JP7428466B2 - Vehicle air conditioning control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning control device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an air outlet determining means that selectively determines an air outlet that obstructs voice recognition among a plurality of air outlets when a passenger's voice is input, and a voice input. When the vehicle air conditioner is operating, the vehicle air conditioner is equipped with an outlet air volume control means that limits the amount of air blown out from the outlet determined by the outlet determining means to a predetermined amount or less. A blowout control device for a machine is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-118675

By the way, some vehicles are equipped with a notification device that notifies occupants of various information by sound. In a vehicle equipped with such a notification device, there is a possibility that the sound of air-conditioned air blown out from the outlet when the air conditioner is activated may interfere with the occupants' ability to hear the notification sound as air-conditioning noise.

In such a case, for example, it is conceivable to make the volume of the notification sound louder when the air conditioner is activated than when the air conditioner is not activated so that the notification sound can be heard by the occupants. However, when the volume of the notification sound is increased, the loud notification sound reverberates inside the vehicle, which impairs the comfort of the occupants.

Furthermore, when the notification device makes a notification, it is also conceivable to uniformly limit the amount of air conditioned air blown out from the air outlet to a predetermined amount that is a fixed value, like the blowout control device described in Patent Document 1. However, if the air volume of the conditioned air is uniformly limited to a predetermined amount that is a fixed value at the time of notification by the notification device, the air conditioning performance will deteriorate and the comfort in the vehicle interior will be impaired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides an air conditioning control device for a vehicle that can prevent voices or notification sounds from becoming difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise without impairing comfort in the vehicle interior. The purpose is to

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention sets a degree of importance for each type of notification given to the occupants by voice or notification sound, and the higher the importance of the notification, the more the air volume of the air conditioner is reduced. The importance level of the notification is set higher as the notification helps avoid a vehicle collision or reduces damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioning control device that can prevent voices or notification sounds from becoming difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise without impairing the comfort in the vehicle interior.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle air conditioning control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various air outlets provided in the cabin of a vehicle to which the vehicle air conditioning control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of air conditioning setting processing executed by the A/C controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a noise level calculation map in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between notification content and notification level. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the notification level and the allowable noise level. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of air conditioning setting processing in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between various conditions and the importance of air conditioning. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the notification level and the importance of notification. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the importance of notification, the importance of air conditioning, and the contents of changing air conditioning settings.

A vehicle air conditioning control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle air conditioning control device used in a vehicle equipped with a notification section that provides various notifications to occupants by voice or notification sound. An inside/outside air switching unit that takes in either inside air or outside air by switching between inside air circulation that introduces air and outside air intake that brings in air from outside the vehicle, and an air conditioning unit that takes in either inside air or outside air that is taken in by the outside air switching unit. It is equipped with an air blowing unit that blows air into the vehicle interior as wind, and a control unit that controls the air blowing unit to change the volume of air conditioned air according to the importance of the notification performed by the notification unit. The present invention is characterized in that the importance of the notification is set higher as the notification is more likely to avoid a collision or reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision. As a result, the vehicle air conditioning control device according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent voice or notification sound from becoming difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise, without impairing comfort in the vehicle interior.

Hereinafter, a vehicle air conditioning control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 to which the vehicle air conditioning control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied includes an air conditioning unit 7, an A/C controller 8, and a notification function controller 50. It is composed of: As the vehicle 1, various vehicles such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a gasoline vehicle, or a diesel vehicle are applicable.

The air conditioning unit 7 is configured to air condition the interior of the vehicle, and executes air conditioning operations based on air conditioning control by the A/C controller 8. Here, the air conditioning operation refers to operations in the air conditioning unit 7, such as driving a blower fan 20 (described later), switching the position of the inlet switching door 11, and switching the air outlet.

The air conditioning unit 7 has an outside air inlet 10a that communicates the inside of the air conditioning unit 7 with the outside of the vehicle, and an inside air inlet 10b that communicates the inside of the air conditioning unit 7 with the inside of the vehicle, as an inlet for air blown into the vehicle interior. It is formed.

The outside air inlet 10a is an inlet that introduces air outside the vehicle interior into the air conditioning unit 7. The inside air introduction port 10b is an introduction port for introducing air inside the vehicle interior into the air conditioning unit 7, that is, an introduction port for introducing air circulating within the vehicle interior.

The air conditioning unit 7 is provided with an inlet switching door 11 that switches the inlet for air blown into the vehicle interior between an outside air inlet 10a and an inside air inlet 10b. The inlet switching door 11 is configured to move between a position in which the outside air inlet 10a is closed and the inside air inlet 10b is opened, and a position in which the inside air inlet 10b is closed and the outside air inlet 10a is opened. is rotatably attached to.

The inlet switching door 11 is provided with an actuator 12 for driving the inlet switching door 11 . The actuator 12 is configured to control the position of the inlet switching door 11 in accordance with the control by the A/C controller 8.

The air conditioning unit 7 allows outside air to be introduced into the blower fan 20 through the outside air inlet 10a by switching the position of the inlet switching door 11 under the control of the A/C controller 8. The intake mode can be switched between an introduction mode (hereinafter simply referred to as "outside air introduction") and an inside air circulation mode (hereinafter simply referred to as "inside air circulation") in which air is introduced into the vehicle interior through the inside air introduction port 10b. It has become.

In this way, the inlet switching door 11 and the actuator 12 switch between internal air circulation and external air circulation to introduce either internal air or external air into the air conditioning unit 7. The inlet switching door 11 and actuator 12 of this embodiment constitute an inside/outside air switching section in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle interior of the vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes a defroster outlet 31, a side demister outlet 31a, and a center outlet 32a as outlets for the air blown into the vehicle interior by the air conditioning unit 7. , a side outlet 32b, and a foot outlet 33 are provided.

The defroster outlet 31 is opened in the instrument panel 2 on the front window glass side. The side demister outlet 31 a is opened in the instrument panel 2 and communicates with the defroster outlet 31 .

The center air outlet 32a is opened toward the driver's seat and the passenger's seat at the center of the instrument panel 2 in the vehicle width direction. The side air outlets 32b are opened on both sides of the instrument panel 2 in the vehicle width direction toward the driver's seat and the passenger seat, respectively. The vehicle width direction means the width direction of the vehicle 1, and means the direction in which the driver's seat and the passenger seat are lined up.

In this embodiment, the center outlet 32a and the side outlets 32b constitute the vent outlet 32 (see FIG. 1). The vent outlet 32 is provided with a louver 15 that constitutes a closing body that can close the vent outlet 32. For example, the louver 15 changes the open state of the vent outlet 32 between an open state and a closed state, depending on the position of an operating lever that can be operated by a vehicle occupant. .

The foot air outlet 33 is opened at the lower part of the instrument panel 2 toward the feet of occupants seated in the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The defroster outlet 31, side demister outlet 31a, vent outlet 32, and foot outlet 33 described above constitute a plurality of outlets in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning unit 7 includes a defroster outlet 14a communicating with the defroster outlet 31, a vent outlet 14b communicating with the vent outlet 32, and a foot outlet 14b communicating with the foot outlet 33. A discharge port 14c is formed.

The air conditioning unit 7 is provided with an outlet switching door 16a that opens and closes the defroster outlet 14a, and an outlet switching door 16b that opens and closes the vent outlet 14b and the foot outlet 14c.

The air outlet switching door 16a is rotatably attached within the air conditioning unit 7 so as to be movable between a position where the defroster outlet 14a is closed and a position where the defroster outlet 14a is opened.

The air outlet switching door 16a is provided with an actuator 17a for driving the air outlet switching door 16a. The actuator 17a is configured to control the position of the air outlet switching door 16a under the control of the A/C controller 8.

The air outlet switching door 16b is arranged inside the air conditioning unit 7 so that it can be moved between a position where the vent outlet 14b is closed and the foot outlet 14c is opened, and a position where the foot outlet 14c is closed and the vent outlet 14b is opened. is rotatably attached to.

The air outlet switching door 16b is provided with an actuator 17b for driving the air outlet switching door 16b. The actuator 17b is configured to control the position of the air outlet switching door 16b in accordance with control by the A/C controller 8.

The air outlet switching door 16a, the air outlet switching door 16b, the actuator 17a, and the actuator 17b in this embodiment constitute an air outlet switching section in the present invention.

Inside the air conditioning unit 7, a blower fan 20, an evaporator core 21, an air mix door 22, and a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater 23 are provided from an air inlet to an air outlet.

The blower fan 20 is configured to blow air into the vehicle interior. Hereinafter, the air blown into the vehicle interior by the blower fan 20 will be referred to as "conditioned air", and will be distinguished from the air introduced from outside the vehicle interior when outside air is introduced, and the air introduced into the vehicle interior during internal air circulation. I decided to do so. Therefore, the blower fan 20 blows either inside air or outside air introduced into the air conditioning unit 7 through the inlet switching door 11 into the vehicle interior as conditioned air.

The blower fan 20 is provided with a blower fan motor 24 that rotates the blower fan 20. The blower fan 20 is rotated by a blower fan motor 24 to blow air introduced from an inlet toward an outlet. The rotational force of the blower fan motor 24 changes in accordance with the control of the applied voltage by the A/C controller 8, thereby changing the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20. The blower fan 20 and blower fan motor 24 in this embodiment constitute the air blowing section in the present invention.

The evaporator core 21 allows air to pass through the evaporator core 21 and be blown into the vehicle interior as conditioned air by exchanging heat between the air passing through the evaporator core 21 and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator core 21. It is designed to cool and dehumidify. The evaporator core 21 is provided with a compressor 25 and an outdoor condenser (not shown). Thereby, the air conditioning unit 7 functions as a cooling device.

The compressor 25 is connected to the evaporator core 21 via a refrigerant passage 25a, and compresses a refrigerant that cools the air passing through the evaporator core 21. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 25 is supplied to the evaporator core 21 through the refrigerant passage 25a. The compressor 25 in this embodiment constitutes a compression section in the present invention.

The air mix door 22 is adapted to adjust the flow rate of air passing through the PTC heater 23, that is, the amount of air. Specifically, the air mix door 22 is configured to move between a position where the air that has passed through the evaporator core 21 passes through the PTC heater 23 and a position where the air that has passed through the evaporator core 21 does not pass through the PTC heater 23. It is rotatably attached within the air conditioning unit 7.

The air mix door 22 is provided with an actuator 27 for driving the air mix door 22. The actuator 27 is configured to control the position of the air mix door 22 in accordance with control by the A/C controller 8. The air mix door 22 and actuator 27 in this embodiment constitute an air amount adjustment section in the present invention.

The PTC heater 23 functions as a heat source that warms the air blown into the vehicle interior by exchanging heat between the air cooled by the refrigerant and the cooling water of an internal combustion engine (not shown). The PTC heater 23 in this embodiment constitutes a heat exchange section in the present invention.

The air conditioning unit 7 functions as a heating device by rotating the blower fan 20 and controlling the position of the air mix door 22 so that the air blown into the vehicle interior passes through the PTC heater 23. Note that if the vehicle 1 is configured of a vehicle other than an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, a heater core may be provided as a heat source in addition to the PTC heater 23. In this case, the PTC heater 23 can be used as an auxiliary heater.

The A/C controller 8 is composed of a computer unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an input port, and an output port. has been done.

The ROM of the A/C controller 8 stores various constants, maps, etc., as well as a program for causing the computer unit to function as the A/C controller 8. That is, in the A/C controller 8, when the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM, the computer unit functions as the A/C controller 8.

Various sensors including the evaporator temperature sensor 21a, an A/C operation panel 40, and various controllers including the notification function controller 50 are connected to the input port of the A/C controller 8. The evaporator temperature sensor 21a detects the temperature of the evaporator core 21.

The A/C operation panel 40 includes an air conditioning switch that turns on/off the air conditioning unit 7, an air introduction mode selection switch that selects an intake mode between outside air introduction and inside air circulation, a defroster outlet 31, An air conditioning mode selection switch selects an air conditioning mode consisting of a combination of the ratios of the flow rates of the conditioned air blown out from the vent outlet 32 and the foot outlet 33; Various switches are provided, including an air volume adjustment switch for setting an air flow rate (also referred to as a "blow volume") and a temperature setting switch for setting a set temperature.

The air conditioning mode selection switch is configured to select one air conditioning mode from, for example, defroster mode, vent mode, foot mode, bilevel mode, and differential foot mode.

The defroster mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the defroster outlet 31. The vent mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the vent outlet 32, that is, the center outlet 32a and the side outlet 32b. The foot mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the foot outlet 33.

The bilevel mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the vent outlet 32 and the foot outlet 33. The defroster foot mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the defroster outlet 31 and the foot outlet 33.

The notification function controller 50 is connected to an audio output device 51 such as a horn or speaker including a buzzer. In this embodiment, the notification function controller 50 and the audio output device 51 constitute the notification device 5.

The notification device 5 is configured to give various notifications to the occupants by voice or notification sound. Specifically, the notification function controller 50 controls the audio output device 51 so that the audio output device 51 outputs voices or notification sounds corresponding to various notifications. The notification device 5 in this embodiment constitutes the notification section in the present invention.

The above-mentioned various types of notifications include, for example, notifications regarding collision prevention safety warnings, engine abnormality warning notifications, seatbelt reminder notifications, voice guidance for directions from car navigation devices, and the like. These various notifications have different degrees of importance, and among the various notifications, the notification regarding collision prevention safety warning is set to have the highest degree of importance. "Importance of notification" is an index indicating how much the content of the notification affects safety and whether it is urgent. Therefore, the importance of a notification becomes higher as the notification is related to safety or requires urgency, and becomes lower as the notification does not have much impact on safety or does not require urgency.

Various control objects such as the actuator 12, actuator 17a, actuator 17b, actuator 27, PTC heater 23, blower fan motor 24, and compressor 25 are connected to the output port of the A/C controller 8.

The A/C controller 8 is configured to control various control objects based on information obtained from various sensors, various controllers, and various switches. For example, when the air conditioning unit 7 is turned on by the air conditioning switch on the A/C operation panel 40, the A/C controller 8 detects the inside air temperature detected by an inside air temperature sensor (not shown) and the A/C operation panel 40. The actuator 27 and the PTC heater 23 are appropriately controlled so that the temperature set by the temperature setting switch becomes equal to the temperature set by the temperature setting switch.

Furthermore, when the notification device 5 makes a notification, the A/C controller 8 controls the blower fan motor 24 to change the air volume of the conditioned air according to the importance of the notification made by the notification device 5. It has a function as a control section 81.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, a process for determining the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 in the air conditioning control of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning setting process") will be described. This air conditioning setting process is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals by the A/C controller 8 during air conditioning control, that is, when the air conditioning unit 7 is in the on state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the A/C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 based on the passenger's request (step S1). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 controls various switches such as an air conditioning mode selection switch, an air volume adjustment switch, and a temperature setting switch on the A/C operation panel 40, and various sensors such as the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor. Based on the information, the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 are calculated.

Next, the A/C controller 8 determines whether the notification device 5 is activated, that is, whether or not the notification device 5 is providing notification (step S2).

When the A/C controller 8 determines that the notification device 5 is not operating, the A/C controller 8 sets the air conditioning mode and the blower amount of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S1 to the air conditioning mode and the blower fan 20 air volume used in the air conditioning control. This is determined as the air blowing amount, and the air conditioning setting process ends.

When the A/C controller 8 determines that the notification device 5 is operating, the A/C controller 8 calculates the noise level of the noise inside the vehicle interior (step S3). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 refers to the noise level calculation map shown in FIG. 4 and calculates the noise level based on the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S1.

The noise level calculated by the noise level calculation map represents the level of noise inside the vehicle interior caused by the operation of the air conditioning unit 7 (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning noise"). In the noise level calculation map, when the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 is the same, the vent mode is set to have the highest noise level among the air conditioning modes, and the foot mode is set to have the lowest noise level.

The noise level calculation map is obtained by experimentally determining the relationship between the air conditioning mode, the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20, and the noise level in advance, and is stored in the ROM of the A/C controller 8. Although the noise level is set in 10 levels in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, and the number of levels to be set is arbitrary.

Note that in this embodiment, the noise level was calculated from the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20, but the noise level may be calculated from the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 regardless of the air conditioning mode. In this case, a map obtained experimentally in advance of the relationship between the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 and the noise level is stored in the ROM of the A/C controller 8.

Furthermore, the noise level may be calculated based on the air conditioning mode regardless of the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20. In this case, a map in which the relationship between each air conditioning mode and the noise level is determined experimentally in advance is stored in the ROM of the A/C controller 8.

Next, the A/C controller 8 calculates a notification level, which is an index indicating the importance of notification (step S4). The notification level represents the importance of the notification in 50 levels, and as shown in FIG. 5, for example, one of notification levels 1 to 50 is assigned to each notification. The relationship between each notification and the notification level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A/C controller 8.

In this embodiment, the smaller the numerical value of the notification level, the higher the importance of the notification. In this example, "Collision prevention safety warning" has the highest notification level at notification level 1, followed by "engine abnormality warning" at notification level 2, "seat belt reminder" at notification level 3, and "car navigation system". "Voice guidance for route guidance" is set at a notification level of 45, and "Other than the above" is set at a notification level of 50, which is the lowest notification level.

In this embodiment, the collision prevention safety warning, the "engine abnormality warning", and the "seat belt reminder" are included in the "notification for avoiding a vehicle collision or reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision." "Notification for avoiding a vehicle collision or reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision" is not limited to the aforementioned notification.

In this embodiment, the collision prevention safety warning was set to notification level 1, but depending on the vehicle type and specifications, for example, notifications other than the collision prevention safety warning to avoid a vehicle collision or to reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision may be used. may be set to have the highest degree of importance. Furthermore, each notification level varies depending on the vehicle type, specifications, etc., and is not set in the order of the notification levels shown in this embodiment.

In this way, the importance of the notification is set higher as the notification is related to safety or the notification is more urgent. On the other hand, notifications such as ``voice guidance for directions by car navigation device'' have a lower impact on safety than ``notifications to avoid vehicle collisions or reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision.'' Since the urgency is relatively low, the importance of notification is set relatively low. In this embodiment, the notification level is set to 50 levels, but the number of levels to be set is arbitrary and is not limited to 50 levels.

Next, the A/C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 when the notification device is activated (step S5). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 calculates an allowable noise level according to the notification level calculated in step S4. The allowable noise level is an index indicating to what extent the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is allowed according to the notification level when the notification device is activated.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, notification levels 1 to 50 are assigned to any of the allowable noise levels 1 to 10. For example, notification level 1 and notification level 2 are set to the lowest allowable noise level 1, and notification level 49 and notification level 50 are set to the highest allowable noise level 10. In this way, the higher the notification level, that is, the higher the importance of the notification, the smaller the allowable noise level becomes. The relationship between the notification level and the permissible noise level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A/C controller 8.

The A/C controller 8 sets the smaller of the allowable noise level set according to the notification level as described above and the current noise level calculated in step S3 as the target noise level. .

The A/C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode or changes the air blowing amount of the blower fan 20 to a reduced air blowing amount so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is below the target noise level set as described above. or set it.

For example, if the allowable noise level is lower than the current noise level, the A/C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode or switches the blower fan so that the air conditioning noise level in the vehicle interior is below the allowable noise level. For example, the air blowing amount of No. 20 may be set to a reduced air blowing amount. If the current noise level is lower than the permissible noise level, the A/C controller 8 may maintain the currently set air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20.

The A/C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the air blowing amount of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S5 as the air conditioning mode and the air blowing amount of the blower fan 20 used in air conditioning control, and ends the air conditioning setting process.

As a result, when a notification is issued by the notification device 5 while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, the air volume of the conditioned air is reduced so that the higher the importance of the notification, the lower the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle. , the air conditioning mode can be switched. The air conditioning mode is switched so that the outlet through which the conditioned air is blown out has a low noise level.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, an example of setting the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 in step S5 of the air conditioning setting process will be described.

In the setting example shown in FIG. 7, the current noise level calculated in step S3 of the air conditioning setting process is "9", the allowable noise level calculated in step S5 is "6", and the air conditioning mode is set to vent mode. Indicates if there was.

As shown in FIG. 7, since the allowable noise level is "6" which is lower than the current noise level 9, the A/C controller 8 sets the air conditioning noise level in the vehicle interior to be below the allowable noise level. It is necessary to switch the air conditioning mode or set the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to a reduced air flow rate.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, there are a bi-level mode and a defroster mode as air conditioning modes corresponding to the allowable noise level. In such a case, either the bi-level mode or the defroster mode is selected as the destination of the air conditioning mode depending on the environment outside the vehicle and the air conditioning setting of the occupant.

For example, when heating is set in the winter when the temperature is low, the defroster mode is selected as the air conditioning mode switching destination. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the airflow amount of the blower fan 20 is set so that the airflow amount matches the allowable noise level in the defroster mode, so when the vent mode is switched to the defroster mode, the blower fan 20 The amount of air blown increases. This makes it possible to increase the volume of air conditioned air and quickly warm up the entire vehicle interior. If the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 is not increased, the noise level when the vent mode is switched to the defroster mode will be lower than the allowable noise level.

When the air conditioner is set in the summer when the temperature is high, the bilevel mode is selected as the air conditioning mode switching destination. In the example shown in FIG. 7, when the vent mode is switched to the defroster mode, the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 is reduced. Although this reduces the volume of air conditioned air, the bi-level mode allows the cold air to be blown directly toward the occupants without impairing the occupant's sense of cooling.

In this way, if there are two air conditioning modes to which the air conditioning mode can be switched when the notification device is activated, the air conditioning mode that provides the best experience for the occupants is selected according to the external environment of the vehicle 1 and the air conditioning settings of the occupants. It is preferable to do so.

As described above, when the notification device 5 makes a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, the vehicle air conditioning control device according to the present embodiment changes the air volume of the conditioned air according to the importance of the notification. can be done.

Specifically, when the importance of the notification made by the notification device 5 is high, the air volume of the air conditioner is adjusted so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is lower than when the importance of the notification is low. You can reduce the amount of air and change the air conditioning mode. In addition, the importance of notifications is set so that the more safety-related notifications or notifications require urgency, the higher the importance is set for ``notifications to avoid vehicle collisions or reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision.'' has been done.

Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning control device according to this embodiment can suppress the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle when the importance of the notification is high, and the high importance notification outputted by voice or notification sound is It is possible to prevent hearing from becoming difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise.

Further, when the importance of the notification is high, the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is suppressed, so there is no need to increase the volume of the voice or notification sound so that the passenger can hear the notification with high importance. This prevents loud voices or notification sounds from resounding in the vehicle interior, and can prevent the comfort of the occupants from being impaired.

In addition, in the vehicle air conditioning control device according to this embodiment, when the importance of notification is low, the allowable noise level is set higher than when the importance of notification is high, so that the air conditioning noise is suppressed more effectively. Also, priority is given to the air conditioning operation by the air conditioning unit 7. Therefore, when the importance of the notification is low, the amount of reduction in the air volume of the conditioned air is reduced or the current air volume of the air conditioned air is maintained. Additionally, the air conditioning mode may be maintained at the current air conditioning mode. As a result, when the importance of notification is low, the comfort of air conditioning is prevented from being impaired.

In addition, in the vehicle air conditioning control device according to this embodiment, the noise level inside the vehicle is calculated based on the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S1 with reference to the noise level calculation map shown in FIG. However, the noise level is not limited to this, and the noise level may be calculated depending on whether the intake mode is set to outside air introduction or inside air circulation, or the operating state of the compressor 25, for example.

Alternatively, the noise level may be calculated using a microphone used in a car navigation device or the like. When calculating the noise level using a microphone, it is possible to calculate a comprehensive noise level that takes into account, in addition to air conditioning noise, the outside environment such as road surface conditions and the inside environment such as audio settings.

In addition, in the air conditioning setting process according to the present embodiment, when the notification device is activated, the air conditioning mode is switched or the blower fan 20 is used to reduce the amount of air blown so that the noise level in the vehicle interior is below the allowable noise level. However, the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 may be set to a reduced airflow rate without changing the air conditioning mode, or the air conditioning mode may be changed without changing the airflow rate of the blower fan 20. good.

Furthermore, if the importance of the notification is higher than a certain level, the blower fan 20 may be stopped. In this case, although the air conditioning is stopped, the notification sound can be more reliably conveyed to the occupants.

Next, a vehicle air conditioning control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. The vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in some of the contents of the air conditioning setting process, but the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The air conditioning setting process shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals by the A/C controller 8 during air conditioning control, that is, when the air conditioning unit 7 is in the on state.

As shown in FIG. 8, the A/C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 based on the passenger's request (step S11). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 controls various switches such as an air conditioning mode selection switch, an air volume adjustment switch, and a temperature setting switch on the A/C operation panel 40, and various sensors such as the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor. Based on the information, the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 are calculated.

Next, the A/C controller 8 determines whether the notification device 5 is activated, that is, whether or not the notification device 5 is providing notification (step S12).

When the A/C controller 8 determines that the notification device 5 is not operating, the A/C controller 8 sets the air conditioning mode and the air blowing amount of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S11 to the air conditioning mode and the blower fan 20 air flow amount used in the air conditioning control. This is determined as the air blowing amount, and the air conditioning setting process ends.

When the A/C controller 8 determines that the notification device 5 is operating, the A/C controller 8 calculates the importance of air conditioning based on the air conditioning mode and the operating states of the air mix door 22 and the blower fan 20 ( Step S13).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, three levels of importance are set for air conditioning: "High," "Middle," and "Low." "High" has the highest importance of air conditioning, followed by " The importance of air conditioning decreases in the order of "Middle" and "Low". If two or more conditions shown in FIG. 9 are satisfied, the one with the highest degree of importance for air conditioning is adopted. The relationship between the conditions and the importance of air conditioning shown in FIG. 9 is stored in the ROM of the A/C controller 8 in advance. The number of air conditioning importance settings is not limited to three as described above, but may be two or four or more.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the air conditioning mode is the defroster mode or the defroster mode, the A/C controller 8 calculates "High" as the importance of the air conditioning. When in the defroster mode or differential foot mode, which blows out air conditioned air from the defroster outlet 31, it is necessary to defog the windshield to ensure the driver's visibility, so air conditioning is important because it is an air conditioning mode related to safety. degree becomes high.

In addition, when the air mix door 22 is at the maximum heating position or the maximum cooling position, or when the blower fan 20 is at the maximum airflow rate, the A/C controller 8 is configured to respond to the demands regarding passenger comfort. Since it is considered to be high, the importance of air conditioning is calculated as "Middle", which is higher in importance than "Low". The maximum heating position is the position of the air mix door 22 where the flow rate of air passing through the PTC heater 23 is maximum. The maximum cooling position is the position of the air mix door 22 where the flow rate of air passing through the PTC heater 23 is minimum.

Further, the A/C controller 8 calculates "Low" as the importance level of air conditioning when the air conditioning mode, the operating state of the air mix door 22, and the blower fan 20 are other than the above.

In addition to the air conditioning mode, the operating status of the air mix door 22, and the blower fan 20, the A/C controller 8 also controls whether the intake mode is internal air circulation or outside air introduction, and whether the compressor 25 is in operation. The importance of air conditioning may be calculated by adding the following conditions.

Also, depending on the arbitrary duration (for example, 5 minutes) after the air conditioning mode is set to the defroster mode or the defroster mode or the position of the air mix door 22 is set to the maximum heating position or maximum cooling position. The importance of air conditioning may be calculated by For example, the importance of air conditioning shown in FIG. 9 is calculated until an arbitrary duration elapses, but after the elapse of an arbitrary duration, the importance of air conditioning shown in FIG. 9 changes from "High" to "Middle". The value may be calculated as being one step lower from "Middle" to "Low".

Next, the A/C controller 8 calculates the noise level of the noise inside the vehicle interior (step S14). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 refers to the noise level calculation map shown in FIG. 4 and calculates the noise level based on the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S11.

Next, the A/C controller 8 calculates the importance of the notification (step S15). Specifically, the A/C controller 8 calculates the notification level based on the content of the notification (see FIG. 5), and sets the importance of the notification as "High," "Middle," or "Low" based on the calculated notification level. ” is calculated.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, three notification importance levels are set: "High," "Middle," and "Low," with "High" having the highest notification importance, followed by " The importance of notification decreases in the order of ``Middle'' and ``Low.''

As shown in FIG. 10, when the notification level is "1 to 10", "High" is calculated as the notification importance level, and when the notification level is "11 to 40", "Middle" is calculated as the notification importance level. ” is calculated, and when the notification level is “41 to 50”, “Low” is calculated as the notification importance level. The relationship between the conditions and the importance of notification shown in FIG. 10 is stored in the ROM of the A/C controller 8 in advance.

Next, the A/C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 when the notification device is activated (step S16).

Specifically, the A/C controller 8 calculates an allowable noise level according to the notification level calculated in step S15. The method of calculating the allowable noise level is the same as in the first embodiment. The relationship between the notification level and the permissible noise level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A/C controller 8.

As shown in FIG. 11, the A/C controller 8 compares the importance of air conditioning calculated in step S13 with the importance of notification calculated in step S15, and determines whether priority is given to air conditioning or notification. decide.

As a result of comparing the importance of air conditioning and the importance of notification, if the importance of notification is greater than or equal to the importance of air conditioning, the A/C controller 8 sets the level according to the notification level as described above. The smaller of the allowable noise level calculated in step S14 and the current noise level calculated in step S14 is set as the target noise level.

The A/C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode or changes the air blowing amount of the blower fan 20 to a reduced air blowing amount so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is below the target noise level set as described above. or set it.

For example, if the allowable noise level is lower than the current noise level, the A/C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode or switches the blower fan so that the air conditioning noise level in the vehicle interior is below the allowable noise level. For example, the air blowing amount of No. 20 may be set to a reduced air blowing amount. If the current noise level is lower than the permissible noise level, the A/C controller 8 may maintain the currently set air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20.

In this way, when the importance of notification is greater than or equal to the importance of air conditioning, notification is given priority over air conditioning.

As a result of comparing the importance of air conditioning and the importance of notification, the A/C controller 8 determines that the current noise level can be maintained if the importance of notification is lower than the importance of air conditioning. The currently set air conditioning mode and air flow rate of the blower fan 20 are maintained.

In this way, when the importance of notification is lower than the importance of air conditioning, priority is given to air conditioning over notification.

The A/C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 calculated in step S16 as the air conditioning mode and the amount of air blown by the blower fan 20 used in the air conditioning control, and ends the air conditioning setting process.

As a result, when the notification device 5 makes a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, if the importance of the notification is greater than or equal to the importance of the air conditioning, the higher the importance of the notification, the higher the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle. The volume of air conditioned air is reduced or the air conditioning mode is switched to lower the level. The air conditioning mode is switched so that the outlet through which the conditioned air is blown out has a low noise level.

When the notification device 5 makes a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, if the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning, the current air volume of air conditioning air is maintained or the current air conditioning mode is maintained. Sometimes it happens.

As described above, when the air conditioning control device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment makes a notification by the notification device 5 while the air conditioning unit 7 is in operation, the air conditioning control device according to the comparison result between the importance level of air conditioning and the importance level of the notification. You can change the airflow rate and switch the air conditioning mode.

Specifically, when the importance of notification is higher than the importance of air conditioning, the air volume of the air conditioner is adjusted so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle is lower than when the importance of notification is low. You can reduce the amount of air and change the air conditioning mode.

Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning control device according to this embodiment can suppress the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle when the importance of the notification is higher than the importance of the air conditioning, and the air conditioning noise is output by voice or notification sound. It is possible to prevent highly important notifications from becoming difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise.

Additionally, if the importance of the notification is higher than the importance of the air conditioning, the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle will be suppressed, so it is necessary to increase the volume of the voice or notification sound so that the passengers can hear the notification with high importance. do not have. This prevents loud voices or notification sounds from resounding in the vehicle interior, and can prevent the comfort of the occupants from being impaired.

When the importance of notification is lower than the importance of air conditioning, the current air volume of air conditioning air or the current air conditioning mode can be maintained. This is because even if the notification device 5 issues a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, reducing the air volume of the air conditioner will reduce the air conditioning performance in air conditioning operations that may affect safety. This is because it is desirable to maintain the current volume of air conditioned air or maintain the current air conditioning mode. Examples of air conditioning operations related to safety include, for example, air conditioning operations such as blowing out conditioned air from the defroster outlet 31 in order to defog the windshield.

If the importance of notification is lower than the importance of air conditioning, it is possible to maintain the current air conditioning air volume or maintain the current air conditioning mode, so if the demand for passenger comfort is high. If possible, deterioration in air conditioning performance can be suppressed. This prevents the comfort of the occupants from being impaired.

Although embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent that modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims.

1 Vehicle 5 Notification device (notification unit)
7 Air conditioning unit 8 A/C controller 11 Inlet switching door (inside/outside air switching section)
12 Actuator (inside/outside air switching section)
16a Air outlet switching door (air outlet switching part)
16b Air outlet switching door (air outlet switching part)
17a Actuator (air outlet switching part)
17b Actuator (air outlet switching part)
20 Blower fan (ventilation part)
21 Evaporator core 22 Air mix door (air amount adjustment part)
23 PTC heater (heat exchange section)
24 Blower fan motor (air blower)
25 Compressor (compression section)
27 Actuator (air amount adjustment section)
31 Defroster outlet (air outlet)
31a Side demister outlet (outlet)
32 Vent outlet (outlet)
33 Foot outlet (air outlet)
40 A/C operation panel 50 Notification function controller 51 Audio output device 81 Control unit

Claims (9)

The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the occupants by voice or notification sound, and the higher the importance of the notification, the more the air volume of the air-conditioned air is reduced .
The vehicle air conditioning control device is characterized in that the importance of the notification is set higher as the notification is more likely to avoid a vehicle collision or to reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
configured to change the volume of air conditioned air based on the noise level in the vehicle interior and the importance of the notification,
A vehicle air conditioning control device characterized in that the higher the importance of the notification, the lower the air volume of the air conditioned air . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
The air volume of the air conditioner is changed so that the higher the importance of the notification, the lower the noise level in the vehicle interior,
The vehicle air conditioning control device is characterized in that the importance of the notification is set higher as the notification is more likely to avoid a vehicle collision or to reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
configured to change the volume of air conditioned air based on the noise level in the vehicle interior and the importance of the notification,
An air conditioning control device for a vehicle , characterized in that the air volume of the conditioned air is changed so that the higher the importance of the notification, the lower the noise level in the vehicle interior . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
When the notification is performed, the air volume of the air conditioner is changed depending on the importance of the notification and the importance of the air conditioning ,
An air conditioning control device for a vehicle, characterized in that the air volume of the conditioned air is changed so that the higher the importance of the notification, the lower the noise level in the vehicle interior . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
determining which of the air conditioning and the notification is prioritized based on the importance of the notification and the importance of the air conditioning;
If it is determined that the notification is given priority over the air conditioning, the air volume of the air conditioner is reduced so as to reduce the noise level inside the vehicle;
An air conditioning control device for a vehicle, wherein when it is determined that the air conditioning is given priority over the notification, at least the current air volume of the air conditioning air is maintained. a notification unit that provides various notifications to the crew by voice or notification sound;
an inside/outside air switching unit that takes in either inside air or outside air by switching between inside air circulation for introducing air inside the vehicle interior and outside air introduction for introducing air from outside the vehicle interior;
a blowing unit that blows either inside air or outside air taken in by the inside/outside air switching unit into the vehicle interior as the conditioned air;
a control unit that controls the ventilation unit and the inside/outside air switching unit according to the importance of the notification performed by the notification unit;
an air outlet switching unit that switches an air outlet from which the conditioned air is blown out among a plurality of air outlets provided in the vehicle interior;
a compression unit that compresses a refrigerant that cools the air blown as the conditioned air;
a heat exchange unit that performs heat exchange between the air cooled by the refrigerant and the cooling water of the internal combustion engine;
an air amount adjustment section that adjusts the amount of air passing through the heat exchange section,
The control unit calculates the importance of the air conditioning based on the operating state of at least one of the blower unit, the outlet switching unit, the inside/outside air switching unit, the compression unit, and the air amount adjustment unit. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 5 or claim 6 . A claim characterized in that the air volume change of the conditioned air is performed by reducing the air volume of the air blower, switching a plurality of outlets that blow out the conditioned air blown by the air blower into the vehicle interior, or changing the air conditioning mode. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 . The importance of the notification is set for each type of notification given to the crew by voice or notification sound.
The importance of the notification is set higher as the notification is to avoid a vehicle collision or reduce damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision,
A vehicle air conditioning control program for causing a computer to execute a process of reducing the volume of air conditioned air as the importance of the notification increases .

Images