On-vehicle air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle air conditioner capable of stably executing air conditioning even at the time of idling stop when an engine is temporarily stopped, as well as, low in cost, and easily downsized.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle air conditioner includes: a compressor including a rotary shaft that can be synchronized with rotation of a crank pulley interlocked with an engine; a power storage mechanism including a planetary gear mechanism connected to the rotary shaft of the compressor when the engine is temporarily stopped, and a spiral spring connected to the planetary gear mechanism and capable of storing at least partially the driving power of the engine; an electromagnetic clutch group for transmitting the driving power from the engine to the rotary shaft, as well as, performing connection and disconnection between the power storage mechanism and the rotary shaft; and a control device for controlling the connection and disconnection of the electromagnetic clutch group.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner mounted in a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles that transport people and cargo are known. Such vehicles are equipped with an air conditioning device (hereinafter, also referred to as an "on-board air conditioner") for conditioning the air inside the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, some recent vehicles are equipped with a function for automatically stopping the engine when the vehicle is stopped, for example, at a traffic light, in order to save energy (hereinafter, also referred to as "idling stop").

[0003] Performing an idling stop means that the engine, which is the driving source of the vehicle air conditioner, is temporarily stopped. In response to this, as exemplified by Patent Documents 1 and 2, it has been proposed to provide a cold storage unit or cold storage material in addition to the vehicle air conditioner and maintain cooling operation using the cold storage unit during idling stop. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-62450 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-201249 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, current technologies, including those described in the above patent documents, do not adequately meet market needs, and the following problems remain. Indeed, according to the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, by storing cold energy in a cold storage device, it is possible to maintain air conditioning operation using the cold energy from the cold storage device when idling stop (also known as eco-run) is performed.

[0006] However, when a cold storage unit is installed in a vehicle air conditioner, the size of the cold storage unit must be increased in order to maintain the heat capacity required for sufficient air conditioning. In addition, in order to maintain the cold stored in the cold storage unit, the heat insulation of the heat storage unit itself must be improved, which incurs additional costs.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and aims to provide an in-vehicle air conditioner that can perform stable cooling operation even during idling stop when the engine is temporarily stopped, and that is low-cost and relatively easy to miniaturize. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle air conditioner disclosed herein is an vehicle air conditioner mounted on a vehicle in which the engine is temporarily stopped when the vehicle is driven, and includes a compressor having a rotating shaft that can be synchronized with the rotation of a crank pulley that is linked to the engine, a planetary gear mechanism connected to the rotating shaft, and a power storage mechanism including a mainspring that is connected to the planetary gear mechanism and can store at least a portion of the driving force of the engine, an electromagnetic clutch group that transmits the driving force from the engine to the rotating shaft and connects or disconnects the power storage mechanism to or from the rotating shaft, and a control device that controls the connected and disconnected states of the electromagnetic clutch group. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the vehicle air conditioner disclosed herein, even during idling stop, it is possible to stably supply the driving force stored in the spiral spring of the power storage mechanism, which is low cost and relatively easy to make compact, to the compressor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion α in FIG. 1, and is a schematic diagram for comparing the ON and OFF states of an electromagnetic clutch in a power storage mechanism of an in-vehicle air conditioner. [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section BB of the power storage mechanism in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section CC of the power storage mechanism in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a driving state of an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure in a first period (PD1) from when the vehicle engine starts until a predetermined acceleration is performed. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure in a second period (PD2) in which the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed and the air conditioner switch is turned ON. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a driving state of an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure in a third period (PD3) in which the vehicle is decelerated by engine braking and the air conditioner switch is turned ON. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the driving state in a fourth period (PD4) in which the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed and the air conditioner switch is ON after driving force is stored in the power storage mechanism of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a driving state of an in-vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure in a fifth period (PD5) in which the vehicle performs idling stop and the air conditioner switch is ON. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described. Note that configurations other than those described in detail below can be implemented by appropriately supplementing the structures of known in-vehicle air conditioners and vehicle equipment, including those in the above-mentioned patent documents.

[0012] <In-vehicle air conditioner 100> The configuration of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. The vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 in this embodiment is provided in a vehicle equipped with a known engine EG. Examples of such vehicles include various known four-wheeled automobiles such as passenger cars and buses. The engine EG is not particularly limited as long as it can supply driving force to the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 via a fan belt or the like, and various known internal combustion engines such as a horizontally opposed engine or a V-engine can be used.

[0013] The engine EG generates driving force for the vehicle, and also functions as a power source capable of supplying driving force required for a compressor 10, which will be described later. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the engine EG can transmit driving force to the compressor 10 via a known fan belt VB connected to a known crank pulley CP. In addition, the engine EG of the present disclosure can execute a known idling stop function under the control of a control device 60, which will be described later. Therefore, when the vehicle is stopped, the operation of the compressor 10 is temporarily stopped by the idling stop function of the engine EG.

[0014] In addition to the compressor 10, which will be described in detail later, the vehicle air conditioner 100 includes, as examples, well-known equipment such as a well-known condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, etc. This enables the vehicle air conditioner 100 to perform a desired refrigeration cycle using a well-known refrigerant circulating through a refrigerant circuit (not shown).

[0015] The condenser includes a known radiator (not shown) that cools the high-pressure refrigerant supplied from the compressor 10 by dissipating heat from the refrigerant. The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out from the condenser is reduced in pressure to a predetermined level in the expansion valve and changes state to, for example, a low-pressure liquid phase. The evaporator cools air via the refrigerant while the compressor 10 is operating. That is, the evaporator is disposed downstream of the expansion valve and is configured to have a function of exchanging heat between, for example, the refrigerant and the air supplied to the vehicle interior. For detailed configurations of the condenser, expansion valve, evaporator, etc., known structures including the patent documents mentioned above may be appropriately referred to.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an in-vehicle air conditioner 100 according to the present disclosure. The vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 is mounted on a vehicle in which the engine EG is temporarily stopped (idling stop) when the vehicle is driven. The vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 of the present disclosure also includes a power storage mechanism 40 as a power assist device that replaces the engine EG during idling stop.

[0017] More specifically, the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 of this embodiment includes a compressor 10, a planetary gear mechanism 20, a spiral spring 30, and an electromagnetic clutch group 50. Of these, the planetary gear mechanism 20 and the spiral spring 30 are included in the power storage mechanism 40 described above. In addition, a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 of this embodiment is configured to have a control device 60 that controls at least the electromagnetic clutch group 50 described above.

[0018] The compressor 10 includes a rotating shaft 11 that can be synchronized with the rotation of the crank pulley CP that is linked to the engine EG. As can be understood from Fig. 1 and other figures, the compressor 10 of this embodiment includes a known air conditioner pulley 12 provided at one end 11a of the rotating shaft 11 on the fan belt VB side, a known swash plate 13 that is incorporated into and linked with the rotating shaft 11, and a known piston 14 that is connected to the swash plate 13 and reciprocates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 11. The configuration of the compressor 10 described above is just one example. If the driving force of the engine EG via the rotating shaft 11 can be stored in the power storage mechanism 40, other known compressor mechanisms such as a vane type or a scroll type may be applied in addition to the swash plate type described above.

[0019] The rotating shaft 11 and the air conditioner pulley 12 of the compressor 10 can be connected ("connected state") or disconnected ("disconnected state") via the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 of the electromagnetic clutch group 50. As a result, while the engine EG is rotating and the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 is in the connected state, the compressor 10 can operate (the rotating shaft 11 can rotate) by receiving the driving force of the engine EG.

[0020] The planetary gear mechanism 20 is connected to the rotating shaft 11. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1 and other figures, the planetary gear mechanism 20 of this embodiment is configured to be connectable to a connecting plate 11c provided at the other end 11b of the rotating shaft 11 opposite the air conditioner pulley 12. There are no particular limitations on the shape of the connecting plate 11c as long as it can be coupled by a first electromagnetic clutch 51 of an electromagnetic clutch group 50 (described later) and can accommodate a second electromagnetic clutch 52, and an example of the shape of the connecting plate 11c may be a flange-shaped disk member with two steps as shown in the figure.

[0021] As can be understood by referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the planetary gear mechanism 20 includes a sun gear 21, an external gear 22, an internal gear 23, a carrier 24, and a housing 25. The sun gear 21 is arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 11 of the compressor 10 and is configured to be connectable to the rotating shaft 11. The sun gear 21 is provided so as to be rotatable coaxially with the rotation axis O of the rotating shaft 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the sun gear 21 includes a shaft portion 21a extending in the direction of the rotation axis, and a disk-shaped clutch support portion 21b provided at an end of the shaft portion 21a and on which the first electromagnetic clutch 51 can be mounted.

[0022] The external gear 22 is configured to mesh with the sun gear 21 and revolve around the sun gear 21. As can be understood from Fig. 1 and other figures, the external gear 22 is connected via a gear support shaft 24a of a carrier 24, which will be described later. As a result, the external gear 22 rotates and moves around the sun gear 21 about a rotation axis O, so that the carrier 24 rotates around the rotation axis O as a central axis.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, the external gear 22 meshes with an internal gear 23, which will be described later, and is configured to move along the teeth provided on the inner peripheral surface of the internal gear 23. As shown in Fig. 4, three external gears 22 are provided around the sun gear 21 in this embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to this form. That is, two or four or more external gears 22 may be provided around the sun gear 21. The multiple external gears 22 may be provided around the sun gear 21 at equal or unequal intervals.

[0024] The internal gear 23 has a gear provided on its inner peripheral surface so as to mesh with the external gear 22. As a result, the internal gear 23 meshes with and is inscribed with the external gear 22. As shown in Fig. 2 and other figures, the internal gear 23 has a first disk portion 23b that can be coupled with a second electromagnetic clutch 52 (described later) and a second disk portion 23c that can be coupled with a third electromagnetic clutch 53. As shown in Fig. 3, the internal gear 23 has a connection end portion 23a to which an outer end portion 31 of a spiral spring 30 is fixed.

[0025] 1 and 2, the internal gear 23 is held by a carrier 24 (described later) and a shaft portion 21a of the sun gear 21 via a known bearing BR. This allows the internal gear 23 to rotate around the rotation axis O via the bearing BR.

[0026] As can be seen from Figures 1 to 4, the carrier 24 is configured so that the inner end 32 of the spiral spring 30 is fixed and arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 11. The carrier 24 includes a gear support shaft 24a that rotatably supports the external gear 22 so that the external gear 22 can move around the outer periphery of the sun gear 21 as a planetary gear, a connection end 24b to which the inner end 32 of the spiral spring 30 is fixed, and a disk portion 24c to which the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 can be coupled. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the carrier 24 is housed in a housing 25 and is capable of rotating about the above-mentioned rotation axis O as a central axis.

[0027] The housing 25 accommodates the sun gear 21, the external gear 22, the internal gear 23, and the carrier 24. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the housing 25 of this embodiment is disposed adjacent to the compressor 10. More specifically, the side of the housing 25 facing the compressor 10 is opened, and the other end 11b of the rotating shaft 11 and the connecting plate 11c can be inserted into the housing 25 through this opening. Therefore, the connecting plate 11c can be coupled with the first electromagnetic clutch 51, and can also mount at least a part of the second electromagnetic clutch 52.

[0028] The spiral spring 30 is connected to the planetary gear mechanism 20 and configured to store at least a part of the driving force of the engine EG. More specifically, the spiral spring 30 of this embodiment includes an outer end 31, which is one end fixed to the internal gear 23, and an inner end 32, which is the other end fixed to the carrier 24, as shown in FIG. 3 and other figures. Note that, as a specific example of the spiral spring 30, a known spiral spring (spiral spring) in which a highly elastic metal material such as SUS (stainless steel) is wound in a spiral shape may be used. Also, the number of turns of the spiral spring 30 may be appropriately set according to the magnitude of the driving force to be stored.

[0029] The electromagnetic clutch group 50 is configured to have the function of transmitting the driving force from the engine EG to the rotating shaft 11, and also connecting or disconnecting the power storage mechanism 40 and the rotating shaft 11. As shown in Table 1 below, the electromagnetic clutch group 50 is broadly divided into a fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 as a normal driving electromagnetic clutch that is also mounted in a known vehicle air conditioner, and a first electromagnetic clutch 51 to a fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 as auxiliary power electromagnetic clutches.

[0030] That is, while the engine EG is running, the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 is controlled by a control device (air conditioner ECU) 60 (described later) to adjust the amount of refrigerant circulated by the compressor 10. Also, during a period when engine braking occurs, for example, on a downhill slope, the auxiliary power electromagnetic clutch is controlled by the control device (air conditioner ECU) 60 to store at least a portion of the driving force of the engine EG in the power storage mechanism 40.

[0031] More specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electromagnetic clutch group 50 of this embodiment includes a first electromagnetic clutch 51 that can maintain or interrupt synchronization between the sun gear 21 and the rotating shaft 11. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one portion of the first electromagnetic clutch 51 is installed on the connecting plate 11c and the other portion is installed on the clutch support portion 21b so as to be able to clamp the connecting plate 11c. When the sun gear 21 and the rotating shaft 11 are brought into a coupled state by the first electromagnetic clutch 51, the sun gear 21 and the rotating shaft 11 can rotate synchronously.

[0032] Moreover, the electromagnetic clutch group 50 of this embodiment includes a second electromagnetic clutch 52 that can maintain or interrupt synchronization between the rotating shaft 11 and the internal gear 23. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one portion of the second electromagnetic clutch 52 is installed on the connecting plate 11c of the rotating shaft 11 and the other portion is installed on the first circular plate portion 23b so as to be able to clamp the first circular plate portion 23b. When the rotating shaft 11 and the internal gear 23 are brought into a coupled state by the second electromagnetic clutch 52, the rotating shaft 11 and the internal gear 23 can rotate synchronously.

[0033] Moreover, the electromagnetic clutch group 50 of this embodiment includes a third electromagnetic clutch 53 that can maintain (connect) or disconnect the fixation between the internal gear 23 and the housing 25. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one portion and the other portion of the third electromagnetic clutch 53 are both installed on the inner wall surface of the housing 25 so as to be able to clamp the above-mentioned second circular plate portion 23c. When the third electromagnetic clutch 53 is connected to the internal gear 23, the rotation of the internal gear 23 about the rotation axis O as the central axis is stopped.

[0034] Moreover, the electromagnetic clutch group 50 of this embodiment includes a fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 that can maintain (connect) or disconnect the fixation between the housing 25 and the carrier 24. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, one portion and the other portion of the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 are both installed on the inner wall surface of the housing 25 so as to be able to clamp the above-mentioned disk portion 24c. When the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 is connected to the carrier 24, the rotation of the carrier 24 about the rotation axis O as the central axis is stopped.

[0035] There are no particular limitations on specific examples of the first electromagnetic clutch 51 to the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 as long as they can achieve the function of the electromagnetic clutch in this disclosure, and known electromagnetic clutches such as those exemplified in JP 2017-053486 A and JP 2014-095402 A may be used.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 60 is configured to have a function of controlling the engaged and disengaged states of the above-mentioned electromagnetic clutch group 50. In order to facilitate comparison and reference, in Fig. 2, the upper side of the drawing, with the rotation axis O as the boundary, shows the OFF state of each electromagnetic clutch, while the lower side of the drawing shows the ON state of each electromagnetic clutch.

[0037] A specific example of such a control device 60 is a known computer device including one or more processors configured with a known CPU and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors. The control device 60 may also include a known storage device capable of storing a program capable of executing a method for controlling the opening and closing of the electromagnetic clutch group 50, which will be described later. Such a storage device may be, for example, a small hard disk, a flash memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or other media capable of storing a program.

[0038] The control device 60 of this embodiment can function as an air conditioner ECU that controls air conditioning by the in-vehicle air conditioner 100. The control device 60 can also detect, for example, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle while it is moving, the ON / OFF state of the air conditioner switch, and the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal (hereinafter, accelerator operation amount) by known sensors mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, the control device 60 can determine whether the vehicle is accelerating or running steadily, for example, from the relationship between the vehicle speed value and the accelerator operation amount.

[0039] <Driving power storage and driving during idling stop using the in-vehicle air conditioner 100> Next, a mode in which the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 of the present disclosure is driven during an idling stop period after the engine is started will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 9. As an example, the control device 60 can control the opening and closing of each electromagnetic clutch according to the running state of the vehicle as shown in Table 1 below.

[0040] First, Fig. 5(a) shows a first period PD1 from when the vehicle engine EG starts until a predetermined acceleration is performed, and Fig. 5(b) shows the operating state of the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 during this first period PD1. As an example, the first period PD1 shows a state in which the vehicle engine starts and idles, and then accelerates to a predetermined vehicle speed V, and the air conditioner is still OFF. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5(a), during the first period PD1, the vehicle speed V and accelerator operation amount A / O increase over time, and the air conditioner switch A / C is OFF.

[0041] 5(b), all of the electromagnetic clutches 50 in the vehicle air conditioner 100 are disconnected (disconnected), and the driving force generated by the engine EG passes through the fan belt VB and remains at the air conditioner pulley 12. In other words, during the first period PD1, the compressor 10 is not driven by the driving force of the engine EG, and the driving force of the engine EG is not transmitted to the power storage mechanism 40.

[0042] Next, Fig. 6(a) shows a second period PD2 after the first period PD1, and Fig. 6(b) shows the operating state of the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 during this second period PD2. The second period PD2, as an example, shows a state in which the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed after the first period PD1 and the air conditioner is turned on. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6(a), during the second period PD2, the vehicle speed V is approximately constant, the accelerator operation amount A / O is not zero, and the air conditioner switch A / C is turned on.

[0043] 6(b), only the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 of the electromagnetic clutch group 50 in the vehicle air conditioner 100 is connected (coupled), and the driving force generated by the engine EG remains at the other end 11b of the rotating shaft 11 of the compressor 10. In other words, in the second period PD2, the compressor 10 is driven by the driving force of the engine EG, but the driving force of the engine EG is not transmitted to the power storage mechanism 40.

[0044] Next, Fig. 7(a) shows a third period PD3 after the above-mentioned second period PD2, and Fig. 7(b) shows the operating state of the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 during this third period PD3. The third period PD3, as an example, shows a state in which the vehicle after the above-mentioned second period PD2 is decelerating by engine braking, for example, on a long downhill slope, and the air conditioner is ON. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7(a), during the third period PD3, there is a period in which the vehicle speed V tends to decelerate, the accelerator operation amount A / O is zero, and the air conditioner switch A / C is ON.

[0045] 7(b), the second electromagnetic clutch 52, the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54, and the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 of the electromagnetic clutch group 50 in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 are in a connected (coupled) state, and the driving force generated by the engine EG is transmitted to the spiral spring 30 via the rotating shaft 11 of the compressor 10. At this time, because the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 is in a coupled state, the internal gear 23 rotates with the carrier 24 fixed to the housing 25, and the spiral spring 30 is wound by the driving force generated by the engine EG.

[0046] In this way, when the vehicle decelerates, the control device 60 can execute control to disconnect the first electromagnetic clutch 51, connect (connect) the second electromagnetic clutch 52, disconnect the third electromagnetic clutch 53, and connect (connect) the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54, while connecting (engaging) the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55, so as to store the driving force of the engine EG in the spiral spring 30 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 11. As a result, during the third period PD3, the compressor 10 is driven by the driving force of the engine EG, and the driving force of the engine EG is transmitted to the power storage mechanism 40 and at least a portion of the driving force is stored in the spiral spring.

[0047] Next, Fig. 8(a) shows a fourth period PD4 after the above-mentioned third period PD3, and Fig. 8(b) shows the operating state of the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 during this fourth period PD4. The fourth period PD4, as an example, shows a state in which the vehicle after the above-mentioned third period PD3 is traveling at a constant speed and the air conditioner is ON. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8(a), during the fourth period PD4, the vehicle speed V is roughly constant or the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating slowly, the accelerator operation amount A / O is not zero, and the air conditioner switch A / C is ON.

[0048] 8(b), the third electromagnetic clutch 53, the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54, and the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 among the electromagnetic clutch group 50 in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 are in a connected (coupled) state, and the driving force generated by the engine EG is retained at the other end 11b of the rotating shaft 11 of the compressor 10. Meanwhile, since both the third electromagnetic clutch 53 and the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 are in a connected (coupled) state, the internal gear 23 and the carrier 24 are fixed to the housing 25 and are restricted from rotating. That is, in the fourth period PD4, the compressor 10 is driven by the driving force of the engine EG, and the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 is maintained.

[0049] Next, Fig. 9(a) shows a fifth period PD5 after the above-mentioned fourth period PD4, and Fig. 9(b) shows the operating state of the in-vehicle air conditioner 100 during this fifth period PD5. The fifth period PD5, as an example, shows a state in which the vehicle, having passed at least the above-mentioned third period PD3, performs an idling stop and the air conditioner switch is ON. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the fifth period PD5 includes a period in which the vehicle is stopped at zero speed V and the accelerator operation amount A / O is zero, and the air conditioner switch A / C is ON.

[0050] At this time, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the first electromagnetic clutch 51 and the third electromagnetic clutch 53 of the electromagnetic clutch group 50 in the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 100 are constantly connected (coupled), and the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 is intermittently disconnected. At this time, when the engine EG is stopped by the idling stop function, the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 is also disconnected, and no driving force is generated by the engine EG. Note that, when it is desired to supply the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 to other vehicle-mounted equipment via the engine EG during idling stop, the control device 60 may keep the fifth electromagnetic clutch 55 connected (coupled) during idling stop.

[0051] In this way, when the engine EG is temporarily stopped (idling stop), the control device 60 connects (couples) the first electromagnetic clutch 51, disconnects the second electromagnetic clutch 52, connects (couples) the third electromagnetic clutch 53, and intermittently opens and closes the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54, thereby enabling the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 to be gradually released in stages. As a result, when the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 is disconnected, the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 is gradually released, causing the carrier 24 to rotate, and following the rotation of the carrier 24, the rotating shaft 11 connected by the first electromagnetic clutch 51 rotates.

[0052] That is, in the fifth period PD5, even during idling stop, the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 is supplied to the compressor 10. At this time, the control device 60 intermittently disconnects the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54, so that the driving force stored in the spiral spring 30 is not released all at once, and it is possible to continuously use the driving force of the spiral spring 30 for a long time while suppressing excessive rotation of the rotating shaft 11. The opening and closing duty ratio of the fourth electromagnetic clutch 54 can be set in advance by experiment or simulation.

[0053] As described above, the control device 60 of this embodiment can execute the opening and closing control of the electromagnetic clutch group 50 in the first period PD1 to the fifth period PD5, respectively, as shown in the following Table 1. Note that the first period PD1 to the fifth period PD5 are examples of the running state of the vehicle, and other states that the vehicle of the present disclosure may be in while running may be further defined.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs may attempt to further modify these embodiments and modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0056] For example, the power storage mechanism 40 may be equipped with a known overwinding prevention mechanism for the spiral spring 30. One example of such an overwinding prevention mechanism is a mechanism in which the inner peripheral surface of the internal gear 23 is provided with several grooves into which the outer end 31 of the spiral spring 30 can slide and be inserted, and when the spiral spring 30 is in an overwound state, the outer end 31 moves through the grooves. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 100 Car air conditioner 10 Compressor 20 Gear mechanism 30 Spiral spring 40 Power storage mechanism 50 Electromagnetic clutch group 60 Control device

Claims

1. An in-vehicle air conditioner installed in a vehicle in which the engine is temporarily stopped when the vehicle is driven, a compressor having a rotating shaft that can be synchronized with the rotation of a crank pulley that is linked to the engine; a power storage mechanism including a planetary gear mechanism connected to the rotating shaft and a spiral spring connected to the planetary gear mechanism and capable of storing at least a portion of the driving force of the engine; a group of electromagnetic clutches that transmit driving force from the engine to the rotating shaft and connect or disconnect the power storage mechanism to or from the rotating shaft; a control device for controlling the engagement and disengagement states of the electromagnetic clutches; In-vehicle air conditioner including.

2. The planetary gear mechanism includes: A sun gear is arranged coaxially with a rotating shaft of the compressor and is connectable to the rotating shaft; an external gear that is meshed with the sun gear and is movable around the sun gear; an internal gear inscribed in the external gear and to which an outer end of the spiral spring is fixed; a carrier to which an inner end of the spiral spring is fixed and which is rotatable coaxially with the rotating shaft; a housing that houses the sun gear, the external gear, the internal gear, and the carrier and is adjacent to the compressor; 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The electromagnetic clutch group includes: a first electromagnetic clutch capable of maintaining or interrupting synchronization between the sun gear and the rotating shaft; a second electromagnetic clutch capable of maintaining or interrupting synchronization between the rotating shaft and the internal gear; a third electromagnetic clutch capable of maintaining or interrupting the fixation between the internal gear and the housing; and a fourth electromagnetic clutch capable of maintaining or interrupting fixation between the housing and the carrier.

3. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2.

4. The control device includes: When the vehicle decelerates, a control is executed to disengage the first electromagnetic clutch, engage the second electromagnetic clutch, disengage the third electromagnetic clutch, and engage the fourth electromagnetic clutch so as to store the driving force of the engine in the spiral spring in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft.

4. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 3.

5. The control device includes: When the engine is temporarily stopped, the first electromagnetic clutch is engaged, the second electromagnetic clutch is disengaged, the third electromagnetic clutch is engaged, and the fourth electromagnetic clutch is intermittently opened and closed to gradually release the driving force stored in the spiral spring.

5. An on-vehicle air conditioner according to claim 3 or 4.

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