Mazda Motor Corporation

Naldec Corporation

Diesel Kiki Co., Ltd.

Zexel Gmbh

Diesel Kiki K.k.

Matsuda K. K.

Shigetoshi Doi

Katsumi Iida

Yoshiaki Nagayama

Yoshihiko Sakurai

Shinshi Kajimoto

Hiroshi Asou

Toshikazu Ishikawa

Yasuhiro Enno

Takashi Tsuchida

Eiji Ukita

Taketoshi Matsushita

Akihiko Takano

Tsutomu Fujiki

Hiroaki Sakamoto

Yoshiaki Anan

Teruaki Yano

Hideo Yamaguchi

Mitsutoshi Kuroiwa

Hiroyuki Sumihara

Hirofumi Nagaoka

This invention has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which can obtain a combination of an outlet air flow rate V.sub.a and an outlet air temperature T.sub.o, which is desirable for comfort of a passenger, under a condition of air-conditioning control based on a heat balance equation. In order to achieve this object, this invention provides a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, including the first step of obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.a and the outlet air temperatures T.sub.o necessary for maintaining the passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature, the second step of calculating comfort indices each representing the comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.a and the outlet air temperatures T.sub.o obtained in the first step, and the third step of searching a combination of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature, which can provide a comfort index closest to an optimal value of the comfort indices calculated in the second step.

Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle air conditioner

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning apparatus provided in an vehicle. The apparatus is adapted to deliver conditioned air into a passenger compartment so as to regulate an interior temperature of a passenger compartment at a desired temperature. The apparatus comprises a temperature regulating device for regulating an outlet air temperature, a blower, and a controller for setting a target outlet air temperature and volume. The controller includes comfortability index setting means for setting a comfortability index which is a function of at least an outlet air temperature and volume and which is an indication representing a degree of a passenger's comfort, a variable temperature setting device located in the passenger compartment for a manual presetting of a desired interior temperature, and variable target setting means for setting a target value of the comfortability index dependent on the preset interior temperature, and air temperature and volume setting means for setting a combination of said target outlet air temperature and volume which allows the comfortability index to be approximated to the target value thereof.

Vehicle air-conditioning apparatus

This invention has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which can obtain a combination of an outlet air flow rate V.sub.a and an outlet air temperature T.sub.o, which is desirable for comfort of a passenger, under a condition of air-conditioning control based on a heat balance equation. In order to achieve this object, this invention provides a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner including the first step of obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.a and the outlet air temperatures T.sub.o necessary for maintaining the passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature, the second step of calculating comfort indices each representing the comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.a and the outlet air temperatures T.sub.o obtained in the first step, and the third step of searching a combination of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature, which can provide a comfort index closest to an optimal value of the comfort indices calculated in the second step.

Disclosed is an air-conditioning apparatus for an automotive vehicle so adapted as to allow its louvers disposed at air outlets for blowing or supplying air into the vehicle compartment to constantly assume their original positions when the louvers stop swinging. The swinging louvers are arranged to allow their directions in which the air is blown or supplied to be periodically changed by the swinging motor. The swinging motor is driven on the basis of a control signal from a control unit. A switching circuit of the swinging motor is provided with a first switch for being turned on or off on the basis of the signal from the control unit and with a second switch so arranged in parallel to the first switch and in association with the swinging motor as to be turned off when the swinging louvers are returned to their original positions.

Apparatus for conditioning air in automotive vehicle

An automobile air conditioning system has a bypass air passage for directing air, before it is heated, to a car interior via a vent outlet. A bypass door is disposed in the bypass air passage, which has an opening which is automatically controlled according to a desired air conditioning temperature in an automatic air conditioning mode. The bypass door control can be intentionally changed to a mild control mode, in which the opening of the bypass door is automatically controlled to become smaller as the temperature of air, which either is in the bypass passage or is to be introduced into the bypass passage, becomes lower in a predetermined range of temperatures.

Automobile air conditioning system with cool air bypass passage having

An automobile air-conditioner capable of controlling the displacement of a compressor in view of the traveling condition and air-conditioning condition of an automobile so as to maintain a pleasant feeling of the air-conditioning and an accelerating ability of the automobile in harmony with each other. The air-conditioner includes an air-conditioning preference judgment device by means of which a normal control of the air-conditioning operation is maintained when the judgment of this judgment means indicates the existence of an air-conditioning preference condition. The air-conditioning is performed in preference to acceleration of the automobile depending on the degree of acceleration of the automobile even when the automobile is accelerated.

Automobile air-conditioner

An air conditioning control system for an automotive vehicle having an internal combustion engine. A variable capacity compressor has a pump having displacement thereof variable in response to a change in pressure within a controlled pressure chamber, a communication passage communicating between a low pressure chamber and the controlled pressure chamber, and a valve disposed to vary an opening area of the communication passage. An electromagnetic clutch connects and disconnects the compressor to and from the engine. An evaporator is connected to the compressor. A control unit controls the capacity of the compressor by supplying the valve with control current normally set within a predetermined range, to vary the opening area of the communication passage such that the temperature of outlet air from the evaporator becomes equal to a desired value. The control unit supplies the control current having a predetermined value larger than the above predetermined range over a predetermined time period to control the capacity of the compressor to the minimum value, when the electromagnetic clutch is brought into an engaged state from a disengaged state.

Air conditioning control system for automotive vehicles

A solar powered ventilation device for a vehicle has a solar cell disposed on a car body and electrically connected to an electrically operated ventilation system, and a controller for detecting a predetermined temperature outside the car to electrically disconnect the ventilation system from the solar cell. The ventilation system is supplied with electric power from the solar cell, thereby ventilating or exhausting air from the vehicle interior only when the exterior temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature.

Ventilation device for automobiles

An automobile air conditioning device includes a ventilation system with a ventilation fan for discharging air contained in a passenger chamber from the vehicle. A dew condensation detector is adapted to detect a predetermined relative humidity for a dew point at which dew condensation on a rear window glass of the vehicle is presumed to occur. A controller actuates the ventilation system when the dew condensation detector detects the dew point while the vehicle is running.

Automobile air conditioning system

Disclosed is an air conditioner for use in an automotive vehicle. The air conditioner includes a timer circuit for deciding whether or not a given period of time has elapsed after an engine of the automotive vehicle has been started, an air quantity controller for limiting the amount of air to be introduced into a passenger compartment for a given period of time after an air cooling operation has been started, a compressor controller for prohibiting the operation of a compressor of the air conditioner for the given period of time to be decided by the timer circuit, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the passenger compartment, and a switch portion for starting the compressor. The timer circuit, the air quantity controller, the compressor controller, and the switch portion are all provided in an air conditioner control unit. The control unit increases the amount of air within the first period of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is greater than a predetermined value and when the switch portion outputs no instruction within the given period of time decided by the timer circuit. Alternatively, the control unit increases the amount of air from within the second period of time longer than the first period of time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is greater than the predetermined value and when the switch portion outputs an instruction for starting the compressor within the given period of time decided by the timer circuit.

Air conditioner for use in an automotive vehicle

A control system for an air conditioner for a vehicle effects the switching between a heat mode and a heat/defrost mode on the basis of the ambient temperature and the amount of solar radiation present.

Air conditioner control system for vehicles

An automobile air-conditioning apparatus with air blower control air-conditions the passenger compartment of an automobile by cooling and/or heating air delivered from an air blower into the compartment. During a period in which the compartment starts being cooled, the rate of air flow form the air blower is progressively increased up to an air flow rate in an automatic temperature adjusting mode. The gradient at which the air flow rate is increased is selected dependent on the amount of sunlight applied to the automobile, the temperature of air in the compartment, and the temperature of air at the outlet of an evaporator.

Automobile air-conditioning apparatus with air blower control

A troubleshooting apparatus counts the number of times an abnormality occurs whenever each diagnosed portion of an automobile air-conditioning system repeats an abnormal and a normal status, stores each diagnosed portion in which an abnormality is detected and the number of times the abnormality of each diagnosed portion occurs in a nonvolatile memory, recognizes each diagnosed portion having the number of times the abnormality exceeds a predetermined value at the time of troubleshooting as a fault, and recognizes each diagnosed portion having an abnormality that occurs at the time of troubleshooting as a fault. Abnormalities that occur in conjunction with the dismounting and remounting of diagnosed portions during checking processes are absorbed in the number of times the abnormality occurs within the predetermined value so that a wrong diagnosis can be avoided. Moreover, each diagnosed portion having the number of times the abnormality exceeds the predetermined value and each diagnosed portion having an abnormality that occurs during the diagnostic process can be distinguished from each other. Consequently, check and repairs can be based on an understanding of whether or not the abnormality lacks repeatability such as an imperfect contact and a half-disconnection.

Troubleshooting apparatus for automobile air-conditioning system

The operational temperature TP is determined as a function of the compartment temperature Tr. The blower speed is controlled along the characteristic line, the slope of which varies with the operational temperature TP. When the temperature of engine cooling water reaches a predetermined temperature, the speed of the blower is increased along the slope corresponding to the compartment temperature Tr. When the operational temperature TP is at least the predetermined temperature Tl, the speed of the blower is controlled as a function of time so that any violent increase in the blower speed may be prevented.

Growing community of inventors

Iwakuni, Japan

Shigetoshi Doi