Vehicle air conditioning system

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system that enhances user convenience in vehicles having a first driving mode and a second driving mode. [Solution] The vehicle air conditioning system is applied to a vehicle having a first driving mode and a second driving mode. The air conditioning system comprises a heating system and a control device. The heating system is configured to use different heating methods between the first driving mode and the second driving mode. The control device is configured to detect when the user feels hotter when using one of the first and second driving modes compared to when using the other mode, under the same ambient temperature conditions, and to increase the heating intensity of the other mode or decrease the heating intensity of the other mode in response to this detection.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle. 【Background Art】 【0002】 Patent Document 1 discloses a hybrid vehicle. In this hybrid vehicle, in an electric vehicle mode (EV mode) that runs only on the output of an electric motor, heating of the passenger compartment is performed using an electric type passenger compartment heating device such as an electric heater. On the other hand, in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode that runs using both the output of the engine and the electric motor, heating of the passenger compartment using the heat generated by the engine is performed. 【0003】 Patent Document 2 stores (learns) a correction value by making the deviation between the user's set temperature and the indoor air conditioning reference temperature correspond to the driving situation of the vehicle (indoor temperature, outside air temperature, solar radiation, vehicle speed, etc.), and determines a control set temperature while reflecting the learning result according to the comparison result between the user's set temperature and the indoor air conditioning reference temperature. discloses an air conditioner for a vehicle. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a control device that shifts to an air conditioning mode according to the degree of automatic driving (degree of automatic driving) and the state of the driver (occupant) to control the temperature inside the vehicle compartment. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0004】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-016711 【Patent Document 2】 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-276718 【Patent Document 3】 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-177188 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0005】 As described in Patent Document 1, in vehicles where the heating system differs depending on the driving mode, differences in heating performance occur depending on the driving mode. As a result, for example, when the same temperature setting is used regardless of the driving mode, differences may occur in the temperature inside the vehicle that the user feels. Therefore, the user may find it troublesome to change the heating temperature setting according to the driving mode switch in order to eliminate this difference. 【0006】 This disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned issues and aims to provide an air conditioning system that further enhances user convenience in vehicles having a first driving mode and a second driving mode. [Means for solving the problem] 【0007】 The vehicle air conditioning system according to this disclosure is applied to a vehicle having a first driving mode and a second driving mode. The air conditioning system comprises a heating system and a control device. The heating system is configured to use different heating methods between the first driving mode and the second driving mode. The control device is configured to detect when the user feels hotter when using one of the first and second driving modes compared to when using the other mode, under the same ambient temperature conditions, and to increase the heating intensity of the other mode or decrease the heating intensity of the other mode in response to this detection. [Effects of the Invention] 【0008】 According to this disclosure, heating control can be performed in such a way that the difference in the user's perceived temperature between driving modes is minimized. This reduces the frequency with which the user changes the heating temperature setting, thereby improving user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0009】 [Figure 1] This figure illustrates an example of the configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment, and an example of a heating control process according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the details of the heating control according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the heating control according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0010】 Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. 【0011】 1. Configuration of the air conditioning system Figure 1(A) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioning system 10 according to this embodiment. The air conditioning system (hereinafter abbreviated as "air conditioning system") 10 is installed in the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is, for example, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), and more specifically, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), which is an example of an HEV. 【0012】 Vehicle 1 is equipped with an air conditioning system 10, a powertrain 2, a battery 3, and sensors 4. The powertrain 2 includes an internal combustion engine 5 and one or more electric motors 6. The battery 3 exchanges power with the powertrain 2, and more specifically with the one or more electric motors 6. More specifically, the battery 3 is charged by the power generated by the one or more electric motors 6 and discharged by the power consumed by the one or more electric motors 6. The battery 3 also supplies power to the air conditioning system 10. The sensors 4 include, for example, a sensor for detecting the outside air temperature To and a sensor for detecting the interior temperature (interior temperature of vehicle 1) Ti. 【0013】 The powertrain 2 is configured to perform electric vehicle driving (EV driving) using one or more electric motors 6 without operating the internal combustion engine 5 by utilizing electricity supplied from the battery 3, and hybrid vehicle driving (HEV driving) and power generation through the cooperation of the internal combustion engine 5 and one or more electric motors 6. The vehicle 1 has two driving modes: an "EV mode" for EV driving and an "HEV mode" for HEV driving. The EV mode and HEV mode correspond to the "first driving mode" and "second driving mode" described herein. 【0014】 The air conditioning system 10 includes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device 11, a heating system 12, and a control device 13. The HMI device 11 is operated by the user of the vehicle 1 to adjust the settings of the air conditioning system 10. 【0015】 The heating system 12 is configured to provide different heating methods depending on the driving mode (EV mode and HEV mode). Specifically, the heating methods of the heating system 12 include, for example, general engine waste heat heating that utilizes the waste heat of a water-cooled internal combustion engine 5, as a method used in HEV mode when the internal combustion engine 5 is operating. Furthermore, the heating methods of the heating system 12 include, for example, one or any combination of a heat pump heating system, a water heater, an air heater, and a local electric heater (e.g., a seat heater), as a method used in EV mode when the internal combustion engine 5 is basically not operating. Thus, the means of providing heating in the PHEV vehicle 1 differ between EV mode and HEV mode. 【0016】 The control device 13 includes a processor and a memory device, and performs various controls related to the air conditioning system 10. These controls include heating control, which will be described later. Specifically, the control device 13 acquires sensor signals from the sensors 4 and also acquires user operation information (e.g., the heating set temperature Ts, which will be described later) via the HMI device 11. The control device 13 then outputs a control instruction value for the heating intensity, which will be described later, to the heating system 12. The memory device stores various control programs for controlling the powertrain 2. The processor reads the control programs from the memory device and executes them, thereby realizing various controls related to the air conditioning system 10. 【0017】 2. Heating control The air conditioning unit 10 has, for example, an automatic air conditioning mode. Specifically, in automatic air conditioning mode, the control device 13 controls the heating intensity based on the set value of the interior temperature (hereinafter also referred to as "heating set temperature Ts") input by the user operating the HMI device 11. 【0018】 As described above with reference to FIG. 1(A), in the heating of the vehicle 1, different heating methods are used according to the driving mode (EV mode and HEV mode). As a result, since a difference in heating performance occurs according to the driving mode, for example, a difference may occur in the in-vehicle temperature Ti felt by the user when the same heating set temperature Ts is used regardless of the driving mode. The user may feel complexity in changing the heating set temperature Ts in response to the change of the driving mode in order to eliminate the difference. In addition, such a change in the heating set temperature Ts is an operation that is originally unnecessary for the user, and in a PHEV that uses the EV mode and the HEV mode at a certain frequency, the setting change each time impairs the convenience of the user. Further, the setting of an unnecessarily high heating intensity at the initial stage of the transition to the HEV mode leads to an increase in air-conditioning energy consumption. 【0019】 Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control device 13 is configured as follows. That is, in the comparison under the same environmental temperature condition C, the control device 13 detects that the user feels hot when using one of the EV mode and the HEV mode compared to when using the other mode. Then, in response to the detection, the control device 13 increases the heating intensity of the other mode or decreases the heating intensity of one mode. More specifically, the environmental temperature condition C is the environmental temperature of the vehicle 1 (in other words, the user boarding the vehicle 1), and is specified by, for example, at least one of the outside air temperature To and the in-vehicle temperature Ti. Also, the fact that the environmental temperature condition C is the same may include that the environmental temperature condition C is substantially the same. 【0020】 FIG. 1(B) is a flowchart showing an example of the process related to the heating control according to the present embodiment. The process of this flowchart is repeatedly executed by the control device 13 (processor) when the user is using the heating by the air conditioner 10. 【0021】 In step S100, the control device 13 determines whether the learning reflection timing T has arrived (e.g., whether the learning reflection flag (see Figure 3 below) has been turned on). The control device 13 executes a learning process P to learn the user's heating set temperature Ts. The learning reflection timing T here refers to the timing at which the results of the learning process P are reflected in the control of the heating intensity of the heating device 12. 【0022】 Prior to explaining the process in step S100, the learning process by the learning process P is explained. More specifically, the learning process P stores (learns) the relationship between the user's heating set temperature Ts and the ambient temperature conditions C (e.g., outside air temperature To and in-vehicle temperature Ti) for each driving mode. Figure 2(A) shows an example of a 3D map representing the relationship of the learning targets by the learning process P in EV mode, and Figure 2(B) shows an example of a 3D map representing the relationship of the learning targets by the learning process P in HEV mode. 【0023】 The learning process P is executed repeatedly, for example, at predetermined intervals, when the user is using the heater. Specifically, in the learning process P, the control device 13 obtains the outside air temperature To and the interior temperature Ti from the sensors 4, and obtains the user's heater setting temperature Ts from the HMI device 11. The control device 13 also obtains an EV / HEV mode status value indicating the currently selected driving mode from a control device (not shown) that controls the powertrain 2. The control device 13 then stores the user's heater setting temperature Ts as a learned value, distinguishing it according to the current driving mode, in association with the obtained outside air temperature To and interior temperature Ti. This learned value is stored, for example, in the memory of the control device 13. Figure 2(A) illustrates the relationship between the heater setting temperature Ts1_EV and the outside air temperature To1 and interior temperature Ti1 obtained when EV mode is selected. Figure 2(B) illustrates the relationship between the heater setting temperature Ts1_HEV and the outside air temperature To1 and interior temperature Ti1 (the same values ​​as those exemplified in Figure 2(A)) obtained when HEV mode is selected. In this example, the heating set temperature Ts1_EV is higher than the heating set temperature Ts1_HEV. Note that the straight line L in Figures 2(A) and 2(B) passes through the outside air temperature To1 and the interior temperature Ti1, and is parallel to the axis of the heating set temperature Ts. 【0024】 Furthermore, if multiple data points for the heating set temperature Ts are obtained for the same combination of outside air temperature To and inside vehicle temperature Ti, the value of the heating set temperature Ts stored in the learning process P may be, for example, the average value of the multiple obtained data points. 【0025】 In step S100, to determine whether the learning reflection timing has arrived, the control device 13 reads the heating set temperature Ts (learned value) for EV mode and HEV mode under the current ambient temperature condition C from the storage device. The control device 13 then determines, for example, whether the difference in the read heating set temperature Ts, that is, the difference ΔTs between the driving modes for the heating set temperature Ts under the same ambient temperature condition C, is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. An example of the difference ΔTs is the difference between Ts1_EV and Ts1_HEV on the straight line L in Figures 2(A) and 2(B). If the difference ΔTs is greater than or equal to the threshold, the control device 13 turns on the learning reflection flag, that is, determines that the learning reflection timing T has arrived (step S100; Yes). In addition, for example, if the difference ΔTs between the heating set temperatures Ts1_EV and Ts1_HEV (see Figures 2(A) and 2(B)) is greater than or equal to a threshold, the control device 13 detects that the user feels hotter when using HEV mode (one mode) compared to when using EV mode (the other mode). 【0026】 When the learning reflection timing T arrives (step S100; Yes), the control device 13 performs a driving ratio determination to determine which driving mode's heating intensity to change (step S102). Specifically, the control device 13 obtains the respective ratios of EV mode time and HEV mode time during a predetermined driving time from the control device of the powertrain 2. Then, the control device 13 determines whether the EV mode time is longer than the HEV mode time. 【0027】 If the EV mode time is longer than the HEV mode time (step S102; Yes), the control device 13 changes the heating intensity setting (control instruction value) for the HEV mode (step S104). In other words, the heating intensity setting for the driving mode with a larger proportion of use (EV mode) is fixed, while the heating intensity setting for the driving mode with a smaller proportion of use (HEV mode) is changed. For example, if the driving proportion in EV mode is 70% and the driving proportion in HEV mode is 30%, the heating intensity setting for HEV mode is changed. 【0028】 Figure 2(C) is a diagram illustrating an example of how the heating intensity is changed in step S104, showing the relationship between the heating intensity control command value (in units, e.g., kW) and the heating set temperature Ts. The dashed line in Figure 2(C) shows the initial setting of the control command value, where the higher the heating set temperature Ts, the larger the control command value. On the other hand, the solid line in Figure 2(C) shows the setting of the control command value after the learning process described above has been applied. The change in the control command value due to the application of the learning process described above is performed according to the difference ΔTs mentioned above. Specifically, according to the setting after the learning process shown in Figure 2(C), the control command value for HEV mode is changed to be lower than the initial setting (dashed line) because the heating set temperature Ts (learned value by learning process P) is lower in HEV mode than in EV mode, as in the example of heating set temperatures Ts1_EV and Ts1_HEV. More specifically, in the example shown in Figure 2(C), the control command value after the learning process has been changed to be lower than the initial setting across the entire range of heating set temperatures Ts. Furthermore, for example, the control instruction value after learning may be modified such that the larger the difference ΔTs, the greater the decrease in the control instruction value relative to the initial setting. 【0029】 On the other hand, if the HEV mode time is longer than the EV mode time (step S102; No), the control device 13 changes the setting of the heating intensity in EV mode (control instruction value) (step S106). If the EV mode time and the HEV mode time are equal, the process may proceed to step S106 as shown in Figure 1(B), or conversely, to step S104. 【0030】 In step S106, when changing the control instruction value for the heating intensity in EV mode, the control device 13 uses the same relationship as shown in Figure 2(C). Specifically, in cases where the heating set temperature Ts (learned value by learning process P) is higher in EV mode than in HEV mode, such as in the examples of heating set temperatures Ts1_EV and Ts1_HEV, the control device 13 changes the control instruction value after learning to be higher than the initial setting, the opposite of what is shown in Figure 2(C). 【0031】 By selecting which heating intensity settings to change, as in the process described in steps S102 to S106, the heating intensity for driving modes used for longer periods of time remains unchanged. This minimizes discomfort for the user while reducing the frequency with which they change the heating temperature settings. 【0032】 In addition, specific examples of how the heating intensity can be adjusted by changing the control instruction value through the processing in steps S104 and S106 include adjusting the power supplied to the heating device 12, adjusting the airflow rate for heating, etc. Alternatively, for example, the heating intensity may be adjusted by performing heating based on a value higher or lower than the user's heating set temperature Ts. Alternatively, for example, the heating intensity may be adjusted by automatically adjusting the heating set temperature Ts itself (for example, when transitioning from the first driving mode to the second driving mode, if the difference in heating set temperature Ts between the first driving mode and the second driving mode is 2°C, the heating set temperature Ts may automatically change from, for example, 28°C to 26°C). 【0033】 Figure 3 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the heating control according to this embodiment. Figure 3 corresponds to an example of the process in step S104 described above. In Figure 3, when vehicle 1 is running in EV mode, the learning reflection flag is turned on at time t1 (step S100; Yes). In this example, the learning reflection of the heating set temperature Ts is applied to the control instruction value of the heating intensity in HEV mode because the EV mode time is longer than the HEV mode time (step S102; Yes). That is, the control instruction value of HEV mode after learning reflection (solid line) is changed to be lower than the control instruction value in the initial setting (dotted line). Along with this change in the control instruction value, the learning reflection flag is turned off. 【0034】 In Figure 3, at time t2, following time t1, the driving mode switches from EV mode to HEV mode. The dashed line representing the heating set temperature Ts after time t2 indicates that the heating set temperature Ts was lowered by a user who felt it was too hot at the same setting as in EV mode. This user action also reduces the control command value for the heating intensity in HEV mode (dashed line after time t2). In contrast, if the HEV mode control command value reflects learning, the heating intensity is immediately controlled according to the learned control command value (solid line) upon switching to HEV mode at time t2. Therefore, no user action is required after switching to HEV mode. 【0035】 3. Effects As explained above, according to the heating control of this embodiment, in a PHEV vehicle 1, the difference ΔTs between the heating set temperature Ts in EV mode and the heating set temperature Ts in HEV mode is learned. If the learning results show a tendency for the heating set temperature Ts in EV mode to be the same as the heating set temperature Ts in HEV mode, the control device 13 increases the heating intensity in EV mode or decreases the heating intensity in HEV mode. In other words, in response to the detection of the difference in the user's perception of heat due to the difference in driving modes, the heating intensity is controlled in a direction that reduces the amount the user manipulates the temperature setting according to the driving mode switch (in other words, the results of learning by the learning process P are reflected in the setting of the heating intensity). This reduces the frequency (and amount) of changes the heating set temperature Ts made by the user, thus improving user convenience. Furthermore, this leads to the suppression of unnecessary air conditioning energy consumption by setting the heating to match the user's requirements. 【0036】 Furthermore, although the learning process P for the heating setting temperature Ts was described above as learning specific to vehicle 1, it may also be performed as learning specific to individual users. That is, if the user can be identified each time, the learning values ​​may be reflected for each user. This can further improve the convenience for individual users of vehicle 1. [Explanation of Symbols] 【0037】 1. Vehicle, 2. Powertrain, 3. Battery, 4. Sensors, 10. Air conditioning system, 11. HMI system, 12. Heating system, 13. Control device

Claims

[Claim 1] An air conditioning system for a vehicle having a first driving mode and a second driving mode, A heating device configured to utilize different heating methods between the first driving mode and the second driving mode, A control device configured to detect when the user feels hotter when using one of the first and second driving modes compared to when using the other mode under the same ambient temperature conditions, and to increase the heating intensity of the other mode or decrease the heating intensity of the first mode in response to the detection, Equipped with Vehicle air conditioning system.

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