Air conditioner for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573439-B2
Application number	US-201213428553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2012
Priority date	Mar 25, 2011
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioner includes a cooling heat exchanger arranged in a casing, a compressor control portion which controls a compressor such that a cooling temperature at the cooling heat exchanger approaches a target cooling temperature, and a dryness determination portion which determines whether an outer surface of the cooing heat exchanger is dry or not based on a humidity in the casing. A target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be any one of target temperatures including a first target temperature that is lower than a dew-point temperature in the casing, when the dryness determination portion determines that the cooling heat exchanger is not dry. The target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be any one of the target temperatures other than the first target temperature, when the dryness determination portion determines that the cooling heat exchanger is dry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:
a casing defining an air passage through which air to be blown into a vehicle compartment passes;
a cooling heat exchanger arranged in the casing to cool air;
a compressor of a refrigerant cycle, configured to adjust a cooling temperature of air cooled at the cooling heat exchanger;
a dew-point detector configured to detect a physical amount relevant to a dew-point temperature in the casing, the dew-point detector including a humidity detection portion which detects a humidity in the casing;
a target temperature determination portion configured to determine a target cooling temperature which is a target temperature of the cooling temperature;
a compressor control portion configured to control the compressor such that the cooling temperature approaches the target cooling temperature; and
a dryness determination portion configured to determine whether an outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry or not, based on the humidity, which is detected by the humidity detection portion in a stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment, wherein
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be any one of a plurality of target temperatures including a first target temperature that is lower by a predetermined degree than the dew-point temperature, when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is not dry,
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be any one of the plurality of target temperatures other than the first target temperature (i) when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry and (ii) when the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment is longer than a predetermined criterion time that is set to be long enough for condensation water on the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger to evaporate.

2. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry, when the humidity detected by the humidity detection portion in the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment is lower than a predetermined standard humidity.

3. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is not dry, when the humidity detected by the humidity detection portion has a tendency to increase in the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment.

4. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of target temperatures include a second target temperature which is set depending on a thermal load of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment, and a third target temperature which is set depending on a humidity of the vehicle compartment,
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be the second target temperature or the third target temperature whichever is lower (i) when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry and (ii) when the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment is longer than a predetermined criterion time that is set to be long enough for condensation water on the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger to evaporate.

5. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 4 , wherein the second target temperature is calculated based on a target outlet air temperature.

6. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 5 , wherein the target outlet air temperature corresponds to the thermal load using a first control map stored in the air conditioner.

7. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 6 , wherein the third target temperature is a humidity based target temperature which is based on the humidity inside the vehicle compartment.

8. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 7 , wherein the humidity based target temperature is determined using a second control map stored in the air conditioner.

9. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 4 , wherein the third target temperature is a humidity based target temperature which is based on the humidity inside the vehicle compartment.

10. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 9 , wherein the humidity based target temperature is determined using a first control map stored in the air conditioner.

11. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 7 , wherein the third target temperature is an anti-mist target temperature.

12. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 11 , wherein the anti-mist target temperature is determined based on a humidity near a windshield of the vehicle using a third control map stored in the air conditioner.

13. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 4 , wherein the third target temperature is an anti-mist target temperature.

14. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 13 , wherein the anti-mist target temperature is determined based on a humidity near a windshield of the vehicle using a second control map stored in the air conditioner.

15. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be a lowest one of the plurality of target temperatures when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is not dry, and
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be a lowest one of the plurality of target temperatures other than the first target temperature (i) when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry and (ii) when the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment is longer than a predetermined criterion time that is set to be long enough for condensation water on the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger to evaporate.

16. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of target temperatures consist of the first target temperature, a second target temperature and a third target temperature, and
the second target temperature is set depending on a thermal load of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment, and the third target temperature is set depending on a humidity of the vehicle compartment.

17. The air conditioner for a vehicle, according to claim 16 , wherein
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be a lowest one of the plurality of target temperatures when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is not dry, and
the target temperature determination portion determines the target cooling temperature to be a lowest one of the plurality of target temperatures other than the first target temperature (i) when the dryness determination portion determines that the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger is dry and (ii) when the stop time of air conditioning of the vehicle compartment is longer than a predetermined criterion time that is set to be long enough for condensation water on the outer surface of the cooling heat exchanger to evaporate.

Assignees

• Misumi Haruki
• Maeda Manabu
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Misumi Haruki
• Maeda Manabu

Classifications

• B60H3/0085

  Smell or pollution preventing arrangements (B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H2001/3245

  of air · CPC title

• F25B2700/11

  Sensor to detect if defrost is necessary · CPC title

• B60H1/3207 Primary

  for minimizing the humidity of the air · CPC title

• F25B47/006

  for preventing frost · CPC title