Air conditioning system for hybrid vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190232-A1
Application number	US-201515320173-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air conditioning system for hybrid vehicles includes: a heater core receiving engine cooling water from an engine and heat an air blown into a vehicle room; an electric water pump pumping the engine cooling water through the heater core when a motor vehicle is switched from an engine drive mode to a motor drive mode; a discharged air temperature sensing unit sensing a discharged air temperature as a temperature of an air discharged into the vehicle room; and a control unit when the motor vehicle is switched from the engine drive mode to the motor drive mode differentially controls a rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on a temperature difference between the discharged air temperature inputted from the discharged air temperature sensing unit and a target discharge temperature calculated in advance based on internal/external temperature conditions and a user set temperature.

First claim

1 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . An air conditioning system for a hybrid vehicle, comprising:
a heater core configured to receive engine cooling water from an engine and heat an air blown into a vehicle room; an electric water pump configured to pump the engine cooling water and to forcibly circulate the engine cooling water through the heater core when the vehicle is switched from an engine drive mode to a motor drive mode; a discharged air temperature sensing unit configured to sense a discharged air temperature as a temperature of an air discharged into the vehicle room; and a control unit configured to, when the motor vehicle is switched from the engine drive mode to the motor drive mode, differentially control a rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on a temperature difference between the discharged air temperature inputted from the discharged air temperature sensing unit (and a target discharge temperature calculated in advance based on internal/external temperature conditions and a user set temperature, so that an amount of the engine cooling water supplied to the heater core is differentially controlled depending on the temperature difference.

15 . The air conditioning system of claim 14 , wherein the control unit includes an operation unit configured to, in the motor drive mode, calculate the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature by processing the discharged air temperature inputted from the discharged air temperature sensing unit and the target discharge temperature, and a memory unit configured to store a pump rotation speed value in association with different temperature differences between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature, and
the control unit is configured to, in the motor drive mode, read out the pump rotation speed value corresponding to the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature calculated by the operation unit from the memory unit and to control the rotational speed of the electric water pump based on the pump rotation speed value read out from the memory unit.

16 . The air conditioning system of claim 15 , wherein the discharged air temperature sensing unit includes a center vent temperature sensor installed in a center vent existing in a central area of the vehicle room and a floor vent temperature sensor installed in a floor vent existing in a floor surface area of the vehicle room.

17 . The air conditioning system of claim 16 , wherein the operation unit is configured to, in the motor drive mode, calculate the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature using data of the discharged air temperature inputted from the discharged air temperature sensing unit and is configured to use one of a discharged air temperature sensed by the center vent temperature sensor and a discharged air temperature sensed by the floor vent temperature sensor, depending on an air discharge mode available at a time of switching the motor vehicle to the motor drive mode.

18 . The air conditioning system of claim 17 , wherein the operation unit is configured to, when the air discharge mode available at the time of switching the motor vehicle to the motor drive mode is a vent mode, a bi-level mode, or a defogging mode, calculate the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature using the discharged air temperature sensed by the center vent temperature sensor and is configured to, when the air discharge mode available at the time of switching the motor vehicle to the motor drive mode is a floor mode or a mixed mode, calculate the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature using the discharged air temperature sensed by the floor vent temperature sensor.

19 . The air conditioning system of claim 14 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the rotational speed of the electric water pump in proportion to the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

20 . The air conditioning system of claim 19 , wherein the control unit is configured to linearly control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

21 . The air conditioning system of claim 19 , wherein the control unit is configured to control, stage by stage, the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

22 . The air conditioning system of claim 19 , wherein the control unit is configured to, at the time of entry into the motor drive mode, control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on an opening degree of a temperature door.

23 . The air conditioning system of claim 22 , wherein the control unit is configured to, only when a predetermined motor drive mode entry condition is met, control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

24 . The air conditioning system of claim 23 , wherein the predetermined motor drive mode entry condition is a condition under which the temperature door is not controlled to move to a maximum cooling position, and
the control unit is configured to, only when the condition under which the temperature door is not controlled to move to the maximum cooling position is met, control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

25 . The air conditioning system of claim 24 , wherein the control unit is configured to, if the motor drive mode is cancelled or a predetermined motor drive mode cancellation condition is met while controlling the rotational speed of the electric water pump after entry into the motor drive mode, cease to control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

26 . The air conditioning system of claim 25 , wherein the predetermined motor drive mode cancellation condition is a condition under which the temperature door is controlled to move to the maximum cooling position, and
the control unit is configured to, if the condition under which the temperature door is controlled to move to the maximum cooling position is met, cease to control the rotational speed of the electric water pump depending on the temperature difference between the discharged air temperature and the target discharge temperature.

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Yoo Sang Jun
• Kim Young Min
• Kim Tae Eun
• Min Se Won
• Baek Chang Hyun
• Jung Hong Rae

Classifications

• B60H1/00885

  Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps (B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485) · CPC title

• B60H1/00764

  the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed (B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/04

  from cooling liquid of the plant {(B60H1/025, B60H1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60H1/004 Primary

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

• B60H1/00735

  Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models · CPC title