Vehicle air conditioning control device

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning control device for a vehicle that can prevent voice or notification sound from becoming hard to hear due to air conditioning noise without impairing the comfort in a vehicle cabin. The importance of each type of notification given to the occupant by voice or alarm is set, and the air conditioning mode is changed depending on the importance of the notification.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an air outlet control device for a vehicle air conditioner, which includes an air outlet determination means for selectively determining, when an occupant's voice is input, an air outlet from among a plurality of air outlets that inhibits the recognition of the voice, and an air outlet air volume control means for limiting the volume of air blown out from the air outlet determined by the air outlet determination means to a predetermined volume or less if the vehicle air conditioner is operating when the voice is input. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-118675 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Some vehicles are equipped with an alarm device that notifies occupants of various information by sound. In vehicles equipped with such an alarm device, the sound of the air conditioner blowing out from the air outlet when the air conditioner is operating may be air conditioning noise that may prevent occupants from hearing the alarm sound.

[0005] In such a case, for example, it may be possible to increase the volume of the notification sound when the air conditioner is operating compared to when the air conditioner is not operating so that the notification sound can be heard by the occupants. However, if the volume of the notification sound is increased, the notification sound will be loud enough to reverberate throughout the vehicle cabin, reducing the comfort for the occupants.

[0006] Also, when the notification device issues a warning, it is possible to uniformly limit the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet to a predetermined volume that is a fixed value, as in the air outlet control device described in Patent Document 1. However, if the volume of the conditioned air is uniformly limited to a predetermined volume that is a fixed value when the notification device issues a warning, the air conditioning performance will decrease, and the comfort in the vehicle cabin will be impaired.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning control device for a vehicle that can prevent air conditioning noise from making it difficult to hear voices or alarm sounds without compromising comfort in the vehicle cabin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle occupant with a vehicle warning system, the vehicle warning system being configured such that a level of importance of each of various types of warnings given to the occupant by voice or warning sound is set, When the importance of the notification is higher than the importance of air conditioning, The air conditioning mode is changed so that the air conditioning noise is reduced as the importance of the notification increases, If the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning, the current air conditioning mode is maintained. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide 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 the comfort inside the vehicle cabin. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 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. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various air outlets provided in a vehicle compartment to which the vehicle air conditioning control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the air conditioning setting process executed by the A / C controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a noise level calculation map in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between notification contents and notification levels. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the notification level and the allowable noise level. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of setting the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of air conditioning setting processing in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between various conditions and the importance of air conditioning. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the notification level and the importance of the notification. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the importance of notifications, the importance of air conditioning, and the contents of changes to air conditioning settings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The vehicle air conditioning control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the importance of each type of notification given to the occupant by voice or alarm sound is set, and the air conditioning mode is changed according to the importance of the notification. As a result, the vehicle air conditioning control device according to one embodiment of the present invention can prevent the voice or alarm sound from being difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise, without compromising the comfort in the vehicle cabin.

[0012] An air conditioning control device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. EXAMPLES

[0013] 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 an alarm function controller 50. As the vehicle 1, various vehicles such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a gasoline vehicle, or a diesel vehicle can be applied.

[0014] The air conditioning unit 7 conditions the air inside the vehicle cabin, and executes air conditioning operations based on air conditioning control by the A / C controller 8. Here, the air conditioning operations refer to operations in the air conditioning unit 7, such as driving the blower fan 20 described below, switching the position of the inlet switching door 11, and switching the air outlet.

[0015] The air conditioning unit 7 is formed with an outside air inlet 10a that connects the inside of the air conditioning unit 7 to the outside of the vehicle cabin, and an inside air inlet 10b that connects the inside of the air conditioning unit 7 to the inside of the vehicle cabin, as inlets for air to be blown into the vehicle cabin.

[0016] The outside air inlet 10a is an inlet that introduces air outside the vehicle cabin into the air conditioning unit 7. The inside air inlet 10b is an inlet that introduces air inside the vehicle cabin into the air conditioning unit 7, that is, an inlet that introduces air circulating inside the vehicle cabin.

[0017] An inlet switching door 11 that switches the inlet for air blown into the vehicle cabin between an outside air inlet 10a and an inside air inlet 10b is provided inside the air conditioning unit 7. The inlet switching door 11 is rotatably attached inside the air conditioning unit 7 so as to be movable between a position where the outside air inlet 10a is closed and the inside air inlet 10b is opened, and a position where the inside air inlet 10b is closed and the outside air inlet 10a is opened.

[0018] The inlet switching door 11 is provided with an actuator 12 for driving the inlet switching door 11. The actuator 12 controls the position of the inlet switching door 11 in response to control by the A / C controller 8.

[0019] The air conditioning unit 7 is configured so that the position of the inlet switching door 11 is switched in accordance with the control of the A / C control controller 8, thereby switching the intake mode between an outside air intake mode (hereinafter simply referred to as "outside air intake") in which air from outside the passenger compartment is introduced to the blower fan 20 through the outside air inlet 10a, and an inside air circulation mode (hereinafter simply referred to as "inside air circulation") in which air from inside the passenger compartment is introduced to the blower fan 20 through the inside air inlet 10b.

[0020] In this way, the inlet switching door 11 and the actuator 12 switch between inside air circulation and outside air circulation to take in either inside air or outside air into the air conditioning unit 7. The inlet switching door 11 and the actuator 12 of this embodiment constitute the inside / outside air switching section of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, a defroster outlet 31, a side demister outlet 31a, a center outlet 32a, a side outlet 32b, and a foot outlet 33 are provided as outlets for air blown into the passenger compartment by the air conditioning unit 7.

[0022] The defroster outlet 31 is opened on the front windshield side of the instrument panel 2. The side demister outlet 31a is opened on the instrument panel 2 and communicates with the defroster outlet 31.

[0023] The center air outlet 32a is open toward the driver's seat and the passenger seat in the center in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 2. The side air outlets 32b are open toward the driver's seat and the passenger seat on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 2. The vehicle width direction means the width direction of the vehicle 1, and the direction in which the driver's seat and the passenger seat are lined up.

[0024] In this embodiment, the center outlet 32a and the side outlets 32b constitute a 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 according to the position of an operating lever that can be operated by a vehicle occupant.

[0025] The foot air outlet 33 is opened toward the feet of the occupants seated in the driver's seat and the passenger seat at the bottom of the instrument panel 2. The above-mentioned defroster air outlet 31, the side demister air outlet 31a, the vent air outlet 32, and the foot air outlet 33 constitute a plurality of air outlets in the present invention.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning unit 7 is formed with a defroster exhaust port 14a connected to a defroster outlet 31, a vent exhaust port 14b connected to a vent outlet 32, and a foot exhaust port 14c connected to a foot outlet 33.

[0027] In the air conditioning unit 7, there are provided an air outlet switching door 16a for opening and closing the defroster exhaust port 14a, and an air outlet switching door 16b for opening and closing the vent exhaust port 14b and the foot exhaust port 14c.

[0028] 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 exhaust port 14a is closed and a position where the defroster exhaust port 14a is opened.

[0029] The air outlet switching door 16a is provided with an actuator 17a for driving the air outlet switching door 16a. The actuator 17a is adapted to control the position of the air outlet switching door 16a in accordance with the control by the A / C controller 8.

[0030] The air outlet switching door 16b is rotatably mounted within the air conditioning unit 7 so as to be movable 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.

[0031] The air outlet switching door 16b is provided with an actuator 17b for driving the air outlet switching door 16b. The actuator 17b controls the position of the air outlet switching door 16b in response to control by the A / C controller 8.

[0032] 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 portion in the present invention.

[0033] In 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 the air inlet to the air outlet.

[0034] The blower fan 20 blows air into the vehicle cabin. Hereinafter, the air blown into the vehicle cabin by the blower fan 20 is referred to as "conditioned air" to distinguish it from the air introduced from outside the vehicle cabin during outside air introduction and the air introduced into the vehicle cabin during inside air circulation. Thus, the blower fan 20 blows either the inside air or the outside air introduced into the air conditioning unit 7 through the inlet switching door 11 into the vehicle cabin as conditioned air.

[0035] 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 the 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 response to 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 the blower fan motor 24 in this embodiment constitute the blowing section in the present invention.

[0036] The evaporator core 21 cools and dehumidifies the air that passes through the evaporator core 21 and is blown into the vehicle cabin as conditioned air by exchanging heat between the air passing through the evaporator core 21 and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator core 21. The evaporator core 21 is provided with a compressor 25 and an exterior condenser (not shown). This allows the air conditioning unit 7 to function as a cooling device.

[0037] The compressor 25 is connected to the evaporator core 21 via a refrigerant passage 25a, and compresses the 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 the compression section in the present invention.

[0038] The air mix door 22 is adapted to adjust the flow rate, i.e., the amount of air, of air passing through the PTC heater 23. Specifically, the air mix door 22 is rotatably attached in the air conditioning unit 7 so as to be able 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.

[0039] The air mix door 22 is provided with an actuator 27 for driving the air mix door 22. The actuator 27 controls the position of the air mix door 22 in response to control by the A / C controller 8. The air mix door 22 and the actuator 27 in this embodiment constitute the air amount adjusting section in the present invention.

[0040] The PTC heater 23 functions as a heat source for heating the air to be 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 the heat exchanger in the present invention.

[0041] 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 to be blown into the vehicle compartment passes through the PTC heater 23. If the vehicle 1 is configured as 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.

[0042] The A / C controller 8 is composed of a computer unit equipped with 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.

[0043] The ROM of the A / C controller 8 stores various constants, various maps, and the like, 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, the CPU executes the program stored in the ROM, causing the computer unit to function as the A / C controller 8.

[0044] The input port of the A / C controller 8 is connected to various sensors including an evaporator temperature sensor 21a, an A / C operation panel 40, and various controllers including an alarm function controller 50. The evaporator temperature sensor 21a detects the temperature of the evaporator core 21.

[0045] The A / C operation panel 40 is provided with various switches, including an air conditioning switch for switching the air conditioning unit 7 on / off, an air intake mode selection switch for selecting an intake mode between outside air intake and inside air circulation, an air conditioning mode selection switch for selecting an air conditioning mode consisting of a combination of the ratios of the flow rates of the conditioned air blown out from the defroster outlet 31, the vent outlet 32, and the foot outlet 33, an air volume adjustment switch for setting the flow rate of the conditioned air blown out from these outlets (hereinafter simply referred to as the "blow-out amount"), and a temperature setting switch for setting the set temperature.

[0046] The air conditioning mode selection switch is configured to select one air conditioning mode from, for example, a defroster mode, a vent mode, a foot mode, a bi-level mode, and a defroster foot mode.

[0047] The defroster mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the defroster air outlet 31. The vent mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the vent air outlets 32, i.e., the center air outlet 32a and the side air outlets 32b. The foot mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the foot air outlet 33.

[0048] The bi-level 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.

[0049] An audio output device 51, such as a horn including a buzzer or a speaker, is connected to the notification function controller 50. In this embodiment, the notification function controller 50 and the audio output device 51 constitute the notification device 5.

[0050] The notification device 5 is configured to provide 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 voice or notification sound corresponding to the various notifications is output from the audio output device 51. The notification device 5 in this embodiment constitutes the notification unit in the present invention.

[0051] The above-mentioned various notifications include, for example, notifications related to collision prevention safety warnings, notifications related to engine abnormality warnings, notifications related to seat belt reminders, and voice guidance for directions from a car navigation system. These various notifications have different levels of importance, and among the various notifications, notifications related to collision prevention safety warnings are set to have the highest level of importance. The "importance of a notification" is an index indicating the extent to which the content of the notification affects safety and requires urgency. Thus, the importance of a notification is higher for notifications related to safety or requiring urgency, whereas the importance of a notification is lower for notifications that do not affect safety as much or do not require urgency.

[0052] To the output port of the A / C controller 8, various control targets such as the actuator 12, the actuator 17a, the actuator 17b, the actuator 27, the PTC heater 23, the blower fan motor 24, and the compressor 25 are connected.

[0053] The A / C controller 8 controls various control objects based on information obtained from various sensors, controllers, and 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 appropriately controls the actuator 27 and the PTC heater 23 so that the inside air temperature detected by an inside air temperature sensor (not shown) becomes equal to the temperature set by the temperature setting switch on the A / C operation panel 40.

[0054] In addition, when an alert is issued by the alert device 5, the A / C control controller 8 functions as a control unit 81 that controls the blower fan motor 24 to change the volume of the air-conditioned air depending on the importance of the alert issued by the alert device 5.

[0055] Next, a process for determining the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 in the air conditioning control of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning setting process") will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. This air conditioning setting process is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals by the A / C controller 8 during air conditioning control, i.e., when the air conditioning unit 7 is in the ON state.

[0056] 3, the A / C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the air volume of the blower fan 20 based on the request of the occupant (step S1). Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the air volume of the blower fan 20 based on 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 sensor information, such as the inside air temperature detected by an inside air temperature sensor.

[0057] Next, the A / C controller 8 determines whether the notification device 5 is operating, that is, whether the notification device 5 is making a notification (step S2).

[0058] If the A / C controller 8 determines that the alarm device 5 is not operating, it determines the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S1 as the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to be used in the air conditioning control, and terminates the air conditioning setting process.

[0059] When it is determined that the alarm device 5 is operating, the A / C controller 8 calculates the noise level of the noise in the vehicle cabin (step S3). Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates the noise level based on the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S1, with reference to a noise level calculation map shown in FIG.

[0060] The noise level calculated by the noise level calculation map represents the volume of noise inside the vehicle cabin 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 airflow 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.

[0061] The noise level calculation map is a relationship between the air conditioning mode, the airflow rate of the blower fan 20, and the noise level that has been experimentally obtained in advance, and is stored in the ROM of the A / C controller 8. In this embodiment, the noise level is set in 10 stages, but this is not limited to this and the number of stages to be set is arbitrary.

[0062] In this embodiment, the noise level is calculated from the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20, but the noise level may be calculated from the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 regardless of the air conditioning mode. In this case, a map showing the relationship between the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 and the noise level experimentally obtained in advance is stored in the ROM of the A / C controller 8.

[0063] Furthermore, the noise level may be calculated based on the air conditioning mode regardless of the airflow rate of the blower fan 20. In this case, a map showing the relationship between the noise level and each air conditioning mode experimentally obtained in advance is stored in the ROM of the A / C controller 8.

[0064] Next, the A / C controller 8 calculates a notification level, which is an index showing the importance of the notification (step S4). The notification level is expressed in 50 stages according to the importance of the notification, and for example, as shown in Fig. 5, each notification is assigned one of notification levels 1 to 50. The relationship between each notification and the notification level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A / C controller 8.

[0065] In this embodiment, the smaller the notification level value, the higher the importance of the notification is set. In this embodiment, the "collision prevention safety warning" is set to notification level 1, which is the highest importance of the notification, followed by the "engine abnormality warning" at notification level 2, the "seatbelt reminder" at notification level 3, the "audio guidance of route guidance by the car navigation device" at notification level 45, and the "other than the above" at notification level 50, which is the lowest importance of the notification.

[0066] In this embodiment, the notifications of the collision prevention safety warning, the "engine abnormality warning" and the "seatbelt reminder" are included in the "notifications for avoiding a vehicle collision or reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision". The "notifications for avoiding a vehicle collision or reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision" are not limited to the notifications described above.

[0067] In this embodiment, the collision prevention safety warning is set to notification level 1, but notifications other than the collision prevention safety warning for avoiding a vehicle collision or for reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision may be set to have the highest importance depending on, for example, the vehicle model, specifications, etc. Also, each notification level differs depending on, for example, the vehicle model, specifications, etc., and is not set in the notification level order shown in this embodiment.

[0068] In this way, the importance of a notification is set higher for notifications related to safety or requiring urgency. In contrast, notifications such as "audio guidance for directions by a car navigation device" have a relatively low impact on safety and urgency compared to "notifications for avoiding a vehicle collision or reducing damage to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision," and therefore the importance of the notification is set relatively low. In this embodiment, the notification levels are set to 50 levels, but the number of levels to be set is arbitrary and is not limited to 50 levels.

[0069] Next, the A / C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 when the alarm device is activated (step S5). Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates an allowable noise level according to the alarm level calculated in step S4. The allowable noise level is an index indicating the level of air conditioning noise that is allowable in the vehicle cabin according to the alarm level when the alarm device is activated.

[0070] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, notification levels 1 to 50 are assigned to allowable noise levels 1 to 10. For example, notification levels 1 and 2 are set to the lowest allowable noise level 1, and notification levels 49 and 50 are set to the highest allowable noise level 10. In this way, the allowable noise level decreases as the notification level increases, that is, as the importance of the notification increases. The relationship between the notification level and the allowable noise level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A / C control controller 8.

[0071] 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.

[0072] The A / C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode and sets the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to a reduced level so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle cabin becomes equal to or lower than the target noise level set as described above.

[0073] 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 sets a reduced air volume of the blower fan 20 so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin is equal to or lower than the allowable noise level. If the current noise level is lower than the allowable noise level, the A / C controller 8 may maintain the currently set air conditioning mode and the currently set air volume of the blower fan 20.

[0074] The A / C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S5 as the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to be used in the air conditioning control, and ends the air conditioning setting process.

[0075] As a result, when the notification device 5 issues a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is in operation, the volume of the air conditioning air is reduced or the air conditioning mode is switched so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin becomes lower as the importance of the notification increases. The air conditioning mode is switched so that the outlet from which the air conditioning air is blown out becomes an outlet with a low noise level.

[0076] Next, an example of setting the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 in step S5 of the air conditioning setting process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0077] The setting example shown in FIG. 7 shows a case where 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 the vent mode.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 7, since the allowable noise level is "6", which is lower than the current noise level of 9, the A / C controller 8 needs to switch the air conditioning mode or set the air volume of the blower fan 20 to a reduced volume so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin becomes equal to or lower than the allowable noise level.

[0079] 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 switching depending on the environment outside the vehicle and the air conditioning setting of the occupant.

[0080] For example, when the heating mode is set in the winter when the temperature is low, the defroster mode is selected as the switching destination of the air conditioning mode. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 is set so that the airflow rate in the defroster mode matches the allowable noise level, so that the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 increases when the mode is switched from the vent mode to the defroster mode. This increases the airflow rate of the conditioned air, allowing the entire vehicle interior to be warmed up quickly. If the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 is not increased, the noise level when the mode is switched from the vent mode to the defroster mode will be below the allowable noise level.

[0081] When cooling is set during the hot summer months, the bi-level mode is selected as the air conditioning mode to be switched to. In the example shown in Fig. 7, when switching from the vent mode to the defroster mode, the volume of air sent by the blower fan 20 is reduced. This reduces the volume of conditioned air, but the bi-level mode allows cool air to be blown directly toward the occupants, so the occupants do not lose their sense of coolness.

[0082] In this way, when there are two air conditioning modes to which the air conditioning mode can be switched when the alarm device is activated, it is preferable to select the air conditioning mode that is comfortable for the occupants depending on the external environment of the vehicle 1 and the air conditioning settings of the occupants.

[0083] As described above, the vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment can change the volume of the air conditioning air depending on the importance of the notification when the notification device 5 issues a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating.

[0084] Specifically, when the importance of the notification made by the notification device 5 is high, the volume of the air conditioning air can be reduced or the air conditioning mode can be switched so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin is lower than when the importance of the notification is low. Also, the importance of the notification is set to be higher for notifications related to safety or notifications requiring urgency, with the highest being set for "notifications to avoid vehicle collisions or to reduce injury to occupants in the event of a vehicle collision."

[0085] Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment can suppress air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin when the importance of the alert is high, and can prevent important alerts output by voice or alert sound from being difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise.

[0086] In addition, since the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin is suppressed when the importance of the notification is high, there is no need to increase the volume of the voice or notification sound so that the occupants can hear the notification of high importance. This prevents the voice or notification sound from ringing out at a high volume in the vehicle cabin, and thus prevents the comfort of the occupants from being impaired.

[0087] Furthermore, in the vehicle air conditioning control device according to this embodiment, when the importance of the notification is low, the allowable noise level is set higher than when the importance of the notification is high, so that air conditioning operation by the air conditioning unit 7 takes priority over suppression of air conditioning noise. Therefore, when the importance of the notification is low, the amount of reduction in the air conditioning airflow is reduced or the current airflow of the air conditioning airflow is maintained. Also, the air conditioning mode may be maintained at the current air conditioning mode. As a result, when the importance of the notification is low, loss of comfort in the air conditioning is suppressed.

[0088] In the vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment, the noise level of noise inside the vehicle cabin is calculated based on the air conditioning mode calculated in step S1 and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20, with reference to the noise level calculation map shown in FIG. 4. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the noise level may be calculated based on whether the intake mode is set to outside air introduction or inside air circulation, or on the operating state of the compressor 25.

[0089] The noise level may also be calculated using a microphone used in a car navigation device, etc. When the noise level is calculated using a microphone, it is possible to calculate a comprehensive noise level that takes into account not only the air conditioning noise, but also the outside environment of the vehicle, such as road conditions, and the inside environment of the vehicle, such as audio settings.

[0090] Furthermore, in the air conditioning setting process of this embodiment, when the alarm device is activated, the air conditioning mode is switched or the blower fan 20 is set to a reduced air volume so that the noise level inside the vehicle cabin is kept below the tolerable noise level. However, the blower fan 20 may be set to a reduced air volume without switching the air conditioning mode, or the air conditioning mode may be switched without changing the air volume of the blower fan 20.

[0091] Furthermore, if the importance of the notification is high, at or above a certain level, the blower fan 20 may be stopped. In this case, the air conditioning will stop, but the notification sound can be more reliably conveyed to the occupants. EXAMPLES

[0092] Next, a vehicle air conditioning control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. The vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in part of the contents of the air conditioning setting process, but other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 8, the A / C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the air volume of the blower fan 20 based on the request of the occupant (step S11). Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates the air conditioning mode and the air volume of the blower fan 20 based on various switches, such as the air conditioning mode selection switch, the air volume adjustment switch, and the temperature setting switch, on the A / C operation panel 40, and various sensor information, such as the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor.

[0095] Next, the A / C controller 8 determines whether the notification device 5 is operating, that is, whether the notification device 5 is making a notification (step S12).

[0096] If the A / C controller 8 determines that the alarm device 5 is not operating, it determines the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S11 as the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to be used in the air conditioning control, and terminates the air conditioning setting process.

[0097] When it is determined that the alarm 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).

[0098] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, three air conditioning importance levels are set: "High", "Middle", and "Low", with "High" being the highest air conditioning importance level, followed by "Middle" and "Low" in decreasing order. When two or more of the conditions shown in Fig. 9 are met, the air conditioning level with the highest air conditioning importance level is adopted. The relationship between the conditions shown in Fig. 9 and the air conditioning importance levels is stored in advance in the ROM of the A / C controller 8. The number of air conditioning importance levels is not limited to three as described above, but may be two, four or more.

[0099] Specifically, when the air conditioning mode is the defroster mode or the defroster foot mode, the A / C controller 8 calculates the importance of air conditioning to be "High" as shown in Fig. 9. In the defroster mode or the defroster foot mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the defroster outlet 31, the importance of air conditioning is high as it is an air conditioning mode related to safety because it is necessary to defog the windshield to ensure the driver's visibility.

[0100] In addition, when the air mix door 22 is in the maximum heating position or maximum cooling position, or when the blower fan 20 is at the maximum airflow, the A / C controller 8 calculates the importance of air conditioning to be "Middle", which is more important than "Low", because passengers' comfort is considered to be highly desired. 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.

[0101] Furthermore, when the air conditioning mode, the air mix door 22, and the blower fan 20 are in an operating state other than those described above, the A / C controller 8 calculates the importance of air conditioning to be "Low."

[0102] In addition to the air conditioning mode, the air mix door 22, and the operating state of the blower fan 20, the A / C controller 8 may also calculate the importance of air conditioning by adding other conditions such as whether the intake mode is internal air circulation or external air introduction, and whether the compressor 25 is operating or not.

[0103] The importance of air conditioning may also be calculated according to an arbitrary duration (e.g., 5 minutes) from when the air conditioning mode is set to the defroster mode or the defrost foot mode, or from when the position of the air mix door 22 is set to the maximum heating position or the maximum cooling position. For example, the importance of air conditioning shown in Fig. 9 is calculated until the arbitrary duration has elapsed, but after the arbitrary duration has elapsed, the importance of air conditioning shown in Fig. 9 may be calculated to be lowered by one level, from "High" to "Middle" or from "Middle" to "Low."

[0104] Next, the A / C controller 8 calculates the noise level of the noise in the vehicle cabin (step S14). Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates the noise level based on the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S11, with reference to a noise level calculation map shown in FIG.

[0105] 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 calculates the importance of the notification as "High", "Middle", or "Low" based on the calculated notification level.

[0106] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, three levels of notification importance are set: “High,” “Middle,” and “Low.” “High” is the highest level of notification importance, followed by “Middle” and “Low” in decreasing order of notification importance.

[0107] As shown in Fig. 10, when the notification level is "1 to 10", the importance of the notification is calculated as "High", when the notification level is "11 to 40", the importance of the notification is calculated as "Middle", and when the notification level is "41 to 50", the importance of the notification is calculated as "Low". The relationship between the conditions and the importance of the notification shown in Fig. 10 is stored in advance in the ROM of the A / C control controller 8.

[0108] Next, the A / C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the airflow rate of the blower fan 20 when the alarm device is activated (step S16).

[0109] Specifically, the A / C controller 8 calculates the allowable noise level according to the notification level calculated in step S15. The method of calculating the allowable noise level is the same as that in the first embodiment. The relationship between the notification level and the allowable noise level is stored in advance in the ROM of the A / C controller 8.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 11, 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 air conditioning or notification is to be given priority.

[0111] If the A / C controller 8 compares the importance of air conditioning with the importance of the notification and finds that the importance of the notification is equal to or greater than the importance of air conditioning, it sets the target noise level to the smaller of the allowable noise level set according to the notification level as described above or the current noise level calculated in step S14.

[0112] The A / C controller 8 switches the air conditioning mode and sets the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to a reduced level so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle cabin becomes equal to or lower than the target noise level set as described above.

[0113] 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 sets a reduced air volume of the blower fan 20 so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin is equal to or lower than the allowable noise level. If the current noise level is lower than the allowable noise level, the A / C controller 8 may maintain the currently set air conditioning mode and the currently set air volume of the blower fan 20.

[0114] In this way, when the importance of the notification is equal to or greater than the importance of the air conditioning, the notification is given priority over the air conditioning.

[0115] If the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning as a result of comparing the importance of the air conditioning with the importance of the notification, the A / C control controller 8 determines that the current noise level can be maintained and maintains the currently set air conditioning mode and the airflow volume of the blower fan 20.

[0116] In this way, when the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning, the air conditioning is given priority over the notification.

[0117] The A / C controller 8 determines the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 calculated in step S16 as the air conditioning mode and the air flow rate of the blower fan 20 to be used in the air conditioning control, and ends the air conditioning setting process.

[0118] As a result, when the notification device 5 issues a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is in operation, if the importance of the notification is equal to or greater than the importance of the air conditioning, the volume of the air conditioning air is reduced or the air conditioning mode is switched so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin becomes lower as the importance of the notification becomes higher. The air conditioning mode is switched so that the outlet from which the air conditioning air is blown out becomes an outlet with a low noise level.

[0119] When the notification device 5 issues a notification while the air conditioning unit 7 is in operation, if the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning, the current airflow rate of the air conditioning is maintained or the current air conditioning mode is maintained.

[0120] As described above, the vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment can change the volume of the air conditioning air or switch the air conditioning mode when the alarm device 5 issues an alarm while the air conditioning unit 7 is operating, depending on the comparison result between the importance of the air conditioning and the importance of the alarm.

[0121] Specifically, when the importance of the notification is equal to or greater than the importance of the air conditioning, the volume of the air conditioning air can be reduced or the air conditioning mode can be switched so that the noise level of the air conditioning noise inside the vehicle cabin is lower than when the importance of the notification is low.

[0122] Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning control device of this embodiment can suppress air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin when the importance of the alert is equal to or greater than the importance of the air conditioning, and can prevent important alerts output by voice or alert sound from being difficult to hear due to air conditioning noise.

[0123] In addition, when the importance of the notification is equal to or greater than the importance of the air conditioning, the air conditioning noise in the vehicle cabin is suppressed, so there is no need to increase the volume of the voice or notification sound so that the occupants can hear the notification of high importance. This prevents the voice or notification sound from ringing out at a high volume in the vehicle cabin, and thus prevents the comfort of the occupants from being impaired.

[0124] When the importance of the notification is lower than the importance of the air conditioning, the current air volume of the conditioned air can be maintained 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, if reducing the air volume of the conditioned air would reduce the air conditioning performance in the air conditioning operation that is related to safety, it is preferable to maintain the current air volume of the conditioned air or the current air conditioning mode. An example of an air conditioning operation that is related to safety is an air conditioning operation that blows conditioned air from the defroster outlet 31 to defog the windshield.

[0125] When the importance of the notification is lower than that of the air conditioning, the current air volume of the air conditioning can be maintained or the current air conditioning mode can be maintained, so that when the passengers' comfort is considered to be highly desired, the deterioration of the air conditioning performance can be suppressed, thereby preventing the passengers' comfort from being impaired.

[0126] Although an embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1 vehicle 5. Notification device (notification section) 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 section) 17b Actuator (air outlet switching section) 20 Blower fan (air blowing section) 21 Evaporator core 22 Air mix door (air volume adjustment section) 23 PTC heater (heat exchange section) 24 Blower fan motor (air blowing section) 25 Compressor (compression section) 27 Actuator (air volume adjustment section) 31 Defroster outlet (air outlet) 31a Side demister outlet (outlet) 32 Vent outlet (air outlet) 33 Foot air outlet (air outlet) 40 A / C operation panel 50 Announcement function controller 51 Audio output device 81 Control Unit

Claims

1. The importance of each type of notification given to the occupants by voice or alarm is set, When the importance of the notification is higher than the importance of the air conditioning, the air conditioning mode is changed so that the air conditioning noise becomes smaller as the importance of the notification is higher, 2. An air conditioning control device for a vehicle, comprising: a control unit for controlling an air conditioning operation of the vehicle; a control unit for controlling an air conditioning operation of the vehicle;

2. 2. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the air conditioning mode is changed so that the air conditioning noise is reduced, the air outlet from which the air conditioning air is blown is switched to an outlet having a low noise level.

3. An air conditioning control device for a vehicle as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that when the importance of the notification is higher than the importance of the air conditioning, the air flow rate of the blower fan is changed so that the air conditioning noise becomes smaller the higher the importance of the notification.

4. 4. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning mode is selected from a defroster mode in which conditioned air is blown out from a defroster outlet, a vent mode in which conditioned air is blown out from a vent outlet, a foot mode in which conditioned air is blown out from a foot outlet, a bi-level mode in which conditioned air is blown out from a vent outlet and a foot outlet, and a defroster-foot mode in which conditioned air is blown out from a defroster outlet and a foot outlet.

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