Air handling device for a motor vehicle

Abstract

An air treatment device for a motor vehicle, for example an ionization device for installation in a motor vehicle air conditioning system, has an air treatment unit by means of which air in the air flow generated by the motor vehicle air conditioning system can be treated, and has a control unit by means of which the air treatment unit can be controlled in accordance with parameters of the motor vehicle air conditioning system in which the air treatment unit is installed. In order to significantly reduce the design expenditure for such an air treatment device, and in particular for its control unit, and in order to create the possibility of using a universal control device as the control unit, it is proposed that the air treatment unit has an electrical coding device which characterizes a variant of the air treatment unit, can be electrically connected to the control unit during assembly of the air treatment unit and the control unit, and can be interrogated by the control unit after the electrical connection to the control unit has been established.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air handling device for motor vehicles, such as an ionization device for installation in a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprising an air handling unit by means of which air in the airflow generated by the motor vehicle air conditioning system can be handled, and a control unit by means of which the air handling unit can be controlled according to the parameters of the motor vehicle air conditioning system in which the air handling unit is installed.

[0002] Instead of designing air handling equipment as an ionization device, it can also be designed as an ozone generator, an electric heater, and so on. Background Technology

[0003] If this air handling equipment is manufactured for large-scale use in the automotive industry, then the extensive use of common components is advantageous. In the automotive industry, such common components particularly include electrical control equipment, as the development costs of such equipment are very high due to the relatively complex requirements (reliability, EMC, functional testing, etc.) imposed on them. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to refine the described general air treatment device for motor vehicles from the outset in a manner that allows its control unit to be designed as a general control device, and to enable long-term reliable operation of the air treatment device.

[0005] According to the present invention, this object is achieved as follows: the air handling unit of the air handling equipment of a motor vehicle has an electrical coding device that characterizes a variant of the air handling unit, can be electrically connected to the control unit during the assembly of the air handling unit and the control unit, and can be queried by the control unit after the electrical connection with the control unit is established. Therefore, the air handling unit of the air handling equipment according to the present invention can be operated by the control unit, which queries the electrical coding device of the air handling unit according to operating parameters provided to a specific variant of the air handling unit. With the aid of the electrical coding device of the air handling unit, it is clearly determined which variant the air handling unit is designed to be. With the aid of the control unit of the air handling equipment according to the present invention (which is designed as a universal control device), various different variants of the air handling unit can be operated according to operating parameters provided to it, which are specified by the motor vehicle air conditioning system to which the air handling unit is installed.

[0006] As an explanation, it should be noted that the air conditioning systems of different vehicle series are designed for different maximum airflow velocities. For example, the capacity of such an air conditioning system also depends on the volume of the vehicle's interior. For example, the ionization unit of the air handling equipment is designed based on the performance data of the air conditioning system. In the case of a large ionization unit suitable for a larger airflow velocity, a higher operating current is required than that required for a smaller ionization unit designed for a smaller air volume. In the case of the air handling equipment according to the invention, based on the electrical coding device of the air handling unit, variations of the air handling unit or ionization unit can be identified by means of a control unit designed as a universal control device. Accordingly, the air handling unit or ionization unit of the air handling equipment can be operated with the correct operating parameters by means of a control unit designed as a universal control device.

[0007] Advantageously, by means of the electrical coding device of the air handling unit according to the invention, variations of the air handling unit can be identified and forwarded to the control unit, so that the air handling unit can be controlled by the control unit according to the operating parameters provided for the air handling unit. To meet the increased safety requirements of operating the air handling unit of the motor vehicle according to the invention, it is advantageous to use the control unit of the air handling unit to detect whether there is no electrical connection between the control unit of one party and the electrical coding device of the other party.

[0008] Conveniently, by means of the control unit of the air handling device according to the invention, if the control unit detects that there is no electrical connection between the electrical coding device of one party and the control unit of the other party, the operating voltage of the air handling unit can be set to a value that is harmless to organisms.

[0009] Furthermore, according to another advantageous embodiment of the air handling apparatus of the present invention, if the control unit detects that there is no electrical connection between the electrical coding device of one party and the control unit of the other party, the operating voltage of the air handling unit can be shut off by means of its control unit.

[0010] The electrical connection between the control unit of one party and the electrical coding device of the other party can be achieved more simply from a structural perspective by means of spring contacts, preferably fixed wiring, sliding contacts, plug connections, etc.

[0011] The electrical coding device of the air handling unit of the air handling device according to the present invention can be formed as passive two poles, for example as a resistor, capacitor or coil, or from a structural point of view, formed as an ID chip with lower technical cost.

[0012] In a particularly simple and reliably designed technical form, the electrical coding device can be implemented as a resistor with discrete resistance values, wherein the discrete resistance values ​​characterize the operating voltage provided for the operation of the air handling unit. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an air treatment device for a motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0014] In principle, the air handling unit 1 for a motor vehicle shown in a single figure is installed in a motor vehicle air conditioning system provided in the motor vehicle, which is not shown in the single figure. Detailed Implementation

[0015] In the case of air handling equipment 1, this can be, for example, an ionization device, an ozone generator device, an electric heating device, or a similar unit.

[0016] The embodiment of the air handling device 1 according to the invention shown in this single figure is divided into an air handling unit 2 and a control unit 3.

[0017] An air handling unit is used to treat the air present in or generated in the vehicle's air conditioning system, for example, by ionizing it, providing it with ozone, or heating it. Accordingly, the air handling unit 2 of the air handling equipment 1 is arranged in a suitable location within the vehicle's air conditioning system.

[0018] The design of the air handling unit also depends on the design and capacity of the vehicle air conditioning system in which the air handling unit 2 is integrated.

[0019] The air handling unit 2 can be controlled by means of the control unit 3 of the air handling equipment 1. In the case of the control unit 3 of the air handling equipment 1 according to the invention shown in a single figure, this is a standardized universal control device by means of which different air handling units 2 (which are designed with different capacities according to different designs of motor vehicle air conditioning systems) can be controlled. Accordingly, the air handling unit 2 of the air handling equipment 1 according to the invention is designed with or has an electrical coding device 4. The electrical coding device 4 represents a variant of the air handling unit 2 in which the electrical coding device 4 is installed.

[0020] The control unit 3 of the air handling unit 1 is connected to the air handling unit 2 and also to the electrical coding device 4 of the air handling unit 2 via connection 5. The connection 5 between one air handling unit 2 and electrical coding device 4 and the control unit 3 of the other air handling unit 1 is established during the assembly of the air handling unit 2 and control unit 3. Once connection 5 is closed, the connection between one control unit 3 and electrical coding device 4 is also established. Accordingly, the control unit 3 can query variations of the air handling unit 2. Since the variations of the air handling unit 2 are adapted to the requirements profile set in the design of the vehicle air conditioning system, the control unit 3 of the air handling unit 1 can control the air handling unit 2 in either an open-loop or closed-loop manner.

[0021] Accordingly, the control unit 3 can be adapted to a large number of variations of the air handling unit 2. Consequently, the development cost of such a control unit 3 (for which the most diverse requirements, such as reliability, EMC, functional testing, etc., must be considered) can be significantly reduced, because it is not necessary to develop a correspondingly adapted control unit for every variation of the air handling unit 2 or the vehicle air conditioning system.

[0022] The interaction between the control unit 3 and the electrical coding device 4 makes it possible for different variations of the air handling unit 2 or air handling equipment 1 to operate together with the control unit 3, which is designed as a general-purpose control device.

[0023] The connection 5 between the electrical coding device 4 on one side and the control unit 3 on the other side can be achieved using spring contacts, fixed wiring, sliding contacts, plugs, etc. The electrical coding device 4 can be designed as a passive two-pole device, such as a resistor, capacitor, or coil. Designing the electrical coding device 4 as an ID chip is also quite possible.

[0024] If, in a particularly simple embodiment, the electrical coding device 4 is designed as a resistor, the resistance value of the resistor may vary depending on the specific variant of the air handling unit 2 on which the electrical coding device 4 is installed.

[0025] In the case where the air handling unit 1 is designed as an ionization device, the main parameter for the operation of the device is the electrical operating voltage. This electrical operating voltage can be easily and universally encoded using resistors. For example, discrete resistance values ​​can represent different operating voltages, such as 1 kiloohm for 1000 volts, 2 kiloohms for 2000 volts, and 12 kiloohms for 12000 volts.

[0026] The control unit 3 queries and detects the corresponding resistance value of the electrical coding device 4, and then the control unit 3 controls the air handling unit 2 in an open-loop or closed-loop manner according to the detected resistance value of the electrical coding device 4.

[0027] It is also possible to provide thorough personal protection at a relatively low cost by utilizing the electrical coding device 4 of the air handling unit 1, because the interrogation of the air handling unit 2's electrical coding device 4 by the control unit 3 can also be used to detect faults. If the value detected by the electrical coding device 4 in the control unit 3 is outside the permissible range or cannot be determined at all, a fault or malfunction exists. Such malfunction could be caused, for example, by the air handling unit 1 not being assembled or being assembled incorrectly. The cause could also be, for example, a temporary maintenance procedure involving the replacement, cleaning, or repair of the air handling unit 1 or its air handling unit 2. During this maintenance procedure, the vehicle ignition device in the vehicle's air conditioning system equipped with the air handling unit 1 should be turned off. However, this cannot be guaranteed in all cases.

[0028] In this situation, the control unit 3 of the air handling unit 1 (which uses it to query the electrical coding device 4 of the air handling unit 2) fails to identify a valid coding value from the electrical coding device 4. For safety reasons or to achieve contact protection, the operating voltage of the air handling unit 1 is subsequently limited to a value that is harmless to individuals, or the operating voltage of the air handling unit 1 is completely shut off.

[0029] Without requesting a valid electrical coding device, the control equipment can switch the operating voltage of the air handling unit 2 to, for example, 12000V (when the vehicle's ignition is on) without performing a proper check. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that personnel performing maintenance procedures may be exposed to this high voltage.

Claims

1. An air handling device for a motor vehicle, comprising an air handling unit (2) and a control unit (3), wherein the air handling unit is capable of handling airflow generated by the motor vehicle air conditioning system, and the control unit is capable of controlling the air handling unit (2) according to parameters of the motor vehicle air conditioning system on which the air handling unit (2) is installed, characterized in that, The air handling unit (2) has an electrical coding device (4) that characterizes a variant of the air handling unit (2), is electrically connected to the control unit (3) during the assembly of the air handling unit (2) and the control unit (3), and can be queried by the control unit (3) after the electrical connection to the control unit (3) is established, so as to identify and operate the variant of the air handling unit (2) using the control unit, which is designed as a general-purpose control device.

2. The air handling equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air handling unit (2) is controlled by the control unit (3) according to the predetermined operating parameters for the air handling unit (2).

3. The air handling equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, With the aid of the control unit (3), it is possible to detect whether there is no electrical connection between the control unit (3) of one party and the electrical coding device (4) of the other party.

4. The air handling equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, With the aid of the control unit (3), if the control unit (3) detects that there is no electrical connection between the electrical coding device (4) of one party and the control unit (3) of the other party, the operating voltage of the air handling unit (2) can be set to a value that is harmless to organisms.

5. The air handling equipment according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, With the help of the control unit (3), if the control unit (3) detects that there is no electrical connection between the electrical coding device (4) of one party and the control unit (3) of the other party, it can shut off the operating voltage of the air handling unit (2).

6. The air handling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The electrical connection between the control unit (3) of one party and the electrical coding device (4) of the other party can be achieved by means of spring contacts, fixed wiring, sliding contacts, plug connections, etc.

7. The air handling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Its electrical coding device (4) is formed as a passive two pole, such as a resistor, capacitor or coil, or formed as an ID chip.

8. The air handling equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, Its electrical coding device (4) is formed as a resistor with discrete resistance values, wherein the discrete resistance values ​​characterize the operating voltage of the air handling unit (2).

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