KR20070068503A - Air conditioning system of a car which can reduce a occurrence of bad smell - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioner for reducing bad smell is provided to automatically remove odor components in an inflection point section from which bed odor is generated by condensed water remaining in an evaporator when turning off the air conditioner together with filtering blown air by controlling deodorizing mode of a filter, thereby keeping an indoor environment pleasant and reducing filter management cost. A vehicle air conditioner for reducing bad smell comprises a casing(10) mounted with an evaporator(15) and a heater core(16) and disposed with a blower unit(14) at inlets(11,12), and an air filter(24) mounted on an air path in the casing and having a deodorizing filter(25a) and a dust removing filter(25b) at upper and lower parts, wherein the filters are surrounded by a filter case. An inflection point section determining element determines generation of an inflection point section of temperature change from which condensed water is generated from an evaporator when turning off the air conditioner after driving thereof. An air path change control element(26) is mounted in front of the air filter for passing air introduced into the casing either through an air path in front of the deodorizing filter or an air path in front of the dust removing filter. When the inflection point section determining element determines the generation of the inflection point section, the air path change control element moves to a deodorizing mode position for blocking the air path in front of the dust removing filter to pass the air through the deodorizing filter. The air path change control element returns to an initial position after the removing the bad smell contained in the air.

Description

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF A CAR WHICH CAN REDUCE A OCCURRENCE OF BAD SMELL}

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the interior of a general automotive air conditioner.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a conventional air filter.

Figure 3 is a graph of the temperature change of the evaporator after stopping the air conditioner operation.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the interior of the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention.

5 is a configuration diagram of the air filter shown in FIG. 4.

Figure 6 is a block diagram of the air flow path change adjusting means installed in front of the air filter shown in FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the odor removal of the air conditioner for automobiles according to the present invention.

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

10: air conditioning case 11: bet inlet

12: outside air inlet 14: blower unit

15: evaporator 16: heater core

17: Tempdoor 18, 19, 20: air outlet

24: air filter 24a: filter case

24b: compartment 24c-1, 24c-2: internal space

24d-1, 24d-2: Insertion port 25a: Deodorization filter media

25b: dust removal filter media 26: air flow channel change control means

26a: door member 26b: drive shaft

The present invention relates to an air conditioner for automobiles capable of reducing odors, and more particularly, odors such as odors only at an inflection point section where odors are generated due to condensate remaining in the evaporator when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is operated. By controlling the filter deodorization mode to perform the filtration function of the blowing air while automatically removing the components, it is possible to maintain a comfortable environment of the vehicle interior and reduce the maintenance cost of the filter. will be.

In general, a vehicle air conditioner compresses a refrigerant by a compressor driven by a power of an engine and sends the refrigerant to a condenser, condenses the refrigerant by forced air of a cooling fan in the condenser, and then transfers the refrigerant to a receiver dryer, In the process of returning back to the compressor by passing through the expansion valve and the evaporator, the air blown by the blower unit installed at the inlet end of the air conditioning case and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator are heat exchanged, A cooling device for cooling the interior of the automobile by discharging air into the interior of the automobile; In the process of returning the coolant of the engine to the engine via the heater core, the air blown by the blower fan of the blower unit and the coolant passing through the heater core are heat-exchanged, and the blown air which has become warm is brought into the vehicle interior. By discharging, a heating device for heating the vehicle interior is included.

1 is a view schematically showing the interior of a general vehicle air conditioner.

As shown in FIG. 1, a general vehicle air conditioner includes a case 50 through an indoor air inlet 51 or an outdoor air inlet 52 according to the opening / closing selection of the indoor / outdoor air switching door 53. Blower unit (54) for selectively sucking into the inside, an evaporator (55) for cooling the air blown from the blower unit (54), and installed adjacent to the evaporator (55) to heat the air. Temporary door (57) installed between the heater core (56), the evaporator (55) and the heater core (56) for controlling the temperature of the air discharged into the vehicle room according to the opening and closing angle And a plurality of air outlets 58, 59, and 60 connected to each part of the vehicle compartment in order to discharge the cooled or heated air to each part of the vehicle compartment according to the opening / closing selection of the temporal door 57; Discharge through air discharge ports 48, 59, 60 It is composed of a plurality of mode doors (Mode Door, 61, 62, 63) for selectively changing the flow direction of air.

In the vehicle air conditioner configured as described above, the air sucked into the case 50 by the drive of the motor 54a of the blower unit 54, the evaporator 55 through which the refrigerant flows through the temper door 57 or After passing through the heater core 56 through which the coolant of the vehicle engine flows and heat-exchanging, it is distributed in various directions of the vehicle interior in the cold or warm state through the air discharge ports 58, 59, and 60 connected to each part of the vehicle interior. As a result, air conditioning and heating of the vehicle interior is achieved.

In the vehicle air conditioner as described above, in order to remove and purify bacterial particulates, such as dust, contained in the air flowing into the vehicle cabin, the upstream side of the blower unit 54 or between the blower unit 54 and the evaporator 55. Air filter 64 is fixedly installed.

The general structure of the air filter 64, as shown in Figure 2, the filter media (Filter Media, c65) of the non-woven fabric folded in a zigzag form so that the acid (65a) and the valley (65b) is formed continuously, It is composed of a filter case 66 installed along the circumference of the filter media 65.

In the air conditioner for automobiles having such a structure, when the air conditioner is operated in the bet mode for cooling the vehicle interior, condensed water is generated on the surface of the evaporator while evaporation occurs due to evaporation of the refrigerant. Such condensate is discharged to the outside through the drain hole formed at the bottom of the air conditioning case, but due to its surface tension, it is impossible to discharge the entire amount through the drain hole so that the remaining amount is present in the air conditioning case or the core of the evaporator. do. As a result, this residual condensate provides a habitat for bacteria such as fungi. For this reason, if the air conditioner is continuously operated, when the blower air introduced from the outside by the blower unit passes through the evaporator, the odor generated by the evaporator is discharged as it is to the interior of the car, resulting in severe discomfort to the driver or passenger. Given.

In addition, when the air conditioner is started and stopped, the temperature of the evaporator surface rises rapidly, and condensed water remaining in the evaporator causes bacteria and fungi to be relatively active, thus breeding more actively. In this case, there is a problem that the odor is introduced into the interior of the vehicle and the air cleanliness in the interior is greatly reduced.

Odors such as this may be severe in spring or autumn. In addition, when the air conditioner needs to be operated in spring or autumn, the air conditioner starts and stops because the time required for cooling the vehicle is shorter than in summer. This is because the number of times is frequent, so that a lot of condensate is generated on the surface of the evaporator.

However, since the air filter installed in the general air conditioner as shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in front of the evaporator, which is the source of substantial odor generation, the air filter may contain odor components such as odors contained in the air flowing from the outside of the vehicle. Although it is possible to remove, there is a problem that can not directly remove the odor generated in the evaporator itself.

In particular, since the air filter is fixed at its installation location without changing its position, it is always exposed to the air blown by the blower unit. After a certain period of use, the odor component is absorbed and trapped in the fine pores of activated carbon and saturated. As a result, the adsorption power of the filter is gradually lost, and some of the odor components adsorbed in the high temperature state are re-emitted into the interior of the vehicle, resulting in a problem that the pleasant environment in the interior of the vehicle cannot be maintained.

Accordingly, the filter has to be periodically replaced with a new filter after a certain period of use, there is a problem that the maintenance cost and the cumbersome due to frequent replacement of the filter.

Moreover, in hot weather such as summer, odor components attached to the surface of the filter, which have been saturated, are desorbed by the high-temperature outdoor air flowing into the vehicle, causing odors.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and automatically removes odor components such as odor only at an inflection point section at which a odor such as odor is generated due to condensate remaining in the evaporator when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is operated. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can maintain the comfort of the vehicle interior and reduce the maintenance cost of the filter by controlling the time of deodorization mode of the filter so as to perform the filtration function of the blown air. It is done.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with an evaporator and a heater core, the air conditioning case installed blower unit at the inlet;

Air installed in the air passage in the air conditioning case, the air filter consisting of a filter case for partitioning the odor removal filter media and the dust removal filter media in the upper half and the lower half and surrounds the odor removing filter media and the dust removing filter media filter;

An inflection point section determination means for determining whether an inflection point section of the temperature change generated by condensed water from the evaporator is generated when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is operated;

It is installed on the air flow path in front of the air filter to selectively pass the air flowing into the air conditioning case through the air flow path in front of the odor removing filter media and the dust removing filter media, the inflection point section If it is determined by the occurrence determination means that the inflection point section is generated in the temperature change of the evaporator, the air flows to the deodorization mode position that blocks the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media so that the air passes through the odor removing filter media. Filter means for changing the air flow path to return to the original position after filtering the odor contained in the air;

Characterized in that it comprises a.

Further, in the present invention, the inflection point section generation means determining means is installed in the vicinity of the evaporator, characterized in that the temperature sensor for measuring the surface temperature of the evaporator or the temperature of the air passing through the evaporator.

In addition, in the present invention, the air flow path change control means is installed in the center of the front of the air filter is supported by the shaft hole formed on both side walls of the air conditioning case and one end is connected to the actuator, and the drive shaft It is characterized in that the hinge type door (Hinge Type) door made of a plate-shaped door member that rotates in the direction of the upper half or lower half of the front of the air filter.

Further, in the present invention, the air filter is characterized in that it is installed on at least one of the air flow path of the front or rear of the evaporator.

In addition, in the present invention, the filter case is characterized in that consisting of a rectangular filter case provided with a partition portion in the center so as to have an inner space in the upper half and the lower half, respectively.

In addition, in the present invention, the air filter is characterized in that formed by separating the filter media for removing odor, the filter media for removing dust and the filter case so as to replace the filter media for removing odor and the filter for removing dust.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the interior of the automotive air conditioner according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a block diagram of the air filter shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 is air installed in front of the air filter shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of a flow path change control means.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioner for an automobile according to the present invention has an air conditioning case according to opening / closing of the indoor / outdoor air switching door 13 by a blower unit 14 at one inlet end ( 10) an air conditioning case (10) having a plurality of air outlets (18, 19, 20) at the air inlet (11) or the outside air inlet (12) and the other outlet end for selectively inhaling the inside, and the air conditioning case (10) It has a structure including an evaporator 15 and a heater core 16 provided inside. Further, between the evaporator 15 and the heater core 16, the opening degree of the cold air passage (C) bypassing the heater core 16 and the warm air passage (H) in front of the heater core 16 is selectively selected. The temporal door 17 which controls the temperature of the air discharged | emitted to the inside of a vehicle via each said discharge port 18, 19, and 20 is provided according to the opening degree. In addition, the air outlets 18, 19, and 20 are selectively provided with the amount of cold / hot air discharged into the cabin through the air outlets 18, 19, and 20 according to the opening degree of the temporal door 17. The mode doors 21, 22, and 23 for adjustment are provided, respectively.

In the air conditioner having such a structure, on the air flow path in the air conditioning case 10, the air conditioner is turned off from the evaporator 15 when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is turned on in the spring or autumn when the air conditioner is frequently started and stopped. An air filter 24 is provided for filtering odor components such as odors contained in the air only when condensate is generated.

In general, a time point of generating an odor such as odor due to condensed water is a time point at which an inflection point section R in which the temperature of the evaporator is kept constant and the temperature drops as time passes. As can be seen from FIG. 3, this phenomenon occurs when the temperature of the evaporator is about 8 ° C. This is because condensate begins to form on the surface of the evaporator, which temporarily blocks thermal contact with the evaporator and the surrounding heat, resulting in no temperature change. Therefore, since condensate is generated on the surface of the evaporator at such a temperature, the longer the inflection point section R, the greater the amount of condensate. In the drawings, R1 and R2 represent an inflection start point and an inflection end point.

On the other hand, the temperature of the evaporator 15 is normally maintained at approximately 0 to 10 ° C. during the operation of the air conditioner, and for a predetermined time after the air conditioner is stopped, the air around the evaporator 15 is in contact with the external hot air while the air is cooled. Will generate condensate. Since the temperature of the evaporator 15 core continues to rise and rises to approximately 50 to 60 ° C. during running after the air conditioner is stopped, condensed water is not generated at this time.

The present invention is the air filter together with the air filter 24 to provide a comfortable air in the interior of the vehicle by essentially removing the odor such as odor generated in the evaporator 15 only in the inflection point section due to the condensate water (24) Air flow path change control means for controlling the forward air flow path change.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the air filter 24 has a rectangular filter case 24a having a partition 24b at a central portion thereof to have internal spaces 24c-1 and 24c-2 at an upper half and a lower half, respectively. And an odor removing filter media 25a and a dust removing filter media 25b respectively installed in the upper half inner space 24c-1 and the lower half inner space 24c-2 of the rectangular filter case 24a. have. In addition, the air filter 24 may be formed in a structure in which each of the filter media 25a and 25b is integrally formed in the filter case 24a, or the filter media 25a and 25b may be replaced. Each of the filter media 25a and 25b and the filter case 24a may be formed in a separated structure. In the latter case, it is preferable that insertion holes 24d-1 and 24d-2b for inserting respective filter media 25a and 25b are formed in each of the upper half and the lower half of the filter case 24a.

In addition, the odor removing filter media 25a is preferably configured to physically adsorb and filter harmful substances in the air using activated carbon particles as an example.

On the other hand, the air flow path change control means 26 is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range around the upper end, similar to the structure of the temper door 17. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the air flow path change adjusting means 26 has a length of the door member 26a to pivot about the upper end of the plate-shaped door member 21 and the door member 17a. The rotary shaft 26b having one end connected to a driving means such as an actuator (not shown) in a state of being protruded to both sides of the upper end in the direction thereof and axially coupled to shaft holes (not shown) respectively formed on both sides of the air conditioning case 10. It has a hinge type door structure.

The air flow path changing control means 26 of this structure allows the air flowing in the air-conditioning case 10 to pass through the air flow path in front of the odor removing filter media 25a and the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media 25b. Is installed on the air passage in front of the air filter 24 so as to selectively pass, wherein the rotating shaft 26b is installed at the center of the air passage.

As a result, when the air flow path change control unit 26 determines that the inflection point section R (see FIG. 3) is generated in the temperature change of the evaporator 15 by the inflection point section occurrence determination unit described later, dust The filter medium 25b for removal removes the odor contained in the air by moving to the deodorization mode position that blocks the air flow path in front of the air flowing into the air-conditioning case 10 through the filter media for removing the smell 25a. The function of returning to the original position after filtering the odor component of. That is, the air flow path change adjusting means 26 is in the non-deodorizing mode position which always opens the air flow path in front of the filter medium 25b for removing dust when the inflection point section R is not generated.

The inflection point section occurrence determining means determines the point of time of condensation water generated when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is operated, and may be configured as a temperature sensor (not shown) installed at the core of the evaporator 15. In addition to the temperature sensor may be configured with a humidity sensor.

With this structure, when the air flow path change control means 26 is detected that the inflection point section, which is the time when the condensed water is generated by the temperature sensor installed in the evaporator 101 when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is activated, FIG. As shown in Fig. 4, the air filter 24 is rotated to a position to block the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media 25b, which is the lower half of the air filter 24. The deodorization mode time point of the air flow path change adjusting means 26 is made by a control device (not shown) for controlling according to the detection signal received from the temperature sensor.

In this way, the deodorization mode by the air flow channel change adjusting means 26 is performed only for a predetermined time, and after the inflection point section R is completed, the deodorizing mode is returned to the non-deodorizing mode position, which is the original position. Therefore, when the inflection point sphere R as described above is generated, since the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media 25b is blocked by the air flow change control means 26, it passes through the evaporator 15. As well as one air, the odor component such as odor flowing with the air is discharged through the air discharge port 18 or the air discharge port 19 while being filtered by the odor removing filter media 25a c, We can keep environment in the car comfortable.

Furthermore, the filter media 25a for odor removal of the air filter 24 are exposed to the air flow path only in the deodorizing mode, and in particular, the life of the filter can be extended by shortening the exposure time as much as possible. Can significantly reduce the cost of maintenance.

The air filter 24 and the air flow path adjusting means 26 having such a function are preferably installed at the rear of the evaporator as shown in FIG. 4, but are not necessarily limited thereto. For example, it can also be installed in front of the evaporator to double the effect as described above.

Deodorization control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, it is determined whether the vehicle start switch is turned on (S1).

After the step S1, it is determined whether the air conditioner is operated for the first time (S2).

After the step S2, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of the air conditioner, and after a predetermined time has elapsed (S3), it is determined whether the operation of the air conditioner is stopped (S4).

As a result of the determination of step S4, if the air conditioner is stopped, it is determined by the temperature sensor installed in the core of the evaporator 15 whether the inflection point section R is detected according to the temperature change of the evaporator 15 (S5). In general, when the air conditioner is stopped, that is, the compressor is stopped and the refrigerant is no longer supplied from the compressor to the evaporator 15, so that the temperature of the evaporator 15 starts to rise. At this time, the inflection time (R1, see Fig. 3) of the inflection point section (R), where the temperature of the evaporator 15 rises or there is no increase or decrease in temperature at a predetermined temperature, is detected by a temperature sensor or the like. The inflection time (R1) occurs when the temperature of the evaporator 15 is approximately 8 ℃ as a result of the experiment in the spring, autumn weather conditions. When it is determined that the inflection point section R is detected according to the temperature change of the evaporator 15 as described above, the control unit changes the air flow path change adjusting means 26 to the deodorizing mode position based on the rotation axis connected to the actuator. The air flow path changing control means 26 is rotated to a position to block the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media 25b to filter air passing through the evaporator 15 and odorous components such as odor contained in the air. (S6). When the inflection point section R is completed after a certain time (S7), the air flow path change control means 26 to the non-deodorizing mode (that is, to prevent the air from passing through the odor removal filter media 25a) Position), and then the process ends (S8).

As described above, according to the present invention, the air in front of the odor removing filter media is placed on the air flow path in front of the air filter in which the odor removing filter media and the dust removing filter media are respectively disposed in the upper and lower half. By installing an air flow channel change control means for selectively changing the air flow path in front of the flow path and the filter medium for removing the dust, the air flow path may be changed only at the inflection point section where the smell occurs due to the condensate remaining on the surface of the evaporator when the air conditioner is turned off. The air flow path changing control unit is rotated to a position that blocks the air flow path in front of the dust removing filter media so that the air passes only through the odor removing filter media, thereby removing the odor generated by the condensed water remaining in the evaporator. Can provide comfortable air to the room.

In addition, by performing the deodorization mode for a predetermined time after turning off the air conditioner as described above, when the air conditioner is restarted, there is no odor in the cabin, so that the environment in the cabin can be always maintained comfortably.

In addition, since the odor removing filter media is positioned in a state in which it is not exposed to air as much as possible after the deodorizing mode, the life of the filter can be extended, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the filter.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and applications will be possible to those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims (6)

An air conditioner case 10 in which an evaporator 15 and a heater core 16 are disposed, and a blower unit 14 is installed at an inlet; It is installed on the air flow path in the air conditioning case (10), and the filter media 25a for removing odor and the filter media 25b for removing dust are disposed in the upper half and the lower half, and the filter media 25a for removing odor and dust An air filter 24 comprising a filter case 24a surrounding the removal filter media 25b; An inflection point section generation means for determining whether an inflection point section (R) of temperature change generated by condensed water from the evaporator 15 is generated when the air conditioner is turned off after the air conditioner is operated; The air filter 24 to selectively pass the air flowing into the air conditioning case 10 through the air passage in front of the odor removing filter media 25a and the air passage in front of the dust removing filter media 25b. When the inflection point section R is generated in the temperature change of the evaporator 15 by the inflection point section occurrence determination means, the air in front of the dust removal filter media 25b is installed on the front air flow path. An air flow path changing control unit 26 moving to a deodorizing mode position for blocking a flow path to allow air to pass through the odor removing filter media to filter the odor contained in the air and returning to an original position after filtering the odor contained in the air; Automotive air conditioning apparatus that can reduce the occurrence of odor comprising a. The method of claim 1, The occurrence of the inflection point interval determination means is installed in the vicinity of the evaporator (15), characterized in that the temperature sensor for measuring the surface temperature of the evaporator (15) or the temperature of the air passing through the evaporator (15) Automotive air conditioning unit that can reduce the. The method of claim 1, The air flow path control means 26 is installed in the front center of the air filter 24 is supported by the shaft hole formed on both side walls of the air conditioning case 10 and one end of the drive shaft (26b) connected to the actuator, and A vehicle capable of reducing odor generation, characterized in that the hinge type door (Hinge Type) door made of a plate-shaped door member 26a that rotates in the direction of the upper half or lower half of the front of the air filter 24 around the drive shaft (26b). Air conditioning system. The method of claim 1, The air filter 24 is a vehicle air conditioner that can reduce the odor generated, characterized in that installed on at least one of the air flow path of the front or rear of the evaporator (15). The method of claim 1, The filter case 24a has a rectangular structure in which a partition portion 24b is provided at a central portion so as to have internal spaces 24c-1 and 24c-2 at the upper half and the lower half, respectively. Automotive air conditioning system. The method according to claim 1 or 5, The air filter 24 may replace the odor removing filter media 25a and the dust removing filter media 25b, and the odor removing filter media 25a, the dust removing filter media 25b, and the filter case ( Automotive air conditioning apparatus that can reduce the occurrence of odor, characterized in that formed by separating the 24a).

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