Vehicle air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9487059-B2
Application number	US-201214114999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2012
Priority date	May 11, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An air conditioner ECU can set an external air introducing mode and an internal/external air dual mode. Here, the internal/external air dual mode is set by the air conditioner ECU in cases in which the air conditioner ECU judges that there is a warm-up state that is after a start of a heating operation and in which a blow-out temperature of air conditioned wind is in the process of rising, and in cases in which humidity detected by a humidity sensor exceeds a reference humidity that is set in advance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle air conditioner, comprising:
a first flow passage that can guide external air introduced from an external air introduction port, or internal air introduced from an internal air introduction port, to a defroster blow-out port that opens toward a front windshield side of a vehicle cabin interior, and at which an evaporator that cools air is disposed midway along the first flow passage;
a second flow passage that can guide external air introduced from the external air introduction port, or internal air introduced from the internal air introduction port, to a foot blow-out port that opens toward a passenger's seat foot side of the vehicle cabin interior, and at which the evaporator and a heating section that heats air are disposed midway along the second flow passage;
a humidity detecting section that detects the humidity of air in the vehicle cabin interior; and
an air conditioning control section that can set an external air introduction mode that introduces external air from the external air introduction port into the first flow passage and the second flow passage, and an internal air introduction mode that introduces internal air from the internal air introduction port into the first flow passage and the second flow passage, and an internal/external air dual mode that introduces the external air into the first flow passage and the internal air into the second flow passage, and that sets the internal/external air dual mode, at all times in cases in which the air conditioning control section identifies a warm-up state that is after a start of a heating operation and in which a blow-out temperature of air conditioned wind is in the process of rising, and in which the humidity detected by the humidity detecting section exceeds a reference humidity that is set in advance.

2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein:
in cases in which the air conditioning control section judges that the warm-up state is completed,
the air conditioning controlling section sets the external air introduction mode in cases in which the humidity detected by the humidity detecting section exceeds the reference humidity; and
the air conditioning controlling section sets the internal air introduction mode in cases in which the humidity detected by the humidity detecting section is equal to or less than the reference humidity, and

in cases in which the air conditioning control section judges that the warm-up state is in progress, the air conditioning controlling section sets the internal air introduction mode in cases in which the humidity detected by the humidity detecting section is equal to or less than the reference humidity.

Assignees

• Tabei Koichi
• Sakamoto Saburo
• Hirai Shinichirou
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tabei Koichi
• Sakamoto Saburo
• Hirai Shinichirou

Classifications

• B60H1/00849 Primary

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

• B60H1/00785 Primary

  by the detection of humidity or frost · CPC title

• B60H1/00642 Primary

  Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices (B60H1/3201 - B60H1/3208, B60H1/3225 take precedence) · CPC title