JP6166924B2 - Air conditioner for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

  In general, a vehicle air conditioner is mounted on the front side in a vehicle, and is configured to dehumidify and cool air blown by a blower fan using an evaporator. When the vehicle air conditioner is an air mix system, part or all of the air that has passed through the evaporator is sent to the heater core via the air mix door and heated, and then mixed with the remaining air to reach a predetermined temperature. The conditioned air is generated, and the generated conditioned air is supplied to each outlet in the vehicle.

  In the heater core, cooling water heated from the engine side is supplied, and hot air is generated by exchanging heat between the cooling water and air. However, the amount of heat generated in the engine is decreasing due to the recent improvement in engine efficiency. For this reason, particularly immediately after the engine is started, the temperature of the cooling water supplied to the heater core is low, and the amount of heat necessary for the heater core may not be ensured. Thus, for example, Patent Document 1 employs a configuration in which a separate heater is installed on the downstream side of the heater core and air is heated using this heater.

JP 2003-034114 A

  By the way, in order to use the above-described heater, energy for driving the heater is separately required. For example, when an electric heater is used as this heater, the electric power stored in the battery is consumed to drive the electric heater. For this reason, there is a demand for a method of efficiently using a heater while ensuring the function of reliably preventing fogging of the windshield when in the defroster mode.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to suppress energy consumption while ensuring a function of reliably preventing fogging of a windshield in a vehicle air conditioner. To do.

  The present invention adopts the following configuration as means for solving the above-described problems.

  1st invention is the control which controls the air blower, the case which has an air flow path inside, the cooling device accommodated in the said case inside, the heating device accommodated in the said case inside, and the said heating device A vehicle air conditioner having a processing unit, wherein the case is a part of the air flow path, a heating flow path in which the heating device is installed, and a part of the air flow path A cooling channel in which the cooling device is installed, a part of the air channel disposed above the heating channel, and warm air heated by the heating device and cold air cooled by the cooling device Are mixed with each other, a defroster outlet formed above the mixing unit, and a heat outlet formed behind the mixing unit, and the heating device includes the heating unit. An upper heating area located at the top of the instrument; A lower heating area disposed at the lower part of the heating device, the upper heating area and the lower heating area are individually adjustable in temperature, and the control processing unit is configured to control the temperature in the passenger compartment and the windshield. Calculate the humidity threshold, which is the humidity at which condensation does not occur on the windshield from the temperature, compare the humidity threshold with the humidity in the vehicle interior, and if the humidity in the vehicle interior is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, the upper heating area And the structure of heating only the said upper stage heating area | region among the lower stage heating area | regions is employ | adopted.

  A second invention includes a heater core that is arranged between the heating device and the cooling device in the first invention and that heats air using cooling water for cooling a drive source of a vehicle, The heating apparatus employs a configuration in which it is an electric heater that generates heat when an electric current is passed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, an outside air temperature sensor for measuring an outside air temperature is provided, and the control processing unit is configured to calculate the windshield from the measurement result of the outside air temperature sensor and the temperature in the vehicle interior. A configuration for calculating the temperature is adopted.

  According to a fourth invention, in the first or second invention, a configuration is provided in which a windshield temperature sensor is provided which is provided on the windshield and measures the windshield temperature.

  According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the air that has passed through the cooling flow path is distributed to the heating flow path and a bypass opening that bypasses the heating flow path and is connected to the mixing unit. Provided with a mix door, wherein the control processing unit stops the heating device when the temperature in the vehicle interior is within a set temperature range and the humidity in the vehicle interior is lower than the humidity threshold, and the temperature in the vehicle interior is Is within the set temperature range and the humidity in the vehicle compartment is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, only the upper heating area of the upper and lower heating areas is heated without moving the air mix door. The configuration is adopted.

  According to the present invention, a humidity threshold value that is a humidity at which condensation does not occur on the windshield is calculated from the temperature in the vehicle interior and the windshield temperature, and the humidity threshold is compared with the humidity in the vehicle interior to determine the humidity in the vehicle interior. Is higher than the humidity threshold value, only the upper heating region is heated among the upper heating region and the lower heating region. Since the mixing part is arranged above the heating flow path and the defroster outlet is arranged above the mixing part, the upper heating area can be heated without heating the lower heating area, The discharged air is heated. For this reason, at the time of a defroster mode, it can prevent that a windshield fogs reliably, halving the energy consumption in a heating apparatus. Therefore, according to the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner, energy consumption can be suppressed while ensuring a function of reliably preventing fogging of the windshield.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles in one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a front view of the PTC heater with which the air conditioner for vehicles in one embodiment of the present invention is provided, (b) is a circuit diagram of the PTC heater with which the air conditioner for vehicles in one embodiment of the present invention is provided. is there. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process of the control processing part with which the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles in one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the modification of the vehicle air conditioner in one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment includes a case 1, an evaporator 2 (cooling device), an air mix door device 3, a heater core 4, and a PCT heater 5 (heating device). The control processing unit 6, the defroster outlet mode damper 7, the vent outlet mode damper 8, the heat outlet mode damper 9, the room temperature sensor 10, the humidity sensor 11, and the windshield temperature sensor 12 And a blower 13.

  The case 1 forms the outer shape of the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment, and accommodates the evaporator 2, the heater core 4, and the like inside. Inside the case 1, as the air flow path, a cooling flow path 1a in which the evaporator 2 is installed, a heating flow path 1b in which the heater core 4 is installed, and cold air and warm air are mixed to form conditioned air. The mixing portion 1c is formed. In addition, the case 1 is provided with a plurality of air outlets (a defroster air outlet 1d, a vent air outlet 1e, and a heat air outlet 1f) that are exposed to the outside and connected to the mixing unit 1c.

  The defroster outlet 1d is an opening for supplying conditioned air to the window, and is formed above the mixing unit 1c. Moreover, the vent blower outlet 1e is an opening for supplying conditioned air with respect to a passenger | crew's face, and is formed above the mixing part 1c. Moreover, the heat outlet 1f is an opening for supplying conditioned air to the feet of the occupant, and is formed at the rear of the mixing unit 1c.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a warm air opening 1 g for supplying warm air from the heating flow path 1 b in which the heater core 4 is installed to the mixing unit 1 c and an evaporator 2 are installed in the case 1. A cold air opening 1h (bypass opening) that bypasses the heating flow channel 1b from the flow channel 1a to connect to the mixing unit 1c and supplies cold air to the mixing unit 1c, and supplies cold air from the cooling flow channel 1a to the heating flow channel 1b. A heating opening 1i is provided.

  The evaporator 2 is a part of a refrigeration cycle mounted on the vehicle, and is disposed inside the cooling flow path 1a. The evaporator 2 cools the air supplied into the cooling flow path 1a by the blower 13 to generate cold air.

  The air mix door device 3 is disposed on the downstream side of the evaporator 2, and adjusts the supply amount of the cold air generated by the evaporator 2 to the heating flow path 1 b. More specifically, the air mix door device 3 includes an air mix door 3a (slide door) that is slidable between the cold air opening 1h and the heating opening 1i, and for driving the air mix door 3a. A rack and pinion mechanism 3b is provided.

  The air mix door 3a is a resinous sheet material, and simultaneously adjusts the opening ratios of the cold air opening 1h and the heating opening 1i through which the cold air generated by the evaporator 2 passes, The opening ratio with the opening 1i for heating is adjusted. The air mix door 3a is slidably fitted into guide grooves provided in the inner wall of the case 1 at both ends in the width direction perpendicular to the slide direction, and both the ends slide in the guide grooves. However, it moves between the opening 1h for cold air and the opening 1i for heating. Such an air mix door 3a distributes the air that has passed through the cooling channel 1a to the heating channel 1b and the cold air opening 1h that bypasses the heating channel 1b and is connected to the mixing unit 1c.

  The rack-and-pinion mechanism 3b is a mechanism for sliding the air mix door 3a. The rack-and-pinion mechanism 3b converts the rotational power of the pinion to linear power by rotating the pinion rotated by receiving power from a motor (not shown). And a rack that transmits to the air mix door 3a. In the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment, the rack of the rack and pinion mechanism 3b is formed integrally with the air mix door 3a.

  In such a vehicle air conditioner S of this embodiment, the amount of cold air supplied to the heating channel 1b is adjusted by adjusting the opening ratio between the cold air opening 1h and the heating opening 1i by the air mix door 3a. doing. As a result, the mixing ratio of the cool air and the warm air in the mixing unit 1c is adjusted to adjust the temperature of the conditioned air.

  The heater core 4 is disposed inside the heating flow path 1b, and generates warm air by heating the cold air supplied through the heating opening 1i. The heater core 4 is disposed between the PTC heater 5 and the evaporator 2 and heats air using cooling water for cooling an engine that is a driving source of the vehicle.

  The PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater 5 is an electric heater that generates heat when current is supplied from a battery (not shown). FIG. 2A is a front view of the PTC heater 5, and FIG. 2B is a circuit diagram of the PTC heater 5. The PTC heater 5 includes a heater unit 51 in which a plurality of heating portions 5b made of resistors are connected in series to one switch 5a, and is formed by arranging the heater units 51 in four stages in the vertical direction. Yes. Moreover, among these heater units 51, an area where the upper two stages are arranged is an upper heating area R1, and an area where the lower two stages are arranged is a lower heating area R2. The heater unit 51 disposed in the upper heating region R1 and the heater unit 51 disposed in the lower heating region R2 can be controlled for each heating region, and thereby the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 However, the temperature can be adjusted individually. That is, the upper stage heating region R1 can be in a heated state, the lower stage heating region R2 can be in a non-heated state, the upper stage heating region R1 can be in a non-heated state, and the lower stage heating region R2 can be in a heated state.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the control processing unit 6 is electrically connected to the PTC heater 5, the room temperature sensor 10, the humidity sensor 11, and the windshield temperature sensor 12, and the room temperature sensor 10, the humidity sensor 11, and the windshield temperature sensor 12. Based on the measured value, the temperatures of the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 of the PTC heater 5 are controlled.

  The control processing unit 6 calculates a humidity threshold value that is a humidity at which dew condensation does not occur on the windshield from the temperature in the vehicle compartment inputted from the room temperature sensor 10 and the windshield temperature inputted from the windshield temperature sensor 12. When the humidity threshold is compared with the humidity in the vehicle interior input from the humidity sensor 11 and the humidity in the vehicle interior is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, the upper heating region of the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 of the PTC heater 5 Only R1 is heated. The processing of the control processing unit 6 will be described in detail later with reference to a flowchart.

  The control processing unit 6 stores an arithmetic expression or a table indicating a saturated water vapor amount curve in advance, and obtains the humidity at which dew condensation occurs in the windshield from the temperature in the passenger compartment and the windshield temperature. A value with an allowance for humidity is defined as a humidity threshold.

  The defroster outlet mode damper 7 is a damper that opens and closes the defroster outlet 1 d, and is configured to be rotatable in the case 1. The vent air outlet mode damper 8 is a damper that opens and closes the vent air outlet 1e, and is configured to be rotatable in the case 1. The heat blower outlet mode damper 9 is a damper that opens and closes the heat blower outlet 1 f and is configured to be rotatable in the case 1.

  The air mix door device 3, the defroster outlet mode damper 7, the vent outlet mode damper 8, and the heat outlet mode damper 9 are supplied with power from a motor (not shown).

  The room temperature sensor 10 is mounted in the vehicle interior, and measures and outputs the temperature in the vehicle interior. The humidity sensor 11 is attached to the vehicle interior and measures and outputs the humidity in the vehicle interior. The windshield temperature sensor 12 is attached to the windshield of the vehicle, and measures and outputs the temperature of the windshield. The blower 13 is connected to the cooling flow path 1a of the case 1 and supplies internal air or outside air to the cooling flow path 1a.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment having such a configuration, in the mode in which both the cold air opening 1h and the heating opening 1i are opened by the air mix door device 3, the cooling channel 1a The supplied air is cooled by the evaporator 2 to be cold air, and a part of the cold air is supplied to the heating channel 1b. And the warm air produced | generated by being heated by the heater core 4 with the heating flow path 1b is supplied to the mixing part 1c from the opening 1g for warm air, and the cool air which was not supplied to the heating flow path 1b is from the opening 1h for cold air. It is supplied to the mixing unit 1c. The cold air and the warm air supplied to the mixing unit 1c are mixed to form temperature-controlled air, and supplied to the vehicle interior from any one of the defroster outlet 1d, the vent outlet 1e, and the heat outlet 1f. The

  Here, between the defroster blower outlet 1d and the vent blower outlet 1e and the heat blower outlet 1f, the blowing temperature from the heat blower outlet 1f tends to be higher than the temperatures of the other two blower outlets. In order to supply the warm air from the warm air opening 1g to the defroster outlet 1d and the vent outlet 1e formed in the upper portion of the case 1, the air is once supplied from the cold air opening 1h in the mixing section 1c. This is because most of the hot air that collides with the cold air in the mixing portion 1c tends to flow to the heat outlet 1f formed on the rear side of the vehicle.

  Of the airflow flowing through the heating channel 1b, the airflow flowing below the heater core 4 and the PTC heater 5 flows along the inner wall on the vehicle rear side from the lower inner wall of the heating channel 1b and continues to the inner wall on the vehicle rear side. There is a tendency to flow preferentially toward the heat outlet 1f. On the contrary, since the air flowing above the heater core 4 and the PTC heater 5 does not follow the inner wall of the heating flow path 1b, it is supplied to the mixing unit 1c from the warm air opening 1g and then the upper defroster outlet 1d and vent outlet 1e. There is a tendency to flow to the side.

  Next, processing of the control processing unit 6 when the defroster outlet 1d and the heat outlet 1f are open will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control processing unit 6 acquires the front gas temperature from the windshield temperature sensor 12 (step S1), and acquires the temperature in the vehicle interior from the room temperature sensor 10 (step S2). Subsequently, the control processing unit 6 determines a humidity threshold that is a threshold at which condensation does not occur when the air in the vehicle interior reaches the windshield. Here, the control processing unit 6 determines the humidity threshold value based on the saturated water vapor amount curve as described above (step S3).

  Subsequently, the control processing unit 6 acquires the humidity in the passenger compartment from the humidity sensor 11 (step S4), and compares the acquired humidity with a humidity threshold (step S5). Here, when the humidity is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold value, the control processing unit 6 heats the air only in the upper heating region R1 out of the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 of the PTC heater 5.

  In addition, since the mixing part 1c is arrange | positioned above the heating flow path 1b, and the defroster blower outlet 1d is arrange | positioned further above the mixing part 1c, the air which flows through the upper part of the heating flow path 1b is sent to the defroster blower outlet 1d. Easy to flow. Moreover, although the air which flows through the lower part of the heating flow path 1b flows easily into the heat blower outlet 1f, it is hard to flow into the defroster blower outlet 1d. For this reason, the air discharged from the defroster outlet 1d is intensively heated by heating only the upper heating region R1.

  In this manner, when warm air is discharged from the defroster outlet 1d, the temperature of the windshield increases. The control processing unit 6 acquires again the temperature of the windshield thus warmed from the windshield temperature sensor 12 (step S1), and repeats steps S2 to S5. As a result, the temperature of the windshield increases with time, and the humidity is lower than the humidity threshold (that is, the windshield is not fogged).

  On the other hand, when the humidity is lower than the humidity threshold value in step S5, the control processing unit 6 compares the room temperature acquired in step S2 with the set temperature set by the occupant (step S7). Here, when the room temperature is not within the set temperature range (a range with a margin with respect to the temperature set by the occupant), the control processing unit 6 does not move the air mix door 3a and moves the PTC heater. Of the upper heating area R1 and the lower heating area R2, the air is heated only in the lower heating area R2 (step S8). In such a case, the air flowing in the lower part of the heating channel 1b that easily flows into the heat outlet 1f is selectively and intensively heated. For this reason, a vehicle interior can be warmed, making the vehicle interior into an environment where it is easy to spend as a passenger of the cold head. In step S7, when the room temperature is within the set temperature range, the control processing unit 6 stops the PTC heater 5 (step S9). Thus, in the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment, the PTC heater 5 is stopped when the temperature in the vehicle interior is within the set temperature range and the humidity in the vehicle interior is lower than the humidity threshold, and the vehicle interior is Is within the set temperature range and the humidity in the passenger compartment is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, only the upper heating region R1 is selected from the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 without moving the air mix door 3a. Heat. The control processing unit 6 performs Step S1 again after Step S8 or Step S9.

  According to the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment as described above, a humidity threshold that is a humidity at which dew condensation does not occur on the windshield is calculated from the temperature in the passenger compartment and the windshield temperature. When the humidity in the vehicle interior is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, only the upper heating region R1 is heated among the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2. For this reason, when discharging air from the defroster outlet 1d, it is possible to reliably prevent the windshield from being fogged while halving the energy consumption in the PTC heater 5. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress energy consumption while ensuring the function of reliably preventing the windshield from being fogged.

  Further, the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment includes a windshield temperature sensor 12. For this reason, it becomes possible to measure the temperature of a windshield directly, and it becomes possible to measure the temperature of a windshield correctly.

  Further, in the vehicle air conditioner S of the present embodiment, the PTC heater 5 is stopped when the temperature in the vehicle interior is within the set temperature range and the humidity in the vehicle interior is lower than the humidity threshold, and the temperature in the vehicle interior is determined. Is within the set temperature range and the humidity in the passenger compartment is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, only the lower heating region R2 of the upper heating region R1 and the lower heating region R2 is heated without moving the air mix door 3a. . For this reason, even when there is a change in humidity or a change in room temperature, the temperature of the passenger compartment is adjusted without moving the air mix door 3a. Therefore, a great change does not occur in the air flow in the passenger compartment, and a comfortable environment can be provided to the occupant.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the said embodiment, the structure which attaches the windshield temperature sensor 12 with respect to a windshield was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the windshield temperature sensor 12, an outside air temperature sensor 14 is installed as shown in FIG. 4, and the control processing unit 6 measures the outside air temperature sensor 14. The windshield temperature may be calculated from the outside air temperature and the temperature in the passenger compartment. In such a case, if the vehicle already includes an outside air temperature sensor, this outside air temperature sensor can be used, so that it is not necessary to attach a new sensor to the windshield.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case, 1a ... Cooling channel (air channel), 1b ... Heating channel (air channel), 1c ... Mixing part (air channel), 1d ... Defroster outlet, 1e ... Vent outlet, 1f ... Heat outlet, 1g ... Warm opening, 1h ... Cool air opening (bypass opening), 1i ... Heating opening, 2 ... Evaporator (cooling equipment), 3 ... Air Mix door device, 3a ... Air mix door, 3b ... Rack and pinion mechanism, 4 ... Heater core, 5 ... PTC heater (heating device), 5a ... Switch, 5b ... Heat generating part, 6 ... Control processing 7: Mode damper for defroster outlet, 8 ... Mode damper for vent outlet, 9 ... Mode damper for heat outlet, 10 ... Room temperature sensor, 11 ... Humidity sensor, 12 ... Front glass temperature Sensor, 13 ... Blower, 4 ...... outside air temperature sensor, 51 ...... heater unit, R1 ...... upper heating region, R2 ...... lower heating area, S ...... vehicle air conditioner

Claims (5)

A vehicle having a blower, a case having an air flow path therein, a cooling device housed in the case, a heating device housed in the case, and a control processing unit that controls the heating device An air conditioner for use,
The case is
A heating channel that is part of the air channel and in which the heating device is installed;
A cooling channel that is part of the air channel and in which the cooling device is installed;
A mixing unit that is a part of the air flow path disposed above the heating flow path and in which the warm air heated by the heating device and the cold air cooled by the cooling device are mixed;
A defroster outlet formed above the mixing section;
A heat outlet formed at the rear of the vehicle with respect to the mixing portion,
An air mix door that distributes the air that has passed through the cooling channel to the heating channel and a bypass opening that bypasses the heating channel and is connected to the mixing unit;
The heating device has an upper heating region disposed above the heating device and a lower heating region disposed below the heating device, and the upper heating region and the lower heating region are individually heated. Adjustment is possible,
The control processing unit
When the cooling flow path and the heating flow path are connected , a humidity threshold value that is a humidity at which dew condensation does not occur on the windshield is calculated from the temperature inside the vehicle cabin and the windshield temperature. When the humidity in the vehicle compartment is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold,
A vehicle air conditioner that heats only the upper heating area of the upper heating area and the lower heating area without moving an air mix door . A heater core that is disposed between the heating device and the cooling device and that heats air using cooling water for cooling a drive source of a vehicle;
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is an electric heater that generates heat when an electric current is passed. It has an outside air temperature sensor that measures outside air temperature,
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control processing unit calculates the windshield temperature from a measurement result of an outside air temperature sensor and a temperature in the vehicle interior.   The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a windshield temperature sensor that is provided on a windshield and measures the windshield temperature. Before Symbol control processing unit,
When the temperature in the passenger compartment is within a set temperature range and the humidity in the passenger compartment is lower than the humidity threshold, the heating device is stopped,
If the humidity of there and the passenger compartment in a range temperature of the vehicle interior is set temperature is equal to or higher than the humidity threshold, the upper one of the upper heating region and the lower heating region without moving the air mixing door The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein only the heating region is heated.

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