the refrigeration cycle, a suction port mode switching switch for switching the suction port mode, a temperature setting switch for setting the temperature in the passenger compartment, and switching the air flow rate. There are an air volume changeover switch and an air outlet mode changeover switch for changing the air outlet mode.

  The various sensors include an inside air temperature sensor 111 that detects the air temperature (inside air temperature) in the vehicle interior, an outside air temperature sensor 112 that detects the air temperature outside the vehicle interior (outside air temperature), and the amount of solar radiation that is radiated into the vehicle interior. Solar radiation sensor 113, evaporator outlet temperature sensor 114 that detects the air temperature immediately after passing through the evaporator 17, cooling water temperature sensor 115 that detects the temperature of the engine coolant flowing into the heater core 19, and vehicle travel speed are detected And a seating sensor 117 for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger in the rear seat. The seating sensor 117 is, for example, an electrical contact type that is provided in a rear seat and contacts an electrical contact by a load applied to the seat seat surface when an occupant is seated.

  The air conditioning ECU 100 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and a microcomputer 101 that performs various arithmetic processes, and an input circuit 102 that performs A / D conversion on detection signals input from various sensors and outputs the signals to the microcomputer 101. And an output circuit 103 that converts a control signal from the microcomputer 101 into an output signal specification and outputs it to each control device.

  In addition, the air conditioning ECU 100 can transmit and receive data to and from the vehicle side engine ECU 120 and the like based on a predetermined communication protocol. As a result, the air conditioning ECU 100 can receive information such as the operation mode (normal mode / fuel economy priority mode) of the engine ECU 120 from the engine ECU 120.

  Next, the control method of the vehicle air conditioner 1 in this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure (main flow) of the vehicle air conditioner 1 executed by the air conditioning ECU 100 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, when the ignition switch is turned on and power is supplied to the air conditioning ECU 100, the air conditioning ECU 100 first initializes each parameter and the like (step S1).

  Next, the temperature setting switch, the inside air temperature sensor 111, the outside air temperature sensor 112, the solar radiation amount sensor 113, the evaporator intake air temperature sensor 114, the cooling water temperature sensor 115, the vehicle speed sensor 116, and the seating sensor 117 are read (steps). S2, S3).

  Then, based on the heat load in the passenger compartment, such as the inside air temperature, the outside air temperature, and the amount of solar radiation, and the set temperature set by the occupant, the front target air blowing temperature TAO is calculated (step S4).

  Next, the blower voltage applied to the drive motor for each of the blowers 12 and 33 is calculated based on the target blowing temperature TAO (step S5). Basically, the blower voltage is so high that a high cooling / heating capacity is required. For example, during cooling, the blower voltage increases as the target blowout temperature TAO decreases. During heating, the blower voltage increases as the target outlet temperature TAO increases. In this step, the present invention relates to the determination of the applied voltage of the front blower 12 (hereinafter referred to as “front blower voltage”) and the applied voltage of the assist blower 33 (hereinafter referred to as “assist blower voltage”). The details will be described later.

  After selecting the blower voltage, the inlet mode corresponding to the target outlet temperature TAO is determined from the characteristic diagram stored in the ROM (step S6). Specifically, the inside air circulation mode is selected when the target blowing temperature TAO is high, and the outside air introduction mode is selected when the target blowing temperature TAO is low.

  Next, the air outlet mode corresponding to the target air temperature TAO is determined from the characteristic diagram stored in the ROM (step S7). Specifically, the foot mode is selected when the target blowing temperature TAO is high, and the bi-level mode is selected in the order of the face mode as the target blowing temperature TAO becomes low.

  Next, the opening SW of the air mix door 18 is determined according to the target blowing temperature TAO, the evaporator blowing temperature detected by the evaporator blowing air temperature sensor 114, the cooling water temperature detected by the cooling water temperature sensor 115, and the like. (Step S8).

  Next, the control state calculated or determined in steps S4 to S8 is performed on the control devices such as the outlet mode switching doors 25 and 26, the inside / outside air switching door 16, the air mix door 18, the front blower 12, and the assist blower 33. A control signal is output so as to be obtained (step S9).

  Thereafter, the steps S2 to S9 are repeated every time T (for example, 0.25 seconds) (step S10).

  Next, details of blower voltage selection (= blower rotation speed selection) will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the calculation procedure of the blower voltage in step 5 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, first, in step S51, it is determined whether or not the front blower 12 is turned on. If the front blower is ON (step S51: YES), the process proceeds to step S52, and whether or not the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed, that is, whether or not the blocking door 34 is closed. Judge. This determination is made based on whether or not a signal indicating the ON state of the blocking door 34 is output from the open / close detection switch 37a.

  If the on-state signal is not output, that is, if the rear-seat face outlet 36 is not closed (step S52: NO), the process proceeds to step S54, and the characteristic diagram previously stored in the ROM (step Using the graph shown in S54), the front blower voltage is determined based on the target blowing temperature TAO.

  As shown in the characteristic diagram in step S54, the front blower voltage is set to a value in the range of 4V to 12V in accordance with the target blowing temperature TAO. In this example, when the target blowing temperature TAO is −30 ° C. or lower, the front blower voltage is set to 12 V, which is the highest value, for example. When the target blowing temperature TAO is −30 ° C. or more and 10 ° C. or less, the front blower voltage is set to decrease from 12V to 4V as the target blowing temperature TAO increases. When the target blowing temperature TAO is 10 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower, the front blower voltage is set to 4V. When the target blowing temperature TAO is 40 ° C. or higher and 120 ° C. or lower, the front blower voltage is set to increase from 4V to 11V as the target blowing temperature TAO increases. When the target blowing temperature TAO is 120 ° C. or higher, the front blower voltage is set to 11V.

  After determining the front blower voltage using the above characteristic diagram, the process proceeds to step S56, and the assist blower voltage is determined based on the front blower voltage using the characteristic diagram stored in advance in the ROM (the graph shown in step S56). To do. As shown in the characteristic diagram in step S56, the assist blower voltage is set to increase as the front blower voltage increases. In this example, when the front blower voltage is 0V to 5V, the assist blower voltage is set to increase from 0V to 4V as the front blower voltage increases. When the front blower voltage is 5V to 12V, the assist blower voltage is set to rise to 4V to 11V as the front blower voltage increases. When the front blower voltage is 12V or more, the assist blower voltage is set to 11V.

  After determining the assist blower voltage, the process proceeds to step S6 (see FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, if a signal indicating that the shut-off door 34 is on is output from the open / close detection switch 37a in step S52, that is, if the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed (step S52: YES), step S55 is performed. , The assist blower voltage is set to 0V. That is, when the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed, the assist blower voltage is set lower than in the case where the rear seat face outlet 36 is not closed (in this embodiment). 0V). Since the fact that the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed is less necessary to blow conditioned air to the rear seat face outlet 36, in this embodiment, the assist blower voltage is set to 0 V to assist blower. 33 is stopped.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S57, and the front blower voltage is determined based on the target blowing temperature TAO using a characteristic diagram (graph shown in step S57) stored in advance in the ROM.

  The characteristic diagram used in step S57 is slightly different from the characteristic diagram used in step S54. Although the rise and fall timings are the same, the possible values of the front blower voltage are 4V to 11V in this example, the value when the target blowing temperature TAO is −30 ° C. or lower is 11V, and the target blowing The difference is that the value when the temperature TAO is 120 ° C. or higher is set to 10V. That is, when the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed, the front blower voltage is set to be lower as a whole compared to when the rear seat face outlet 36 is not closed. .

  After determining the front blower voltage in step S57, the process proceeds to step S6 (see FIG. 3). If the front blower 12 is not turned on in step S51 (step S51: NO), the process proceeds to step S53, the assist blower voltage is set to 0 V, and then the process proceeds to step S6 (see FIG. 3).

  When each blower voltage is set, the set voltage is supplied to the drive motor for each blower 12, 33, and each blower 12, 33 is driven at a predetermined rotational speed. And air-conditioned air can be blown into the passenger compartment.

  The above processing is sequentially executed every predetermined time (for example, 0.25 seconds) through step S10 (see FIG. 3) of the main flow.

  According to the embodiment described in detail above, when the blocking door 34 is operated by the rear seat occupant to be closed, the rotation speed of the assist blower 33 is lower than before the closing door 34 is closed (in this embodiment). 0V) (step S55), the pressure loss in the rear seat duct 32 is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise in the rear seat duct 32 can be reduced.

  In general, if the air distribution to the rear seat face outlet 36 decreases, the air volume on the front seat side may increase, which may cause the passenger to feel uncomfortable. However, according to the present embodiment, when the shut-off door 34 is in the closed state and the rotation speed of the assist blower 33 is decreased (the assist blower voltage is decreased), the rotation speed of the front blower 12 is also decreased ( Since the front blower voltage is lowered (step S57), the change in the air volume on the front seat side can be reduced, and the uncomfortable feeling to the passenger can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed, in this embodiment, the assist blower 33 is stopped by setting the assist blower voltage to 0V (step S55). For this reason, while being able to reduce the power consumption of the vehicle air conditioner 1, the noise of the motor which drives the assist blower 33 can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a part of a flowchart showing a procedure for calculating the blower voltage in the second embodiment.

  In the following description of the present embodiment, attention will be focused on differences from the first embodiment. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the step S56 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, after determining the front blower voltage based on the target blowout temperature TAO (step S54), when determining the assist blower voltage based on the front blower voltage, in the present embodiment, the blower outlet mode is selected. The feature is that it is set.

  Specifically, when the face mode or the bi-level mode in which the common opening 23 is opened is selected, the assist blower voltage is a graph similar to that in the first embodiment (the graph shown in step S56). ). On the other hand, when the air outlet mode (for example, foot mode) in which the common opening 23 is closed is selected, the assist blower voltage is set to a constant value of 0V.

  In the present embodiment, the assist blower 33 is provided in the rear seat side duct 32 branched from the downstream side of the common opening 23. Therefore, when the common opening 23 is closed, the assist blower 33 is driven. Even if this is done, the conditioned air is not distributed to the rear seat duct 32 side. For this reason, the necessity to drive the assist blower 33 when the common opening 23 is closed is low, and the assist blower 33 is driven only when the common opening 23 is open.

  According to this embodiment, the power consumption of the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be efficiently reduced.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment. In the following description of the present embodiment, attention is focused on differences from the above-described embodiments. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the open / close detection switch 37b is different from those of the above embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the open / close detection switch 37b of the present embodiment is a micro switch that is linked to the opening / closing operation of the blocking door 34, and maintains the contact closed state (energization ON state) when the blocking door 34 is open. It is configured as a normally closed switch. When the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed by about 95% (when the shut-off door 34 is closed), the contact is pushed, and the contact is changed from the closed state to the open state (energized off state). .

  Note that the state where the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed by about 95% is not a fully closed state, but a slight gap is formed, and if the assist blower voltage remains high at this time, When the conditioned air passes through the gap, an abnormal noise “pew” is generated. Therefore, it is not assumed that the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed for the first time when the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed 100%, but is closed when the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed about 95%. As described in detail in the above embodiments, the assist blower voltage is lowered. The value “95%” may be about 90%, and is not limited to this value.

  The open / close detection switch 37b includes a lead wire and a connector (not shown), and is connected to the vehicle-side harness to supply a signal to other components (such as the air conditioning ECU 100).

  In general, in the final stage of the vehicle assembly line (in a state where the vehicle air conditioner 1 is mounted on the vehicle), a failure detection check is performed in order to detect a malfunction of the open / close detection switch 37b or a connection failure of the switch connector. .

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a failure detection check routine executed by the air conditioning ECU 100. As a premise that this failure detection check routine is executed, it is assumed that the front blower 12 and the assist blower 33 are operated and the blocking door 34 is opened. In general, in the failure detection check, not only the connection detection of the open / close detection switch 37b but also other connections such as the connector connection of the blower motor of the front blower 12 and the assist blower 33, and the normal operation of the blowers 12 and 33 are also performed. It is for checking together.

  Hereinafter, the failure detection check routine will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 7, first, in step S100, it is determined whether the ignition switch is turned on from OFF while pressing the air conditioner (A / C) switch. If this operation is not performed (step S100: NO), the process of step S100 is repeated until it is performed. If this operation is performed (step S100: YES), it means that a failure detection check has been entered. The process proceeds to the next step S110.

  In step S110, it is determined whether or not the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed, that is, whether or not the blocking door 34 is closed and the contact of the open / close detection switch 37b is open. . Here, as described above, in actuality, the blocking door 34 is in the open state, and if the open / close detection switch 37b is normally connected, the contact of the open / close detection switch 37b is in the closed state, so Should be output to the air conditioning ECU 100. However, if the open / close detection switch 37b is not connected, the on-state signal is not output, and it is erroneously recognized that the rear seat face outlet 36 is closed.

  For this reason, if the opening / closing detection switch 37b is not connected, it becomes YES determination in step S110, and progresses to step S120. In step S120, an error code is displayed on the set temperature display section (not shown) of the air conditioning operation panel as an abnormality warning. For example, when the error code number is set to 1, this error code is displayed by displaying “Er” on the passenger side set temperature display unit and “1” on the driver side set temperature display unit. , Can inform the worker.

  On the other hand, if the open / close detection switch 37b is normally connected, NO is determined in step S110, and the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, since it is not necessary to display an error code, no error code is displayed. Each process of step S120 or step S130 is executed, and this control routine is terminated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment described in detail, the open / close detection switch 37b is configured as a normally closed switch that maintains the contact closed state, that is, the energization on state when the blocking door 34 is in the open state. By detecting a signal due to energization, it can be easily detected that the open / close detection means (37b) is correctly connected.

  For example, in the case of a switch that is in a contact open state (energized off state) when the shut-off door 34 is in an open state, the state in which no power is supplied is due to the contact open (normal), or due to poor connection of the switch connector. It cannot be determined whether or not. For this reason, it is necessary to temporarily check the connection by closing the blocking door 34, and the inspection process becomes complicated. According to the present embodiment, the complexity in the inspection process can be eliminated.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when a malfunction of the open / close detection switch 37b is detected, an error message is displayed in step S120. Therefore, in the inspection on the vehicle assembly line, the malfunction or switch of the open / close detection switch 37b is displayed. An operator can easily recognize a connection failure of the connector.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a part of the failure detection check routine. Note that the present embodiment has the same configuration as the third embodiment, and differs only in the form of an abnormality warning (step S121) in the failure detection check routine.

  In the third embodiment, an error code is displayed on the set temperature display section (not shown) of the air conditioning operation panel. However, in this embodiment, as shown in step S121 in FIG. Let it ring. The buzzer can be sounded, for example, in conjunction with a function for generating a touch sound of a touch panel that performs an air conditioning operation.

  Also in this embodiment, it is possible to easily notify the operator of a malfunction of the open / close detection switch 37b or a connection failure of the switch connector by sound, and the same effects as in the third embodiment can be achieved.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above embodiments, in step S55, the assist blower voltage is set to 0V. However, the assist blower voltage is not limited to 0V, and is lower than that when the rear seat face outlet 36 is not closed. The value can be changed as appropriate. By setting it low, the pressure loss in the rear seat duct 32 is suppressed, and the generation of abnormal noise in the rear seat duct 32 can be reduced.

  The characteristic diagrams (graphs shown in steps S54, S56, S57, and S58) of the above embodiments are examples, and the values of the front blower voltage and the assist blower voltage can be changed as appropriate. The variation pattern is not limited.

  In each of the above embodiments, the configuration in which the rear seat duct 32 is branched from the center face duct 27 is taken as an example. However, the rear seat duct 32 may be branched from the side face duct 28, for example. .

  In the failure detection check routines in the third and fourth embodiments, when the ignition switch is turned on while pressing the air conditioner switch in step S100, the processing after step S110 is performed. However, the present invention is limited to this form. It is not something. For example, it may be performed by another operation switch that is not an air conditioner switch, and various changes can be made by previously setting conditions for entering the inspection mode in the air conditioning ECU 100.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle air conditioner in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of ECU for air conditioning of a vehicle air conditioner. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control procedure of the vehicle air conditioner which air conditioning ECU performs. It is a flowchart which shows the calculation procedure of a blower voltage. It is a part of flowchart which shows the calculation procedure of the blower voltage in 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle air conditioner in 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the failure detection check routine which ECU100 for air conditioning performs. It is a flowchart which shows a part of failure detection check routine in 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Vehicle air conditioner 12 Front blower (main blower)
32 Rear seat duct 33 Assist blower (auxiliary blower)
34 Shut-off door (shut-off means)
36 Rear seat face outlet (rear seat outlet)
37a, 37b Open / close detection switch (open / close detection means)
100 Air-conditioning ECU (control means)

Claims (4)

A vehicle air conditioner that is mounted on a vehicle and air-conditions the interior of the vehicle,
A main blower (12) for blowing conditioned air into the passenger compartment;
A rear-seat duct (32) for circulating the conditioned air to a rear-seat air outlet (36) that is an air outlet on the rear seat side of the vehicle interior;
An auxiliary blower (33) that is provided in the rear seat duct (32) and increases the air volume of the conditioned air blown out to the rear seat side of the vehicle interior;
A shut-off means (34) provided on the downstream side of the auxiliary fan (33) of the rear seat duct (32) so as to be openable and closable, and shutting off the conditioned air from the rear seat outlet (36); ,
Open / close detecting means (37a, 37b) for detecting the open / closed state of the blocking means (34);
When it is determined by the open / close detection means (37a, 37b) that the blocking means (34) is in a closed state, control is performed so that the rotational speed of the auxiliary blower (33) is lower than before the determination. A vehicle air conditioner comprising a control means (100).   When it is determined that the shut-off means (34) is in the closed state, the control means (100) performs control so that the rotational speed of the main blower (12) is lower than before the determination. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein   The open / close detection means (37b) is a micro switch that is linked to the opening / closing operation of the shut-off means (34). When the shut-off means (34) is in a closed state, the contact is opened, and the shut-off means (34) is The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle air conditioner is a normally closed switch that maintains a contact closed state when it is in an open state.   The control means (100) recognizes that the shut-off means (34) is in a closed state when checking the function of the open / close detection means (37b) with the shut-off means (34) in an open state. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein an abnormality warning is given when the vehicle air conditioner has been activated.

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