JP2010184579A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for an automobile, capable of steadily performing the drying operation of an evaporator without imparting unpleasant feeling to occupants after finishing an air conditioning operation. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner 1 includes the evaporator 7 through which inside air or outside air is made to flow and air-conditions the inside of a cabin by blowing air adjusted in temperature by the evaporator 7. The air conditioner includes a control part 25 for detecting residual quantity of a battery mounted on a vehicle and the presence or absence of the occupants after finishing the air-conditioning operation, and performing the drying operation of the evaporator 7 by supplying hot gas to the evaporator 7 by driving an electric compressor 2 when the battery residual quantity is stipulated quantity or more and there is no occupant. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automotive air conditioner capable of performing a drying operation of an evaporator with hot gas.

  In an air conditioner for an automobile, moisture in the air condenses on the surface of the evaporator disposed in the HVAC unit (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Unit) during cooling operation, and this adheres to the surface of the evaporator as water droplets. . If the air-conditioning operation is terminated in this state and the condensed water remains on the surface of the evaporator, various germs contained in the air propagate on the surface of the evaporator and a strange odor is generated due to generation of mold, etc. Cause it to occur.

  Therefore, after the cooling operation is completed, the air conditioning device generates a heating action by a heater or hot gas, and the draining operation for drying the drain water remaining in the air conditioning device is performed to eliminate the drain water. Patent Document 1 proposes a control method for an air conditioner for a vehicle in which the inside of the air conditioner is brought into a low humidity state in which no mold or the like is generated.

JP 2000-280898 A

However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 relates to an air conditioner applied to a railway vehicle such as a train. For this reason, vehicles that use engines and motors as driving sources, especially batteries that serve as power sources for motors, are installed, and they are installed in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles where the amount of charge directly affects the driving of the vehicle. It is difficult to apply the air conditioner as it is.
In addition, in a conventional automobile air conditioner that drives a compressor through a clutch by an engine, the compressor is driven by hot gas while automatically starting the engine during parking or the like. It was practically difficult to perform a drying operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, paying attention to the fact that an electric compressor is used in an air conditioner mounted on a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automotive air conditioner that can steadily perform the drying operation of an evaporator without causing discomfort to passengers.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention employs the following means.
That is, an automotive air conditioner according to the present invention includes an evaporator through which inside air or outside air is circulated, and in an automotive air conditioner that air-conditions a vehicle interior by blowing out temperature-controlled air in the evaporator. After completion, the remaining amount of the battery mounted on the vehicle and the presence or absence of a passenger are detected, and when the remaining amount of battery is equal to or greater than the specified amount and there is no passenger, the electric compressor is driven to supply hot gas to the evaporator. It has the control part which performs the drying operation of an evaporator, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the present invention, after the air conditioning operation is completed, when the remaining battery amount is equal to or greater than the specified amount and no occupant is present, the electric compressor is driven to supply hot gas to the evaporator, and the evaporator is dried. Therefore, at the end of the air conditioning operation (cooling operation), the condensed water remaining on the surface of the evaporator can be evaporated by the hot gas to make the evaporator dry. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of mold | fungi etc. on the evaporator surface can be suppressed and the cause of off-flavor generation | occurrence | production can be eliminated. In addition, since the evaporator is operated by confirming that there is no occupant along with the remaining amount of the battery, without disturbing the driving operation of the next car or causing discomfort to the occupant, The evaporator can be steadily dried.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention is configured such that, in the above-described automotive air conditioner, the drying operation is performed while the battery is being charged even when the remaining amount of the battery is less than a specified amount. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, even when the remaining amount of the battery is less than the specified amount, the drying operation is performed while the battery is being charged, so that when the battery is being charged and no occupant is riding In this case, the evaporator is always dried. Therefore, it is possible to steadily perform the drying operation of the evaporator by using the battery charging time without worrying about the remaining battery capacity.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-described automotive air conditioners, the drying operation is automatically stopped after a preset time. .

  According to the present invention, since the drying operation is configured to automatically stop after a preset time, the drying operation of the evaporator is automatically performed while away from the automobile by parking or the like. Can be implemented. Therefore, the passenger does not feel uncomfortable when the evaporator is dry-dried, and the vehicle cabin environment can be well maintained and maintained over a long period of time.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention is such that, in any of the above-described automotive air conditioners, the drying operation is automatically stopped when the remaining battery level becomes a specified value or less during the drying operation. It is configured.

  According to the present invention, during the drying operation, when the battery remaining amount becomes the specified value or less, the drying operation is automatically stopped, so the battery consumption due to the drying operation of the evaporator is stopped by the specified value, This can be done within a range that does not affect the next driving operation of the car. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the motor vehicle becomes inoperable due to insufficient charge of the battery because the drying operation of the evaporator is performed.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-described automotive air conditioners, the air conditioner fan is operated during the drying operation.

  According to the present invention, since the air conditioner fan is operated during the drying operation, water vapor evaporated from the surface of the evaporator by the drying operation can be discharged from the air conditioner to the outside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water vapor from staying in the air conditioner and to dry the inside of the air conditioner.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention is configured such that in the above-described automotive air conditioner, all of the blowing dampers for blowing the temperature-controlled air into the vehicle interior are fully closed during the drying operation. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, during the drying operation, all of the blowing dampers for blowing the temperature-controlled air into the vehicle interior are fully closed, so that the water vapor vehicle evaporated from the surface of the evaporator by the drying operation Blowing into the room can be prevented, and water vapor can be discharged to the outside from the drain discharge portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the air containing water vapor from being blown into the vehicle interior, and to maintain and continue the vehicle interior environment in a comfortable state for a long time.

  Furthermore, the automotive air conditioner of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-described automotive air conditioners, the inside / outside air switching damper is switched to the outside air introduction mode during the drying operation.

  According to the present invention, since the inside / outside air switching damper is switched to the outside air introduction mode during the drying operation, the air blown from the fan during the drying operation can be easily discharged to the outside. Thereby, water vapor evaporated from the surface of the evaporator can be quickly discharged to the outside, and the inside of the air conditioner can be quickly dried.

  According to the present invention, at the end of the air conditioning operation (cooling operation), the condensed water remaining on the surface of the evaporator can be evaporated by the hot gas to make the evaporator dry, so that generation of mold on the surface of the evaporator, etc. And the cause of the off-flavor generation can be eliminated. In addition, since the evaporator is operated by confirming that there is no occupant along with the remaining amount of the battery, without disturbing the driving operation of the next car or causing discomfort to the occupant, The evaporator can be steadily dried.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of an automotive air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a control flowchart figure at the time of the evaporator drying operation of the motor vehicle air conditioner shown in FIG.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The automotive air conditioner 1 is disposed in an electric compressor 2 that compresses refrigerant, a condenser 4 that condenses the refrigerant by heat exchange with outside air blown by a fan 3, and an internal air that is circulated by a fan 6. Or the evaporator 7 which evaporates a refrigerant | coolant by heat exchange with external air, cools internal air or external air, the accumulator 8 which adjusts a refrigerant | coolant circulation amount and gas-liquid separation, the discharge piping from the said electric compressor 2, and the inlet / outlet of the said capacitor | condenser 4 A closed-cycle refrigerant circuit formed by connecting a four-way switching valve 9, a first expansion valve 10, a second expansion valve 11 and the like through a refrigerant pipe 12 for switching a refrigerant flow between the pipe and an inlet pipe of the evaporator 7. 13 is provided.

  The electric compressor 2 has a built-in electric motor that is driven by electric power supplied from a battery (power supply unit) mounted on the automobile. The HVAC unit 5 includes a heater core 14 disposed on the downstream side of the evaporator 7. The heater core 14 is cooled by a cooling circuit 15 that cools a vehicle running engine, a motor, an inverter, a battery, and the like. The medium is circulated through a pump and an on-off valve 16 (not shown). The cooling circuit 15 is provided with a radiator 17 in parallel.

  Further, the HVAC unit 5 is provided with an inside / outside air switching damper 18 for switching between introduction of inside air and outside air on the upstream side of the fan 6, and opens to the vehicle compartment on the downstream side of the heater core 14. A differential outlet 19, a face outlet 20, and a foot outlet 21 are provided. The differential outlet 19, the face outlet 20 and the foot outlet 21 are provided with a differential outlet damper 22, a face outlet damper 23 and a foot outlet damper 24, respectively, by opening and closing each outlet 19, 20, 21. The blowing mode is selectively switched.

  In the automotive air conditioner 1, during the cooling operation, the high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the electric compressor 2 is switched by the four-way switching valve 9 in the direction of the broken line arrow and led to the condenser 4, where heat is exchanged with the outside air. Is condensed and liquefied. This refrigerant is depressurized by the first expansion valve 10 which is fixed or variable throttle, and then is guided to the second expansion valve 11 which is fixed throttle through the four-way switching valve 9 to be further depressurized. Thus, the low-temperature and low-pressure two-phase refrigerant is introduced into the evaporator 7. This refrigerant is evaporated by exchanging heat with the outside air or the inside air circulated through the fan 6, and after cooling the air, it is sucked into the electric compressor 2 through the accumulator 8, and the same cycle is repeated thereafter. The air cooled by the evaporator 7 is blown into the vehicle interior from any one of the outlets 19, 20, and 21 of the differential, face and foot provided on the downstream side thereof, and is used for cooling the vehicle interior. .

  On the other hand, during the heating operation, the outside air or the inside air introduced into the HVAC unit 5 through the fan 6 is heat-exchanged with the cooling medium introduced from the cooling circuit 15 through the on-off valve 16 by the heater core 14 and heated. By being blown out of any of the outlets 19, 20, 21 into the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior is heated. At this time, the refrigerant circuit 13 is configured to be switched to a heating cycle in which the high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the electric compressor 2 through the four-way switching valve 9 flows in the direction of the solid line arrow. In this heating cycle, the refrigerant introduced to the second expansion valve 11 is depressurized by a fixed throttle and then introduced into the evaporator 7 to dissipate heat to the outside air or inside air circulated by the fan 6 to heat the air. By doing so, it functions as an auxiliary heating device.

  The automobile air conditioner 1 includes an air conditioner ECU (control unit) 25, and operation information is input from the operation panel 26. In addition, detection signals from the outside air temperature sensor 27, the cooling medium temperature sensor 28, the evaporator outlet temperature sensor 29, the discharge pressure sensor 30, and the like are input to the air conditioner ECU (control unit) 25. Depending on the calculation results based on the detected values and the input information of the operation panel 26, the electric compressor 2, the four-way switching valve 9, the fan 3, the first and second expansion valves 10, 11, the fan 6, the inside / outside air switching damper 18, and Devices such as the blowout dampers 22, 23, and 24 are configured to be controlled.

  Furthermore, detection values of a battery charge amount detection sensor 31 that detects the charge amount of a battery mounted on the vehicle and an occupant detection sensor 32 that detects the presence or absence of an occupant are input to the air conditioner ECU (control unit) 25. It has become so. The occupant detection sensor 32 may be a human body detection passive sensor using infrared rays, a contact sensor such as a limit switch provided on the seat, or the like. The air conditioner ECU (control unit) 25 follows the control flow shown in FIG. 2 after the air conditioning operation (cooling operation) based on the input information from the battery charge amount detection sensor 31 and the occupant detection sensor 32, etc. The drying operation of the evaporator 7 described below is performed.

  When the stop of the air conditioning operation (cooling operation) is confirmed in step S1, the air conditioner ECU (control unit) 25 proceeds to step S2 and counts the time after the air conditioning operation is stopped. When a predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether or not the battery charge amount (remaining amount) is equal to or greater than a specified value. If the remaining battery level is greater than or equal to the specified value (YES), the process proceeds to step S4. If the remaining battery level is less than the specified value (NO), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether or not an outlet for charging the battery is inserted after a certain period of time. If the outlet is “ON”, the process proceeds to step S4, and if “NO”, The process proceeds to step S6 and is in a completely stopped state.

  When it is determined that the amount of charge (remaining amount) of the battery is equal to or greater than the predetermined value or the battery is being charged as described above, in step S4, it is determined whether there is a passenger in the automobile and it is determined that there is a passenger (YES). Then, the process proceeds to step S6, where all stops are set. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no occupant (NO), the process proceeds to step S7, and the refrigerant circuit 13 is started to operate in the heating cycle described above. As a result, the hot gas discharged from the electric compressor 2 is introduced into the evaporator 7 via the four-way switching valve 9, and the evaporator 7 is heated from the inside by the sensible heat to evaporate water droplets remaining on the surface. It works to let you. The heating cycle operation can be performed in a foot mode in which the fan 6 is operated at a low speed and the foot blowing damper 24 is opened.

  During operation in the heating cycle, the remaining battery level is checked in step S8, and subsequently in step S9, it is checked whether the specified time has elapsed. If it is determined in step S8 that the remaining battery level has dropped below the specified value (YES), the process proceeds to step S6, where the operation is interrupted even if the evaporator is in the middle of the drying operation, and is brought into a fully stopped state. The This is to avoid a situation in which the battery is insufficiently charged due to the drying operation of the evaporator 7 and the automobile becomes inoperable.

  As long as the remaining battery level is equal to or greater than the specified value, the operation in the heating cycle is continued for a preset time. When it is determined in step S9 that the specified time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S10, and the evaporator The drying operation is automatically terminated, and the entire operation is stopped. By the above drying operation, the evaporator 7 is dried in a low humidity state in which mold or the like is not generated after the air conditioning operation (cooling operation) is completed.

With the configuration described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
In the air conditioner 1 for an automobile, in the cooling operation of the passenger compartment, the high-pressure refrigerant gas discharged from the electric compressor 2 is converted into a four-way switching valve 9, a capacitor 4, a first expansion valve 10, a four-way switching valve 9, and a second expansion valve. 11, the outside air or the inside air circulated to the HVAC unit 5 through the fan 6 is circulated in the closed cycle where the electric compressor 2 returns via the evaporator 7 and the accumulator 8 and is evaporated in the evaporator 7 during this period. The air is blown out into the passenger compartment.

  By this cooling operation, moisture in the air is condensed on the surface of the evaporator 7, and becomes water droplets and adheres to the surface of the evaporator 7. If the cooling operation is finished in this state and left as it is, the surface of the evaporator 7 is maintained in a humid state, causing a strange odor due to the proliferation of germs and the generation of mold. However, in this embodiment, after the end of the air-conditioning operation (cooling operation), a certain period of time has passed, and the remaining amount of the battery and the presence / absence of the occupant are further confirmed, and the remaining amount of the battery is greater than a specified value or the battery is being charged When it is confirmed that there is no passenger, the refrigerant circuit 13 is switched to the heating cycle, and the electric compressor 2 is operated to perform the drying operation of the evaporator 7.

  In this drying operation, hot gas discharged from the electric compressor 2 is directly introduced into the evaporator 7 via the four-way switching valve 9, and the evaporator 7 is heated from the inside by the sensible heat. The water droplets adhering to the surface of 7 can be evaporated to make the evaporator 7 dry.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, generation | occurrence | production etc. of the mold | fungi on the surface of the evaporator 7 can be suppressed, and it becomes possible to eliminate the cause of generation | occurrence | production of a strange odor. In addition, the evaporator 7 is dried by checking the remaining amount of the battery and confirming that there is no occupant, so that it may interfere with the next driving of the car or cause discomfort to the occupant. The drying operation of the evaporator 7 can be carried out steadily without any trouble.

  Even when the remaining battery charge is less than the specified amount, the dry operation is performed when the battery is being charged, so if the battery is being charged and no occupant is riding The drying operation of the evaporator 7 is always performed. Therefore, the drying operation of the evaporator 7 can be steadily performed using the battery charging time without worrying about the remaining battery level. Furthermore, since the drying operation is automatically stopped after a preset time, the drying operation of the evaporator 7 is automatically performed while away from the automobile by parking or the like. Therefore, the passenger does not feel uncomfortable when the evaporator 7 is dry-dried, and the vehicle cabin environment can be well maintained and maintained over a long period of time.

  In addition, during the drying operation of the evaporator 7, the battery power is consumed by the operation of the electric compressor 2, etc., and the drying operation is automatically stopped when the remaining battery level becomes the specified value or less. The battery consumption due to the drying operation 7 can be stopped to the specified value so that the next driving operation of the automobile is not affected. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the battery is insufficiently charged and the automobile cannot be driven because the drying operation of the evaporator 7 is performed.

  Further, during the drying operation of the evaporator 7, the fan 6 is operated at a low speed and the foot blowing damper 24 is opened so that the air blown from the fan 6 is blown out from the foot blowing port 21. Water vapor evaporated from the surface of the evaporator can be discharged from the HVAC unit 2 to the outside. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water vapor from staying in the HVAC unit 2 and to dry the inside of the HVAC unit 2.

[Other Embodiments]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In addition to the first embodiment described above or in place of a part thereof, the following embodiments can be adopted.
(1) During the drying operation of the evaporator 7, the differential blowing damper 22, the face blowing damper 23 and the foot blowing damper 24 are all fully closed.
(2) During the drying operation of the evaporator 7, the inside / outside air switching damper 18 is switched to the outside air introduction mode.
(3) The refrigerant circuit 13 is a reverse cycle system in which the refrigerant circulation direction is switched between forward and reverse cycles by a four-way switching valve or a hot gas bypass system provided with a hot gas bypass circuit.

  As in (1) above, during the drying operation of the evaporator 7, the differential blowing damper 22, the face blowing damper 23, and the foot blowing damper 24 for blowing the temperature-controlled air into the vehicle interior are all closed to dry the evaporator 7. It is possible to prevent the water vapor evaporated from the surface of the evaporator 7 during operation from being blown into the passenger compartment, and to discharge the water vapor from the drain discharge portion provided at the lower part of the evaporator 7 of the HVAC unit 2 to the outside. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the air containing water vapor from being blown into the vehicle interior, and to maintain and continue the vehicle interior environment in a comfortable state over a long period of time.

  Further, as described in (2) above, by switching the inside / outside air switching damper 18 to the outside air introduction mode during the drying operation of the evaporator 7, it is possible to easily discharge the air blown from the fan 6 during the drying operation. . Thereby, the water vapor evaporated from the surface of the evaporator 7 can be quickly discharged to the outside, and the inside of the HVAC unit 2 can be quickly dried.

  Further, as described in (3) above, the refrigerant circuit 13 is also discharged from the electric compressor 2 during the drying operation of the evaporator 7 as in the first embodiment by using the reverse cycle system or the hot gas bypass system. The hot gas thus introduced can be introduced into the evaporator 7 and the evaporator 7 can be heated. Therefore, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the invention concerning the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, it can change suitably. For example, an electric heater such as a PTC heater may be provided in the cooling circuit 15 for supplying the cooling medium to the heater core 14, or a cooling medium / refrigerant heat exchanger is provided in parallel with the evaporator 7 on the refrigerant circuit 13 side. During heating, the condenser 4 may function as an evaporator, and the heat absorbed from the outside air may be radiated to the cooling medium via the cooling medium / refrigerant heat exchanger and used for heating.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automotive air conditioner 2 Electric compressor 5 HVAC unit 6 Fan 7 Evaporator 18 Inside / outside air switching damper 22 Differential blowing damper 23 Face blowing damper 24 Foot blowing damper 25 Air conditioning system ECU (control unit)
31 Battery charge detection sensor 32 Crew detection sensor

Claims (7)

In an automotive air conditioner that includes an evaporator through which inside air or outside air is circulated, and that air-conditions the passenger compartment by blowing out air that has been temperature-controlled by the evaporator,
After the air conditioning operation is completed, the remaining amount of the battery mounted on the vehicle and the presence or absence of an occupant are detected, and when the remaining amount of battery is equal to or greater than the specified amount and no occupant is present, the electric compressor is driven to supply hot gas to the evaporator. An automotive air conditioner comprising a control unit for performing a drying operation of the evaporator.   The automobile air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drying operation is configured to be performed while the battery is being charged even when the remaining amount of the battery is less than a predetermined amount.   The air conditioner for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drying operation is configured to automatically stop after a preset time.   4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drying operation is automatically stopped when the remaining battery level becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value during the drying operation. 5. Air conditioner.   5. The automobile air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner fan is operated during the drying operation. 6.   The automotive air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein all of the blowing dampers for blowing the temperature-controlled air into the passenger compartment during the drying operation are fully closed. The automotive air conditioner according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the inside / outside air switching damper is configured to be switched to an outside air introduction mode during the drying operation.

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