초록 ▼

The blower of an air conditioner is either (a) rotated at an ultra low speed until a first predetermined air temperature is sensed in the duct in which the blower is disposed, or (b) is temporarily disabled until a minimal engine coolant temperature is sensed, whereafter in both cases the rotational

The blower of an air conditioner is either (a) rotated at an ultra low speed until a first predetermined air temperature is sensed in the duct in which the blower is disposed, or (b) is temporarily disabled until a minimal engine coolant temperature is sensed, whereafter in both cases the rotational speed of the blower is stepped up a little to a still "low" level and held at this level until the temperature of the air discharged from the duct has risen to a second predetermined temperature. Subsequently the rotational speed of the blower is increased at a suitable rate until a maximum rotational level is reached.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An air conditioning unit for a vehicle having a cabin, comprising: a duct for inducting air and for discharging the inducted air into said cabin; a source of heated fluid; a heat exchanger through which said heated fluid circulates, said heat exchanger being arranged to heat the air in said

1. An air conditioning unit for a vehicle having a cabin, comprising: a duct for inducting air and for discharging the inducted air into said cabin; a source of heated fluid; a heat exchanger through which said heated fluid circulates, said heat exchanger being arranged to heat the air in said duct; a blower associated with said duct and energizable to induce air to flow through said duct; a sensor for sensing the temperature of said air in said duct, and for producing a signal indicative of the sensed duct air temperature; and control means, responsive to said sensor and connected to said blower, for driving said blower at a standby speed when said signal indicates that the temperature of the duct air is below a first predetermined value, for driving said blower at a minimum speed greater than said standby speed when said signal indicates that the temperature of the duct air is above said first predetermined value and below a second predetermined value greater than said predetermined value, and for increasing the speed of said blower to a controlled speed in a range between said minimum speed and a maximum speed when said signal indicates that the duct air temperature is above said second predetermined value, said control means further comprising means for deriving said controlled speed based on blower control parameters. 2. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said standby speed is zero. 3. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second sensor, said second sensor being arranged to sense the temperature of said heated fluid, said second sensor being operatively connected to said control means, for inputting a signal indicative of the temperature of said fluid. 4. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a microcomputer, said microcomputer including a RAM, a ROM and a CPU, said microcomputer being responsive to said sensor which senses the temperature of the air in said duct. 5. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a sensor which senses the temperature of said fluid and inputs a signal indicative thereof to said microcomputer. 6. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 5, further comprising sensors which sense the temperature of the air external of said vehicle, the insolation to which the vehicle is subjected, and the temperature of the air within said cabin. 7. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 6, further comprising: a first device for selectively causing the air inducted into said duct to be inducted from one of said cabin and atmosphere external to said vehicle; and a second device for varying the amount of air inducted into said duct which is heated by said heat exchanger. 8. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said computer includes a program for controlling the operation of said blower, said first device and said second device in response to data inputted thereto by said sensor which senses the temperature of the air in said duct, said sensor which senses the temperature of said fluid, said sensor which senses the temperature of the air external to said vehicle, said sensor which senses the insolation to which the vehicle is subjected, and the sensor which senses the temperature of air within said cabin. 9. In a vehicle an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air within a cabin of said vehicle, comprising: a duct for inducting air and for discharging the inducted air into said cabin; a source of heated fluid; a heat exchanger through which said heated fluid circulates, said heat exchanger being arranged to heat the air in said duct; a blower associated with said duct and energizable to induce air to flow through said duct; a sensor for sensing the temperature of the air in said duct and outputting an signal indicative thereof; a switch for selectably placing said air conditioning system in one of an operative and inoperative condition; and control means, responsively connected to said sensor and said switch, and controllingly connected to said blower, for driving said blower at a controlled speed variable depending on the value of said sensor indication, said control means being responsive to said sensor signal for driving said blower at a standby speed when said signal indicates that the temperature of the duct air is below a first predetermined value, for driving said blower at a minimum speed greater than said standby speed when said signal indicates that the temperature of the duct air is above said first predetermined value and below a second predetermined value greater than said first predetermined value, and for increasing the speed of said blower to a controlled speed in a range between said minimum speed and a maximum speed when said signal indicates that the duct air temperature is above said second predetermined value, said control means further comprising means for deriving said controlled speed based on blow control parameters. 10. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a second sensor for sensing the temperature of said fluid and producing an output indicative of said fluid temperature; said control circuit being responsive to the output of said second sensor to energize said blower at said standby speed lower than said minimum speed upon said second sensor indicating that the temperature of said fluid is below a third predetermined temperature, said third predetermined temperature being lower than said first predetermined temperature. 11. A method of operating an air conditioning unit for a vehicle having a cabin, said air conditioning unit including: a duct for inducting air and discharging the inducted air into said cabin; a source of heated fluid; a heat exchanger through which said heated fluid circulates, said heat exchanger being arranged to heat the air in said duct; a sensor for sensing blower control parameters including the temperature of the air in said duct and outputting a signal indicative of said blower control parameters; and a blower associated with said duct and energizable to induce air to flow through said duct; the method comprising the steps of: energizing said blower at a standby speed in response to said signal indicating that the air being induced to flow in said duct has a temperature below a first predetermined temperature; and increasing the blower speed to a minimum operational speed when said signal indicates that the duct air temperature has exceeded said first predetermined temperature, said minimum operational speed being substantially greater than said standby speed, and maintaining said blower speed at said minimum operational speed until said signal indicates that said duct air temperature has exceeded a second predetermined temperature greater than said first predetermined temperature; and deriving an operational speed based on said signal, and controlling said blower to operate at said operational speed, when said signal indicates that said duct air temperature is greater than said second predetermined temperature. 12. A method of operating an air conditioning unit for a vehicle having a cabin, said air conditioning unit including: a duct for inducting air and discharging the inducted air into said cabin; a source of heated fluid, a heater exchanger through which said heated fluid circulates, said heat exchanger being arranged to heat the air in said duct; a sensor for sensing blower control parameters and outputting a signal indicative thereof; a blower associated with said duct and energizable to induce air to flow through said duct; a first sensor associated with said duct for sensing the temperature of the air in said duct and outputting a first signal indicative of said duct air temperature; and a second sensor for sensing the temperature of said fluid and outputting a second signal indicative of said fluid temperature; method comprising the steps of: driving said blower at a standby speed in response to said second signal having a value lower than a first predetermined value representative of a first predetermined temperature; increasing the blower speed to a first speed less than said standby speed and energizing said blower at said first speed upon said second sensor signal having a value greater than said first predetermined value and thus indicating that the temperature of said fluid is above said first predetermined temperature; increasing the the blower speed to an operational speed derived based on said blower control parameters within a predetermined speed range when said first sensor signal value becomes greater than a second predetermined value representative of a second predetermined temperature which is higher than said first predetermined temperature and thus indicating that the temperature of the air flowing in said duct is above said second predetermined temperature. 13. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said standby speed is substantially zero. 14. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein said standby speed is substantially zero. 15. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blower is driven at a speed which is substantially lower than said minimum speed while it is driven at said standby speed, said minimum speed being selected to create air flow in said duct small enough so as not to be sensed by a passenger in said cabin. 16. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein said blower is driven at a speed which is substantially lower than said minimum speed while it is driven at said third speed, said standby speed being selected to create air flow in said duct small enough so as not to be sensed by a passenger in said cabin. 17. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which said standby speed is substantially zero. 18. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which said standby speed is substantially zero. 19. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which said standby speed is selected to create a negligible air flow in said duct large enough to permit measurement of temperature of the air and small enough not to be sensed by a passenger in said cabin. 20. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which said standby speed is selected to create a negligible air flow in said duct large enough to permit measurement of temperature of the air and small enough not to be sensed by a passenger in said cabin.