Method for controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature of an air conditioning system in a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399408-B2
Application number	US-51266909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2009
Priority date	Feb 15, 2007
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A method and apparatus controls and/or regulates the evaporator temperature of an air conditioning system in a motor vehicle in cooling mode. When an outside air temperature exceeds a predetermined limit value, the evaporator temperature is controlled and/or regulated to a predetermined minimum evaporator temperature until a predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle is reached. After reaching the predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle, the evaporator temperature is increased until a predetermined interior humidity in the vehicle is reached, or the interior temperature is higher than the predetermined desired temperature for the interior of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling and/or regulating an evaporator temperature of an air conditioning system in a motor vehicle in a cooling mode, the method comprising the acts of:
detecting that an outside air temperature exceeds a predetermined limit value;
controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature, in response to detecting that the outside air temperature exceeds the predetermined limit value, to a predetermined minimum evaporator temperature until a predetermined desired temperature in an interior of the vehicle is reached; and
detecting that the predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle has been reached;
incrementally increasing, in response to only said detecting that the predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle has been reached, the evaporator temperature from the predetermined minimum evaporator temperature until the earlier of: (i) a predetermined interior humidity in the vehicle is reached, and (ii) the interior temperature is higher than the predetermined desired temperature for the interior of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined interior humidity in the vehicle is an interior humidity range known to be comfortable for occupants of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interior humidity is determined as a function of one or more signals from at least one of a condensation sensor and a humidity sensor.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the interior humidity is determined as a function of one or more signals from at least one of a condensation sensor and a humidity sensor.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein upon reaching the predetermined interior humidity, an opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle is throttled.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein upon reaching an upper limit of the interior humidity range, an opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle is throttled.

7. The method according to claim 3 , wherein upon reaching the predetermined interior humidity, an opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle is throttled.

8. The method according to claim 3 , wherein upon reaching an upper limit of the interior humidity range, an opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle is throttled.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the act of utilizing additionally a signal of a solar sensor for controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature.

10. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising the act of utilizing additionally a signal of a solar sensor for controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature.

11. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the act of utilizing additionally a signal of a solar sensor for controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature.

12. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising, in the event said throttling of the opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle fails to cause the predetermined interior humidity to be held, lowering the evaporator temperature.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after each incremental increase of the evaporator temperature, the method further comprises comparing an interior humidity with the predetermined interior humidity.

14. An apparatus for controlling and/or regulating an evaporator temperature of an air conditioning system in a motor vehicle in a cooling mode, comprising:
a controller operatively configured to:
detect that an outside air temperature exceeds a predetermined limit value;
control and/or regulate an evaporator temperature to a predetermined minimum evaporator temperature until a predetermined desired temperature is reached inside the vehicle when the outside air temperature is detected as exceeding the predetermined limit value; and
detect that the predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle has been reached;
incrementally increase the evaporator temperature, in response to only detecting that the predetermined desired temperature in the interior of the vehicle has been reached, from the predetermined minimum evaporator temperature, until the earlier of a predetermined interior humidity in the vehicle is reached and an interior temperature becomes higher than a predetermined desired temperature for the interior of the vehicle.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the interior humidity is an interior humidity range known to be comfortable for vehicle occupants.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising at least one of a condensation sensor and humidity sensor, said at least one sensor providing a signal for determining the interior humidity.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a solar sensor providing an additional signal to the controller for assistance in controlling and/or regulating the evaporator temperature.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is further operatively configured to throttle an opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle upon reaching the predetermined interior humidity.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein, in the event the throttling of the opening of fresh air flaps of the motor vehicle fails to cause the predetermined interior humidity to be held, the controller is further operatively configured to lower the evaporator temperature.

20. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein after each incremental increase of the evaporator temperature, an interior humidity is compared with the predetermined interior humidity.

Assignees

• Heil Michael
• Bruce Mattias
• Salzberger Robert
• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Heil Michael
• Bruce Mattias
• Salzberger Robert

Classifications

• B60H2001/328

  related to an evaporating unit · CPC title

• B60H3/024

  for only dehumidifying the air · CPC title

• B60H1/00785 Primary

  by the detection of humidity or frost · CPC title