Heating systems – Heat and power plants – Vehicle
Patent
1998-07-31
2000-09-26
Joyce, Harold
Heating systems
Heat and power plants
Vehicle
454 75, 165204, 165 42, 165 43, B60H 102
Patent
active
06123267&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Industrial Field of Application
The present invention relates to a vehicular air conditioner which carries out so-called warm-up control for preventing the blow out of cold air when the heating operation is started.
For a vehicular air conditioner which performs heating operation by using engine cooling water as a heat source, if the heating operation is started when the cooling water temperature is still low immediately after the engine start, the air which has not been heated enough is blown out toward the occupant's feet, which gives uncomfortable feeling to the occupant. Therefore, a conventional automotive air conditioner carries out so-called warm-up control in which an outlet is switched from DEF, ie. Defrost, to FOOT/DEF to FOOT as the temperature of engine cooling water increases to prevent cold air from being blown out toward the occupant's feet. However, this warm-up control presents a problem, which is undesirable in terms of feeling, in that the upper half part of the body, especially hands are cold until the whole interior of the cabin is warmed.
As a means for solving this problem, there has been proposed a technique in which an outlet mode is switched to a bi-level mode (FACE/FOOT mode) after the water temperature reaches a value not lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 45.degree. C.) in the course of the warm-up control.
For example, unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-127508 discloses a technique in which when the setting temperature immediately after the engine start is higher than the cabin air temperature and the setting temperature is higher than the outside temperature, a whole body heating mode is set in which the air heated by a heater is blown out into a cabin not only from a foot outlet but also from centre and side outlets.
Also, unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-115912 discloses a technique in which after a fan is set to Low for a predetermined period of time after the engine start to set the DEF mode, the mode is switched from the DEF mode to the FOOT mode, and further from the FOOT mode to the FACE/FOOT mode as the water temperature rises.
In the above-mentioned prior art, even if the mode is switched to the bi-level mode in the course of the warm-up control, the setting time of the bi-level mode is not considered especially. Therefore, there arises a problem in that if the setting time is short, the occupant's hands cannot be warmed sufficiently, and if the setting time is long, the upper half part of occupant's body is warmed excessively, so that the occupant's face feels hot.
The present invention was made in view of the above situation, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a vehicular air conditioner which can improve the occupant's heating feeling by setting the optimum time for the bi-level mode.
According to the means defined in claim 1, after the temperature of the heating heat source reaches a predetermined temperature during the warm-up control, an outlet mode is switched to a bi-level mode, and the operation time in the bi-level mode, and the operation time in the bi-level mode can be made variable depending on the outside air temperature. Therefore, for example, when the outside air temperature is low, the operation time in the bi-level mode can be lengthened, and when the outside air temperature is high, the operation time in the bi-level mode can be shortened. so that the optimum time for the bi-level mode can be set. Thereby, the occupant's hands can be warmed sufficiently even when the outside air temperature is low, and when the outside air temperature is high, a phenomenon that the upper half part of occupant's body is warmed excessively, so that the occupant's face feels hot can be prevented. As the heat source, engine cooling water can be used, for example, if the vehicle mounts a water-cooled engine. On an electric vehicle which does not use engine cooling water, hot water heated by a refrigerant (high-pressure refrigerant) circulating the refrigeration
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Baker Roger Keith
Tanaka Teruhisa
Boles Derek S.
Joyce Harold
Land Rover Group Ltd.
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