Mazda Motor Corporation

Naldec Corporation

Toshikazu Ishikawa

Hiroshi Asou

Takashi Tsuchida

Yasuhiro Enno

Eiji Ukita

Shigetoshi Doi

Shinshi Kajimoto

Yoshiaki Nagayama

Tsutomu Fujiki

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

An air conditioning control method of a vehicle includes the step of determining a target temperature of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, calculating a comfort index provided as a function of at least an outlet air temperature and outlet air volume flowing out of a heater-air-conditioner system in which air is treated to be introduce to a passenger compartment, setting a target comfort index, determining an optimized combination of the output air temperature and the output air volume which minimizes a deviation of the comfort index from the target comfort index, compensating the target temperature to reduce the deviation when the deviation is greater than a predetermined value. The optimized comfort level can be accomplished quickly through the control.

Control method of vehicle air-conditioning apparatus

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.

Air conditioning is so implemented as to allow a current of air fed into a passenger compartment of the vehicle to be closer to or approach to a gentle and natural wind by making the applicable voltage to the blower motor variable so as to change the air volume or amount to a subtle extent for a stable period of time when the air volume or amount to be fed into the compartment is reduced to a small level under automatic control.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Toshikazu Ishikawa