JP2000211341A - Air conditioning unit of air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning unit of an air conditioner for an automobile, which can achieve comfortability in an automobile in the summer while saving the compressor power. SOLUTION: This air conditioning unit of an air conditioner for automobile is provided with an evaporator 21 for cooling air from blower fans 15, 16, a heater 23 for heating air after passing through the evaporator 21, and an air conditioning unit case 20 which houses the evaporator 21 and the heater 23. When reaching a steady operational state after full cooling, the unit guides outside air into the air conditioning unit case 20 and further guides the air into the compartment without the air passing the evaporator 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner unit for a vehicle air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since a car air conditioner obtains power from an engine, a load is applied to the engine to consume fuel.

[0003] For car air conditioners used throughout the four seasons, improvement in fuel efficiency, that is, power saving of car air conditioners, has become increasingly important in the future.

[0004]

By the way, in the case of cooling the interior of a vehicle using a car air conditioner in the summer, when the cooling is started, the inside air circulation mode is set to quickly lower the temperature in the interior of the vehicle.

[0005] However, if cooling is continued in the inside air circulation mode, the air in the vehicle compartment may be too dry or the carbon dioxide concentration may be high.

[0006] In order to solve this problem and obtain the comfort of the vehicle interior, it is sufficient to switch to the outside air introduction mode. However, this causes heat loss and cannot meet the demand for power saving.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to keep the humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle cabin moderate in summer and to reduce the power consumption of the compressor. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner unit for a vehicle air conditioner.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a cooling heat exchanger for cooling air from a blower, and air passing through the cooling heat exchanger. An air conditioner unit for an automotive air conditioner, comprising: a heating heat exchanger for heating air; and an air conditioning unit case that houses the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger. An air passage leading to the vehicle interior without passing through the heat exchanger, an opening / closing door for opening and closing the air passage, and after starting the cooling in the inside air circulation mode, when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target set temperature, the opening / closing door is opened. Opening control means.

After the start of cooling in the inside air circulation mode, when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target set temperature, the opening / closing door is opened, and wet outside air is introduced into the air conditioner unit case. Since this outside air does not pass through the cooling heat exchanger, it is not dehumidified, and the humid air is supplied to the vehicle interior. Further, since the ratio of the introduced outside air to the circulating air is small, the capacity of the cooling heat exchanger can be reduced as compared with the case where the whole intake air is outside air.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling heat exchanger for cooling air from a blower, a heating heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger,
In an air conditioner unit of an air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: the cooling heat exchanger; and an air conditioner unit case accommodating the heating heat exchanger, the cooling heat exchanger includes a main cooling unit disposed in an inside air introduction path. A heat exchanger for cooling and a sub-cooling heat exchanger disposed in the outside air introduction path, an air passage for guiding outside air passing through the sub-cooling heat exchanger into the vehicle interior, and an opening and closing for opening and closing the air passage. After the cooling in the inside air circulation mode is started, when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target set temperature, a control means for opening the opening / closing door is provided.

After the start of cooling in the inside air circulation mode, when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target set temperature, the opening / closing door is opened, and wet outside air is introduced into the air conditioner unit case. At this time, the outside air is not dehumidified by lowering the cooling capacity of the sub-cooling heat exchanger, and the humid air is supplied to the vehicle interior. Further, since the ratio of the introduced outside air to the circulating air is small, the capacity of the cooling heat exchanger can be reduced as compared with the case where the whole intake air is outside air.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a state of an air conditioner unit of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a full cool state.

The air conditioner unit of the air conditioner for a vehicle includes a blower case 10 and an air conditioner unit case (referred to as a unit case) 20. The two cases 10, 20 are integrally connected.

The blower case 10 has an inside air inlet 11,
31, an outside air introduction port 12, an inside air introduction path 13, and an inside / outside air introduction path 14 are formed. Blower fans (blowers) 15 and 16 and a motor 17 are housed in blower case 10.

The outside air inlet 12 is connected to the outside of the vehicle via a duct (not shown), and the inside air inlets 11 and 31 are connected to a lower part of a dash panel in the vehicle compartment.

The inside air introduction passage 13 and the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 are located above and below the blower case 10 with a partition wall 32 as a boundary. A blower fan 15 is arranged in the inside air introduction passage 13, and a blower fan 16 is arranged in the inside and outside air introduction passage 14. An inside air introduction port 31 is provided in the middle of the inside / outside air introduction path 14, and the inside air introduction port 31 is opened and closed by an inside / outside air switching door 18.

The blower fans 15 and 16 have one motor 17.
Driven by the inside air inlet 11 and the outside air inlet 12
Introduce air from each.

In the unit case 20, an evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 21, an air mixing door 22, and a heater core (heating heat exchanger) 23 are arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The evaporator 21 is provided with blowing fans 15, 16
This is a heat exchanger that cools the air sent from.

The upper half of the evaporator 21 faces the inside air introduction passage 13 and the lower half faces the inside / outside air introduction passage 14.

Below the evaporator 21, an air passage (air passage) 30 extending from the lower end of the evaporator 21 to the cabin side.
There is provided a one-sided opening / closing door 24 for opening and closing the door.

The air passage 30 guides a portion of the air (outside air) upstream of the evaporator 21 into the vehicle compartment without passing through the evaporator 21.

The air mix door 22 is a one-way door for adjusting the amount of air passing through the heater core 23.

The heater core 23 heats the air that has passed through the evaporator 21.

A differential air outlet 25, a vent air outlet 26, and a foot air outlet 27 are provided on the downstream side of the unit case 20, and the air outlets 25, 26, 27 are respectively opened and closed by doors 25A, 25A.
It is opened and closed by 6A and 27A.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner unit in summer when the temperature and humidity are high will be described.

As the control section (control means) 50, for example, a one-chip microcomputer is used. The control unit 50 includes the temperature sensor 5
The enthalpy is calculated from the temperature and the humidity obtained from the sensor 1 and the humidity sensor 52.

At the start of full-cool operation, the control unit 5
0 indicates the inside air circulation mode (see FIG. 1). At this time, the inside / outside air switching door 18 closes the inside / outside air introduction path 14, the opening / closing door 24 closes the entrance of the ventilation passage 30, and the vent opening / closing door 26A is open.

The control unit 50 drives the blower fan 15 to introduce air into the unit case 20 through the inside air introduction passage 13. At the same time, the blower fan 16 is driven to introduce inside air from the inside air inlet 31 in the middle of the inside / outside air introduction path 14.

The air introduced into the inside air introduction passage 13 passes through the upper half of the evaporator 21. The air is cooled and dehumidified when passing through the evaporator 21 as shown by the arrow a.

The air that has passed through the evaporator 21 proceeds further downstream, and is blown out from the vent outlet 26 into the vehicle interior.

On the other hand, the air introduced from the inside air inlet 31 in the middle of the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 passes through the lower half of the evaporator 21. The air is supplied to the evaporator 2 as indicated by the arrow b.
When passing through 1, it is cooled and dehumidified.

The air that has passed through the evaporator 21 travels further downstream, and is blown into the vehicle interior from the vent outlet 26.

After the start of the full-cool operation, when the vehicle interior reaches the target set temperature (steady cooling state), the air conditioner unit operates as follows.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a steady cooling state of the air conditioner unit of the air conditioner for a vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows enthalpy, door opening and airflow to the foot of the foot blown air. FIG.

When the air volume is large (see FIG. 2): control unit 50
Opens the inside / outside air switching door 18 almost halfway,
4 so that outside air and inside air are introduced at a predetermined ratio. At this time, the controller 50 always supplies a constant amount (50 m3 / h).
The inside / outside air switching door 18 is controlled so that the outside air of the degree is introduced.

At the same time, the control unit 50 drives the opening / closing door 24 to open the air passage 30, and connects the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 and the air passage 30. At this time, the lower half of the evaporator 21 is closed by the opening / closing door 24, and the inside / outside air introduction path 14
Cannot pass through the evaporator 21.

The air introduced into the inside air introduction passage 13 passes through the upper half of the evaporator 21. The air is cooled and dehumidified when passing through the evaporator 21 as shown by the arrow c.

The air that has passed through the evaporator 21 proceeds further downstream, and is blown out from the vent outlet 26 into the vehicle interior.

On the other hand, air mixed with the inside air and the outside air introduced from the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 passes through the air passage 30 as shown by the arrow d and is blown into the vehicle interior.

Since this air has not passed through the evaporator 21, it is not dehumidified but contains moisture.

When the air volume is small (see FIG. 3): control unit 5
A value of 0 opens the inside / outside air switching door 18 (fully opened) so that only outside air is introduced into the inside / outside air introduction path 14.

At the same time, the control unit 50 opens and closes the opening / closing door 24 halfway (substantially intermediate between the air passage closing position (the position shown in FIG. 1) and the evaporator closing position (the position shown in FIG. 3)), and sets the inside / outside air introduction passage 14. It communicates with both the evaporator 21 and the air passage 30.

The air introduced into the inside air introduction passage 13 passes through the upper half of the evaporator 21. The air is cooled and dehumidified when passing through the evaporator 21 as shown by the arrow e.

The air that has passed through the evaporator 21 travels further downstream, and is blown into the vehicle compartment from the vent outlet 26.

On the other hand, the air introduced into the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 passes through the lower half of the evaporator 21 and flows as shown by an arrow f, and is blown out from the vent outlet 26 into the vehicle interior.
Part of the air introduced into the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 passes through the air passage 30 and is blown into the vehicle interior as shown by an arrow g.

Since this air does not pass through the evaporator 21, it is not dehumidified but contains moisture.

The controller 50 controls the amount of air blown from the feet (foot air flow) by enthalpy. That is, the opening degree of the opening / closing door 24 is controlled so that the enthalpy in the vehicle compartment does not deviate from a specified value (enthalpy of vehicle compartment air ± α (for example, α is about 0.5 kcal / kg)) (see FIG. 4).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the air conditioner for a vehicle, and S1 to S5 show respective steps.

An input switch (not shown) is turned on to operate an air conditioner (automobile air conditioner) (S
1).

It is determined whether to perform cooling (S2).

When the cooling is not performed (NO), heating or air blowing is performed (S2).

When cooling (YES), it is determined whether or not to perform full cooling (S4).

When full cooling is not performed (NO), the inside / outside air switching door 18, the opening / closing door 24, the blower fan 15,
16 is controlled (see the control in the steady cooling state) (S
5).

When the air conditioner is to be fully cooled (YES), the inside / outside air switching door 18, the opening / closing door 24, the blower fan 15,
16 is controlled (see the control at the time of full cooling) (S
6).

According to this embodiment, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of the full cool control and a steady cooling operation is performed, the air (outside air) that has not been dehumidified is supplied to the vehicle interior. While preventing the room from being overdried,
Ventilation is performed by introducing fresh outside air, and an increase in carbon dioxide concentration is suppressed.

Further, the ratio of the outside air to the air circulating inside air is small, and the cooling capacity of the evaporator 21 can be reduced as compared with the case where the intake air is entirely outside air. Power saving of the compressor can be achieved.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the entire air conditioner unit of an air conditioner for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. I do. The control unit 50 and the temperature sensor 51
The illustration of the humidity sensor 52 and the like is omitted.

In this embodiment, two evaporators 12
1A and 121B, one evaporator (main cooling heat exchanger) 121A is arranged above the blower case 10, and the other evaporator (sub cooling heat exchanger) 121B is used.
Was placed at the bottom of the blower case. One evaporator 121A and the other evaporator 121B are separated from partition wall 13
It is divided by two.

In this embodiment, at the start of full cool, 2
Cooling is performed using the two evaporators 121A and 121B, and when a predetermined time has elapsed and a steady cooling operation state has been reached, the refrigerant circulation to the other evaporator 121B is reduced or the refrigerant circulation to the other evaporator 121B is stopped. Or only one evaporator 121A is operated.

During the normal cooling operation, the outside air is supplied to the inside / outside air introduction passage 14 and the other evaporator 121B as shown by an arrow h.
And it is led into a vehicle interior through the ventilation passage 130. on the other hand,
As shown by an arrow i, the inside air is guided into a vehicle interior from a vent outlet 26 and a foot outlet 27 through a filter 35 (described later) and one evaporator 121A.

According to the second embodiment, the cooling capacity of the other evaporator 121B is lowered when the predetermined cooling time has elapsed after the start of the full cooling control and the cooling operation has been started (the outlet temperature of the evaporator 121B is reduced). By increasing the pressure, the moist air can be supplied into the vehicle interior, so that the interior of the vehicle interior is prevented from being excessively dried, and ventilation is achieved by introducing fresh outside air, thereby suppressing an increase in carbon dioxide concentration.

Further, since the ratio of the outside air to the air circulating inside air is small, the cooling capacity of the evaporator can be reduced as compared with the case where the whole intake air is outside air, so that the refrigerant flow rate can be reduced. Power saving of the compressor can be achieved.

Further, when an AP (air purifier (air purifier)) and a filter 35 for removing dust and odor in the vehicle compartment are installed as shown in the figure, the AP and the filter 35 are connected to one evaporator. Since it may be installed on the front surface, downsizing and cost reduction can be achieved.

[0066]

As described above, according to the air conditioner unit for an air conditioner for a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the inside of the vehicle compartment from being excessively dried and to perform ventilation by introducing fresh outside air. As a result, an increase in carbon dioxide concentration is suppressed. Further, the flow rate of the refrigerant can be reduced, and the power consumption of the compressor can be reduced.

According to the air conditioner unit for an air conditioner for a vehicle according to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects described in the first aspect, the size and cost of the AP and the filter can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an air conditioner unit of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention when the air conditioner is in a full cool state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a steady operation state of the air conditioner unit of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a steady operation state of the air conditioner unit of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship among the enthalpy of the air blown out from the feet, the door opening, and the airflow to the feet.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the automotive air conditioner.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an entire air conditioner unit of an air conditioner for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

15, 16 blower fan (blower) 21, 121A, 121B evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 20 air conditioner unit case 23 heater core (heating heat exchanger) 24 opening / closing door 30 blower passage (blower passage) 50 controller (control means) )

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cooling heat exchanger for cooling air from a blower, a heating heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger, and a cooling heat exchanger. In an air conditioner unit of an automotive air conditioner including an air conditioner unit case accommodating the heating heat exchanger, an air passage for guiding outside air to a vehicle interior without passing through the cooling heat exchanger; and An air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: an opening / closing door that opens and closes; and a control unit that opens the opening / closing door when a vehicle interior temperature reaches a target set temperature after starting cooling in the inside air circulation mode. Air conditioning unit. 2. A cooling heat exchanger for cooling air from a blower, a heating heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger, and a cooling heat exchanger. An air conditioner unit for an automotive air conditioner, comprising an air conditioner unit case accommodating the heating heat exchanger, wherein the cooling heat exchanger is provided with a main cooling heat exchanger disposed in an inside air introduction path and an outside air introduction. A sub-cooling heat exchanger disposed on the road, an air passage for guiding outside air passing through the sub-cooling heat exchanger to the vehicle interior, an opening / closing door for opening and closing the air passage, and an internal air circulation mode. An air conditioner unit for an air conditioner for an automobile, comprising: control means for opening the opening / closing door when the vehicle interior temperature reaches a target set temperature after the start of cooling.