JP2014061801A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle capable of reducing discomfort of a crew member due to an odor in a heating operation.SOLUTION: An air conditioner ECU 50 of an air conditioner for a vehicle controls a cooling operation for cooling the air by an evaporator 7, a heating operation for heating the air by a condenser 3, and a dehumidification heating operation for cooling the air by the evaporator 7 and heating the cooled air by the condenser 3, and performs air conditioning of the air to be blown into a passenger compartment. The air conditioner ECU 50 sets a blowout prohibition period for blowing no air-conditioned wind from a center face blowout port opening in the passenger compartment during the heating operation this time when the previous operation is the cooling operation or the humidification heating operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner including an air passage through which air blown into a vehicle compartment passes through an evaporator in both cooling operation and heating operation.

  The vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 1 includes a fluid discharge passage that branches off from the ventilation passage and is connected to the outside of the vehicle in the middle of the ventilation passage through which the conditioned air blown into the passenger compartment flows. It is disclosed that a fluid suction passage for introducing fresh air outside the vehicle into the ventilation path is provided.

  Specifically, the vehicle air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 opens the fluid discharge passage with the first damper and opens the fluid suction passage with the second damper at the time of starting. Air containing an unpleasant odor staying in the ventilation path is discharged out of the vehicle from the fluid discharge passage at the time of starting, while fresh air outside the vehicle is supplied into the vehicle compartment through the fluid suction passage.

JP-A-5-69741

  However, the device described in Patent Document 1 is provided so that a dedicated fluid discharge passage communicating with the outside of the vehicle branches off in the middle of the air passage in order to eliminate discomfort that can be given to the occupant at the start. It is necessary to provide a damper that opens and closes. Therefore, in order not to introduce odors into the vehicle interior, dedicated odor discharge passages and outside air intake passages and a structure for opening and closing each of these passages are necessary, which increases the number of parts and increases the size of the device. There is a problem that the device configuration is complicated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to eliminate the odor of passengers due to odor during heating operation without requiring a separate component for discharging the odor to the outside. It is providing the vehicle air conditioner which can be reduced.

The present invention employs the following technical means to achieve the above object. That is, the invention relating to the vehicle air conditioner of the present application includes a blower means (21) for blowing air into the passenger compartment, and an air conditioning unit case (20) that forms an air passage through which the air blown by the blower means passes. A cooling heat exchanger (7) for cooling the air flowing through the air passage by the refrigerant flowing through the heat pump cycle (1) and the heat pump cycle (1) provided in the air conditioning unit case. A heating heat exchanger (3) for heating the air that has passed through the cooling heat exchanger by the flowing refrigerant;
Cooling operation in which air is cooled by a cooling heat exchanger, heating operation in which air is heated by a heating heat exchanger, air is cooled by a cooling heat exchanger, and the cooled air is heated by a heating heat exchanger. A dehumidifying and heating operation for heating, and a control device (50) for air-conditioning the air blown into the passenger compartment,
The control device, when the previous operation is a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation, during the current heating operation, the blowout prohibition period during which the blowout of the conditioned air from the center face air outlet (31) opening in the passenger compartment is not permitted. Is set.

  In the previous cooling operation or dehumidifying heating operation, the odorous components that are likely to be generated when the wet cooling heat exchanger is dried in the current heating operation are supplied to the passenger compartment in the air-conditioned air. May end up. According to this invention, the time which prohibits the blowing of the conditioned air from the said center face blower outlet is set during heating operation. In other words, even if the blowout mode in which the conditioned air is blown from the face outlet is activated in the current heating operation, the blowout control for prohibiting the blowout from the center face outlet during the blowout prohibition period is performed. To do. As a result, even if odor leaks into the passenger compartment during the current heating operation, the odor is blown from the passenger compartment outlet that is not directly directed to the passenger's olfactory part. Blowing out towards the upper body can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioner that reduces the discomfort of passengers due to odor during heating operation without requiring a separate component for discharging odor out of the passenger compartment.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis as described in a claim and said each means is an example which shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure which concerns on a vehicle air conditioner. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the air-conditioning control of 1st Embodiment by the vehicle air conditioner. It is a time chart for demonstrating the odor prevention control of 1st Embodiment. It is a 1st control map used in order to calculate the water retention amount of the evaporator after the last driving | operation. It is a 2nd control map used in order to calculate the water retention amount of the evaporator after the last driving | operation. It is a 1st control map used in order to calculate the subtraction amount regarding the water retention amount of an evaporator. It is a 2nd control map used in order to calculate the subtraction amount regarding the water retention amount of an evaporator. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the air-conditioning control of 2nd Embodiment by a vehicle air conditioner. It is a time chart for demonstrating the odor prevention control of 2nd Embodiment.

  A plurality of modes for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each mode, the other modes described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Not only combinations of parts that clearly show that combinations are possible in each embodiment, but also combinations of the embodiments even if they are not specified, unless there is a particular problem with the combination. Is also possible.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is an example of a refrigerant cycle, and is a vapor compression heat pump cycle 1 that adjusts the temperature of blown air into the vehicle interior. And an air conditioner ECU 50 as a control device for controlling the operation of various components of the vehicle air conditioner.

  The heat pump cycle 1 includes a cooling mode (cooling operation) refrigerant circuit that cools the blown air to cool the passenger compartment, a heating mode (heating operation) refrigerant circuit that heats the blown air and heats the passenger compartment, and The refrigerant circuit in the dehumidifying and heating mode (dehumidifying and heating operation) in which the blown air is cooled by the cooling heat exchanger and the blown air is further heated by the heating heat exchanger can be switched. In FIG. 1, the refrigerant flow in the cooling mode is indicated by a broken line arrow, the refrigerant flow in the heating mode is indicated by a solid line arrow, and the refrigerant flow in the dehumidifying heating mode is indicated by a white arrow.

  The heat pump cycle 1 includes a compressor 2 that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, a condenser 3 that serves as a heating heat exchanger that heats blown air, an evaporator 7 that serves as a cooling heat exchanger that cools blown air, and a refrigerant. A heating fixed throttle 4 and a cooling fixed throttle 6 to be decompressed and expanded, and an electromagnetic valve 10 and an electromagnetic valve 11 as refrigerant circuit switching means are provided. In the heat pump cycle 1, for example, an HFC refrigerant (specifically, R134a) is employed as the refrigerant, and a vapor compression subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant is configured. Yes.

  The compressor 2 is disposed in the hood of the vehicle outside the passenger compartment, and draws in the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 1, compresses and discharges it, and drives a fixed capacity type compression mechanism with a fixed discharge capacity by an electric motor. It is configured as an electric compressor. Specifically, various compression mechanisms such as a scroll type compression mechanism and a vane type compression mechanism can be adopted as the fixed capacity type compression mechanism. The electric motor is an AC motor whose rotation speed is controlled by, for example, an AC voltage output from an inverter. The inverter outputs an AC voltage having a frequency corresponding to a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50. The refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 2 is changed by this frequency or rotation speed control.

  The refrigerant inlet side of the condenser 3 is connected to the discharge port side of the compressor 2. The condenser 3 is disposed in an air-conditioning unit case that forms an air passage for the blown air that is blown into the vehicle interior in the air-conditioning unit 20, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating in the interior and the blown air. It is a heat exchanger for heating which heats.

  The refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 5 is connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the condenser 3 via a heating fixed throttle 4 that depressurizes the refrigerant in the heating mode. As the heating fixed throttle 4, an orifice, a capillary tube, or the like can be employed. The heating fixed throttle 4 is not limited to a fixed throttle and may be a variable throttle mechanism such as an electric expansion valve with a fully open function as long as it can function to depressurize the refrigerant in the heating mode.

  Further, an electromagnetic valve 10 in parallel with the heating fixed throttle 4 is provided on the refrigerant outlet side of the condenser 3. The solenoid valve 10 constitutes a refrigerant circuit switching means for switching a refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode, a refrigerant circuit in the heating mode, and a refrigerant circuit in the dehumidifying heating mode, and its operation is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50. Open / close valve. Specifically, the solenoid valve 10 is closed during the heating mode and the dehumidifying heating mode, and is opened during the cooling mode.

  Note that the pressure loss that occurs when the refrigerant passes through the solenoid valve 10 with the solenoid valve 10 open is in contrast to the pressure loss that occurs when the refrigerant passes through the heating fixed throttle 4 with the solenoid valve 10 closed. And very small. Therefore, in a state where the electromagnetic valve 10 is opened, almost the entire flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 3 passes through the electromagnetic valve 10 and flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 5 side.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 5 is disposed in the hood, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating inside and the air outside the vehicle (outside air) blown from the outdoor fan 5a. The outdoor fan 5a is an electric blower whose number of rotations (air blowing capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the air conditioner ECU 50. The refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 5 is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator 7 via a cooling fixed throttle 6 that depressurizes the refrigerant in the cooling mode. As the cooling fixed throttle 6, as with the heating fixed throttle 4, an orifice, a capillary tube, or the like can be employed. The cooling fixed throttle 6 is not limited to a fixed throttle and may be a variable throttle mechanism such as an electric expansion valve with a fully open function as long as it can exhibit a function of reducing the pressure of the refrigerant in the cooling mode.

  Further, an electromagnetic valve 11 is provided on the refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 5 in a passage that bypasses the cooling fixed throttle 6 and the evaporator 7. The solenoid valve 11 constitutes a refrigerant circuit switching means for switching a refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode, a refrigerant circuit in the heating mode, and a refrigerant circuit in the dehumidifying heating mode, and its operation is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50. Open / close valve. Specifically, the electromagnetic valve 11 is closed during the cooling mode and the dehumidifying heating mode, and is opened during the heating mode.

  The pressure loss that occurs when the refrigerant passes through the solenoid valve 11 with the solenoid valve 11 open is compared to the pressure loss that occurs when the refrigerant passes through the cooling fixed throttle 6 with the solenoid valve 11 closed. And very small. Therefore, in a state where the electromagnetic valve 11 is open, almost the entire flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 5 passes through the electromagnetic valve 11 and flows to the accumulator 8 side.

  The evaporator 7 is arranged in the air conditioning unit case on the upstream side of the flow of the blown air of the condenser 3, and heat for cooling that cools the blown air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the inside and the blown air. It is an exchanger. The refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 7 is connected to the inlet side of the accumulator 8. The accumulator 8 is a gas-liquid separator that separates the gas-liquid of the refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator and stores excess refrigerant in the cycle. Further, the suction port side of the compressor 2 is connected to the gas-phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 8.

  Next, the air conditioning unit 20 will be described. The air conditioning unit 20 is arranged inside the instrument panel at the foremost part of the vehicle interior, and accommodates the indoor blower 21, the evaporator 7, the condenser 3, the air mix door 24, etc. in the air conditioning unit case forming the outer shell thereof. To do. The air conditioning unit case is formed of a resin (for example, polypropylene) that has a certain degree of elasticity and is excellent in strength, and forms an air passage for the blown air that is blown into the passenger compartment inside the air conditioning unit case. . On the most upstream side of the air flow of the air conditioning unit case, an inside / outside air switching device 30 for switching and introducing air (inside air) and outside air into the case is arranged in the case.

  The inside / outside air switching device 30 continuously adjusts the opening area of the inside air introduction port through which the inside air is introduced into the air conditioning unit case and the outside air introduction port through which the outside air is introduced by the inside / outside air switching door. The air volume ratio with the air volume is continuously changed. The inside / outside air switching door is driven by the electric actuator 40 for the inside / outside air switching door. The operation of the electric actuator 40 is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50.

  On the downstream side of the air flow of the inside / outside air switching device 30, an indoor blower 21 that blows air sucked through the inside / outside air switching device 30 toward the vehicle interior is arranged. The indoor blower 21 that is a blowing means is an electric blower that drives a centrifugal multiblade fan with an electric motor, and the number of rotations (the amount of blown air) is controlled by a control voltage output from the air conditioner ECU 50.

  On the downstream side of the air flow of the indoor blower 21, the evaporator 7 and the condenser 3 are arranged in the order of the evaporator 7 and the condenser 3 with respect to the flow of the blown air. In the air conditioning unit case, an air mix door 24 that adjusts the air volume ratio between the air volume that passes through the condenser 3 and the air volume that does not pass through the condenser 3 in the blown air after passing through the evaporator 7 is disposed. . The air mix door 24 is driven by an electric actuator 41 for driving the air mix door. The operation of the electric actuator 41 is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50.

  In the first embodiment, in the heating mode and in the dehumidifying heating mode, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the air mix door 24 is located at the heating position where the entire air volume of the blown air after passing through the evaporator 7 flows into the condenser 3. Is displaced. Therefore, the blown air after passing through the evaporator 7 passes through the condenser 3 and flows through the warm air passage 23, and reaches the air mix unit 25 formed on the upstream side of the plurality of blowing openings. In the cooling mode, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, the air mix door 24 is displaced to a cooling position where the entire air volume of the blown air after passing through the evaporator 7 bypasses the condenser 3. Therefore, the blown air after passing through the evaporator 7 flows through the cool air passage 22 and reaches the air mix portion 25 formed on the upstream side of the plurality of blowing openings.

  An opening for blowing out the blown air that has passed through the condenser 3 or the blown air that has bypassed the condenser 3 into the air conditioning target space is provided at the most downstream portion of the air flow of the air conditioning unit case. The opening includes a defroster opening 32 that blows conditioned air toward the inner surface of the front window glass of the vehicle, a face opening 31 that blows conditioned air toward the upper body of the passenger in the passenger compartment, and air conditioned air toward the feet of the passenger. A foot opening 33 for blowing out is provided. The air flow downstream side of these openings is provided with a face outlet, a foot outlet, and a defroster outlet, each of which includes a center face outlet, a side face outlet, and the like provided in the vehicle interior via ducts that form air passages. Connected to an outlet (not shown).

  Therefore, in the cooling mode, the opening degree of the air mix door 24 is adjusted, and a part of the blown air cooled by the evaporator 7 is reheated by the condenser 3, so that the face outlet, the foot outlet, and You may make it adjust the temperature of the ventilation air which blows off into a vehicle interior from a defroster blower outlet. Further, the defroster door 27 for adjusting the opening area of the defroster opening 32 and the opening area of the face opening 31 are adjusted on the upstream side of the airflow of the defroster opening 32, the face opening 31 and the foot opening 33, respectively. A foot door 28 for adjusting the opening area of the face door 26 and the foot opening 33 is disposed.

  The face door 26, the defroster door 27, and the foot door 28 constitute an outlet mode switching means for switching the outlet mode, and are connected to an electric actuator 42 for driving the outlet mode door via a link mechanism or the like. Are operated in conjunction with each other. The operation of the electric actuator 42 is also controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 50.

  In addition, as the outlet mode switched by the outlet mode switching means, the face mode for blowing air from the center face outlet or the like toward the upper body of the passenger in the vehicle, both the center face outlet and the foot outlet are opened. Bi-level mode that blows air toward the upper body and feet of passengers in the passenger compartment, foot mode that fully opens the foot outlet and opens the defroster outlet only by a small opening, and blows mainly air from the foot outlet, and foot There is a foot defroster mode in which the air outlet and the defroster air outlet are opened to the same extent and air is blown out from both the foot air outlet and the defroster air outlet. Further, the defroster mode in which the occupant manually operates the blowing mode changeover switch provided on the operation panel 60 to fully open the defroster outlet and blow out air from the defroster outlet to the inner surface of the front window glass can be set.

  Next, the electric control unit will be described. The air conditioner ECU 50 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, which are a known microcomputer and its peripheral circuits. Then, various calculations and processes are performed based on the air conditioning control program stored in the ROM, the inverter for the compressor 2 connected to the output side, the electromagnetic valve 10 and the electromagnetic valve 11, the outdoor fan 5a, and the indoor use The operation of the blower 21 and various electric actuators 40 to 42 is controlled.

  On the input side of the air conditioner ECU 50, detection signals of a sensor group for air conditioning control such as the discharge temperature sensor 51, the discharge pressure sensor 52, the pre-evaporator temperature sensor 53, and the post-evaporator temperature sensor 54 are input. The discharge temperature sensor 51 detects the discharge refrigerant temperature Td of the discharge refrigerant of the compressor 2. The discharge pressure sensor 52 detects the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd of the discharge refrigerant of the compressor 2. The pre-evaporator temperature sensor 53 detects the intake air temperature before passing through the evaporator 7. The post-evaporator temperature sensor 54 detects the air temperature immediately after passing through the evaporator 7, and the temperature can be used as the temperature of the evaporator.

  The discharge refrigerant pressure Pd is the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure of the cycle from the refrigerant discharge port side of the compressor 2 to the inlet of the cooling fixed throttle 6 in the cooling mode, and in the heating mode, the refrigerant discharge port side of the compressor 2 It becomes the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure of the cycle from to the inlet of the fixed throttle 4 for heating. Moreover, you may make it the post-evaporator temperature sensor 54 detect the heat exchange fin temperature of the evaporator 7, for example.

  Furthermore, operation signals from various air conditioning operation switches provided on the operation panel 60 near the instrument panel in the front of the vehicle interior are input to the input side of the air conditioner ECU 50. Various air conditioning operation switches provided on the operation panel 60 include, for example, an operation switch for a vehicle air conditioner, an auto switch for setting or canceling automatic control of the vehicle air conditioner, an operation mode switching switch for switching an operation mode, and an outlet There are a blowing mode switching switch for switching modes, an air volume setting switch for the indoor blower 21, a vehicle interior temperature setting switch for setting a target temperature Tset in the vehicle interior, and the like.

  The air conditioner ECU 50 is a control device in which control means for controlling various air conditioning components connected to the output side is integrally configured. The air conditioner ECU 50 performs a cooling operation in which the blowing air is cooled by the evaporator 7, a heating operation in which the blowing air is heated by the condenser 3, and the cooling air is cooled by the evaporator 7 and the cooled air is heated by the condenser 3. It is possible to control the dehumidifying and heating operation.

  Next, basic normal air conditioning control by the air conditioner ECU 50 will be described. Normal air conditioning control is a process performed in step 10 of the flowchart shown in FIG. In other words. The normal air conditioning control is executed when the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation is performed this time, or when the previous operation is not the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation even if the heating operation is performed this time.

  In normal air-conditioning control, initialization processing, switch signal reading processing, sensor signal reading processing, target blowout temperature TAO calculation processing, voltage determination processing for the indoor blower 21, and suction mode (outside air introduction, inside air circulation) determination processing , Determination process of the outlet mode, position determination process of the air mix door 24, output determination process of the outdoor fan 5a, operation determination process of the refrigerant circuit switching means (electromagnetic valves 10, 11), rotation speed determination process of the compressor 2, The process of outputting the control signal to each unit is executed in order. These series of processes are repeatedly executed at predetermined control cycle intervals.

  Next, control related to characteristic odor suppression of the present application will be described with reference to FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is started when power is supplied to the air conditioner ECU 50 and the automatic air conditioning operation is set or when the air conditioning operation is set by manual operation. Each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is mainly executed by the air conditioner ECU 50.

  First, in step 1, it is determined whether or not the operation set this time is “heating operation”. If it is determined in step 1 that the current operation is not the heating operation, the process proceeds to step 10, and after performing the “normal air conditioning control” described above, the process returns to step 1 and performs the above determination.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 1 that the current operation is a heating operation, in step 2, the water retention amount of the evaporator 7 after the previous operation is read. The air conditioner ECU 50 writes the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the evaporator 7 in a storage means such as a RAM after completion of the previous air conditioning operation. Step 2 is a process of reading this from the storage means. The water retention amount may be a predetermined value stored in advance in a ROM or the like based on data obtained from experimental results and empirical rules using an actual machine, etc., or using various parameters obtained during the previous operation. The calculated value may be calculated in the above manner. Regardless of the water retention amount by any method, the air conditioner ECU 50 executes a process of storing the water retention amount in the storage means after the end of the previous air conditioning operation.

  The air conditioner ECU 50 calculates the water retention amount of the evaporator 7 by the following method after completion of the previous cooling operation or the like. The control map in FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the suction temperature [° C.] of the evaporator 7 and the amount of water W1 [g / hour] for each suction air humidity condition of 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%. Data. The air conditioner ECU 50 stores the control map in storage means such as a ROM. The suction temperature of the evaporator 7 is the suction air temperature before passing through the evaporator 7 detected by the pre-evaporator temperature sensor 53. The intake air humidity may be calculated using data such as the intake air temperature, or may be a value detected by an installed humidity sensor. And air-conditioner ECU50 calculates | requires the moisture content W1 [g / hour] using the control map of FIG. 5, the suction air humidity of the evaporator 7, a suction temperature, etc. FIG.

  The control map in FIG. 6 is data representing the relationship between the temperature TEO [° C.] of the evaporator 7 and the water content W2 [g / hour]. The air conditioner ECU 50 stores the control map in storage means such as a ROM. The temperature of the evaporator 7 is the air temperature immediately after passing through the evaporator 7 detected by the post-evaporator temperature sensor 54. And air-conditioner ECU50 calculates | requires moisture content W2 [g / time] using the control map of FIG. 6, the temperature of the evaporator 7, etc. FIG. Further, the air conditioner ECU 50 calculates a value obtained by multiplying the value of W1-W2 by the previous operation time, a result of an experiment using an actual machine, a value of the maximum water retention amount stored in advance in a ROM or the like based on an empirical rule, etc. And the smaller value is determined as the water retention amount after the previous operation. The determined water retention amount is stored in a storage unit such as a RAM after the previous cooling operation or the like is completed.

  Next, in step 3, it is determined whether the previous operation is either a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation. When the previous time is neither the cooling operation nor the dehumidifying heating operation, the routine proceeds to step 10 and the above-described normal air conditioning control is performed. If the previous operation was a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation, the electric actuator 42 for driving the outlet mode door is controlled in step 4 to execute a process for closing the passage leading to the center face outlet, and in step 5 the heating is performed. Start driving. Thereby, the heating operation in which the conditioned air is not blown out from the center face outlet is started.

  Next, in step 6, the subtraction amount of the water retention amount after the start of the current heating operation is calculated. This subtraction amount corresponds to the rate at which the water retention amount read in step 2 decreases during the current heating operation, in other words, the evaporation rate from the evaporator 7.

  The air conditioner ECU 50 calculates the subtraction amount of the water retention amount by the following method. The control map in FIG. 7 is data representing the relationship between the amount of air blown by the indoor blower 21 and the first subtraction amount S1. The air conditioner ECU 50 stores the control map in storage means such as a ROM. The amount of air blown by the indoor blower 21 can be obtained from the rotational speed of the indoor blower 21 and a predetermined relational expression. Then, the air conditioner ECU 50 obtains the first subtraction amount S1 using the control map of FIG. 7, the blower air amount of the indoor blower 21, etc., and determines this first subtraction amount S1 as the subtraction amount in step 6. Good.

  Further, the air conditioner ECU 50 may determine the subtraction amount in step 6 using the first subtraction amount S1 and the second subtraction amount S2. In this case, the second subtraction amount S2 is obtained using the control map of FIG. The control map of FIG. 8 is data representing the relationship between the suction temperature [° C.] of the evaporator 7 and the second subtraction amount S2 for each suction air humidity condition of 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%. It is. The air conditioner ECU 50 stores the control map in storage means such as a ROM. The suction temperature of the evaporator 7 is the suction air temperature before passing through the evaporator 7 detected by the pre-evaporator temperature sensor 53. The intake air humidity may be calculated using data such as the intake air temperature, or may be a value detected by an installed humidity sensor. And air-conditioner ECU50 calculates | requires 2nd subtraction amount S2 using the control map of FIG. 8, the suction air humidity, suction temperature, etc. of the evaporator 7. FIG.

  Further, the air conditioner ECU 50 previously stores a calculated value obtained by multiplying the first subtraction amount S1 and the second subtraction amount S2 in a ROM or the like based on an experimental result using an actual machine, an empirical rule, or the like. The value of the maximum water retention amount is compared, and the smaller value is determined as the subtraction amount in step 6. The air conditioner ECU 50 may determine the second subtraction amount S2 as the subtraction amount in step 6.

  Next, in step 7, the time when the water retention amount read in step 2 becomes zero by the subtraction amount obtained in step 6 is estimated, and it is determined whether or not the estimated time has been reached. That is, in step 7, it is determined whether or not the current water retention amount obtained from the stored water retention amount and the calculated subtraction amount has become zero.

  If it is determined in step 7 that the water retention amount has become zero, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time TA has elapsed since it was determined in step 8 that the water retention amount was zero. This predetermined time TA is supplied to the vehicle interior in the air-conditioned air in view of the generation of a large amount of off-flavor components before and after the evaporator 7 that was wet at the beginning of the heating operation becomes dry. In order to prevent this, it is a set time. The predetermined time TA is set to a time when the occupant does not feel odor even if the conditioned air is blown out from the center face air outlet, based on the results of experiments using an actual machine, empirical rules, and the like.

  Until it is determined in step 8 that the predetermined time TA has elapsed, the blowout prohibition from the center face outlet is maintained. If it is determined that the predetermined time TA has elapsed, the passage of the passage leading to the center face air outlet is released in step 9, and then the normal heating operation for permitting the air blowing from the center face air outlet is performed. From the above, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 4, the center face outlet opening prohibition period starts from the beginning of the heating operation, and continues until a predetermined time TA elapses after determining the water retention amount zero. is there.

  The effect which the vehicle air conditioner of 1st Embodiment brings is described below. The air conditioner ECU 50 of the vehicle air conditioner includes a cooling operation in which the air is cooled by the evaporator 7, a cooling operation in which the air is heated by the condenser 3, and the air that is cooled by the evaporator 7 and the cooled air is condensed in the condenser 3. The dehumidifying and heating operation of heating in the vehicle is controlled to air-condition the air blown into the passenger compartment. Usually, when performing a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation, the condensed water may adhere to the evaporator 7 and the surface of the evaporator 7 may remain wet. In general, when the surface of the evaporator 7 is wet, the off-flavor components adhering to the evaporator 7 are confined by water and do not diffuse into the air, but when the water that wets the evaporator 7 evaporates. The off-flavor components are likely to diffuse into the air.

  Therefore, when the previous operation is a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation, the air conditioner ECU 50 sets a blow-off prohibition period during which the air-conditioning air blowing from the center face air outlet that opens in the passenger compartment is prohibited during the current heating operation. Set.

  According to this control, during the heating operation after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation, the blowout control for suppressing the odor is performed to prohibit the blowout from the center face blowout outlet during the blowout prohibition period. As a result, during the blowout prohibition period, the conditioned air directed toward the occupant's upper body is not blown out from the center face air outlet, so that the conditioned air containing odor can be prevented from being blown out toward the occupant's upper body. Therefore, in the current heating operation, by appropriately setting the blowout prohibition period, it is possible to suppress the discomfort of the occupant against the odor that can be generated from the evaporator 7.

  For example, when the degree of dryness of the evaporator 7 is high at the start of the heating operation, the odor is likely to be supplied into the passenger compartment together with the conditioned air immediately after the start of the operation. Therefore, the air conditioner ECU 50 sets the blowing prohibition period to start from the start of the current heating operation. According to this control, when an odor is generated from the evaporator 7 at the start of the heating operation after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation, the conditioned air containing the odor is prevented from being blown out toward the upper body of the occupant. be able to.

  In addition, the air conditioner ECU 50 calculates the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the evaporator 7 after the end of the previous cooling operation or dehumidifying heating operation, and determines the blow-off prohibition period according to the calculated water retention amount. According to this control, by calculating the water retention amount related to the previous cooling operation or dehumidifying heating operation, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate water retention amount suitable for the previous operation condition. And since a blowing prohibition period is determined according to a highly accurate water retention amount, it is possible to set an accurate blowing prohibition period that fully considers the degree of dryness of the evaporator 7. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the conditioned air containing odor from being blown out toward the upper body of the occupant.

  The air conditioner ECU 50 preferably calculates the water retention amount using the temperature of the air before being cooled by the evaporator 7. According to this, it is possible to calculate the water retention amount in consideration of the degree of condensation promotion on the surface of the evaporator 7. For example, it is possible to calculate an accurate water retention amount by utilizing actual water retention amount data related to the intake air temperature of the evaporator 7. Therefore, a useless blowing prohibition period can be reduced.

  Further, the air conditioner ECU 50 preferably calculates the water retention amount using the humidity of the air before being cooled by the evaporator 7. According to this, it is possible to calculate the water retention amount with higher accuracy by utilizing the actual data of the water retention amount related to the intake air humidity of the evaporator 7. Therefore, a useless blowing prohibition period can be reduced.

  In addition, the air conditioner ECU 50 calculates the subtraction amount corresponding to the speed at which the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the evaporator 7 decreases during the current heating operation after the end of the previous cooling operation or dehumidifying heating operation. It is preferable to calculate by using the air volume of the air blown into the vehicle compartment by 21. According to this, the subtraction amount of the water retention amount in consideration of the degree of acceleration of evaporation from the surface of the evaporator 7 can be calculated. For example, an accurate subtraction amount can be calculated by utilizing actual data relating to the amount of air flow passing through the evaporator 7 and the amount of evaporation on the surface of the evaporator 7. Therefore, an accurate blowing prohibition period can be determined, and a useless blowing prohibition period can be reduced.

  In addition, the air conditioner ECU 50 calculates the subtraction amount corresponding to the speed at which the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the evaporator 7 decreases during the current heating operation after the end of the previous cooling operation or dehumidifying heating operation. It is preferable to calculate using the air volume of the air blown into the vehicle interior by the vehicle 21, the temperature of the air before being cooled by the evaporator 7, and the humidity of the air before being cooled by the evaporator 7. According to this, an accurate subtraction amount can be calculated using a plurality of data relating to the subtraction amount. Therefore, an accurate blowing prohibition period can be determined, and a useless blowing prohibition period can be reduced.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the air conditioner ECU 50 sets the air volume of the air blown into the vehicle interior by the indoor blower 21 to be small during the blowout prohibition period. That is, in the current heating operation, the amount of air blown by the indoor blower 21 during the blowout prohibition period is set to be smaller than the amount of air blown by the indoor blower 21 during a period other than the blowout prohibition period. According to this, the air volume blown out from the air outlets other than the center face air outlet toward the vehicle interior during the air discharge prohibition period is reduced, and the intensity of the odor contained in the conditioned air can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, another form of control related to odor suppression described in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

  The processing flow described in the second embodiment is different from the flowchart described with reference to FIG. 3 in the first embodiment in that the processing of step 6a and step 6b is executed. Other steps with the same step numbers as those in FIG. 3 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Further, other components, their operations, and other control processing procedures are the same as those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, processing different from that of the first embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the air conditioner ECU 50 starts the heating operation in step 5, and then passes through the water retention amount subtraction amount calculation process (step 6) after the heating operation is started. It is determined whether or not the subtraction amount obtained in step 1 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (step 6a). That is, in step 6a, it is determined whether or not the current water retention amount obtained from the stored water retention amount and the calculated subtraction amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This predetermined value is a value set to prohibit the blowout from the center face outlet before the water retention amount becomes zero, and the evaporator 7 is completely dried and the conditioned air containing odor is generated. It is set to a value that can start the blow-off prohibition period before.

  If it is determined in step 6a that the water retention amount has become equal to or less than the predetermined value, in step 6b, the electric actuator 42 for driving the air outlet mode door is controlled to close the passage leading to the center face air outlet. By this process, after starting the heating operation in Step 5, the blowout from the center face outlet has not been prohibited so far, but it is estimated that the blowout prohibition period starts at Step 6b and the water retention amount becomes zero. The operation in which the conditioned air is not blown out from the center face blowout outlet will begin a little while ago. Thereafter, the same processing as the control of the first embodiment is performed until the closing release processing of the passage leading to the center face air outlet in step 9.

  From the above, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 10, in the second embodiment, the center face outlet outlet prohibition period does not start from the start of the heating operation, but the water retention amount zero becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value and becomes zero. Is started, and after determining that the water retention amount has become zero, it is continued until a predetermined time TA elapses. That is, the blowout prohibition period of the center face outlet is a closing time set before and after the estimated water retention amount zero state.

  The effect which the vehicle air conditioner of 2nd Embodiment brings is described below. When the previous operation is a cooling operation or a dehumidifying and heating operation, the air conditioner ECU 50 of the vehicle air conditioner determines whether the center face air outlet outlet prohibition period is determined by a calculated value or a predetermined value in the current heating operation. Set before and after the point when it is determined that the amount of water has run out.

  According to this control, it is possible to prevent the off-flavor components that are likely to be generated before and after the wet evaporator 7 is completely dried by the heating operation from being blown out from the center face outlet toward the olfactory device of the occupant. Therefore, in the current heating operation, it is possible to suppress occupant discomfort with respect to odor that may be generated before and after the evaporator 7 is completely dried. Further, since the blowout from the center face blowout port is not particularly prohibited except during the blowout prohibition period set as described above, it is possible to suppress discomfort caused by odor and give a feeling of heating to the occupant. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner can effectively realize both a reduction in disgust due to a strange odor and provision of a thermal sensation.

  In addition, the air conditioner ECU 50 estimates a subtraction amount corresponding to a speed at which the water retention amount decreases during the heating operation, and determines that the water retention amount has disappeared using the estimated subtraction amount. According to this control, since the time when the water retention amount disappears during the heating operation is determined using the estimated value of the subtraction amount, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the time when the evaporator 7 is completely dried. Thereby, the effective blowing prohibition period for odor suppression can be set.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is. The structure of the said embodiment is an illustration to the last, Comprising: The scope of the present invention is not limited to the range of these description. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the description of the scope of claims, and further includes meanings equivalent to the description of the scope of claims and all modifications within the scope.

  The vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention sets a blow-off prohibition period during which the air-conditioning air from the center face outlet is not permitted during the current heating operation when the previous operation is a cooling operation or a dehumidifying heating operation. To do. The blowout of the conditioned air from the vehicle interior outlet other than the center face outlet is performed according to the set outlet mode. That is, according to the set air outlet mode, even when air is normally discharged from the center face air outlet, air outlet from the center face air outlet is prohibited. In this case, the blowing prohibition period may be set at least with respect to the center face outlet, and the outlets from the side face outlets disposed on both sides of the vehicle compartment may be either prohibited or permitted. In other words, during the set air discharge prohibition period, only the center face air outlet may be prohibited, or both the center face air outlet and other air outlets may be prohibited. Good.

  Further, in the vehicle air conditioner of the above embodiment, the indoor blower 21 may be operated for a predetermined time and the evaporator 7 may be dried after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation is performed.

  Further, in the vehicle air conditioner of the above embodiment, when the vehicle IG switch (ignition switch) is turned off while the blowout from the center face blowout is prohibited, or the air conditioning is turned off by the operation panel 60 and the indoor blower 21 is turned off. If the wind is not generated and the water retention amount is zero and the predetermined time TA has not elapsed during the next air conditioning operation, the operation may be started from the retained state.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment, when a predetermined value is used as the subtraction amount of the water retention amount, the water retention amount is reduced from the stored water retention amount according to the predetermined subtraction amount. It is possible to determine whether or not the water retention amount is zero in Step 7. In this case, the "water retention amount subtraction amount calculation process (step 6)" is not performed in the flowchart of FIG.

1 ... Heat pump cycle 3 ... Condenser (heat exchanger for heating)
7. Evaporator (cooling heat exchanger)
20 ... Air conditioning unit (air conditioning unit case)
21 ... Indoor blower
31 ... Face opening (center face outlet)
50. Air conditioner ECU (control device)

Claims (10)

A blowing means (21) for blowing air into the passenger compartment;
An air conditioning unit case (20) that forms an air passage through which the air blown by the blowing means passes;
A cooling heat exchanger (7) that is provided in the air conditioning unit case and cools the air flowing through the air passage by the refrigerant flowing through the heat pump cycle (1);
A heating heat exchanger (3) that is provided in the air conditioning unit case and that heats the air that has passed through the cooling heat exchanger by the refrigerant flowing through the heat pump cycle (1);
Cooling operation for cooling the air with the heat exchanger for cooling, heating operation for heating the air with the heat exchanger for heating, cooling the air with the heat exchanger for cooling, and cooling the cooled air A dehumidifying and heating operation for heating with the heat exchanger for heating, and a control device (50) for air-conditioning the air blown into the passenger compartment,
When the previous operation is the cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation, the control device prohibits blowing of conditioned air from the center face air outlet (31) opening in the vehicle interior during the current heating operation. A vehicle air conditioner characterized by setting a blow-off prohibition period.   2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets the blow-off prohibition period so as to start from the start of the current heating operation.   The control device calculates a water retention amount condensed on the surface of the cooling heat exchanger after the end of the previous cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation, and determines the blow-off prohibition period according to the calculated water retention amount. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2.   The said control apparatus calculates the said water retention amount using the temperature of the air before being cooled with the said heat exchanger for cooling, The vehicle air conditioner of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   5. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the control device further calculates the water retention amount using humidity of air before being cooled by the cooling heat exchanger. The controller determines the amount of water retained condensed on the surface of the cooling heat exchanger after the end of the previous cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation to a calculated value or a predetermined value,
2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets the blow-off prohibition period before and after the time point when it is determined that the determined water retention amount is lost.   The control device estimates a subtraction amount corresponding to a speed at which the determined water retention amount decreases during the current heating operation, and uses the estimated subtraction amount to eliminate the water retention amount. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the determination is made. The control device includes:
Determining the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the cooling heat exchanger after the end of the previous cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation to a calculated value or a predetermined value;
A subtraction amount corresponding to a speed at which the determined water retention amount decreases during the current heating operation is calculated using an air volume of air blown into the vehicle interior by the blower means. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1. The control device includes:
Determining the water retention amount condensed on the surface of the cooling heat exchanger after the end of the previous cooling operation or the dehumidifying heating operation to a calculated value or a predetermined value;
The subtracted amount corresponding to the speed at which the determined water retention amount decreases during the current heating operation is cooled by the air amount of air blown into the vehicle interior by the air blowing means and the heat exchanger for cooling. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle air conditioner is calculated using a temperature of the air before being cooled and a humidity of the air before being cooled by the cooling heat exchanger.   10. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets a small amount of air blown into the vehicle compartment by the blower unit during the blow-off prohibition period. 11. .

Images