Vehicle air-conditioning control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10675946-B2
Application number	US-201515541075-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 13, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, a generator driven by the engine to generate an electric power, and a high-voltage battery charged with the electric power. An air heating in a vehicle interior is implemented by waste heat of the engine through which a heat medium is circulated and heated, and an air heating in the vehicle interior is implemented by a heat pump device consuming the electric power of the electric storage device. A hybrid ECU performs air conditioning control, and includes a determination device that determines whether to implement the air heating by the waste heat or the air heating by the heat pump device based on an engine body temperature, and a heating control device that selectively implements the air heating by the waste heat and the air heating by the heat pump device based on a determination result of the determination device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle air-conditioning control device for a vehicle including an engine through which a heat medium is circulated and heated, a generator that is driven by the engine to generate an electric power, and an electric storage device that is charged with the electric power generated by the generator, the vehicle air-conditioning control device performing a control for air conditioning in a vehicle interior of the vehicle, the vehicle air-conditioning control device comprising
an air-conditioning controller programmed to:
calculate a body temperature of the engine based on operation histories of the vehicle and the engine without using a temperature of the heat medium;
determine whether to implement an air heating in the vehicle interior by waste heat of the engine or an air heating by a heating device consuming the electric power of the electric storage device based on the calculated body temperature;
implement the air heating by the waste heat of the engine or the air heating by the heating device based on a determination result of the determination of whether to implement the air heating in the vehicle interior by the waste heat of the engine or the air heating by the heating device;
determine that the air heating by the waste heat of the engine is to be implemented when the body temperature is higher than a first threshold; and
set the first threshold by using a relationship between the body temperature of the engine and a heated rate of the heat medium by the waste heat of the engine such that the first threshold becomes a body temperature having the heated rate equivalent to a heated rate of the heat medium by the heating device.

2. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle includes an electric motor that is driven as a traveling power source by the electric power of the electric storage device such that the vehicle is capable of traveling in an EV mode using only the power of the electric motor, and
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to determine whether to implement the air heating by the waste heat of the engine or the air heating by the heating device based on the body temperature during the EV mode of vehicle traveling.

3. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle that includes, as travel power sources, the engine and an electric motor driven by the electric power of the electric storage device, and switches between an EV mode in which the vehicle travels using the power of the electric motor without using the power of the engine and another mode in which the vehicle travels using the power of the engine, based on a running load of the vehicle and a storage state of the electric storage device, and
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to determine whether to implement the air heating by the waste heat of the engine or the air heating by the heating device based on the body temperature during the EV mode of vehicle traveling.

4. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller includes:
a first operation mode in which the electric motor is driven and the air heating is implemented by the waste heat of the engine; and
a second operation mode in which the electric motor is stopped and the air heating is implemented by the waste heat of the engine,
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to switch between the first operation mode and the second operation mode according to a comparison between an efficiency of the heat medium heating by the first operation mode and an efficiency of the heat medium heating by the second operation mode.

5. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to implement the first operation mode when the body temperature is higher than a second threshold, and implements the second operation mode when the body temperature is lower than the second threshold.

6. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 5 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to acquire a medium temperature which is the temperature of the heat medium, wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to implement the first operation mode when the body temperature is higher than the second threshold and the medium temperature is higher than a third threshold.

7. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to operate the engine at constant speed under a predetermined high efficiency condition in the first operation mode, and
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to operate the engine to generate a power according to a running load in the second operation mode.

8. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to calculate, during the EV mode of vehicle traveling, a first fuel consumption which is a fuel consumption when the engine is operated in a predetermined high efficiency state, and a second fuel consumption which is a fuel consumption when the electric motor is stopped and the engine is subjected to the running load and provides the waste heat for the air heating, wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to implement the first operation mode when the first fuel consumption is smaller than the second fuel consumption, and implements the second operation mode when the second fuel consumption is smaller than the first fuel consumption.

9. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to calculate, during the EV mode of vehicle traveling, a first fuel consumption which is a fuel consumption when the engine is operated in a predetermined high efficiency state, a second fuel consumption which is a fuel consumption when the electric motor is stopped and the engine is subjected to the running load and provides the waste heat for the air heating, and a third fuel consumption which is a fuel consumption obtained from a consumption power when the engine is stopped and the heating device is driven, wherein
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to implement the first operation mode when the first fuel consumption is smallest among the first, second and third fuel consumptions, implements the second operation mode when the second fuel consumption is smallest among the first, second and third fuel consumptions, and implements the air heating by the heating device without driving the engine when the third fuel consumption is smallest among the first, second and third fuel consumptions.

10. The vehicle air-conditioning control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle has a circulation circuit that circulates the heat medium by driving an electric pump, and
the air-conditioning controller is further programmed to control the electric pump to circulate the heat medium in a state where the engine is stopped when the body temperature is higher than a threshold, and controls the electric pump to circulate the heat medium in a state where the engine is operated when the body temperature is lower than the threshold.

11. A vehicle air-conditioning control device for a vehicle including an engine through which a heat medium is circulated and heated, a generator that is driven by the engine to generate an electric power, and an electric storage device that is charged with the electric power generated by the gener

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Okamoto Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• B60H2001/2253

  related to an operational state of the vehicle or a vehicle component · CPC title

• B60H1/004 Primary

  for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60H2001/2228

  controlling the operation of heaters · CPC title

• B60H1/034

  from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device · CPC title

• B60H1/143

  the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries · CPC title