JPH10329537A - Vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To perform efficient air cleaning using existing equipment. SOLUTION: After a predetermined time has passed, a control means 14
The air blowing means 4 is driven for a certain period of time, and the filter 5 performs an air cleaning process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly to an air conditioner for a vehicle capable of purifying air in a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed an apparatus in which air in a vehicle is contaminated with tobacco or the like by using an air purifier (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-253030).

In this air purifier, when it is determined during driving that the air inside the vehicle is contaminated based on the detection result of the gas sensor, the air is circulated by driving a fan to clean the air inside the vehicle with a filter. doing. In addition, the fan is driven for a certain period of time immediately after the engine is stopped to clean the air in the vehicle.

[0004]

However, the air purifier is provided separately from an existing air conditioner. For this reason, it is necessary to secure a new installation location. In addition, the installation must be in a place where an appropriate air flow can be obtained.

Further, after the engine is stopped, the air purifying process is uniformly performed for a certain period of time immediately after the engine is stopped, so that there is a problem that sufficient air purifying cannot be performed. For example, when the temperature inside the vehicle increases after the engine is stopped, such as in summer, a bad odor (remaining odor) may be generated after a predetermined time has elapsed after the engine was stopped. This is because the odor component attached to the sheet or the ceiling is generated after a predetermined time due to the influence of solar radiation or the like.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner for a vehicle which can perform efficient and effective air cleaning while utilizing existing equipment.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein the inside air or the outside air is air-conditioned to a predetermined temperature and blown into a vehicle in an air conditioning unit. A filter disposed in the air conditioning unit for purifying passing air, and control means for performing an air cleaning process by the filter based on the generation of residual odor after the engine is stopped. .

An inside air gas sensor for detecting the level of contamination of the air inside the vehicle is provided, and when the detection value of the inside air gas sensor exceeds a first threshold value, the generation of residual odor is detected to start the air cleaning process. , May be stopped when it becomes equal to or less than the second threshold value.

[0009] Further, the generation of residual odor is presumed when the inside air temperature exceeds the first threshold, and the air purifying process is started.
The stop may be performed when the value becomes equal to or less than the second threshold.

This makes it possible to cope with the air cleaning process at an appropriate time without adding a new configuration.

Furthermore, the inside air temperature after the engine is stopped may be estimated based on the inside air temperature, the outside air temperature, and the amount of solar radiation immediately after the engine is stopped.

By determining the start time and the stop time of the air cleaning process as described above, it is possible to efficiently perform the air cleaning when the contamination level becomes high after the engine is stopped.

An outside air gas sensor for detecting the level of pollution of outside air is provided, and when the pollution level detected by the outside air gas sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, when the outside air is introduced, the inside air is more effectively removed. Can be cleaned. In this case, it is preferable that an exhaust hole is formed in the rear portion of the vehicle, and the air in the vehicle is exhausted through the exhaust hole.

An outside air gas sensor for detecting the level of contamination of the outside air is provided, and the control means reduces the load on the filter by introducing outside air when the level of contamination detected by the outside air gas sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value. It is preferred in that respect.

When the air blowing mode is changed at predetermined time intervals during the air cleaning process, it is preferable in that the air in the vehicle can be evenly circulated and effective cleaning can be performed.

In this case, if the inside air gas sensors are provided at a plurality of locations and the air blowing mode is changed according to the difference in the contamination level detected by each sensor, more appropriate cleaning can be performed according to the state of contamination of the air in the vehicle. .

A battery sensor for detecting the remaining amount of power in the battery is provided, and the control means performs an air purifying process in a range where the value detected by the battery sensor does not fall below a predetermined value. It is preferable because it becomes possible.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle to which a vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle air conditioner 1
In the blower unit 2, an intake door 3, a blower fan 4, a filter 5, an evaporator 6, a mix damper 7, and a heater core 8 are provided in this order from the upstream side.

The intake door 3 enables introduction of outside air or circulation of inside air depending on the rotation position. The blower fan 4 is driven to rotate by electric power supplied from an alternator or a battery (not shown). The filter 5 includes a coarse filter and a high-performance filter, and enables removal of offensive odor from passing air, adsorption of acid gas, sterilization, ozone control, dust collection, and the like. The evaporator 6 cools and dehumidifies the inside air or the outside air through which the refrigerant passes, and the outside. The mix damper 7 divides the air cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 6. In the heater core 8, the engine cooling water circulates and heats one of the air divided by the evaporator 6.

The most downstream side of the blowing unit 2 is located in the air distribution chamber 9.
It has become. The air distribution room 9 has a vent outlet 9a, HE
It communicates with the AT outlet 9b and the DEF outlet 9c, respectively. The VENT outlet 9a opens rearward from the front inside the vehicle, the HEAT outlet 9b opens at the foot of the front part inside the vehicle, and the DEF outlet 9c opens at the front part inside the vehicle so that air can be blown along the window glass. . In the air distribution chamber 9, air that is diverted by the mix damper 7 and passes as it is,
After being mixed with air heated by the heater core 8 to a predetermined temperature, the air is blown into the vehicle through one of the outlets 9a, 9b, 9c.

An outside air gas sensor 10 for detecting the level of pollution of the outside air, an engine sensor 11 for detecting whether or not the engine is running, and a battery sensor for detecting the capacity of the battery are provided at the front of the vehicle. 12 are provided respectively. Further, inside-air gas sensors 13 (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d) are arranged on the feet in the front part and the center part in the vehicle, and on the ceiling surface above the front part and the rear seat, respectively. Each of the gas sensors 10 and 13
For example, a gas sensor manufactured by Figaro can be used. Detection signals from the sensors 10 to 13 are input to the control device 14. Further, an exhaust hole 15 is formed in a rear portion in the vehicle.

Next, the process of purifying the air in the vehicle by the vehicle air conditioner will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, when an engine stop detection signal is input from the engine sensor 11 (step S1), the remaining power V of the battery detected by the battery sensor 12 is read (step S2), and is reduced to a predetermined threshold value VL or less. It is determined whether or not it has become (step S3). If the remaining power V falls below the predetermined threshold value VL, the starting of the engine is hindered, so that the driving of the blower fan 4 is forcibly stopped (step S13).

The pollution levels Pin, Pin, detected from the inside air gas sensor 13 and the outside air gas sensor 10, respectively.
Pout is read (step S4). If the contamination level Pin detected by the inside air gas sensor 13 exceeds the first threshold value Pa1 (step S5), the blower fan 4 is driven (step S6). At this time, the contamination levels Pin and Pout detected by the gas sensors 10 and 13 are compared (step S7). When the outside air pollution level Pout is high, the inside air is circulated (step S8), and when the inside air pollution level Pin is high, outside air is introduced (step S9). Normally, the cleaning process of the air inside the vehicle is started when the contamination level Pin of the indoor air is high.
Switch to inside air circulation. In the filter 5, the air with the lower contamination level passes, and the filter 5 is less likely to be contaminated. In addition, in the case of introducing outside air, opening the exhaust hole 15 makes it possible to purify the air in the vehicle more quickly.

If the contamination level Pin detected by the inside air gas sensor 13 exceeds the second threshold value Pa2 (step S10), every time a predetermined time elapses (step S1).
1) The air blowing mode is switched (step S12). According to this, the VENT outlet 9a, the HEAT outlet 9b
Alternatively, the opening position of the DEF outlet 9c is changed, and the air flow in the vehicle is changed, so that the air in the vehicle can be uniformly cleaned.

The time for switching the air blowing mode may be changed according to the difference between the detection values of the inside air gas sensors 13. For example, if the value detected by the gas sensor 13a is higher than that of the other sensors, the time for blowing air from the HEAT outlet 9b may be increased.

If the remaining power level of the battery is sufficient and the inside air of the vehicle is properly cleaned and the contamination level of the inside air becomes equal to or lower than the second threshold value Pa2 smaller than the first threshold value Pa1, the blowing fan 4 Is stopped, and the cleaning process ends (step S13).

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner, even after the engine is stopped, it is possible to perform the air cleaning at a predetermined time when the level of contamination of the vehicle air becomes high, which is efficient. In addition, since the air outlet is switched every predetermined time, the air inside the vehicle circulates evenly, and effective cleaning is possible. In addition, since the air is cleaned in consideration of the remaining power of the battery, there is no problem that the engine cannot be started thereafter. This is particularly effective when applied to electric vehicles.

In the above embodiment, the air cleaning process after stopping the engine has been described. However, when the engine is being started, the air blown into the vehicle always passes through the filter 5 to purify the air. Can be Even in this case, it is preferable that the air having the lower contamination level among the inside air and the outside air pass through the filter 5.

In the above embodiment, the start time of the cleaning process is set based on the detection signal from the inside air gas sensor 13. However, the inside air sensor 16 (two points in FIG. (Indicated by a chain line) may be used. That is, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5, in the summertime or the like, an odor is generated with an increase in the inside air temperature, and the pollution level of the air in the vehicle is increased. Therefore, the cleaning process starts when the detected temperature exceeds a predetermined value a based on the temperature detected by the inside air sensor 16,
It stops at a predetermined value b or less smaller than this.

The inside air temperature tr 'may be estimated from the inside air temperature tr immediately after the engine is stopped, the outside air temperature tg, the amount of solar radiation SR, and the elapsed time T immediately after the engine is stopped. Specifically, it is estimated according to the following equation.

(Equation 1)

Further, the cleaning process may be automatically performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the engine was stopped by the timer. In this case, the set time may be changed based on a difference in the amount of solar radiation into the vehicle detected by the solar radiation sensor or a difference in the outside air temperature.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the pollution level is compared between the inside air and the outside air to switch to the inside air circulation or the outside air introduction. It may be sufficient to simply switch to outside air introduction. In this case, it is preferable to open the exhaust hole 15 so that the air inside the vehicle can be replaced more smoothly.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the air in the vehicle is cleaned after a predetermined time has elapsed since the engine was stopped. Clean air is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a blower unit of the vehicle air conditioner of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an air cleaning process in the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an air cleaning process in the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the inside air temperature and the pollution level of the inside air of the vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 blower fan (blower means) 5 filter 10 gas sensor for outside air 13 gas sensor for inside air 14 control device (control means) 16 inside air sensor

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein air inside or outside air is air-conditioned to a predetermined temperature and blown into a vehicle in an air-conditioning unit, wherein a filter disposed in the air-conditioning unit for purifying passing air is provided. Control means for performing an air cleaning process by the filter based on the generation of residual odor after the engine stops. 2. An inside air gas sensor for detecting the level of contamination of the air inside the vehicle, wherein the control means detects the generation of residual odor by detecting the generation of residual odor when the value detected by the inside air gas sensor exceeds a first threshold value. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning process starts and stops when the cleaning process becomes equal to or less than a second threshold. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the control unit estimates the generation of residual odor when the inside air temperature exceeds the first threshold value, starts the air cleaning process, and stops when the inside air temperature falls below the second threshold value. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1. 4. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the control unit estimates the inside air temperature based on the inside air temperature, the outside air temperature, and the amount of solar radiation immediately after the engine is stopped. 5. An outside air gas sensor for detecting a pollution level of outside air, wherein the control means introduces outside air when the pollution level detected by the outside air gas sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Any one of items 1 to 4
An air conditioner for a vehicle according to Item. 6. An outside air gas sensor for detecting a pollution level of outside air, wherein the control means compares a detection value of the outside air gas sensor with a detection value of the inside air gas sensor to determine a lower pollution level. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioner is selectively switched to inside air circulation or outside air introduction. 7. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the air blowing mode at predetermined time intervals during an air cleaning process. 8. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the inside-air gas sensors are provided at a plurality of locations, and a blowing mode is changed according to a difference in a contamination level detected by each sensor. Air conditioner. 9. A battery sensor for detecting a remaining amount of power in a battery, wherein the control means performs an air cleaning process within a range in which a value detected by the battery sensor does not fall below a predetermined value. Item 9. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of items 1 to 8.