Device and method for controlling compressor of vehicles to accumulate cold air energy in an evaporator during a speed-reducing condition and using the latter in a release condition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10495078-B2
Application number	US-201715858068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2010
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A device for controlling a compressor of vehicles may include a sensor module including a cabin temperature sensor, an outdoor temperature sensor, an evaporator temperature sensor detecting a temperature of cooling medium in an evaporator, a vehicle speed sensor, and a brake sensor, an injector, an air conditioning system including a condenser, an evaporator, the compressor, a temperature control door controlling a temperature of air flowing into a cabin, an intake door selectively distributing an inner air or an outer air into the cabin, and a blower blowing the air to the intake door, and a controller controlling the injector and the air conditioning system, wherein the controller accumulates a cold air energy by increasing an operation of the compressor if a speed-reducing condition occurs, and the air conditioning system uses the accumulated cold air energy by decreasing the operation of the compressor if a release condition occurs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a compressor of a vehicle provided with an air conditioning system including a condenser condensing and liquefying a cooling medium, an evaporator evaporating the liquefied cooling medium, the compressor compressing the cooling medium, a temperature control door controlling a temperature of air flowing into a cabin of the vehicle, an intake door selectively distributing an inner air or an outer air into the cabin of the vehicle, and a blower blowing the air to the intake door, the method comprising:
a) determining, by a controller, whether a speed-reducing condition occurs;
b) determining, by the controller, in a case that the speed-reducing condition occurs, whether an evaporator temperature detected by an evaporator temperature sensor which is configured to detect the evaporator temperature of the liquefied cooling medium in the evaporator is higher than a first target temperature;
c) increasing, by the controller, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is higher than the first target temperature, a load of the compressor based on a difference between the detected evaporator temperature of the liquefied cooling medium in the evaporator and the first target temperature;
d) determining, by the controller, whether the detected evaporator temperature of the liquefied cooling medium in the evaporator is lower than a second target temperature during increasing the load of the compressor; and
e) raising, by the controller, the temperature of the air supplied to the cabin by controlling the temperature control door in a case that the detected evaporator temperature of the liquefied cooling medium in the evaporator is lower than the second target temperature,
wherein the steps d) and e) are performed while the compressor is operated at the increased load as provided by the step c).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the speed-reducing condition occurs when a driving condition of an engine is a fuel cut state, or when a vehicle speed is faster than a predetermined vehicle speed and a brake is operated.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising g) determining whether a release condition occurs,
wherein the steps b) to e) are repeated in a case that the release condition does not occur at the step g).

4. The method of claim 3 , in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is lower than or equal to the first target temperature at the step b) or the release condition occurs at the step g), further comprising:
h) determining whether the detected evaporator temperature is lower than an allowable temperature;
i) decreasing, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is lower than the allowable temperature, the load of the compressor based on a difference between the detected evaporator temperature and the allowable temperature;
j) determining whether the detected evaporator temperature is higher than the second target temperature; and
k) lowering, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is higher than the second target temperature, the temperature of the air supplied to the cabin by controlling the temperature control door, the intake door, and the blower.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the intake door is controlled based on a difference between a cabin temperature and an outdoor temperature or the outdoor temperature, and the blower is controlled based on an inner air ratio at the step k).

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the steps h) to k) are repeated, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is lower than or equal to the second target temperature at the step j) or the step k) is performed.

7. The method of claim 4 , in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is higher than or equal to the allowable temperature at the step h), further comprising:
l) increasing the load of the compressor according to a target increasing rate of the load of the compressor;
m) determining whether the load of the compressor is lower than a target load of the compressor;
n) determining, in a case that the load of the compressor is lower than the target load of the compressor, whether the detected evaporator temperature is higher than the second target temperature; and
o) lowering, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is higher than the second target temperature, the temperature of the air supplied to the cabin by controlling the temperature control door, the intake door, and the blower.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the intake door is controlled based on the difference between the cabin temperature and the outdoor temperature or the outdoor temperature, and the blower is controlled based on the inner air ratio at the step o).

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the steps l) to o) are repeated, in a case that the detected evaporator temperature is lower than or equal to the second target temperature at the step n) or the step o) is performed.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein controlling the compressor is finished when the load of the compressor reaches the target load of the compressor at the step m).

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kim Jae Woong
• Jang Ki Lyong
• Lee Chang Won

Classifications

• B60H1/00849

  for selectively commanding the induction of outside or inside air (B60H1/00842 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00878

  the components being temperature regulating devices · CPC title

• F04B2205/10

  Inlet temperature · CPC title

• F04B2203/0607

  Fuel consumption · CPC title

• F04B35/002 Primary

  driven by internal combustion engines · CPC title