Air purification device for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11110386-B2
Application number	US-201816183246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2018
Priority date	Nov 30, 2017
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

An air purification device for a vehicle includes: a sorption device provided with a sorbent; an air intake duct for sucking air in a vehicle cabin; an outlet-side three-way valve connected to the sorption device; an air supply duct for blowing air into the cabin; an exhaust duct for discharging air to outside of the cabin; a blower; a heater; and a controller. The controller selectively executes a purification mode in which air in the cabin is sent into the sorption device at a purification temperature, and purified air from which moisture and carbon dioxide have been removed by the sorbent is blown into the cabin, and a first regeneration mode in which air heated to a first regeneration temperature is sent into the sorption device, and exhaust air containing moisture and carbon dioxide released from the sorbent is discharged to the outside of the cabin.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air purification device for a vehicle, comprising:
a sorption device provided with a sorbent that sorbs moisture and carbon dioxide in air at a purification temperature and releases the sorbed moisture and carbon dioxide at a first regeneration temperature higher than the purification temperature;
an air intake duct having one end formed with at least a suction opening for sucking air in a vehicle cabin and another end connected to an inlet of the sorption device;
a three-way valve having an input port connected to an outlet of the sorption device;
an air supply duct having one end connected to a first output port of the three-way valve and another end formed with a blowing opening for blowing air into the vehicle cabin;
an exhaust duct having one end connected to a second output port of the three-way valve and another end formed with an exhaust opening for discharging air to outside of the vehicle cabin;
a blower for sending air from the air intake duct into the sorption device;
a heater for selectively heating air sent into the sorption device; and
a controller configured to control the three-way valve, the blower, and the heater to thereby selectively execute a purification mode in which air in the vehicle cabin is sent into the sorption device at the purification temperature, and purified air from which moisture and carbon dioxide have been removed by the sorbent is blown into the vehicle cabin, and a first regeneration mode in which air heated to the first regeneration temperature is sent into the sorption device and exhaust air containing moisture and carbon dioxide released from the sorbent is discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin.

2. The air purification device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the sorbent releases one of the sorbed moisture and carbon dioxide at a second regeneration temperature higher than the purification temperature and lower than the first regeneration temperature,
wherein the air purification device further comprises:
an in-cabin CO2 concentration sensor that detects a carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle cabin; and
an in-cabin absolute humidity estimator that estimates an absolute humidity in the vehicle cabin,
and wherein the controller is configured to control the three-way valve, the blower, and the heater based on outputs of the in-cabin CO2 concentration sensor and the in-cabin absolute humidity estimator to thereby selectively execute the purification mode, the first regeneration mode, and a second regeneration mode in which air heated to the second regeneration temperature is sent into the sorption device, and exhaust air containing the one of the moisture and carbon dioxide released from the sorbent is discharged to the outside of the vehicle cabin.

3. The air purification device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to estimate a carbon dioxide sorption state of the sorption device based on the output of the in-cabin CO2 concentration sensor, to estimate a moisture sorption state of the sorption device based on the output of the in-cabin absolute humidity estimator, and to start execution of the first regeneration mode or the second regeneration mode when at least one of the estimated carbon dioxide sorption state and the estimated moisture sorption state has reached a predetermined threshold value.

4. The air purification device as defined in claim 3 , wherein the sorbent releases the sorbed carbon dioxide at the second regeneration temperature,
the air purification device further comprises a fogging detector that detects glass fogging, and
the controller is configured to execute the first regeneration mode when the fogging detector detects glass fogging, and to execute the second regeneration mode when the fogging detector detects no glass fogging.

5. The air purification device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the in-cabin absolute humidity estimator is configured to estimate the absolute humidity in the vehicle cabin based on a number of vehicle occupants and a ride time of the vehicle occupants.

6. The air purification device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the in-cabin absolute humidity estimator is configured to estimate the absolute humidity in the vehicle cabin based on a state of operation of a wiper.

7. The air purification device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured such that during traveling of the vehicle, the controller selectively executes the purification mode or the first regeneration mode if an air conditioner is in an inside air recirculation mode in which air outside the vehicle cabin is not admitted into the vehicle cabin.

8. The air purification device as defined in claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured such that when the vehicle is stopped, the controller starts execution of the first regeneration mode when power feeding to the vehicle from outside is started.

9. The air purification device as defined in claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to terminate the first regeneration mode which is being executed when a predetermined time has lapsed from a start of execution of the first regeneration mode.

10. The air purification device as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a CO2 sensor provided in the outlet of the sorption device,
wherein the controller is configured to terminate the first regeneration mode which is being executed when an amount of released CO2 estimated from an output of the CO2 sensor has reached a predetermined value.

11. The air purification device as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor provided in the outlet of the sorption device,
wherein the controller is configured to terminate the first regeneration mode which is being executed when an amount of released moisture estimated based on outputs of the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor has reached a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumoto Subaru
• Kakizaki Shinji

Classifications

• B60H2003/026

  the devices being located in the passenger compartment · CPC title

• B01D53/30

  Controlling by gas-analysis apparatus (regulating non electrical variables in general G05D) · CPC title

• B60H3/024

  for only dehumidifying the air · CPC title

• B60H2003/0691

  Adsorption filters, e.g. activated carbon · CPC title

• B60H3/0633

  with provisions for regenerating or cleaning the filter element · CPC title