JP2021181276A - Vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce an infectious risk of a passenger when an infected individual gets in a vehicle.SOLUTION: An air conditioner ECU 60 of a vehicle air conditioner 10 functions as an infected individual determination section, an air quality improvement control section and a control prohibition section. The infected individual determination section determines whether an infected individual gets in a vehicle. The air quality improvement control section performs control to improve air quality inside the vehicle when the infected individual determination section determines that the infected individual gets in the vehicle. The control prohibition section prohibits the control of operation to be an obstacle for improving the air quality inside the vehicle when the infected individual determination section determines that the infected individual gets in the vehicle and the operation to be the obstacle for improving the air quality inside the vehicle is performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which ventilation fans for ventilating between the inside and outside of a vehicle are provided at a plurality of locations in the vehicle, and the air flow between the plurality of ventilation fans is switched according to the indoor air conditioning ventilation mode. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-8634

When an infected person infected with a virus or the like gets on a vehicle, the inside of the vehicle has a high degree of airtightness, so that the risk of infection by an uninfected passenger increases. Therefore, it is required to improve the air quality in the vehicle and reduce the risk of infection of passengers. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the execution of ventilation control depends on the operation by the occupant of the vehicle, the ventilation control may not be executed due to, for example, forgetting to operate the occupant or an operation error. ..

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle air conditioner capable of reducing the risk of infection of a passenger when an infected person gets on the vehicle.

The vehicle air conditioner according to the invention according to claim 1 is a case where an infected person determination unit for determining whether or not an infected person is on board and an infected person determination unit for determining whether or not an infected person is on board. In addition, the air quality improvement control unit that controls the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle and the infected person determination unit determine that the infected person is on board, and an operation that hinders the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle is performed. In this case, it includes a control prohibition unit that prohibits control according to the operation.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that an infected person is on board, control is performed to improve the air quality in the vehicle, and when an operation that hinders the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle is performed, the said invention. By prohibiting control according to the operation, it is possible to prevent the air quality in the vehicle from deteriorating. Therefore, according to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to reduce the risk of infection of the passenger when the infected person gets on the vehicle.

The present invention has an effect that the risk of infection of a passenger when an infected person gets on a vehicle can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle control system including an in-vehicle system. It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner for a vehicle. It is a functional block diagram of an air conditioner ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the air-conditioning control process. It is a diagram which shows the relationship between a vehicle speed and a side window opening degree.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The vehicle control system 80 shown in FIG. 1 is possessed by an in-vehicle system 82 mounted on the vehicle, a data center server 84 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a server 84), and a user of the vehicle control system 80, and is GPS (Global Positioning). System) Includes a mobile terminal 86 with a built-in sensor 88. The in-vehicle system 82, the server 84, and the mobile terminal 86 are capable of wireless communication via the wireless communication network 90.

The server 84 stores the infected person information indicating whether or not each user of the vehicle control system 80 is an infected person in the storage unit. The infected person information is acquired, for example, by distributing a questionnaire to individual users asking whether or not they are infected. Further, the server 84 periodically receives the position information detected by the GPS sensor 88 from the mobile terminal 86 possessed by each user, thereby grasping the position of each user. Then, when the in-vehicle system 82 inquires about the presence or absence of an infected person from the in-vehicle system 82, the server 84 compares the position information of the vehicle with the position information of each user, so that the user can use the vehicle. Determines whether or not is on board. Further, when it is determined that the user is in the vehicle, it is determined whether or not the infected person is in the vehicle by further referring to the infected person information, and the determination result is notified to the in-vehicle system 82. ..

The in-vehicle system 82 includes a bus 100, and the wireless communication unit 92, the GPS sensor 94, the power window ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 96, and the air conditioner ECU 60 of the vehicle air conditioner 10 are connected to the bus 100, respectively. The wireless communication unit 92 controls wireless communication with the server 84 and the like. The GPS sensor 94 detects the current position of the vehicle. The power window ECU 96 is connected to a power window motor 98 that opens and closes the side window of the vehicle, and drives the power window motor 98 in response to an operation of a power window switch (not shown) to open and close the side window of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle air conditioner 10 includes a compressor (compressor) 12, a condenser (condenser) 14, an expansion valve (expansion valve) 16, and an evaporator (evaporator) 18. The refrigeration cycle is formed by being connected via. In the vehicle air conditioner 10, the refrigerant is compressed and liquefied by the rotational drive of the compressor 12, and is sent to the evaporator 18. The evaporator 18 cools and dehumidifies the air passing through the evaporator 18 when the refrigerant vaporizes. The expansion valve 16 improves the heat exchange efficiency of the refrigerant at this time and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant sent to the evaporator 18.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner 10 is provided in an instrument panel (not shown) and is provided in an air conditioner unit 20 that is provided mainly on the front seat side of the vehicle interior and is provided on the rear seat side of the vehicle interior. It is equipped with a rear cooler unit 22 that is responsible for air conditioning (cooling) on the rear seat side of the room.

The vehicle air conditioner 10 includes an evaporator 18A disposed in the air conditioner unit 20 and an evaporator 18B disposed in the rear cooler unit 22 as the evaporator 18, and is provided as an expansion valve 16 on the evaporator 18A side. It includes an expansion valve 16A and an expansion valve 16B on the evaporator 18B side. As a result, the refrigerant cooled and liquefied by the condenser 14 is sent to the evaporator 18A via the expansion valve 16A, and is also sent to the evaporator 18B via the expansion valve 16B.

The air conditioner unit 20 is formed with an inside air introduction port 24 opened toward the inside of the vehicle and an outside air introduction port 26 opened toward the outside of the vehicle as air introduction ports, and the inside air introduction port 24 and the outside air introduction port 24 are formed. A switching door 28 that selectively opens and closes the mouth 26 and a blower fan 30 that is a blowing means are provided.

The vehicle air conditioner 10 can set an inside air circulation mode for introducing air inside the vehicle or an outside air introduction mode for introducing air outside the vehicle as an air introduction mode used for generating air conditioning air. In the air conditioner unit 20, when the air introduction mode is set, the switching door 28 is operated according to the air introduction mode. Further, in the air conditioner unit 20, the blower fan 30 is rotationally driven by the blower motor 32, so that the inside air or the outside air is sucked and sent to the evaporator 18. At this time, the rotation speed of the blower fan 30, that is, the air volume corresponding to the rotation speed of the blower motor 32 (blower air volume) can be obtained.

Further, in the vehicle air conditioner 10, a defroster outlet 34 (for example, a center defroster outlet 34A, a side defroster outlet 34B) opened toward a front windshield glass (not shown) or the like as an outlet for air conditioning air is provided. ), The register outlet 36 opened toward the occupant in the passenger compartment (for example, the center register outlet 36A, the side register outlet 36B), and the foot outlet 38 opened toward the occupant's feet (for example, for example). The front seat foot outlet 38A and the rear seat foot outlet 38B) are provided, and the inside of the air conditioner unit 20 is communicated with the vehicle interior through these outlets.

Further, the air conditioner unit 20 is provided with a mode switching door 40 for selectively opening and closing the defroster outlet 34, the register outlet 36, and the foot outlet 38, as well as a heater core 42 and an air mix door 44. There is.

The vehicle air conditioner 10 has DEF mode for blowing out air-conditioning air from the defroster outlet 34, FACE mode for blowing out from the register outlet 36, FOOT mode for blowing out from the foot outlet 38, defroster outlet 34 and feet as the air-conditioning air outlet mode. The FOOT / DEF mode for blowing out from the outlet 38 and the BI-LEVEL mode for blowing out from the register outlet 36 and the foot outlet 38 can be set. When the blowout mode is set, the air conditioner unit 20 operates the mode switching door 40 according to the set blowout mode.

Further, in the air conditioner unit 20, the heater core 42 is arranged on the downstream side of the air conditioner air flow from the arrangement position of the evaporator 18A. When the vehicle provided with the vehicle air conditioner 10 is a vehicle equipped with an engine (internal combustion engine) as a drive source, cooling water is circulated to and from the engine in the heater core 42, and the cooling water is circulated to the heater core 42. By exchanging heat between and the air passing through the heater core 42, the air passing through the heater core 42 is heated.

The air mix door 44 divides the air that has passed through the evaporator 18 (evaporator 18A) into air that passes through the heater core 42 and air that bypasses the heater core 42. In the air conditioner unit 20, air that has passed through the heater core 42 and air that bypasses the heater core 42 are mixed to generate air conditioning air. In the vehicle air conditioner 10, the opening degree of the air mix door 44 is controlled to generate air conditioning air having a desired temperature.

On the other hand, the rear cooler unit 22 is formed with an introduction port 48 opened in the vehicle interior, and a blower fan 50 is provided between the evaporator 18B and the introduction port 48. In the rear cooler unit 22, the blower fan 50 is rotationally driven by the rear blower motor 52, so that air in the vehicle interior is introduced from the introduction port 48. At this time, air in the vehicle interior is introduced so that a blower air volume corresponding to the rotation speed of the rear blower motor 52 can be obtained.

Further, a blowout port 54 is formed in the rear cooler unit 22, and the air sucked by the operation of the rear blower motor 52 is cooled by passing through the evaporator 18B and blown out into the vehicle interior from the blowout port 54.

The rear cooler unit 22 is provided, for example, on the rear side of the vehicle interior, in a side trim on one end side in the vehicle width direction, in a deck side trim, or the like, and the outlet 54 is formed by being opened in the side trim. An outlet 54A and an outlet 54B formed by being opened in the side trim on the other end side via a duct 56 extending along the vehicle width direction are provided. As a result, the rear cooler unit 22 cools the rear portion of the vehicle interior by the air-conditioned air (cooling air) blown from the outlets 54A and 54B.

That is, in the present embodiment, the heating of the vehicle interior is performed by the air conditioner unit 20, the cooling of the vehicle interior is performed by the air conditioner unit 20 on the front seat side, and the rear cooler unit 22 is used on the rear seat side.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner ECU 60 of the vehicle air conditioner 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102, a memory 104 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an HDD (Hard). It includes a non-volatile storage unit 106 such as a Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication control unit 108. The CPU 102, the memory 104, the storage unit 106, and the communication control unit 108 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via the internal bus 110.

The air conditioning control program 112 is stored in the storage unit 106. In the air conditioner ECU 60, the air conditioning control program 112 is read from the storage unit 106 and expanded in the memory 104, and the air conditioning control program 112 expanded in the memory 104 is executed by the CPU 102, whereby the infected person determination unit shown in FIG. 3 120, functions as an air quality improvement control unit 122 and a control prohibition unit 124, and performs air conditioning control processing described later.

The compressor 12 is connected to the air conditioner ECU 60. The compressor 12 is rotationally driven by the driving force of an engine or a motor. A magnet clutch 62 is provided between the compressor 12 and the drive source. A magnet clutch 62 is connected to the air conditioner ECU 60, and the air conditioner ECU 60 switches the operation / stop of the compressor 12 by turning on / off the magnet clutch 62. Further, the air conditioner ECU 60 controls the cooling capacity by controlling the refrigerant discharge pressure of the compressor 12 while the compressor 12 is operating (when the magnet clutch 62 is turned on).

The air conditioner ECU 60 is connected to the blower motor 32, the actuator 64A for operating the switching door 28, the actuator 64B for operating the mode switching door 40, and the actuator 64C for controlling the air mix door 44. Further, the air conditioner ECU 60 includes a room temperature sensor 66 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle (room temperature), an outside air temperature sensor 68 that detects the temperature outside the vehicle (outside air temperature), a solar radiation sensor 70 that detects the amount of solar radiation, and an evaporator 18 (evaporator 18A). ) Is connected to various sensors such as a post-evaporator temperature sensor 72 that detects the temperature of the air that has passed through () and a water temperature sensor 74 that detects the temperature of the engine cooling water.

Further, in the vehicle air conditioner 10, an operation panel 76 provided with various operation switches and a display displaying an operating state is provided on, for example, an instrument panel, and the operation panel 76 is connected to the air conditioner ECU 60. Has been done.

When the operating conditions such as the set temperature are set by operating the switch on the operation panel 76 and the start of the air conditioning operation is instructed, the air conditioner ECU 60 reads the set operating conditions and detects the environmental state and the operating state by various sensors. While controlling the air conditioning operation.

At this time, the air-conditioner ECU 60, calculates the temperature (target outlet air temperature T _AO) of conditioned air to the passenger compartment and the set temperature, and controls so that conditioned air is obtained in the target outlet air temperature T _AO. The target outlet air temperature _{T AO} can be calculated by using the set temperature _{T SET,} room temperature Tr, the outside air temperature Ta, the solar radiation amount ST of the following equation (1).
T _AO = K1, T _SET- K2, Tr-K3, Ta-K4, ST + C ... (1)
(However, K1 to K4 and C are preset constants)

Air conditioning ECU60, when calculating the target outlet air temperature T _AO, controls the opening degree of the air mix door 44 as conditioned air of the target outlet air temperature T _AO is obtained. Furthermore, air conditioning ECU60, when air conditioning operation in automatic mode is set, on the basis of the target outlet air temperature T _AO, blowing mode, set the operating condition of the blower volume and the like, made air conditioning operation at the set operating conditions Let me. As the blower air volume, for example, the maximum air volume and the minimum air volume are set, and the air conditioner ECU 60 controls the blower air volume by controlling the duty ratio of the voltage supplied to the blower motor 32.

The vehicle air conditioner 10 controls the operation of the rear cooler unit 22 by the air conditioner ECU 60, and the air conditioner ECU 60 has an operation panel capable of turning on / off the rear blower motor 52 and the rear cooler unit 22 and setting the blower air volume. 78 is connected. In this embodiment, an embodiment in which the air conditioner ECU 60 controls the operation of the rear cooler unit 22 will be described. However, a controller for the rear air conditioner unit is provided separately from the air conditioner ECU 60, and the controller is provided with the air conditioner ECU 60 together with the rear blower motor. 52 and the operation panel 78 may be connected.

The air conditioner ECU 60 is set on the operation panel 76 or the operation panel 78, for example, when the rear cooler unit 22 is turned on by operating a switch on the operation panel 76 or the operation panel 78 while the air conditioning operation is being performed by the air conditioner unit 20. The blower fan 50 (rear blower motor 52) is operated under the operating conditions (blower air volume). As a result, the air conditioning operation (cooling operation) on the rear side of the passenger compartment using the rear cooler unit 22 is performed.

Next, as the operation of the present embodiment, the air conditioning control process executed by the air conditioner ECU 60 while the ignition switch of the vehicle is on will be described with reference to FIG.

In step 150 of the air-conditioning control process, the infected person determination unit 120 first acquires the position information of the vehicle from the GPS sensor 94 and notifies the server 84 of the acquired position information of the vehicle to indicate whether or not the infected person is on board. To the server 84. When the above inquiry is made, the server 84 compares the notified vehicle position information with the position information of each user, and further refers to the infected person information to see if the infected person is in the vehicle. It is determined whether or not it is present, and the determination result is notified to the in-vehicle system 82 (air conditioner ECU 60). Then, the infected person determination unit 120 determines whether or not the infected person is on board based on the determination result notified from the server 84.

If no infected person is in the vehicle, the determination in step 150 is denied and the process proceeds to step 152. In step 152, the air conditioner ECU 60 controls the air conditioning according to the switch operation of the occupant via the operation panels 76 and 78. On the other hand, when an infected person is in the vehicle, the determination in step 150 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step 154, and in steps 154 to 168, control is performed to improve the air quality in the vehicle.

That is, in step 154, the air quality improvement control unit 122 determines whether or not the drive of the blower motor 32 is stopped. If the determination in step 154 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 156, and in step 156, the air quality improvement control unit 122 controls the duty ratio of the voltage supplied to the blower motor 32 to a predetermined value to drive the blower motor 32. As a result, the air quality in the vehicle is improved by making the blower air volume a predetermined amount. When the process of step 156 is performed, the process proceeds to step 158. Further, even if the determination in step 154 is denied, the process proceeds to step 158.

In steps 154 and 156, even when the blower motor 32 is being driven, the duty ratio of the voltage supplied to the blower motor 32 is increased by a predetermined value to increase the blower air volume by a predetermined amount and improve the air quality in the vehicle. You may let it.

In step 158, the air quality improvement control unit 122 determines whether or not the air introduction mode is set to the inside air circulation mode. If the determination in step 158 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 160. In step 160, the air quality improvement control unit 122 switches the switching door 28 to a position corresponding to the outside air introduction mode (a position where the inside air introduction port 24 is closed and the outside air introduction port 26 is opened) by the actuator 64A, thereby introducing air. Switch the mode to the outside air introduction mode. As a result, the air quality inside the vehicle is improved by introducing outside air. When the process of step 160 is performed, the process proceeds to step 162. Further, even if the determination in step 158 is denied, the process proceeds to step 162.

In step 162, the air quality improvement control unit 122 determines whether the rear cooler unit 22 or the rear blower motor 52 is stopped, or whether the front seat priority air conditioning control is being executed. In the present embodiment, the front seat priority air conditioning control means a control in which the air conditioner unit 20 is operated without operating the rear cooler unit 22 and the air conditioning is focused only on the front seat area in the vehicle. If the determination in step 162 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 164.

In step 164, the air quality improvement control unit 122 forcibly operates the rear cooler unit 22 and the rear blower motor 52 (the execution of the front seat priority air conditioning control is stopped accordingly). This improves the air quality in the vehicle, especially in the rear seat area. When the process of step 164 is performed, the process proceeds to step 166. Further, even if the determination in step 162 is denied, the process proceeds to step 166.

In step 166, the air quality improvement control unit 122 determines whether or not the side window of the vehicle is closed. If the determination in step 166 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 168, and in step 168, the air quality improvement control unit 122 uses the power window motor 98 via the power window ECU 96 to open the side window at an opening degree according to the vehicle speed. Let it open. This improves the air quality inside the vehicle.

As an example of the relationship between the vehicle speed and the opening degree of the side window, as shown in FIG. 5, the relationship that the opening degree of the side window decreases (approaches the closed state) as the vehicle speed increases can be applied. .. Further, as the side window, the side window of the front seat and the side window of the rear seat can be opened respectively, but instead, only the side window of the rear seat may be opened. When the process of step 168 is performed, the process proceeds to step 170. Further, even if the determination in step 166 is denied, the process proceeds to step 170.

Subsequently, in steps 170 to 184, when an operation that hinders the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle is performed, a process for prohibiting control according to the operation is performed.

That is, in step 170, the control prohibition unit 124 determines whether or not the operation of stopping the driving of the blower motor 32 has been performed via the operation panel 76. If the determination in step 170 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 172, and in step 172, the control prohibition unit 124 prohibits stopping the drive of the blower motor 32 and continues the drive of the blower motor 32. As a result, even when the operation of stopping the drive of the blower motor 32 is performed, the drive of the blower motor 32 is continued, and the control for improving the air quality in the vehicle is prevented from being hindered. When the process of step 172 is performed, the process proceeds to step 174. Further, even if the determination in step 170 is denied, the process proceeds to step 174.

In step 174, the control prohibition unit 124 determines whether or not an operation of switching the air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode has been performed via the operation panel 76. If the determination in step 174 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 176, and in step 176, the control prohibition unit 124 prohibits switching the air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode, and maintains the air introduction mode as the outside air introduction mode. Let me. As a result, even when the operation of switching the air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode is performed, the air introduction mode is maintained as the outside air introduction mode, and the control for improving the air quality in the vehicle is prevented from being hindered. When the process of step 176 is performed, the process proceeds to step 178. Further, even if the determination in step 174 is denied, the process proceeds to step 178.

In step 178, the control prohibition unit 124 is operated to stop the operation of the rear cooler unit 22 or the rear blower motor 52 or to execute the front seat priority air conditioning control via the operation panel 76 or the operation panel 78. Determine if it is. If the determination in step 178 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 180, and in step 180, the control prohibition unit 124 prohibits the operation of the rear cooler unit 22 and the rear blower motor 52 from being stopped, thereby giving priority to the front seats. It is prohibited to execute air conditioning control.

As a result, even when the operation of stopping the operation of the rear cooler unit 22 or the rear blower motor 52 or the operation of executing the front seat priority air conditioning control is performed, the rear cooler unit 22 and the rear blower motor 52 are in the operating state. Will be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the control for improving the air quality in the rear seat area in the vehicle from being hindered. When the process of step 180 is performed, the process proceeds to step 182. Further, even if the determination in step 178 is denied, the process proceeds to step 182.

In step 182, the control prohibition unit 124 determines whether or not the power window switch has been operated to close the side window of the vehicle. If the determination in step 182 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 184, and in step 184, the control prohibition unit 124 prohibits changing the opening degree of the side window and keeps the side window at the current opening degree. .. As a result, even when the operation of closing the side window of the vehicle is performed, the side window is maintained at the opening degree before the operation, and the control for improving the air quality in the vehicle is prevented from being hindered. When the process of step 184 is performed, the process returns to step 150. Further, when the determination in step 182 is denied, the process returns to step 150.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the infected person determination unit 120 determines whether or not the infected person is on board, and the air quality improvement control unit 122 is such that the infected person is on board by the infected person determination unit 120. When it is determined that the vehicle is in the air quality, the control is performed to improve the air quality in the vehicle. When the infected person determination unit 120 determines that the infected person is on board and the operation that hinders the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle is performed, the control prohibition unit 124 prohibits the control according to the operation. do. This can reduce the risk of infection of the passenger when the infected person gets in the vehicle.

Although the configuration in which the rear cooler unit 22 is provided as the vehicle air conditioner has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle air conditioner having the rear cooler unit 22 omitted is not limited thereto. Is also applicable. In the configuration in which the rear cooler unit 22 is omitted, control may be performed to increase the opening degree of the rear side window, for example, as compared with the configuration in which the rear cooler unit 22 is provided.

Further, in the above, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with an engine has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to a vehicle not equipped with an engine, for example, an EV (Electric Vehicle). Is also possible.

10 Vehicle air conditioner 28 Switching door 32 Blower motor 52 Rear blower motor 60 Air conditioner ECU
76 Operation panel 78 Operation panel 84 Data center / server 86 Mobile terminal 98 Power window motor 120 Infected person judgment unit 122 Air quality improvement control unit 124 Control prohibition unit

Claims (1)

The Infected Person Judgment Department, which determines whether or not an infected person is on board,
An air quality improvement control unit that controls to improve the air quality in the vehicle when the infected person determination unit determines that an infected person is on board.
When the infected person determination unit determines that an infected person is on board and an operation that hinders the improvement of the air quality in the vehicle is performed, a control prohibition unit that prohibits control according to the operation and a control prohibition unit.
Vehicle air conditioners including.

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