JPH0429569B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a device for controlling air volume in an automobile air conditioner, and is particularly aimed at improving air volume control when heating is started.

(Prior Art) The heater core of an automobile air conditioner uses the engine's cooling water as a heat source, and during heating, air is blown into the vehicle interior through the heater core, and the air volume can be adjusted by the rotation speed of the blower. Therefore, if the blower is rotated at high speed when the engine cooling water is not yet sufficiently warmed, such as when the heating is started, a large amount of cold air will be blown into the passenger compartment, significantly impairing the passenger's feeling. . Therefore, it is widely known that a water temperature switch is installed to detect the temperature of the engine cooling water, and if the temperature of the engine cooling water is below a predetermined value, the blower is stopped or rotated at a low speed. .
Furthermore, even if the temperature of the engine cooling water exceeds a predetermined value, if the control signal to the blower is fast, the rotation speed of the blower will stop at the moment the engine coolant temperature exceeds the predetermined value. A sudden change to high speed will cause similar problems. Therefore, several inventions have been made that do not impair the feeling of the occupants even in such cases, and also take into consideration the quick effect of heating, as described below.

First, in JP-A-57-77219, the outside air temperature and the cooling water temperature are detected, and even if the outside air temperature is below a predetermined value or the outside air temperature is above a predetermined value, the engine water temperature is below the predetermined value. In this case, the number of rotations of the blower should be increased very slowly, and if the outside temperature is above a predetermined value and the water temperature of the engine is above a predetermined value, the rate of increase in the number of rotations of the blower should be increased. ing. However, the pattern of increase in the rotation speed of the blower is calculated using time as a parameter and is unrelated to the heating capacity of the heater core, so if the rate of increase is too large, it will impair the feeling of the occupants. If it is too small, it takes a long time to blow hot air with an appropriate amount into the vehicle interior, making it difficult to achieve a balance between the passenger's feeling and the quick effect of heating.

In addition, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-23808, a plurality of water temperature switches with different settings or a water temperature switch that operates at a plurality of different settings is provided, and as the temperature of the cooling water increases, the blower is initially It is shown that the air volume restriction level is increased by stopping the engine, then rotating at a low speed. Furthermore, JP-A-57-175419 discloses that a water temperature analog sensor that can continuously detect the temperature of engine cooling water is provided, and control is performed by determining a corrected air volume using at least the temperature of the cooling water as a parameter. ing.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, according to both of these inventions, startup control is performed using the temperature of the engine cooling water, which is related to the heating capacity of the heater core, as a parameter. However, on the other hand, it requires multiple water temperature switches, water temperature switches that operate at different settings, or water temperature analog sensors, which leads to an increase in price.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air volume control device for an automobile air conditioner that is inexpensive and provides a good balance between passenger feeling and heating efficiency.

(Means for Solving the Problems) As shown in FIG. 1, the first invention includes a heater core that heats air using engine cooling water as a heat source, and a blower that sends air into the vehicle interior through the heater core. In this air volume control device for an automobile air conditioner, which controls the air volume by adjusting the rotation speed of the blower, a specific basic control pattern is set using at least temperature data from an interior temperature sensor and a temperature setting device as parameters. Therefore, a basic air volume calculation means 100 that calculates the basic air volume, an air temperature sensor that detects the air temperature at least before it flows into the heater core, and a restriction that calculates air volume limit data using temperature data from the vehicle interior temperature sensor as a parameter. A data calculating means 200, a limit data determining means 300 for determining whether the value calculated by the limit data calculating means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and a temperature detected by the water temperature switch for detecting the temperature of the cooling water of the engine. A water temperature determining means 400 that determines a first case where the temperature is below a predetermined value and a second case where the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value; sets the air volume to a predetermined level or less, and in the second case, when the determination by the restriction data determining means 300 is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the air volume is limited to a predetermined level higher than the air volume level in the first case. , and when the value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the basic air volume calculation means 100
A control means 500 that controls the basic air volume to a basic air volume of
An air volume control device for an automobile air conditioner comprising:

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the second invention includes a heater core that heats the air using engine cooling water as a heat source, and a blower that sends air into the passenger compartment through the heater core, and the number of revolutions of the blower is controlled. In an air volume control device for an automobile air conditioner that adjusts and controls air volume, the basic air volume is calculated according to a specific basic control pattern using at least temperature data from an interior temperature sensor and a temperature setting device as parameters. basic air volume calculation means 100 for calculating the air temperature, and limited air volume calculation means 600 for calculating the restriction air volume using temperature data from an air temperature sensor that detects the air temperature before it flows into the heater core as a parameter.
and an air volume deviation determining means 700 for determining whether the difference between the basic air volume calculated by the basic air volume calculation means 100 and the limit air volume calculated by the limit air volume calculation means 600 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the engine A water temperature determining means 40 that determines whether the temperature detected by the water temperature switch detecting the temperature of the cooling water is a first case where the temperature is below a predetermined value, and a second case where the temperature is above a predetermined value.
0, and if the temperature of the engine cooling water is the first as determined by the water temperature determining means 400, the air volume is set to a predetermined level or lower, and in the second case, the air volume deviation determining means 700 determines The air conditioning control device for an automobile includes a control means 800 which controls the air volume to be the limited air volume when the difference is greater than a predetermined value, and to set the air volume to the basic air volume when the difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value.

(Function) Therefore, in the first invention, the vehicle compartment 15
From a vehicle interior temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle, and a temperature setting device 26 that sets the temperature inside the vehicle interior 15,
Using this temperature data as a parameter, the basic air volume is calculated by the basic air volume calculation means 100 according to a specific basic control pattern. Then, air volume restriction data is calculated by the air volume restriction data calculating means 200 using the temperature data from the air temperature sensor 24 and the vehicle interior temperature sensor 23 as parameters. Furthermore, the temperature of the engine cooling water is detected and divided into a first case where the temperature is lower than a predetermined value and a second case where it is higher.In the first case, the air volume is set to below a predetermined level. In the second case, when the air volume limit data determining means 300 determines that the air volume is lower than a predetermined value, the air volume is limited to a predetermined level that is higher than the air volume level in the first case, and when it is higher than the predetermined value. , is the basic air volume in the basic air volume calculation means 100.

In the second invention, specific basic control is carried out using this temperature data as a parameter from a vehicle interior temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle interior 15 and a temperature setting device 26 that sets the temperature inside the vehicle interior 15. The basic air volume is calculated by the basic air volume calculation means 100 according to the pattern. Then, the air volume limit data is calculated by the air limit calculation means 600 using the temperature data from the air temperature sensor 24 as a parameter. Furthermore, the temperature of the engine cooling water is detected, and the temperature is divided into a first case where the temperature is lower than a predetermined value and a second case where the temperature is higher. In case 2, when the difference between the limited air volume of the limited air volume calculation means 600 and the basic air volume of the basic air volume calculation means 100 is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the air volume is set as the limited air volume, and when the difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the air volume is set as the limited air volume. This is the basic air volume.

Therefore, the state in which the air volume is increased ensures a balance between the feeling for the occupants and the quick effect of heating.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 3, an embodiment of the invention is shown,
An air conditioner for an automobile is formed in such a way that an inside air inlet 2 and an outside air inlet 3 are split into two on the most upstream side of an air conditioning case 1, and an inside/outside air switching door 4 is installed in the divided part.
is provided, and the air to be introduced into the air conditioning case 1 can be selected between inside air and outside air using this inside/outside air switching door 4.

The blower 5 is for sucking air into the air conditioning case 1 and blowing it to the downstream side, and an evaporator 6 and a heater core 7 are provided on the downstream side of the blower 5. The evaporator 6 constitutes a cooling cycle together with a compressor 8 and the like connected to the engine 9 via an electromagnetic clutch 8a, while the heater core 7 is inserted into the hot water circuit of the engine 9 and generates air using the cooling water of the engine 9 as a heat source. It's starting to heat up.

An air mix door 10 is provided in front of the heater core 7, and the ratio of air sent to the heater core 7 and air that bypasses the heater core 7 is adjusted depending on the opening degree of the air mix door 10.

The rear end of the air conditioning case 1 is divided into a defrost outlet 12, a vent outlet 13, and a heat outlet 14, which open into the vehicle interior 15, and mode doors 16, 17 are provided in the separated parts. By opening and closing the mode doors 16 and 17,
It can be switched to vent mode, bilevel mode, heat mode, or defrost mode.

The inside/outside air switching door 4 and the air mix door 10
The mode doors 16 and 17 are operated by actuators 18a to 18c, respectively, and the actuators 18a to 18c are operated by a drive circuit 19a.
-19c based on the output signal from the microcomputer 20. Further, the rotational speed of the blower 5 and the on/off of the compressor 8 are similarly controlled based on output signals from the microcomputer 20 via respective drive circuits 19d and 19e.

The microcomputer 20 is a central processing unit.
The microcomputer 20 is a known device that includes a CPU, a read-only memory ROM, a random access memory RAM, and a clock generator that generates reference pulses with a crystal oscillator 21. The microcomputer 20 includes a multiplexer and an A-D converter. Each input data is inputted via an input interface 22 consisting of. This input data includes the vehicle interior temperature Tr from the vehicle interior temperature sensor 23, the air temperature Ta from the air temperature sensor 24, and the solar radiation sensor 25.
, the opening degree θ of the air mix door 10 from the potentiometer 27, and the set temperature Td from the temperature setting device 26. Furthermore, on/off data of a water temperature switch 29 that detects the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 9 is inputted, and these input data are appropriately processed by the microcomputer 20 to control the respective control devices. In this embodiment, the air temperature sensor 24 is an outside air sensor, and the air temperature Ta is the outside air temperature. The mode sensor 24' that detects the air temperature Tm can be used instead, or both can be used.

Next, an example of the control operation of the microcomputer 20 will be explained with reference to air volume control according to the flowchart in FIG. In the next step 31, input signals are outputted to the input interface 22 to output the vehicle interior temperature Tr, air temperature Ta, and solar radiation data.
Each input data of Ts is inputted, and the on/off data from the water temperature switch 29 is inputted and stored in a predetermined area.

Next, the process proceeds to step 32, in which limit data Tt is calculated, for example, according to the following equation.

Tt=Tr+αTa+βTs+A……(1) However, α, β, and A are constants.

This equation (1) excludes the temperature data Td from the temperature setting device 26, and if the air temperature Ta and solar radiation data ts, which are environmental input factors into the passenger compartment 15, are constant, the heater core 7 As the heating capacity of the vehicle increases, the interior temperature Tr of the vehicle increases.
2, the limit data calculation means 20 shown in FIG.
0 is configured. Note that the solar radiation data Ts may be excluded from the parameters. Then, in the next step 33, a total signal T, which is a target value for normal control, is calculated, for example, according to the following equation.

T=Tr+αTa+βTs−γTd+B (2) However, γ and B are constants, and instead of this total signal T, the difference between the vehicle interior temperature Tr and the set temperature Td may be taken.

Furthermore, in the next step 34, it is determined whether or not the water temperature switch 29 is on, and if it is on, the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 9 is below a predetermined value, so the process proceeds to step 36, where the air volume is reduced to a low speed. On the other hand, if the water temperature switch 29 is off, the process proceeds to the next step 35. In step 35, the limit data Tt obtained in step 32 is stored in a read-only memory.
It is compared with predetermined values a and b stored in advance in the ROM. The predetermined values a and b are such that b>a to prevent hunting, and the limit data Tt is set such that Tt≦
If it is determined as "A" in the case of "a", it means that the heating ability of the heater core 7 has not been sufficiently increased, so the process proceeds to step 37, and a control signal is determined to reduce the air flow rate to a medium speed or lower. On the other hand, if it is determined to be "B" when Tt≧b, this indicates that the heating capacity of the heater core 7 has increased sufficiently, so the process proceeds to step 38, and as shown in FIG. 5, using the overall signal T as a parameter, Basic air volume according to a specific basic control pattern
Bn is calculated and the result of this calculation is determined as a control signal. Then, in the next step 39, the control signal determined in steps 36 to 38 is outputted to the drive circuit 19d, and in the next step 40, the process returns to the main routine.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, in which the microcomputer 20 and input interface 22 in the first embodiment are replaced with a control circuit 50. It is a simple type, and the vehicle interior temperature sensor 23,
The air temperature sensor 24 and the solar radiation sensor 25 are connected in series to generate a voltage V ₁ corresponding to the limit data Tt.
is input to the control circuit 50. Further, a voltage V ₂ corresponding to the set temperature Tb is input from the temperature setting device 26 to the control circuit 50, and is a value corresponding to the sum of the differences between these input voltages V ₁ and V ₂ and the reference voltage V ₃ . The total signal T is calculated by an operational amplifier 51. The output voltage of this operational amplifier 51
_V4 corresponds to the total signal T when the water temperature switch 29 is off, and is forced to the ground potential via the diode 53a when the water temperature switch 29 is on. Further, the input voltage V ₁ is compared with a reference voltage V ₅ by an operational amplifier 54, and the output of this operational amplifier 54 is determined as V ₁ >V ₅ (limiting data
When Tt is below a predetermined value), the signal is "L", and when V ₁ <V ₅ (limitation data Tt is above a predetermined value), the signal is "H".

Therefore, when the water temperature switch 29 is on and the temperature is low, the transistor 27d is on and the output voltage _V4 of the operational amplifier 51 is "H", so the outputs of the operational amplifiers 55a to 55c are all "L", and the transistor 56a is ~56c is off. Therefore, the relay 57 of the drive circuit 19d
a to 57c do not operate, and the blower 5 is energized via the main switch 58, the contacts of the relays 57a to 57c, and the resistors 59a to 59c, and is fixed at a low rotation speed.

On the other hand, when the water temperature switch 29 is turned off, the output voltage _V4 of the operational amplifier 51 corresponds to the total signal T, but if the limit data Tt is less than the predetermined value, the output of the operational amplifier 54 is "L". , the outputs of operational amplifiers 55b and 55c are forced to "L", and relays 57b and 57c do not operate. Therefore, since only the output of the operational amplifier 55a is effective, the blower 5 has at least a resistor 5.
9b and 59c, and the rotational speed is limited to medium to low speeds or lower.

Then, the limit data Tc gradually rises from this state, and when it exceeds a predetermined value, the output of the operational amplifier 54 is inverted to "H", so the operational amplifier 55a
55c are all valid, and the rotational speed of the blower 5 is controlled according to the basic control pattern shown in FIG.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described, but since the hardware is the same as that shown in FIG.
8, the microcomputer 20 starts executing the program at step 60 as in the first embodiment, and inputs each data at the next step 61. In the next step 62, the total signal T is calculated according to the above equation (2).

In the next step 63, the limit air volume Bmax
For example, calculate according to the following formula, and perform step 63.
Thus, the limit air volume calculation means 600 shown in FIG. 2 is constructed.

Bmax=Bah−δTa (3) where Bah is the maximum air volume of the basic air volume Bn, and δ is a correction coefficient determined by experiment, which is stored in advance in the read-only memory ROM.

In the next step 64, it is determined whether or not the water temperature switch 29 is on. If it is on, the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 9 is below a predetermined value, so the process proceeds to step 67 to adjust the air volume. The control signal is determined to make the speed low, and if the water temperature switch 29 is off, the process proceeds to the next step 65. In step 65, a basic air volume Bn is calculated using the total signal T obtained in step 62 in accordance with the basic control pattern defined in FIG. Note that this basic air volume Bn may be calculated according to another basic control pattern using Td-Tr as a parameter.

In the next step 66, the step 6
The difference Bmax - Bn between the limited air volume Bmax obtained in step 3 and the basic air volume Bn obtained in step 65 is set to a predetermined value c,
Compare with d. The predetermined values c and d are such that d>c to prevent hunting, and Bmax-
If it is determined as "C" when Bn≦c, the heating capacity of the heater core 7 has not been sufficiently increased, so the process proceeds to step 68, and a control signal is determined to set the limited air volume Bmax. On the other hand, Bmax−Bn≧
If it is determined to be "D" at time d, it indicates that the heating capacity of the heater core 7 has increased sufficiently, so the process proceeds to step 69, and a control signal is determined to set the basic air volume Bn. The relationship is shown in FIG. And next step 7
0, the control signal determined in steps 67 to 69 is output to the drive circuit 19d, and the process returns to the main routine in the next step 71.

In addition, the rotation speed of the blower 5 and the air mix door 10
If the opening degree of the fan 5 is controlled in a predetermined relationship, when the rotational speed of the blower 5 is limited in step 68, the air mix door 10 may be opened from the full cool position, resulting in poor heating efficiency. Therefore, it is preferable to include a step in the air mix door control routine to fix the air mix door 10 at the full heat position.

FIG. 10 shows an activation control pattern in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which step 68 in the third embodiment is used as a pattern control step. That is,
When the water temperature switch 29 is turned off and the capacity of the heater core 7 has not yet increased sufficiently, the air volume Bs (a predetermined value higher than the low speed) determined at the time the water temperature switch 29 is turned off is set as the starting point, As the overall signal T increases, the air volume is gradually increased, and when the limit air volume Bmax is reached, the air volume limit is increased.
Bmax, and as the total signal T becomes larger, the air flow returns to the basic air volume Bn. Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to more precisely control the air volume at startup.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, in the air volume control at the time of starting heating, after the temperature of the engine cooling water reaches a predetermined value, the output of a normally used sensor other than the engine cooling water is Since the air volume is gradually increased in accordance with the temperature, it is possible to ensure a balance between the feeling of the occupant and the quick heating effect, and also to provide an inexpensive air volume control device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block configuration diagram showing the first invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram showing the second invention, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the control operation of the microcomputer in the above embodiment;
The figure is a characteristic diagram showing the basic control pattern in the same as above, FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention,
Fig. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing the basic control pattern in the same as above, Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the control operation of the microcomputer in the second invention, and Fig. 9 shows the relationship between the basic air volume and the limited air volume. Characteristic diagram FIG. 10 is a characteristic diagram showing the startup control pattern in the embodiment at the time of limited air volume of the second invention. 5... Blower, 7... Heater core, 9... Engine, 15... Vehicle interior, 23... Vehicle interior temperature sensor,
24, 24'... Air temperature sensor, 26... Temperature setting device, 29... Water temperature switch, 100... Basic air volume calculation means, 200... Limit data calculation means,
500, 800...control means, 600...limited air volume calculation means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heater core that heats air using engine cooling water as a heat source, and a blower that sends air into the passenger compartment through the heater core, and the air volume is controlled by adjusting the rotational speed of the blower. The air volume control device for an automotive air conditioner according to the present invention includes: basic air volume calculation means for calculating a basic air volume according to a specific basic control pattern using at least temperature data from an interior temperature sensor and a temperature setting device as parameters; an air temperature sensor that detects the air temperature before it flows into the heater core; and a limit data calculation means that calculates air volume limit data using temperature data from the vehicle interior temperature sensor as parameters; and a value calculated by the limit data calculation means. a limit data determining means for determining whether the temperature is above or below a predetermined value; a first case in which the temperature detected by the water temperature switch that detects the temperature of the engine cooling water is below the predetermined value;
a water temperature determination means for determining whether the temperature of the engine cooling water is the first, as determined by the water temperature determination means; In the case of 2, when the determination by the limit data determining means is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the first
an air volume control device for an air conditioner for an automobile, comprising a control means that limits the air volume to a predetermined level higher than the air volume level in the case of . 2. An air conditioner for an automobile that has a heater core that heats air using engine cooling water as a heat source, and a blower that sends air into the vehicle interior through the heater core, and that controls the air volume by adjusting the rotational speed of the blower. The air volume control device comprises: basic air volume calculation means for calculating a basic air volume according to a specific basic control pattern using at least temperature data from an in-vehicle temperature sensor and a temperature setting device as parameters; and air flowing into the heater core. a limited air volume calculation means for calculating a limited air volume using temperature data from an air temperature sensor that detects temperature as a parameter; and a combination of the basic air volume calculated by the basic air volume calculation means and the limited air volume calculated by the limited air volume calculation means. an air volume deviation determining means for determining whether the difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; and a first case in which the temperature detected by the water temperature switch that detects the temperature of the cooling water of the engine is less than or equal to the predetermined value;
a water temperature determination means for determining whether the temperature of the engine cooling water is the first, as determined by the water temperature determination means; In the case of 2, the air volume control of the automobile air conditioner comprises a control means that controls the air volume to be the limited air volume when the determination by the air volume deviation determination means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and to set the air volume to the basic air volume when the difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value. Device.