JP2011105257A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle, which effectively deodorizes and sterilizes using ozone. <P>SOLUTION: A HVAC (Heating Ventilating Air-Conditioning) unit (2) includes: a warm air passage, in which air brown from a blower means (26) passes through a heating means (33), and a bypass air passage bypassing the heating means and an air flow rate adjusting means (38). An ion generator (40) is arranged at a predetermined position within a range from a downstream side of an evaporator (30) of the bypass air passage in a condition wherein the air flow rate adjusting means (38) shuts off air-blow to the heating means with a view in a direction, in which the conditioned air flows, to an air mix area downstream of the evaporator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner, and more particularly to a vehicle air conditioner capable of generating ions and ozone.

The vehicle air conditioner includes an HVAC (Heating Ventilating Air-Conditioning) unit arranged in an instrument panel at the front of the passenger compartment, and conditioned air is blown into the passenger compartment inside the housing of the HVAC unit. Part of the air path is defined.
A blower and an evaporator are accommodated in the housing of the HVAC unit, and the blower can generate an air flow from the air intake port of the HVAC unit toward the air outlet port, and the evaporator passes through the air passing through itself. The stream can be cooled.

From each air outlet, air ducts extend, and these air ducts are, for example, a defrost outlet that opens toward the windshield, a face outlet that opens toward the upper body of the occupant, And a foot outlet that opens toward the feet of the occupant.
In recent years, various vehicle air conditioners that blow air containing ions into the vehicle interior have been developed for the purpose of relaxation of vehicle occupants and deodorization of vehicle interior air.

The ion generator is attached to, for example, an intermediate portion of an air duct connecting between the HVAC unit and the face outlet, and thereby ions generated by the ion generator are blown out from the face outlet toward the occupant.
By the way, an ion generator is generally configured to generate negative ions by high-voltage discharge, but in such an ion generator, ozone (O ₃ ) is generated simultaneously with the generation of ions. In general, ozone has a problem that it is toxic when its concentration is high.

For this reason, recently, for example, an apparatus having a configuration for reducing and attenuating the concentration of ozone generated by an ion generator in the passenger compartment has been developed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
While ozone has the above-mentioned problems, it has been widely known that it has a strong oxidizing action and thus effectively acts on sterilization and deodorization.
Therefore, for example, a technique has been developed in which ozone is actively supplied to the passenger compartment so as not to affect the occupant to deodorize the passenger compartment (see Patent Document 3).

JP 2005-289192 A JP 2005-96627 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-219683

However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 use only ions by reducing the concentration of ozone as much as possible, and do not perform sterilization and deodorization using ozone. It is hard to say that is effectively used.
Moreover, although the technique described in patent document 3 uses ozone, it supplies to a vehicle interior and deodorizes, and there exists a possibility of having a bad influence on a passenger | crew depending on the density | concentration of ozone, and is not preferable. .

On the other hand, in the vehicle air conditioner, there is a problem that bacteria and fungi are liable to be generated because condensed water adheres to the evaporator and its peripheral members. It is considered possible to remove such bacteria and fungi.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that performs effective deodorization and sterilization with ozone.

  In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 is a vehicle air conditioner including an ion generator that generates ions and ozone each serving as an ion generating means and an ozone generating means. Ventilation means for blowing air into the vehicle interior, heating means for warming the air blown from the air blowing means, air volume adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of air passing through the heating means, and refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration circuit are vaporized in the housing. An HVAC unit that forms an air passage for blowing conditioned air into the vehicle interior, and has a drainage means for discharging moisture generated from the evaporator to the outside of the vehicle, the HVAC unit comprising: The blower from the blower means forms a warm air wind passage that passes through the heating means and a bypass air passage that bypasses the heating means and the air volume adjusting means, and the ion generator comprises: As seen in the flow direction of the conditioned air, the air volume adjusting means is arranged at a predetermined position from the downstream of the evaporator to the downstream air mix area in a state where the air flow adjusting means blocks the air flow to the heating means. It is characterized by being.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the predetermined position is a side surface in the HVAC unit facing the vehicle interior side of the vehicle.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in claim 1 or 2, the predetermined position is a side surface in the HVAC unit facing the driver's seat side of the vehicle.

  The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4 also serves as an ion generating means and an ozone generating means for simultaneously generating ions and ozone by generating an air discharge by applying a high voltage between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode. A vehicle air conditioner equipped with an ion generator includes an HVAC unit that houses an evaporator, and temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the evaporator, wherein the discharge electrode is disposed on the temperature detecting means, and the evaporation A vessel is the counter electrode.

  A vehicle air conditioner according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the HVAC unit further includes a blowout port switching means for opening and closing one or a plurality of blowout ports into the vehicle interior. The means has a fully closed mode for closing all the outlets leading to the vehicle interior.

  A vehicle air conditioner according to a sixth aspect of the present invention further comprises occupant detection means for detecting or recognizing the presence or absence of an occupant in the vehicle interior according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. When it is confirmed that there is no ozone, the ozone generated by the ion generator is supplied to the vehicle interior by the air blowing means, and the vehicle interior is sterilized with the ozone concentration in the vehicle interior being a predetermined upper limit value or less. Features.

In a vehicle air conditioner according to a seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the predetermined upper limit value is 0.1 ppm or less.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 8 is the vehicle air-conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the ozone generating means is configured to measure and integrate elapsed time and the accumulated time accumulated by the time accumulated means. It further comprises ozone generation amount calculation means for calculating the amount of ozone generation to be generated.

  The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 9 is the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity in the HVAC unit, the odor detecting means for detecting the odor in the HVAC unit, and at least the The apparatus further includes an ozone generation amount adjusting unit that increases or decreases an ozone generation amount based on information detected from any one of a temperature detection unit, the humidity detection unit, and the odor detection unit.

  A vehicle air conditioner according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein when the sterilization in the HVAC unit or the passenger compartment is completed by ozone generated from the ion generator, It is further provided with a notification means for notifying a passenger in the vehicle interior or the outside of the vehicle that the bacteria has ended.

  In a vehicle air conditioner according to an eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the notification means includes a display means for displaying that the sterilization is completed by the ozone generation means, and an inlet for introducing the inside / outside air of the HVAC unit. It includes at least one of the blowing means for blowing the fragrance disposed in the air passage leading to the blowout port.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the first aspect, the ion generator is located on the side facing the drainage means in the HVAC unit, and the evaporator in the bypass air passage in a state where the air volume adjusting means blocks air flow to the heating means. Since the ion generator can sterilize the peripheral members in the HVAC unit with ozone, the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration circuit can be removed by ozone. It is possible to prevent a failure of the electric element due to water due to condensation generated on the outer surface of the evaporator due to the heat of vaporization when evaporating, and it is possible to operate more safely.

  In addition, since the ion generator is arranged downstream of the evaporator as viewed in the direction of the conditioned air flow, it is necessary to remove bacteria and fungi generated on the outer surface of the evaporator and the inner surface of the housing with ozone. In addition, it is possible to prevent ions generated from the ion generator from colliding with the evaporator and decrease, and it is possible to satisfactorily remove suspended fine particles in the passenger compartment by the ions.

According to the vehicle air conditioner of the second aspect, since the ion generator is disposed on the side surface in the HVAC unit facing the vehicle interior side of the vehicle, the ion generator can be easily disposed. Easy maintenance.
According to the vehicle air conditioner of the third aspect, since the ion generator is disposed on the side surface in the HVAC unit facing the driver's seat side of the vehicle, the ion generator can be easily disposed. Easy maintenance.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the fourth aspect, the discharge electrode of the ion generator is disposed in the temperature detecting means disposed in the evaporator, and the counter electrode is disposed in the evaporator, thereby generating ions in a small space. Since the apparatus can be arranged and the evaporator is directly grounded and directly discharged, it is not necessary to newly provide a ground electrode, and thus the configuration can be simplified.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of the fifth aspect, since the outlet switching means provided in the HVAC unit has a fully closed mode in which all the outlets are closed, the HVAC unit is brought into a sealed state by the fully closed mode. By generating ozone with the ion generator, it is possible to sterilize the evaporator and the like in the HVAC unit without adversely affecting the passengers with ozone.

  In addition, when there is an instruction to operate the air conditioner during the sterilization of the HVAC unit with ozone, the HVAC unit can be efficiently discharged from the drainage means by operating the air blowing means. Ozone in the unit is blown into the passenger compartment and does not adversely affect the passenger.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of claim 6, when it is confirmed by the occupant detection means that there is no occupant in the vehicle interior, ozone is generated by the ion generator, ozone is supplied into the vehicle interior by the blower means, Carbide sterilization is performed at an ozone concentration below the upper limit. As a result, bacteria and fungi in the passenger compartment can be sterilized satisfactorily, and the interior of the passenger compartment can be deodorized. For example, the predetermined upper limit is set to a minimum concentration required for sterilization in the passenger compartment, Further, by setting the concentration so as not to affect the occupant's human body, even if ozone remains in the vehicle interior after sterilization, the vehicle interior can be sterilized without adversely affecting the occupant.

According to the vehicle air conditioner of the seventh aspect, since the predetermined upper limit value of the ozone concentration in the passenger compartment is set to be 0.1 ppm or less, even if ozone remains in the passenger compartment, the passenger is not adversely affected. Can be.
According to the vehicle air conditioner of the eighth aspect, since the ozone generation amount generated from the ion generator is calculated by the ozone generation amount calculation means from the integration time accumulated by the time counting means, the bacteria that increase with aging change. In order to eliminate bacteria and fungi, by calculating the amount of ozone so that the amount of ozone generated gradually increases according to the accumulated time, it is possible to effectively disinfect even after time it can.

According to the vehicle air conditioner of claim 9, any one of humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity in the HVAC unit, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the evaporator, and odor detecting means for detecting the odor in the HVAC unit. Since it has an ozone generation amount adjustment function that increases or decreases the ozone generation amount based on the information detected from one, it is possible to generate an appropriate ozone amount according to the detection value from each detection means, and the effect Can be sterilized.
According to the vehicle air conditioner of the tenth aspect, when the sterilization by the ozone generated from the ion generator is completed, the occupant is sterilized by the ozone because the occupant is provided with a notification means for notifying the occupant inside or outside the vehicle Can be easily recognized.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner of claim 11, the notifying means is a display means for displaying that the sterilization by ozone has been completed, and a fragrance provided in the air passage leading from the inlet of the HVAC unit to the outlet of the vehicle interior. By displaying at least one of the blowing means for blowing air, the display means displays the end of sterilization, or the scent of the fragrance spreads in the passenger compartment, so that the occupant is sterilized by ozone. It can be easily recognized that the process has ended.

It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing arrangement | positioning of a seating sensor. It is a schematic block diagram of one Embodiment provided with the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle air conditioner in the case of ozone disinfection of an HVAC unit. It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle air conditioner in the case of ozone sterilization in a vehicle interior. It is a map which shows the relationship between integration time and ozone generation amount. It is a figure which shows a part of schematic structure figure in the HVAC unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention. The vehicle air conditioner includes an HVAC (Heating Ventilating Air-Conditioning) unit 2.
Specifically, the engine room 4 and the vehicle compartment 6 of the vehicle are partitioned by a partition wall 8, and a device room 12 is secured between the partition wall 8 and the instrument panel 10 in the front portion of the vehicle compartment 6. ing. The HVAC unit 2 is disposed in the equipment room 12.

The HVAC unit 2 has a housing 14, and a part of an air passage for blowing conditioned air into the vehicle compartment 6 is defined inside the housing 14.
Specifically, two air intake ports 16 a and 16 b for introducing outside air and for circulating inside air are opened at one end of the housing 14. An outside air air duct having an outside air introduction port 18a opened to the outside of the vehicle is connected to the outside air introduction air intake port 16a, and an inside air having an inside air introduction port 18b opened to the vehicle compartment 6 is connected to the inside air circulation air intake port 16b. Air duct is connected.

  Three air outlets 20a, 20b, and 20c are opened at the other end of the housing 14, and the air outlets 20a, 20b, and 20c are respectively provided with a defrost air duct 22a, a face air duct 22b, and a foot air duct 22c. It is connected. The defrost air duct 22a, the face air duct 22b, and the foot air duct 22c have outlets opened at different positions in the vehicle compartment 6, and the defrost outlet 24a, which is the outlet of the defrost air duct 22a, is a windshield. It is open toward. The face outlet 24b, which is the outlet of the face air duct 22b, opens toward the upper body of the occupant on the driver side or the passenger seat side, and the foot outlet 24c, which is the outlet of the foot air duct 22c, It opens to the feet of passengers.

A blower 26 is disposed in the housing 14, and the blower 26 is located on the air intake 16 side. The blower 26 is rotationally driven by a blower motor 60 to generate an air flow from the air intake 16 to the air outlet 20 inside the housing 14 (blower unit).
A filter 28 is disposed in the housing 14 between the air intake port 16 and the blower 26. The area of the filter 28 is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the portion of the housing 14 to which the filter 28 is attached. Therefore, the air flow generated by the blower 26 always passes through the filter 28. At this time, dust and dirt in the air flow adhere to the filter 28, and the air flow is purified. That is, the filter 28 is a dust filter.

  Further, an evaporator 30 is disposed in the housing 14, and the evaporator 30 is disposed downstream of the blower 26 in the flow direction of the air flow. The front surface of the evaporator 30 on the blower 26 side has an area substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the portion of the housing 14 in which the evaporator 30 is installed so that the air flow passes through the gap of the evaporator 30.

  Although not shown, the evaporator 30 is inserted between the refrigerant circulation passages from the engine room 4 to the equipment room 12, and the refrigerant circulation passage includes a compressor, a condenser, a receiver, and an expansion valve. Has been inserted. When power is transmitted from the engine to the compressor, the compressor circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation passage, and the refrigerant is vaporized by the evaporator 30. When the air flow passes through the gap of the evaporator 30 when the refrigerant is vaporized, the air flow is deprived of heat of vaporization and cooled. Condensed water is generated on the outer surface of the evaporator 30 by cooling the air flow. A drain (drainage means) 31 for discharging the condensed water to the outside of the vehicle is provided at the lower end of the evaporator 30 and the lower end of the evaporator 30. An opening is provided over the housing 14 adjacent to the portion.

Further, the evaporator 30 is provided with an evaporator temperature sensor (temperature detection means) 32 for detecting the temperature of the evaporator 30. As will be described later, the evaporator temperature sensor 32 is an air conditioner electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner). (Abbreviated as ECU) 50 is connected to the input side.
Further, a heater core (heating means) 33 is disposed in the housing 14, and the heater core 33 is disposed downstream of the evaporator 30 in the air flow direction. The front surface of the heater core 33 on the evaporator 30 side is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the portion of the housing 14 where the heater core 32 is installed so that only a part of the air flow that has passed through the evaporator 30 passes through the gap of the heater core 33. Have

  Although not shown, the heater core 33 is inserted together with a hot water valve into an engine cooling water branch channel from the engine room 24 to the equipment room 12, and the branch channel circulates between the engine cooling water circulating between the engine and the radiator. The heater core 33 and the radiator are connected to the flow path in parallel. When the warm water valve is opened while the engine coolant is circulating in the circulation channel, the coolant heated by the engine flows into the branch channel, and the heater core 33 is heated by the warm water. The air flow is heated by flowing the air flow through the gap between the heated heater cores 33.

In the housing 14, a plurality of dampers are arranged for switching the air path, that is, the flow path of the air flow generated by the blower 26.
Specifically, an inside / outside air switching damper 34 that switches between an outside air introduction air intake port 16a and an inside air circulation air intake port 16b by opening and closing is installed in the vicinity of the air intake port 16, and in the vicinity of the air outlet 20 is a defroster. A defrost damper 36a, a face damper 36b, and a foot damper 36c are provided as mode dampers (blowing port switching means) 36 for opening and closing the air duct 22a, the face air duct 22b, and the foot air duct 22c, respectively. A heater core damper (air volume adjusting means) 38 is installed in the vicinity of the front surface of the heater core 33, and the heater core damper 38 adjusts the flow rate of the air flow passing through the heater core 33 according to the opening degree.

The vehicle air conditioner includes an ion generator 40.
The ion generator 40 extends from the downstream side of the evaporator 30 in the air path that bypasses the heater core 33 to the air mix area when the heater core damper 38 blocks air flow to the heater core 33 when viewed in the direction of air flow in the housing 14. It is provided at a predetermined position and is disposed at a position not in contact with the heater core damper 38. That is, they are arranged at predetermined positions from the downstream of the evaporator 30 to the defrost outlet 24a, the face outlet 24b, and the foot outlet 24c that blow out into the vehicle compartment 6.

  The ion generator 40 can generate ions, particularly negative ions, and can also generate ozone at the same time. As the ion generator 40, for example, a corona discharge type or electron emission type using high voltage discharge can be used. Some electron emission type ion generators use an iron core type transformer or a piezoelectric transformer as a high voltage generating means.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ion generator 40 is disposed on the driver's seat side having the steering 41 of the HVAC unit 2. A seating sensor (occupant detection means) 42 is provided in the vehicle interior 6, and the seating sensor 42 is connected to the input side of the air conditioner ECU 50.
As shown in FIG. 3, the evaporator temperature sensor 32 is further connected to the input side of the air conditioner ECU 50 as described above.

The air conditioner ECU 50 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like (not shown), and includes a timer 52 (time counting and integrating unit) that performs time counting and time counting and an ozone generation amount map (ozone generation amount calculating unit) 54.
On the output side of the air conditioner ECU 50, an ion generator 40, a blower motor 60, an inside / outside air switching damper motor 62, a mode damper motor 64, a heater core damper motor 66, and various instruments (travel speed meter, engine speed meter, A display device 68 for displaying a cooling water thermometer, various status indicators, and the like is connected.

The operation content of ozone sterilization of the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention configured as described above will be described below.
First, the case where ozone is sterilized in the HVAC unit 2 will be described.
When power is supplied, the ion generator 40 has the property of generating ions by corona discharge or electron radiation and simultaneously generating ozone.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioner ECU 50 stops the operation of the blower 26 by stopping the blower motor 60, and operates the mode damper motor 64 with the mode damper 36 in the fully closed mode to operate the defrost damper 36a and the face. The damper 36b and the foot damper 36c are closed. Further, the inside / outside air switching motor 62 is operated to close the inside air circulation air intake port 16b with the inside / outside air switching damper 34 and open the outside air introduction port 18a. When power is supplied to the ion generator 40, ozone stays in the vicinity of the evaporator 30 in the housing 14 without being supplied into the passenger compartment 6. Thereby, bacteria and fungi adhering to the evaporator 30 are satisfactorily removed.

  On the other hand, when an occupant is instructed to operate the air conditioner by operating the air conditioner operation switch while the HVAC unit 2 is being sterilized with ozone, the air conditioner ECU 50 causes the blower motor 60 to drive the blower 26 to rotate. The ozone in the housing 14 is discharged outside the vehicle.

Next, the case where ozone is sterilized in the passenger compartment will be described.
When the air conditioner ECU 50 determines that there is no passenger in the passenger compartment 6 by the detection of the seating sensor 42, the ion generator 40 is operated to sterilize the passenger compartment with ozone.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioner ECU 50 operates the inside / outside air switching damper motor 62 to close the outside air introduction air intake port 16 a, opens the inside air introduction port 18 b, and operates the heater core damper motor 66. The heater core damper 38 is closed. When power is supplied to the ion generator 40 with any one of the defrost damper 36a, the face damper 36b, and the foot damper 36c open, the blower 26 is rotationally driven by the blower motor 60 by the generated ozone. Thus, the air flow generated is supplied into the passenger compartment 6. Thereby, bacteria and fungi in the vehicle compartment 6 are removed well, and deodorization in the vehicle compartment 6 is also performed.

  By the way, as described above, ozone has a problem that it is toxic when the concentration is high. Therefore, in this vehicle air conditioner, when the inside of the vehicle compartment 6 is sterilized, the amount of ozone generated is the amount of ozone remaining in the vehicle interior. Even so, ozone is generated so as to be below a predetermined upper limit value that does not affect the passenger. Specifically, the amount of ozone generated is set so that the ozone concentration in the passenger compartment 6 is 0.1 ppm or less.

  Normally, an antibacterial agent is applied to the outer surface of the evaporator 30, but the effect of the antibacterial agent diminishes with aging, and conversely, bacteria and fungi near the evaporator 30 increase with aging. There is a tendency. Therefore, the air conditioner ECU 50 integrates the time count of the timer 52 and increases the ozone generation amount with the integration time as shown in the ozone generation amount map 54 of FIG. 6, so that the bacteria and fungi in the HVAC unit 2 are increased. Can be removed sufficiently. In addition, you may increase the operation time of an ion generator with a secular change. Further, the operating time of the ion generator 40 is increased by the evaporator temperature sensor 32, the humidity sensor (humidity detection means) for detecting the humidity in the HVAC unit 2, or the odor sensor (odor detection means) for detecting odor. May be. For example, when the temperature of the evaporator is higher than a predetermined temperature, when the humidity in the HVAC unit 2 is higher than a predetermined value, or when the numerical value of the odor sensor is higher than a predetermined value, the operation time of the ion generator 40 is increased. May be.

  Then, the energization of the ion generator 40 is finished, or the ozone concentration in the HVAC unit 2 or the passenger compartment 6 is equal to or lower than a predetermined upper limit value (for example, 0.1 ppm), and is close to the predetermined upper limit value. When the ozone sterilization ends, the air conditioner ECU 50 displays on the display device 68 that the ozone sterilization has ended. It should be noted that fragrance is disposed in the air passage leading to the air outlets 24a, 24b, 24c that blow out from the outside air introduction air inlet 16a or the inside air circulation air inlet 16b of the HVAC unit 2 to the vehicle compartment 6, thereby removing ozone. When the bacteria are finished, the blower 26 may be operated to cause the fragrance of the fragrance to flow into the passenger compartment 6.

  By the way, in the case of ion dust removal, when electric power is supplied to the ion generator 40, as described above, the molecules in the air flow passing through the ion generator 40 are negatively charged by corona discharge or electron emission. Can do. Accordingly, when electric power is supplied to the ion generator 40 during operation of the blower 26, the air flow generated by the blower 26 passes through the ion generator 40 and ions are supplied into the vehicle interior 6. Thereby, the suspended fine particles in the passenger compartment 6 are removed.

  As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the ion generator 40 has the air passage evaporator 30 that bypasses the heater core 33 in the state where the heater core damper 38 blocks air flow to the heater core 33 in the housing 14. Is provided at a predetermined position in the air mix area from the downstream side to the air outlets 24a, 24b, 24c that are blown into the passenger compartment 6, and is disposed at a position not in contact with the heater core damper 38, so that the refrigerant is vaporized by the evaporator 30. By doing so, failure of the electric element can be prevented by water due to dew condensation generated on the outer surface of the evaporator 30, and operation can be performed more safely.

  Further, ozone can effectively sterilize bacteria and fungi generated and adhered to the outer surface of the evaporator 30 and the peripheral members of the evaporator 30 on the inner surface of the housing 14 when the blower 26 is stopped. It is possible to prevent the ions generated from the generator 40 from colliding with the evaporator 30 and decreasing, and the suspended fine particles in the passenger compartment 6 can be favorably removed by the ions.

Then, by arranging the ion generator 40 on the side of the vehicle interior, in particular, the HVAC unit 2 facing the driver's seat side, the ion generator 40 can be easily arranged and maintenance is facilitated.
When the inside of the HVAC unit 2 is sterilized with ozone, the air conditioner ECU 50 operates the mode damper motor 64 to fully close the mode damper 36 and operates the inside / outside air switching damper motor 62 to operate the inside / outside air switching damper 34. Since the inside air circulation air intake 16b is closed, the evaporator 30 and peripheral devices in the housing 14 can be effectively sterilized by ozone, and the occupant can be prevented from being adversely affected by ozone.

  When there is an air conditioner operation instruction from the occupant during ozone sterilization in the HVAC unit 2, the air conditioner ECU 50 drives the blower 26 by the blower motor 60 to discharge the ozone in the housing 14 from the drain 31 to the outside of the vehicle. This can prevent ozone from adversely affecting passengers.

  Further, when the inside of the passenger compartment 6 is sterilized by ozone, the air conditioner ECU 50 detects the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 6 by the seating sensor 42 and confirms that no occupant is present in the passenger compartment 6. The switching damper motor 62 is operated to close the outside air introduction air intake port 16a by the inside / outside air switching damper 34, the heater core damper motor 66 is operated to close the heater core damper 38, and the blower motor 60 is operated to operate the blower 26. Since the sterilization of the interior of the passenger compartment 6 is performed by flowing ozone into the passenger compartment 6, it is possible to prevent the passenger from being adversely affected by ozone.

The ozone concentration in the passenger compartment 6 when the inside of the passenger compartment 6 is sterilized is set to a predetermined upper limit value that does not adversely affect passengers, and is specifically 0.1 ppm or less. Even if it remains, the passenger can be prevented from being adversely affected.
The air conditioner ECU 50 also includes a timer 52 and an ozone generation amount map 54. The air conditioner ECU 50 integrates the time count of the timer 52, reads out the ozone generation amount corresponding to the integration time from the ozone generation amount map 54, and generates ions. Since the amount of ozone read from the ozone generation amount map 54 from the vessel 40 is generated, bacteria and fungi that increase with aging in the vicinity of the evaporator 30 can be effectively removed.

  Further, when the temperature of the evaporator is higher than a predetermined temperature, when the humidity in the HVAC unit 2 is higher than a predetermined value, or when the numerical value of the odor sensor is higher than a predetermined value, the operation time of the ion generator 40 is increased. Therefore, an appropriate amount of ozone can be generated in accordance with the detection value from each sensor, and sterilization can be performed effectively.

  When the ozone sterilization is completed, the display device 68 displays that the ozone sterilization is completed, so that a passenger inside or outside the vehicle compartment 6 can easily recognize that the ozone sterilization has been completed. . Further, since the fragrance of the fragrance provided in the air passage leading from the introduction port of the HVAC unit to the vehicle interior outlet may be caused to flow into the vehicle interior 6 by the blower 26 driven to rotate, the same effect can be obtained. can get.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the discharge electrode 40 a which is an ion generation part of the ion generator 40 is configured to be installed in the evaporator temperature sensor 32. In addition, it is the same as that of the said 1st Embodiment except the point which the discharge electrode 40a is installed in the evaporator temperature sensor 32, Here, only a different part from the said 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the discharge electrode 40a of the ion generator 40 is installed integrally with the evaporator temperature sensor 32, and the evaporator 30 is used as a counter electrode. The ion generator 40 includes a high voltage power supply 40b.
The ion generator 40 configured as described above generates ions and ozone from the discharge electrode 40a integrated with the evaporator temperature sensor 32 by applying a high voltage from the high voltage power supply 40b, and the evaporator 30 is connected to the counter electrode. Therefore, a ground fault occurs in the evaporator 30.

Therefore, by integrating the evaporator temperature sensor 32 and the discharge electrode 40a and using the evaporator 30 as a counter electrode, there is no need to newly provide a ground electrode, and the ion generator 40 can be arranged in a small space. is there.
In addition, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although the evaporator 30 is made into a counter electrode, although not shown in figure, it is good also considering the electroconductive packing material of the evaporator 30 as a counter electrode.

Although the description of the embodiment is finished as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the presence / absence of an occupant is detected by the seating sensor 42 before ozone sterilization in the passenger compartment 6 is performed, but an infrared sensor or a seat belt sensor may be used instead.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, when ozone sterilization in the HVAC unit 2 or the passenger compartment 6 is finished, the display device 68 that displays various instruments displays that the ozone sterilization is finished. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a liquid crystal display device for an air conditioner near the operation panel of the air conditioner, for example.

2 HVAC unit 14 Housing 20 Mode damper 30 Evaporator 31 Drain (drainage means)
32 Evaporator temperature sensor (temperature detection means)
38 Heater core damper (air flow adjustment means)
40 Ion generator 40a Discharge electrode 40b High voltage power supply 42 Seating sensor (occupant detection means)
50 Air conditioner ECU
52 Timer (Time counting and integration means)
54 Ozone generation map (Ozone generation calculation means)
68 display devices

Claims (11)

In a vehicle air conditioner equipped with an ion generator that generates ions and ozone each or simultaneously serving as an ion generating means and an ozone generating means,
Ventilation means for blowing air into the vehicle interior, heating means for warming the air blown from the air blowing means, air volume adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of air passing through the heating means, and refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration circuit are vaporized in the housing. An HVAC unit that forms an air passage for blowing conditioned air into the vehicle interior, and has a drainage means for discharging moisture generated from the evaporator to the outside of the vehicle,
The HVAC unit is formed by forming a warm air passage through which the air from the air blowing means passes through the heating means and a bypass air passage that bypasses the heating means and the air volume adjusting means,
The ion generator is an air mix area located downstream from the evaporator of the bypass air passage in a state where the air volume adjusting means blocks air flow to the heating means as viewed in the flow direction of the conditioned air. It is arrange | positioned in the predetermined position until. The vehicle air conditioner characterized by the above-mentioned.   2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a side surface in the HVAC unit facing a vehicle interior side of the vehicle.   The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined position is a side surface in the HVAC unit facing a driver's seat side of the vehicle. A vehicle air conditioner including an ion generator that simultaneously generates ions and ozone by applying a high voltage between a discharge electrode and a counter electrode to generate an air discharge, and an ion generator that also serves as an ozone generator In
An HVAC unit with an internal evaporator,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the evaporator,
The discharge electrode is disposed in the temperature detecting means,
An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein the evaporator is the counter electrode. The HVAC unit further includes outlet switching means for opening and closing the outlet or outlets into the vehicle interior,
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air outlet switching means has a fully closed mode in which all the air outlets communicating with the vehicle interior are closed. Further comprising occupant detection means for detecting or recognizing the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment,
When it is confirmed by the occupant detection means that there is no occupant in the passenger compartment, ozone generated by the ion generator is supplied to the passenger compartment by the blower means, and the ozone concentration in the passenger compartment is below a predetermined upper limit value. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle interior is sterilized.   The vehicle air quantity device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined upper limit value is 0.1 ppm or less. Time counting and integration means for counting and integrating elapsed time;
Ozone generation amount calculating means for calculating the ozone generation amount generated by the ozone generation means from the integration time integrated by the time counting means;
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: Humidity detecting means for detecting humidity in the HVAC unit;
Odor detection means for detecting odor in the HVAC unit;
An ozone generation amount adjusting unit that adjusts an ozone generation amount based on information detected from at least one of the temperature detection unit, the humidity detection unit, and the odor detection unit;
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:   A notification means for notifying a passenger in the vehicle compartment or outside of the vehicle that the sterilization is completed by the ion generator when the sterilization in the HVAC unit or the vehicle compartment is completed by ozone generated from the ion generator; The vehicle air quantity device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:   The notification means includes a display means for displaying that the sterilization has been completed by the ozone generation means, and a fragrance disposed in the air passage leading from the inlet for introducing the inside and outside air of the HVAC unit to the outlet. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 10, comprising at least one of the blowing means for blowing air.

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