KR20150129198A - Air conditioner for vehicle with photocatalyst module and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an air conditioner for a vehicle including a photocatalytic module and a control method thereof, capable of purifying air flowing into an air conditioner case, sterilizing and deodorizing an evaporator, and improving durability of a photocatalytic module by efficiently managing the operation of a light source unit. The air conditioner for the vehicle including the photocatalytic module includes: the air conditioner case having an air inflow hole on an inlet, an air discharge hole on an outlet, and an air path inside; the evaporator installed on the air path of the air conditioner case; an air blowing device blowing the air into the air conditioner case; a photocatalyst unit causing radical by having a photocatalytic reaction by radiated light and supplying the caused radical to the air path inside the air conditioner case; the multiple light source units radiating ultraviolet (UV) rays to the photocatalyst unit; and a control unit controlling the operation of the light source unit in multiple steps. Therefore, unpleasant air remaining inside the vehicle or the evaporator is completely removed, and pleasant environment can be provided for user′s convenience without additional controls. Moreover, strength of sterilization and deodorization is controlled in the multiple steps, and the light source unit is efficiently operated and controlled. Thereby, life shortening of an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) is minimized, and semipermanent use is possible.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module,

The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module for purifying the air flowing into the air conditioner case and sterilizing and deodorizing the evaporator, And a control method.

An air conditioner for a vehicle includes an evaporator for cooling the inside of the air conditioner case, an evaporator for cooling the inside of the air conditioner case, an evaporator for cooling the inside of the air conditioner case, A heater core for the heating action, and air blown or heated by the evaporator or the heater core are selectively blown to respective portions of the vehicle interior using a blowing mode switching door.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2549032 (May 30, 1997), which was filed in the same year, discloses a cooling apparatus with a deodorizer for an automobile. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional cooling apparatus with a deodorizer for an automobile.

1, a conventional air conditioner with a deodorizer for an automobile is provided with an outside air inlet 21 and an inside air inlet 22 in a case 20, and an outside air inlet 21 and an inside air inlet 22 And an intake door 23 for selectively opening and closing is rotatably provided. An actuator 30 is connected to the pivot shaft of the intake door 23 and is controlled by the control means 31.

A blower 25 for blowing the air introduced from the inside and outside air intake ports 21 and 22 to the downstream side is provided on the downstream side of the intake door 23 and the blower 25 is connected to the fan 32 and the fan 32 And a motor 33 for rotating the motor. On the downstream side of the blower 25, an evaporator 26 is installed and cools the air by exchanging heat with air passing therethrough. The air passage 28 on the downstream side of the evaporator 26 is provided with a photocatalytic filter 27 for generating active oxygen by irradiation with a long wavelength light.

The photocatalytic filter 27 generates active oxygen by irradiation of the ultraviolet lamp 29, and the active oxygen oxidizes and decomposes the substance causing the odor to a very low concentration oxidizable compound. The ultraviolet lamp 29 is disposed between the evaporator 26 and the photocatalytic filter 27. The downstream side of the photocatalytic filter 27 is provided with a metal catalyst filter 34 for removing ozone contained in the flowing air. Reference numeral 35 denotes a temperature sensor, 36 denotes a sensor for sensing the odor level, 37 denotes a fan switch, and 24 denotes an air outlet.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1984-230815 (issued on December 25, 1984) discloses a vehicle air conditioner for controlling a sterilizing lamp. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a conventional automotive air conditioner.

As shown in Fig. 2, the solar cell 2 is located in the space portion at the rear position. The air conditioner 3 is located on the seat at the lower part of the front panel and the air conditioner case 4 of the air conditioner 3 has the outside air inlet 5 and the inside air inlet 6. In addition, the air blower 10 is located behind the doors 8, 9 for opening or closing the inlets 5, 6.

The sterilizing lamp 13 is located behind the air blower 10 and is fixed to the air conditioning case 4 and is located adjacent to the vacuum evaporator 11. The power terminals of the sterilizing lamp 13 and the air blower 10 are connected to the battery of the vehicle. In addition, when the main switch of the automobile is off (Off), it is connected to the solar cell 2 through the power supply means 4. As a result, the sterilizing lamp 13 and the air blower 10 are operated.

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-240260 (2003.08.27), which was previously filed, discloses an air conditioner capable of sterilizing bacteria contained in air with a simple structure. According to the publication, an ultraviolet lamp that emits ultraviolet rays to the air blown to the blower, an operation control unit that controls the operation of the blower, and a lamp sensing unit that senses whether the ultraviolet lamp is turned on or off. The operation control unit reduces the number of revolutions of the blower when the lamp detecting unit detects that the ultraviolet lamp is lit, rather than when the ultraviolet lamp is not lit.

However, the technology of the above-mentioned publications has a problem that the ultraviolet lamp used as a light source of a photocatalyst contains mercury therein, and mercury is harmful to the human body and can not be applied to vehicles due to various environmental requirements. In addition, the photocatalytic filter is disposed downstream of the evaporator to adsorb and deodorize the odor generated in the evaporator, and therefore, there is a problem that the filter must be replaced due to a decrease in the amount of dust overflow.

In addition, the conventional sterilizing means constitutes a control logic for operating the sterilizing means in conjunction with the ON / OFF operation of the vehicle to perform efficient sterilizing action. However, it is possible to grasp the time when the odor is generated during the vehicle operation, There is no control system to operate the means. Therefore, when the sterilizing means is used for a long time, the life of the sterilizing means is shortened and the replacement time is shortened. If the sterilizing means is installed inside the air conditioner case which is difficult to replace permanently, There is a problem that it can not exert its function.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2549032 (May 30, 1997) Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1984-230815 (December 25, 1984) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-240260 (Aug. 27, 2003)

In order to solve such conventional problems, the present invention provides a photocatalyst module for purifying the air introduced into the air conditioning case, sterilizing and deodorizing the evaporator, efficiently managing the operation of the light source unit and improving the durability of the photocatalyst module, And a control method for the vehicle air conditioner.

A vehicle air conditioning system equipped with a photocatalytic module according to the present invention includes an air conditioning case having an air inlet formed at an inlet side thereof and an air outlet formed at an outlet side thereof and an air passage formed therein, An evaporator and an air blowing device for blowing air into the air conditioning case. The air conditioning case generates a photocatalytic reaction by the irradiated light to generate radicals and supplies the generated radicals to the air flow path inside the air conditioning case A plurality of light source units for irradiating ultraviolet (UV) light to the catalyst unit side, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the light source unit in multiple stages.

The control unit determines whether or not the sterilization and deodorization in the vehicle are intensively required and turns on all of the plurality of light sources when the sterilization and deodorization are intensively required. At least one of the plurality of light sources is turned on in a normal mode in which sterilization and deodorization are less required.

In the above, the catalyst part and the light source part are modularized to constitute a photocatalytic module.

In the above, the control unit alternately turns on the plurality of light source units in the normal mode.

In the above, the control unit judges the time point before / after the start of the vehicle or before / after the operation of the cooling system as the concentrated mode.

A control method of a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module according to the present invention includes a step of turning on a vehicle, a step of operating a photocatalyst module by operating a light source unit, a step of determining an intensive mode / normal mode, Turning on all of the plurality of light sources in the focused mode, and alternately turning on the plurality of light sources in the normal mode.

The present invention provides a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module and a control method thereof, which can completely remove the unpleasant air remaining in the evaporator or the interior of the vehicle, provide a pleasant environment conveniently without any operation, By controlling multi-stage and controlling operation of the light source efficiently, it is possible to use semi-permanently by minimizing the lifetime shortening of UV LED.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional air-cooling apparatus with a deodorizer for an automobile,
2 shows a schematic configuration of a conventional automotive air conditioner,
3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the installation state of the photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a cross-sectional view of a photocatalytic module of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalyst module according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a technical configuration of a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalytic module and a control method thereof will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle air-conditioning apparatus having a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a state in which a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a photocatalytic module of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

3 to 6, a vehicle air conditioner 100 having a photocatalyst module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an air conditioning case 140, an evaporator 141 and a heater core 142, A temperature control door 145 and a plurality of mode doors 146 and a photocatalyst module 200 and a control unit 300. The control unit 300 includes a control unit 300,

The air conditioning case 140 has an air inlet 143 formed at an inlet side thereof, a plurality of air outlet ports 144 formed at an outlet side thereof, and an air passage formed therein. The evaporator 141 and the heater core 142 are sequentially disposed on the internal air passage of the air conditioning case 140 at regular intervals. The evaporator 141 performs heat exchange with the air flowing through the air passage to cool the air, and the heater core 142 performs heat exchange with the air flowing through the air passage to heat the air.

The air blowing device 110 blows air into the air conditioning case 140. The air blowing device 110 has an air inflow inlet 121 and an outside air inflow inlet 122 formed on one side and has an air inflow inlet 121 and an outside air inlet 122 And an internal / external switching door 123 is selectively provided to open / close the door. In addition, the air blowing apparatus 110 includes a blowing fan 135 for blowing the inside air or outside air to the air inlet 143 side of the air conditioning case 140 forcibly.

The temperature control door 145 is disposed between the evaporator 141 and the heater core 142 to control the opening degree of the hot air passage passing through the heater core 142 and the cold air passage bypassing the heater core 142, The discharge temperature of the discharge gas is controlled. A plurality of mode doors 146 are installed in the respective air discharge openings 144 to selectively open and close the respective air discharge openings 144 according to various air conditioning modes.

The photocatalyst module 200 is provided at one side of the air conditioning case 140 and includes a catalyst unit 210 and a light source unit 220. The photocatalyst module 200 may be configured such that the catalyst unit 210 and the light source unit 220 are modularized into one. Therefore, detachment and attachment of the photocatalyst module 200 is easy, which is advantageous in maintenance.

The catalytic unit 210 generates a photocatalytic reaction by the irradiated light and generates an oxygen radical 201. The catalytic part is arranged to supply the generated over-oxygen radical 201 to the air flow path inside the air conditioning case 140. The catalytic unit 210 is made of a carrier such as a ceramic or the like and is made of a material having a low air resistance so as to minimize a decrease in the air volume of the flowing air passing through the catalytic unit 210.

The catalytic unit 210 generates a photocatalytic reaction by the light emitted from the light source unit 220 to be described later and flows into the air conditioning case 140 through the oxidizing action of the oxygen radical 201 generated in the photocatalytic reaction And the odor causing substances 1411 such as microorganisms, fungus, noxious gas, various contaminants and odors in the evaporator 141 are removed.

The light source unit 220 includes one or a plurality of light sources 220 and emits ultraviolet (UV) light toward the catalyst unit 210. When the photocatalyst carrier constituting the catalytic unit 210 absorbs light by the light source unit 220, the electrons of the valence band (VB), which is filled with electrons, absorb the light energy, Conduction Band: CB. Hole, an empty electron spot in the valence band, oxidizes the water molecule on its surface, leaving it in its original state, and the oxidized water molecules form OH radicals. In addition, an excited electron excited by a conduction band reacts with oxygen to produce an oxygen-rich (O ₂ -) radical 201 with strong oxidizing power.

The structure in which the photocatalyst module 200 is composed of the catalytic unit 210 and the light source unit 220 and generates the over-oxygen radical 201 by the photocatalytic reaction is a structure in which the polluted air containing odor is adsorbed and deodorized The photocatalyst module 200 can be semi-permanently used by selecting the type of the carrier or appropriately controlling the on / off of the light source unit. That is, the photocatalyst module 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has excellent lifetime.

The light source unit 220 includes a light emitting diode (LED) that emits UVA (Ultra Violet-A) light or UVC (Ultra Violet-C) light having a wavelength of 400 nm or less. Since the light source unit 220 is composed of LED, it is possible to solve the problem of mercury usage which is a problem in the conventional mercury lamp and to effectively irradiate the light with a small power. In this case, UVA is advantageous in cost because it is relatively inexpensive and effectively activates the photocatalytic reaction of the photocatalyst carrier. In addition, UVC is relatively expensive but can act to activate the photocatalytic reaction, and at the same time, perform sterilizing function on its own to improve sterilization efficiency.

The light source unit 220 includes a plurality of light sources 220. In this embodiment, the light source unit 220 includes two light sources 220a and 220b. However, the number of the light sources 220 may be three or more.

5, the photocatalyst module 200 includes a catalyst unit 210, a light source unit 220, a module case 260, and a heat dissipation unit 230. The module case 260 includes a light source unit 220 and a catalyst unit 210. The module case 260 includes an opening 261, a step 262, an inclined part 263, Respectively. The module case 260 is formed on one side of the opening 261 and the heat dissipating unit 230 is inserted into the opening 261. The step portion 262 protrudes inwardly from the opening portion 261 to support the LED panel 222. The catalyst portion receiving groove 264 is formed on the other side of the module case 260 to receive the catalyst portion 210. The first light source unit 220a and the second light source unit 220b may be arranged in parallel within the module case 260. [

The control unit 300 controls the operation of the light source unit 220 in multiple stages. Accordingly, efficient sterilization and deodorization of the photocatalyst module 200 are performed to improve the performance and extend the service life of the light source unit 220 constituted by the UV LED.

More specifically, the control unit 300 determines whether intensive sterilization and deodorization is required in the vehicle. That is, the control unit 300 determines whether it is the concentrated mode or the normal mode. The concentrated mode is a mode in which sterilization and deodorization are intensively required. The normal mode is a mode other than the concentrated mode, and is a mode requiring relatively less sterilization and deodorization than the concentrated mode.

In the lumped mode, the controller 300 turns on all the plurality of light sources 220. In addition, the control unit 300 controls to turn on at least one of the plurality of light source units 220 in the normal mode. In this case, when the control unit 300 is in the normal mode, it is preferable that the plurality of light source units 220 are turned on alternately. The control unit 300 may determine the time before or after the start of the vehicle or before / after the operation of the cooling system as the concentrated mode.

That is, when sterilization and deodorization are intensively required before and after the start of the vehicle and before and after the operation of the cooling system in the summer, the controller 300 determines that the mode is the concentrated mode and the first light source unit 220a and the second light source unit 220b ) Can be turned ON to perform sterilization and deodorization intensively. In addition, in a case other than the concentrated mode, the controller 300 determines that the normal mode is selected and turns on only one of the first light source unit 220a and the second light source unit 220b alternately, turns off the remaining light source unit, Can be performed.

Meanwhile, FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 7, a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner having a photocatalytic module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes steps S11 and S12 of turning on a vehicle, A step S13 of operating the photocatalyst module 200, a step S13 of determining an intensive mode / a normal mode, a step S14 of turning on all the plurality of light source units 220 in the concentrated mode, And alternately turning on and turning on the plurality of light sources 220 in the normal mode (S15).

More specifically, first, the start of the vehicle is activated by remote or key operation or the like (S11). In this case, the passenger can operate the blue link, which is a type of application software, using the portable terminal outside the vehicle. The BlueLink can be configured to control the starting of the vehicle, the operation of the air conditioner, etc., by using the portable terminal before boarding the vehicle. The control unit 300 controls the light source unit 220 so that the light source unit 220 is turned on to start the photocatalytic reaction of the catalytic unit 210 to generate over-oxygen radicals, The room is sterilized and deodorized (S12).

At the same time, the control unit 300 determines whether the current state of the vehicle is the concentrated mode or the normal mode (S13). If the mode is the concentrated mode, the control unit 300 turns on all the plurality of light source units 220 (S14). If the mode is the normal mode, the control unit 300 turns on the plurality of light source units 220 at the intersection (S15).

In summary, a vehicle air conditioning system 100 having a photocatalyst module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a photocatalyst module 200 for sterilizing and deodorizing an evaporator 141, OFF signal can be received in conjunction with the rear viewpoint, and the light amount of the light source unit 220 is maximized at the time when the odor can be generated in the evaporator 141, thereby intensifying sterilization and deodorization. In addition, under a different condition, the light source unit 220 may be made of a UV LED by performing a normal control mode of minimizing the light amount of the light source unit 220, thereby extending the life of the light source unit 220.

Although the vehicle air conditioner having the photocatalyst module according to the present invention and the control method thereof have been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent implementations You will understand that an example is possible. Accordingly, the scope of the true technical protection should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100: vehicle air conditioner 110: blower
121: Air inlet port 122: Outer air inlet
123: internal / external switching door 135: blowing fan
140: air conditioning case 141: evaporator
142: heater core 143: air inlet
144: air outlet 145: temperature control door
146: Mode door 200: Photocatalyst module
201: and oxygen radical 210: catalyst part
220: light source unit 300:
220a: first light source part 220b:

Claims (6)

An air conditioning case 140 in which an air inlet 143 is formed at an inlet side and an air outlet 144 is formed at an outlet side and an air passage is formed therein; And a blowing device (110) for blowing air into the air conditioning case (140), the air conditioning device comprising:
A catalytic unit 210 arranged to generate a photocatalytic reaction by the irradiated light to generate oxygen radicals and to supply generated oxygen radicals to the air flow path inside the air conditioning case 140;
A plurality of light source units 220 for irradiating ultraviolet (UV) light toward the catalyst unit 210; And
And a control unit (300) for controlling the operation of the light source unit (220) in multiple stages. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit (300)
The light source unit 220 is turned on when it is in a concentrated mode in which sterilization and deodorization are intensively required, and the sterilization and deodorization are relatively sterilized and deodorized in comparison with the concentrated mode, Wherein at least one of the plurality of light source units (220) is turned on when the mode is a normal mode in which deodorization is less required. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the catalytic unit (210) and the light source unit (220) are modularized to constitute a photocatalytic module (200). 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit (300)
And turns on the plurality of light source units (220) alternately in the normal mode. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit (300)
Wherein the control means judges the time point before / after the start of the vehicle or before / after the operation of the cooling system as the concentrated mode. A step S11 of turning on the starting of the vehicle;
A step S12 of driving the photocatalyst module 200 by operating the light source 220;
Determining (S13) a concentrated mode / normal mode;
A step S14 of turning on all the plurality of light source units 220 in the focused mode;
(S15) alternately turning on and off the plurality of light source units (220) in the normal mode.

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