US5603226A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle air conditioner
Assignee: Mazda Motor Corp
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Filing: 1994-12-28
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Granted: 1997-02-18
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Expires: 2014-12-28
Abstract
Abstract This invention has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which can obtain a combination of an outlet air flow rate V a and an outlet air temperature T o , which is desirable for comfort of a passenger, under a condition of air-conditioning control based on a heat balance equation. In order to achieve this object, this invention provides a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, including the first step of obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V a and the outlet air temperatures T o necessary for maintaining the passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature, the second step of calculating comfort indices each representing the comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V a and the outlet air temperatures T o obtained in the first step, and the third step of searching a combination of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature, which can provide a comfort index closest to an optimal value of the comfort indices calculated in the second step.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshikazu Ishikawa
- 👤 Shigetoshi Doi
- 👤 Shinshi Kajimoto
- 👤 Eiji Ukita
- 👤 Yoshiaki Nagayama
- 👤 Hiroshi Asou
- 👤 Yasuhiro Enno
- 👤 Takashi Tsuchida
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 16:12
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60H; B60H1/00; B60H1/00642; B60H1/00814; B60H1/00878; B60H1/00892; B60H1/00735; B60H1/00821; B60H1/00864
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, wherein a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation are compared with each other, and when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, wherein a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation are compared with each other, and when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
A vehicle air conditioner comprising: comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as parameters, factors which influence comfort of a passenger in heating control during a warm-up operation; detection means for detecting information necessary for calculating the comfort index; and outlet mode control means for changing an outlet mode in the heating control during the warm-up operation in accordance with a value of the comfort index calculated by said comfort index calculation means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
A vehicle air conditioner comprising: comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as parameters, factors which influence comfort of a passenger in heating control during a warm-up operation; detection means for detecting information necessary for calculating the comfort index; and outlet mode control means for changing an outlet mode in the heating control during the warm-up operation in accordance with a value of the comfort index calculated by said comfort index calculation means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the parameters of the comfort index include a passenger room temperature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the parameters of the comfort index include an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of air-conditioning air.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
94 words
A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising: room temperature detection means for detecting a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and air flow rate control means for receiving a signal from said room temperature detection means, and for, when the passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control is low, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
94 words
A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising: room temperature detection means for detecting a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and air flow rate control means for receiving a signal from said room temperature detection means, and for, when the passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control is low, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
103 words
A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising: calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as a parameter, a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and air flow rate control means for, when the passenger room temperature is low and the comfort index has a small value, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high and the comfort index has a large value, in accordance with the comfort index.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
103 words
A vehicle air conditioner for suppressing an outlet air flow rate in heating control during a warm-up operation, comprising: calculation means for calculating a comfort index including, as a parameter, a passenger room temperature at the beginning of the heating control during the warm-up operation; and air flow rate control means for, when the passenger room temperature is low and the comfort index has a small value, decreasing a rate of increase in outlet air flow rate as compared to a case wherein the passenger room temperature is high and the comfort index has a large value, in accordance with the comfort index.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
128 words
An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, comprising: comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at a beginning of an operation of the air conditioner; detection means for detecting information which is necessary for calculating the comfort index; air conditioning ability determining means for determining an air conditioning ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and control means for controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined by the air conditioning ability determining means.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
128 words
An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, comprising: comfort index calculation means for calculating a comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at a beginning of an operation of the air conditioner; detection means for detecting information which is necessary for calculating the comfort index; air conditioning ability determining means for determining an air conditioning ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and control means for controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined by the air conditioning ability determining means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner is the beginning of a warming operation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner is the beginning of a cooling operation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle air conditioner executes a warming operation by using heat of the cooling water of an engine, and the air conditioning ability determining means determines a temperature of the cooling water at the beginning of the warming operation of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the air conditioning ability determining means determines a temperature of an evaporator at the beginning of the cooling operation of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising: calculation means for calculating a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation; comparing means for comparing the discomfort level with the comfort level; and control means for controlling the air conditioner so that when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
115 words
An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising: calculation means for calculating a discomfort level felt by a passenger before a temperature of an evaporator is decreased at the beginning of a cooling operation, and a comfort level which will be felt by the passenger under an assumption that air-conditioning air is output after the temperature of said evaporator begins to fall at the beginning of the cooling operation; comparing means for comparing the discomfort level with the comfort level; and control means for controlling the air conditioner so that when the comfort level represents a state more comfortable than that represented by the discomfort level, an outlet operation of air-conditioning air is started.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising: a detecting step of detecting information which is necessary for calculating a comfort index; a comfort index calculation step of calculating the comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of an operation of the air conditioner; an air conditioning ability determining step of determining an air conditioner ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and a control step of controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined at the air conditioning ability determining step.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner comprising: a detecting step of detecting information which is necessary for calculating a comfort index; a comfort index calculation step of calculating the comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of an operation of the air conditioner; an air conditioning ability determining step of determining an air conditioner ability of the air conditioner on the basis of the comfort index; and a control step of controlling an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of the air conditioner so as to reduce a discomfort felt by a passenger at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner in accordance with the air conditioning ability determined at the air conditioning ability determining step.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-02-18 | 2000-08-19 | 2001-02-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-02-18 | 2004-08-19 | 2005-02-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-02-18 | 2008-08-19 | 2009-02-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |