Vehicular air conditioning system, and air conditioning control device

Abstract

In the present invention, a windshield (WS) heater (2) is provided to a windshield (WS) (1) of a vehicle and can heat the WS (1). An air conditioning device (3) includes: a blower unit (7) capable of adjusting the proportion between the amount of air introduced from outside the vehicle interior and the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle interior; and an air conditioning unit (8) that, using an air conditioning heater (35), heats air supplied from the blower unit (7) and blows such air into the vehicle interior. An outside-air temperature sensor (41) detects the outside air temperature. An inside-air temperature sensor (42) detects the temperature in the vehicle interior. An air conditioning ECU (4): drives the WS heater (2) so that the WS (1) does not fog; drives the air conditioning heater (35) so that the temperature of the vehicle interior becomes a set temperature; and drives the blower unit (7) so as to reduce the proportion of the amount of air introduced from outside the vehicle interior in accordance with the outside air temperature, and increase the proportion of the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle interior.

Description

Vehicle air conditioning system and air conditioning control device CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-186984, filed on October 31, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioning system and an air conditioning control device.

[0003] Conventionally, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and the like have been equipped with windshield heaters that generate heat when electricity is applied to the windshield. Hereinafter, the windshield will be referred to as a "WS," and the windshield heater will be referred to as a "WS heater." The air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 controls the WS to heat the WS using the WS heater without operating the air conditioner in defroster mode when conditions that would cause the WS to fog up are met, such as when the outside air temperature drops below a predetermined temperature threshold.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-041521

[0005] However, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 does not disclose a control method for further reducing the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and the WS heater. As a result of extensive research, the inventors of the present disclosure have discovered a control method that can further reduce the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and the WS heater depending on the various conditions under which the vehicle is used.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system and an air conditioning control device that can simultaneously reduce the total energy consumed by an air conditioning heater and a WS heater and prevent WS from fogging.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle air conditioning system includes: a WS heater provided in a WS of a vehicle and capable of heating the WS; an air conditioning device having an air conditioning unit that includes a blower unit that can adjust the ratio between the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning unit that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater and blows it into the vehicle cabin; an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle cabin; an inside air temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin; and an air conditioning control device that drives the WS heater to prevent the WS from fogging up, drives the air conditioning heater so that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin becomes a set temperature, and further drives the blower unit to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and increase the ratio of the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle cabin depending on the outside air temperature.

[0008] In the following description, the air outside the vehicle cabin is referred to as "outside air," and the air inside the vehicle cabin is referred to as "inside air." The amount of inside air circulated relative to the total amount of outside air introduced and inside air circulated is referred to as the "inside air ratio." The air conditioning control device is referred to as the "air conditioning ECU." ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the air conditioning ECU increases the ratio of inside air when the outside temperature is low. This significantly reduces the energy required to heat the low-temperature outside air using the air conditioning heater when the outside temperature is low. Meanwhile, as the ratio of inside air increases, the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin increases, and the energy required to heat the WS using the WS heater also increases. However, when the outside temperature is low, the increase in the energy required to heat the WS heater with an increase in the ratio of inside air is smaller than the increase in the energy required to heat the low-temperature outside air using the air conditioning heater, thereby reducing the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and the WS heater. In contrast, when the outside temperature is high, the air conditioning ECU decreases the ratio of inside air, i.e., increases the amount of outside air introduced. This reduces the relative humidity of the air in the vehicle cabin and reduces the energy required to heat the WS using the WS heater. Meanwhile, as the amount of outside air introduced increases, the energy required to heat the outside air using the air conditioning heater increases. However, when the outside temperature is high, the reduction in WS heater energy due to a decrease in the inside air ratio is greater than the increase in air conditioning heater energy due to a decrease in the inside air ratio, so the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and WS heater decreases. Therefore, when the outside temperature is low, this vehicle air conditioning system can increase the inside air ratio to bring the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and WS heater closer to the minimum value corresponding to the outside temperature.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioning ECU is mounted on a vehicle and controls the operation of a water heater heater and an air conditioner. The vehicle includes a water heater provided in the water heater and capable of heating the water heater, a blower unit capable of adjusting the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle cabin, an air conditioner having an air conditioning unit that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with the air conditioning heater and blows it into the vehicle cabin, an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle cabin, and an inside air temperature sensor that detects the inside temperature inside the vehicle cabin. The air conditioning ECU drives the water heater to prevent the water heater from fogging up, drives the air conditioning heater to maintain the inside temperature at a set temperature, and further controls the blower unit to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and increase the ratio of the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle cabin according to the outside air temperature.

[0011] As a result, the air conditioning ECU according to another aspect of the present disclosure also achieves the same effects as the vehicle air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle air conditioning system includes: a WS heater provided in a WS of a vehicle and capable of heating the WS; an air conditioning device having a blower unit that draws in air outside the vehicle cabin and air inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning unit that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater and blows the air into the vehicle cabin; and an air conditioning ECU that executes control to drive the WS heater in each of a de-icing mode that thaws the WS, a demisting mode that clears fogging on the WS, an anti-fogging mode that prevents fogging on the WS, and a human body temperature control mode that warms an occupant with radiant heat from the WS heater together with conditioned air blown out from the air conditioning device.

[0013] According to this, when the WS heater is driven, the radiant heat of the WS heater can warm the upper body of the occupant. Therefore, by using the WS heater for regulating the body temperature of the occupant in addition to de-icing, demisting, and anti-fogging of the WS, the total energy consumed by the air conditioning heater and the WS heater can be reduced while improving the comfort of the air conditioning in the vehicle interior.

[0014] The reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between the component and the specific components described in the embodiments described below.

[0015] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioning system according to a first embodiment;

[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system for the vehicle air conditioning system according to the first embodiment;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a graph showing the results of a simulation of the relationship between the total power consumption of a WS heater and an air conditioner and the ratio of inside air to outside air for each outside temperature;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by an air conditioning ECU included in the vehicle air conditioning system according to the first embodiment;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a blower unit included in an air conditioner included in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a second embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to the view seen in the direction of arrows VI in FIG. 5 , and is a front view showing a blower unit included in an air conditioner included in an air conditioner included in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a third embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by an air conditioning ECU included in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a fourth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of an air conditioner included in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a fourth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle air conditioning system according to a fifth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system for the vehicle air conditioning system according to the fifth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by an air conditioning ECU included in the vehicle air conditioning system according to the fifth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a WS heater included in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a sixth embodiment;

[0029] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle air conditioning system according to a seventh embodiment; Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a control system of a vehicle air conditioning system according to a seventh embodiment. Fig. 11 is a plan view of a WS heater provided in a vehicle air conditioning system according to an eighth embodiment. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing control processing executed by an air conditioning ECU provided in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a ninth embodiment. Fig. 13 is a block diagram of a control system of a vehicle air conditioning system according to a tenth embodiment. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing control processing executed by an air conditioning ECU provided in a vehicle air conditioning system according to an eleventh embodiment. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing control processing executed by an air conditioning ECU provided in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a twelfth embodiment. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing control processing executed by an air conditioning ECU provided in a vehicle air conditioning system according to a thirteenth embodiment.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, identical or equivalent parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0017] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The vehicle air conditioning system of the first embodiment is installed in a vehicle that cannot utilize engine exhaust heat or in which utilization of engine exhaust heat is limited, such as an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The vehicle air conditioning system is capable of air conditioning the vehicle interior and defogging a windshield 1 (hereinafter referred to as "WS1"). Note that in this disclosure, defogging may include not only preventing window fogging but also clearing window fogging by de-icing, demisting, or the like.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle air conditioning system includes a water heater 2, an air conditioner 3, an air conditioning ECU 4, and the like.

[0019] The WS heater 2 is a transparent electric heater provided in the WS1 of the vehicle. The WS heater 2 has a transparent conductive film 5 provided in the light-transmitting region of the WS1 and a plurality of electrode portions 6 electrically connected to the transparent conductive film 5. The WS heater 2 generates heat when energized and can directly heat the light-transmitting region of the WS1.

[0020] The air conditioner 3 includes a blower unit 7 and an air conditioning unit 8. The blower unit 7 includes a blower unit case 9, an inside / outside air switching door 10, and a blower 11, and is capable of adjusting the ratio between the amount of outside air introduced and the amount of inside air circulated. The blower unit case 9 is provided with an outside air inlet 12 for drawing in outside air and an inside air inlet 13 for drawing in inside air. The inside / outside air switching door 10 opens and closes the outside air inlet 12 and the inside air inlet 13. Specifically, the inside / outside air switching door 10 adjusts the opening area of ​​the outside air inlet 12 and the opening area of ​​the inside air inlet 13. This allows the inside / outside air switching door 10 to adjust the amount of outside air drawn into the blower unit case 9 through the outside air inlet 12 and the amount of inside air drawn into the blower unit case 9 through the inside air inlet 13. The blower 11 is, for example, a centrifugal blower. As the blower 11 rotates, air is drawn into the blower unit case 9 through the outside air intake 12 and the inside air intake 13, flows through the air conditioning unit 8 and ducts 14, 15, and 16, and is blown out from each of the air outlets 17, 18, and 19 provided in the vehicle cabin.

[0021] The air conditioning unit 8 includes an air conditioning unit case 20, a cooling heat exchanger 21, a heating heat exchanger 22, an air mix door 23, and multiple mode switching doors 24, 25, and 26. A ventilation passage 27 is formed inside the air conditioning unit case 20. The cooling heat exchanger 21 provided in the ventilation passage 27 is an evaporator constituting part of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle 28. The refrigeration cycle 28 includes a compressor 29, a condenser 30, an expansion valve 31, an evaporator serving as the cooling heat exchanger 21, and an accumulator 32, all connected by refrigerant piping. The gas-phase refrigerant compressed by the compressor 29 exchanges heat with outside air in the condenser 30 to become a liquid-phase refrigerant. The refrigerant then undergoes decompression and expansion as it passes through the expansion valve 31, becoming a two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant and flowing into the evaporator (i.e., the cooling heat exchanger 21). The refrigerant that evaporates through heat exchange with the air flowing through the ventilation passage 27 in the evaporator passes through the accumulator 32 and is drawn into the compressor 29. The evaporator exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing inside the tubes and the air flowing through the ventilation passage 27 , thereby cooling the air flowing through the ventilation passage 27 .

[0022] The heating heat exchanger 22 is provided downstream of the cooling heat exchanger 21 in the ventilation duct 27. The heating heat exchanger 22 is a heat exchanger that constitutes part of the water circuit 33. The water circuit 33 is configured by connecting a water pump 34, an electric heater serving as an air conditioning heater 35, the heating heat exchanger 22, a reservoir tank 36, and the like with water piping. Water circulates through the water circuit 33 when the water pump 34 is driven. The air conditioning heater 35 is an electric heater, and for example, a PCT heater is used. PCT stands for Positive Temperature Coefficient. As the water heated by the air conditioning heater 35 flows through the heating heat exchanger 22, it exchanges heat with the air flowing through the ventilation duct 27, heating the air flowing through the ventilation duct 27. Therefore, the electric heater serving as the air conditioning heater 35 generates heat when energized, and indirectly heats the air flowing through the ventilation duct 27 of the air conditioning unit 8 via the heating heat exchanger 22 .

[0023] The air mix door 23 adjusts the flow rate of air passing through the heating heat exchanger 22 in the ventilation passage 27 and the flow rate of air bypassing the heating heat exchanger 22 .

[0024] The multiple mode switching doors 24, 25, 26 open and close the respective air outlet openings 37, 38, 39 of the air conditioning unit 8. Specifically, the defroster door 24 opens and closes the defroster air outlet 37, the face door 25 opens and closes the face air outlet 38, and the foot door 26 opens and closes the foot air outlet 39. When the defroster door 24 opens the defroster air outlet 37, conditioned air is blown out from the defroster outlet 17. When the face door 25 opens the face air outlet 38, conditioned air is blown out from the face outlet 18. When the foot door 26 opens the foot air outlet 39, conditioned air is blown out from the foot outlet 19.

[0025] The air conditioning ECU 4 is composed of a microcomputer including a processor that performs control processing and arithmetic processing, a memory unit such as ROM and RAM that stores programs and data, and peripheral circuits. The memory unit is composed of a non-transitory physical storage medium. The air conditioning ECU 4 performs various control processing and arithmetic processing based on the programs stored in the memory unit, and controls the operation of each device connected to the output port. Specifically, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the operation of the water storage heater 2 and the operation of each part of the air conditioner 3, including the refrigeration cycle 28 and the water circuit 33.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, signals are input to the air conditioning ECU 4 from various sensors and an operation panel 40. An outside air temperature sensor 41 detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle cabin. An inside air temperature sensor 42 detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin. An air outlet temperature sensor 43 detects the temperature of the conditioned air blown out from each of the air outlets 17, 18, and 19. A vehicle speed sensor 44 detects the vehicle speed. A solar radiation sensor 45 detects the amount of solar radiation.

[0027] The WS temperature sensor 46 detects the temperature of the WS1. The temperature and humidity sensor 47 is provided in an area rearward of the center in the vehicle interior in the longitudinal direction and detects the temperature and relative humidity. The seating sensors 48 are provided in each seat in the vehicle interior and detect the presence or absence of an occupant sitting in each seat. ２ The sensor 49 detects the concentration of carbon dioxide in the vehicle cabin. ２The sensor 49 may be at least one of these three types of sensors.

[0028] The operation panel 40 is provided with, for example, an air conditioning switch, an auto switch, a temperature setting switch, a blowing mode switch, an inside / outside air selector switch, and an air volume selector switch. The air conditioning switch is a switch that drives the compressor 29 of the refrigeration cycle 28. The auto switch is a switch that executes automatic control of the air conditioning mode. The temperature setting switch is a switch that sets the temperature inside the vehicle cabin. The blowing mode switch is a switch that manually sets the blowing mode. The inside / outside air selector switch is a switch that manually sets the inside / outside air intake mode. The air volume selector switch is a switch that manually sets the air volume of the blower 11. The blowing modes include face mode, foot mode, bi-level mode, foot / defroster mode, and defroster mode.

[0029] The air conditioning ECU 4 can drive the WS heater 2 so that the WS1 does not fog up. Specifically, the air conditioning ECU 4 adjusts the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 so that the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined humidity threshold. The predetermined humidity threshold is set to a value lower than 100%. The relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 is calculated or estimated based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin and the temperature of the WS1. The relative humidity in the vehicle cabin is detected by a temperature and humidity sensor 47, or based on the number of passengers detected by a seating sensor 48, or the CO ２ The carbon dioxide concentration is estimated based on the carbon dioxide concentration detected by the sensor 49. The carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle cabin corresponds to the amount of breath exhaled by the occupant.

[0030] The air conditioning ECU 4 may adjust the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 according to the outside air temperature, or may adjust the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 according to the outside air temperature and the relative humidity in the vehicle compartment.

[0031] When performing automatic control during heating, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives each component of the air conditioning device 3, including the water circuit 33, such as the air conditioning heater 35 and the blower 11, so that the cabin temperature reaches the set temperature. Specifically, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets a target outlet temperature and air volume for the air conditioning device 3 based on the set temperature, outside air temperature, cabin temperature, amount of solar radiation, etc. Then, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the amount of power supplied to the air conditioning heater 35, etc., so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out from each air outlet 17, 18, 19, i.e., the outlet temperature, approaches the target outlet temperature. The target outlet temperature is referred to as TAO, which stands for Temperature Air Output.

[0032] Furthermore, the air conditioning ECU 4 of this embodiment is configured to be able to control the operation of the WS heater 2 and the air conditioning unit 3 so that the total power consumption, which is the sum of the power consumption of the WS heater 2 and the power consumption of the air conditioning unit 3, approaches a minimum value according to the outside air temperature. In the following description, the total power consumption, which is the sum of the power consumption of the WS heater 2 and the power consumption of the air conditioning unit 3, will simply be referred to as "total power consumption."

[0033] Here, the inventors of the present disclosure conducted a simulation on the relationship between total power consumption and the ratio of inside air to outside temperatures, and the results will be described with reference to the graph in Figure 3. The ratio of inside air is the amount of inside air recirculation relative to the total amount of outside air introduced and the amount of inside air recirculation.

[0034] In this simulation, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2 to prevent the WS 1 from fogging up. The air conditioning ECU 4 also drives the air conditioning heater 35 and the blower 11 in automatic control (i.e., auto mode) to maintain the cabin temperature at a set temperature. When the outside air temperature is 0° C. or lower, the compressor 29 of the refrigeration cycle 28 is stopped.

[0035] This simulation was performed under the following conditions: Cabin volume: Volume of a typical passenger car (for example, 410 to 420 L) Number of occupants: 5 people Driving pattern: 40 km / h Evaluation time: 10,000 s AC heating: Auto (automatic control) Set temperature: 25°C Solar radiation: 0 W

[0036] In the graph of Figure 3, the minimum value of total power consumption is marked with a circle on the graph line for each outside temperature. In the graph of Figure 3, when the outside temperature is -20°C, the total power consumption reaches its minimum value when the inside air ratio is 100%. As the inside air ratio decreases, the total power consumption increases. This is because when the inside air ratio decreases, the amount of outside air introduced increases, and so the energy required to heat the low-temperature outside air by the air conditioning heater 35 increases.

[0037] In the graph of Figure 3, when the outside temperature is -15°C, -10°C, or -5°C, the total power consumption is at its minimum when the inside air ratio is 90%. In other words, the total power consumption is lower when the inside air ratio is 90% than when the inside air ratio is 100%. As the inside air ratio decreases from 90%, the total power consumption increases.

[0038] In the graph of Figure 3, when the outside air temperature is 0°C and the inside air ratio is 70%, the total power consumption is at its minimum. That is, when the inside air ratio is 70%, the total power consumption is lower than when the inside air ratio is 100%. This is because, as the inside air ratio decreases, the amount of outside air introduced increases, which lowers the relative humidity of the air in the vehicle cabin and reduces the energy used to heat WS1 by WS heater 2. On the other hand, as the amount of outside air introduced increases, the energy used to heat the outside air by air conditioning heater 35 increases. However, as the outside air temperature increases, the reduction in energy used by WS heater 2 due to the decrease in the inside air ratio becomes greater than the increase in energy used by air conditioning heater 35 due to the decrease in the inside air ratio, so the total power consumption decreases.

[0039] As shown by the dashed line T in the graph of FIG. 3 , when the outside temperature is lower than a first predetermined value (e.g., −15°C in FIG. 3 ), increasing the inside air ratio brings the total power consumption closer to the minimum value than when the outside temperature is the first predetermined value. Also, when the outside temperature is higher than a second predetermined value (e.g., −5°C in FIG. 3 ), decreasing the inside air ratio brings the total power consumption closer to the minimum value than when the outside temperature is the second predetermined value. The air conditioning ECU 4 adjusts the inside air ratio in accordance with the outside temperature so that the total power consumption approaches the minimum value. Note that the inside air ratio value at which the total power consumption is minimized shown in the graph of FIG. 3 is established under the conditions of the simulation described above and does not limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the first predetermined value and the second predetermined value described above are set according to various conditions, such as cabin volume, number of occupants, driving pattern, set temperature, and solar radiation. The first and second predetermined values ​​are set in advance through experiments or the like and stored in memory. The first and second predetermined values ​​are not limited to being different values, and may be set to the same value.

[0040] Next, a control process in which the air conditioning ECU 4 of this embodiment automatically controls heating will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. In the following description and flowchart, steps will be simply represented as "S".

[0041] When the auto switch is turned on, the air conditioning ECU 4 repeatedly executes the control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0042] In S11, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 of the blower unit 7 in accordance with the outside air temperature. That is, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 so as to increase the inside air ratio when the outside air temperature is low and to decrease the inside air ratio when the outside air temperature is high, and moves the inside / outside air switching door 10 to that position. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to increase the inside air ratio in response to a decrease in the outside air temperature in a predetermined temperature range, for example. The air conditioning ECU 4 also executes control to decrease the inside air ratio in response to an increase in the outside air temperature in a predetermined temperature range, for example.

[0043] Next, in S12, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. As described above, the predetermined humidity threshold is set to a value lower than 100%. The relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 is calculated or estimated based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin and the temperature of the WS1. If it is determined that the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 is higher than the predetermined humidity threshold, the process proceeds to S13.

[0044] In step S13, the air conditioning ECU 4 turns on the window shield heater 2. This heats the window shield 1, preventing water vapor in the air inside the vehicle cabin from condensing on the window shield 1, thereby preventing the windows from fogging up.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is determined in S12 that the relative humidity near the surface of the WS 1 is lower than the predetermined humidity threshold, the process proceeds to S14. In S14, the air conditioning ECU 4 turns off the WS heater 2. As a result, the WS heater 2 does not consume power.

[0046] After the processes of S13 and S14, the air conditioning ECU 4 repeats the processes from S11 again.

[0047] The vehicle air conditioning system of the first embodiment described above provides the following advantages.

[0048] (1) In the first embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2 to prevent the WS1 from fogging, drives the air conditioning heater 35 to maintain the vehicle cabin temperature at a set temperature, and drives the blower unit 7 to increase the inside air ratio in accordance with the outside air temperature. According to this configuration, when the outside air temperature is low, the air conditioning ECU 4 increases the inside air ratio, thereby significantly reducing the energy required to heat the low-temperature outside air using the air conditioning heater 35. Meanwhile, as the inside air ratio increases, the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin increases, and therefore the energy required to heat the WS1 using the WS heater 2 also increases. However, when the outside air temperature is low, the increase in the energy required to heat the WS heater 2 due to the increase in the inside air ratio is smaller than the increase in the energy required to heat the low-temperature outside air using the air conditioning heater 35, thereby reducing the total power consumption. On the other hand, when the outside air temperature is high, the air conditioning ECU 4 reduces the inside air ratio, i.e., increases the proportion of outside air introduced, thereby lowering the relative humidity of the vehicle cabin air and reducing the energy required to heat the WS1 using the WS heater 2. On the other hand, as the amount of outside air introduced increases, the energy required to heat the outside air by the air conditioning heater 35 increases. However, when the outside temperature is high, the reduction in energy required by the WS heater 2 due to a decrease in the inside air ratio is greater than the increase in energy required by the air conditioning heater 35 due to a decrease in the inside air ratio, thereby reducing total power consumption. Therefore, this vehicle air conditioning system can increase the inside air ratio in accordance with the outside temperature, thereby bringing total power consumption closer to the minimum value corresponding to the outside temperature. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to increase the inside air ratio in accordance with a decrease in the outside temperature within a predetermined temperature range. Furthermore, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to decrease the inside air ratio in accordance with an increase in the outside temperature within a predetermined temperature range.

[0049] (2) In the first embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 can estimate the humidity inside the vehicle cabin based on the number of occupants or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle cabin. When the relative humidity of the surface of the WS1, calculated based on the estimated humidity inside the vehicle cabin and the temperature of the WS1 detected by the WS temperature sensor 46, is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1. This allows the power consumption of the WS heater 2 to be reduced when the humidity inside the vehicle cabin is low. As a result, the total power consumption can be reduced.

[0050] (3) In the first embodiment, the temperature and humidity sensor 47 may be located in a region rearward of the center of the vehicle interior in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1 when the relative humidity of the surface of the WS1, calculated based on the temperature and relative humidity detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 47 and the temperature of the WS1 detected by the WS temperature sensor 46, is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. In this case, there is generally a time lag in the detected value of the temperature and humidity sensor 47. In contrast, the region toward the rear of the vehicle interior is more likely to have a higher relative humidity than the region near the WS1 where the WS heater 2 is located. Therefore, by detecting the temperature and relative humidity of this region with the temperature and humidity sensor 47 and considering the difference between the likelihood of window fogging in the region near the WS1 and the region toward the rear of the vehicle interior as a safety factor, the drive control of the WS heater 2 can be performed more accurately. This reduces the energy consumed by the WS heater 2, thereby reducing total power consumption.

[0051] (4) In the first embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the operation of the WS heater 2 and the air conditioner 3 so that the total power consumption approaches the minimum value corresponding to the outside temperature. As a result, the air conditioning ECU 4 uses both the WS heater 2 and the air conditioning heater 35, and when the outside temperature is low, increases the proportion of inside air, thereby making it possible to bring the total power consumption closer to the minimum value corresponding to the outside temperature.

[0052] (5) In the first embodiment, the air conditioning heater 35 is an electric heater that heats air using electricity. Accordingly, an electric heater is exemplified as the air conditioning heater 35 included in the air conditioner 3 mounted on an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, or the like.

[0053] (6) In the first embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to drive the blower unit 7 so as to increase the proportion of inside air in accordance with the outside air temperature, at least when the outside air temperature is below 0° C. According to this, when the outside air temperature is below 0° C., there is a high possibility that the WS1 will fog up and the refrigeration cycle 28 is also stopped, so the control of this embodiment is effective.

[0054] Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the blower unit 7 will be described in comparison with the first embodiment. Since the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 5, the blower unit 7 of the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, includes a blower unit case 9, an inside / outside air switching door 10, and a blower 11, and is capable of adjusting the ratio between the amount of outside air introduced and the amount of inside air circulated. Note that the inside / outside air switching door 10 is not limited to the plate door shown in Fig. 5, and various doors such as a rotary door, a sliding door, or a film door can be used.

[0056] Incidentally, when the outside air intake port 12 is slightly opened by the inside / outside air switching door 10, the blower unit 7 may produce a whistling noise.

[0057] Therefore, in the second embodiment, when inside air and outside air are simultaneously sucked into the blower unit case 9, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 so that the abnormal noise emitted from the outside air inlet 12 falls within a range that cannot be recognized as an abnormal noise by the occupants, as indicated by arrow D1 in Fig. 5. In other words, when inside air and outside air are simultaneously sucked into the blower unit case 9, the air conditioning ECU sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 within a range larger than the range indicated by arrow D1 in Fig. 5.

[0058] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the second embodiment described above can suppress the generation of abnormal noise when the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to reduce the inside air ratio.

[0059] (Third Embodiment) A third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the configuration of the blower unit 7 is partially changed from that of the first and second embodiments, but the remaining configuration is the same as that of the first and second embodiments. Therefore, only the portions different from the first and second embodiments will be described. Note that Figure 6, which will be referred to in the third embodiment, is a view corresponding to the view in the direction of the arrow VI in Figure 5.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 6 , the blower unit 7 of the third embodiment has a first outside air inlet 121, a second outside air inlet 122, and an inside air inlet 13 provided in the blower unit case 9. Note that the inside air inlet 13 is not shown in FIG. 6 because it is located on the opposite side of the rotary shaft of the blower 11 from the first outside air inlet 121. The inside / outside air switching door 10 can open and close the first outside air inlet 121, the second outside air inlet 122, and the inside air inlet 13. Note that a plurality of inside / outside air switching doors 10 may be provided corresponding to the first outside air inlet 121 and the second outside air inlet 122, so that the first outside air inlet 121 and the second outside air inlet 122 can be opened and closed individually. The inside / outside air switching door 10 may be any of a variety of doors, such as a rotary door or a sliding door.

[0061] The second outside air intake port 122 has a smaller opening area than the first outside air intake port 121, and has an aspect ratio that ensures that the noise generated when the inside / outside air switching door 10 opens the second outside air intake port 122 is within a range that an occupant cannot perceive as an abnormal noise. The shape of the second outside air intake port 122 is not limited to the shape illustrated in FIG. 6 , and various shapes can be adopted, such as a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or a combination thereof. The number of second outside air intake ports 122 is not limited to one, and multiple second outside air intake ports 122 may be provided. The first outside air intake port 121 and the second outside air intake port 122 may be formed as a single continuous opening.

[0062] The air conditioning ECU 4 sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 so as to open the inside air inlet 13 and the second outside air inlet 122 when both inside air and outside air are simultaneously drawn into the blower unit case 9. At this time, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 so as not to open the first outside air inlet 121 by a range smaller than the range indicated by arrow D1 in FIG. 5 described in the second embodiment. Note that the air conditioning ECU 4 may also set the position of the inside / outside air switching door 10 so as to open the first outside air inlet 121 by a range larger than the range indicated by arrow D1 in FIG. 5 described in the second embodiment when both inside air and outside air are simultaneously drawn into the blower unit case 9.

[0063] The aspect ratio of the second outside air intake 122 of the blower unit 7 of the third embodiment described above is set so that the noise generated when taking in outside air is within a range that the occupant cannot perceive as an abnormal noise. Therefore, when the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to reduce the inside air ratio, the generation of abnormal noise can be suppressed by opening the inside air intake 13 and the second outside air intake 122 without opening the first outside air intake 121 only slightly within a range that the occupant can perceive as an abnormal noise. Note that when the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to reduce the inside air ratio, it is permissible to open the first outside air intake 121 within a range that the occupant cannot perceive as an abnormal noise. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the amount of reduction in the inside air ratio can be adjusted more finely than in the second embodiment.

[0064] (Fourth embodiment) A fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it describes the defogging control of the WS1 executed by the air conditioning ECU 4. Since the fourth embodiment is otherwise similar to the first embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0065] The air conditioning system of Patent Document 1 described in the above [Prior Art Documents] section executes control to heat WS1 using WS heater 2 without operating air conditioner 3 in defroster mode when the conditions for fogging on WS1 are met.

[0066] However, the inventors of the present disclosure have discovered a problem with the air conditioning system of Patent Document 1: when defogging an already fogged WS1, driving only the WS heater 2 increases the power consumption of the WS heater 2. This is thought to be because when defogging an already fogged WS1, driving only the WS heater 2 causes water vapor evaporated in the WS1 to accumulate near the surface of the WS1, increasing the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 and making it difficult for the fog on the WS1 to evaporate.

[0067] Therefore, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the fourth embodiment changes the defogging control method for the WS1 depending on whether the WS1 is to be defogging when it is in a fogged state or when the WS1 is to be defogging when it is not in a fogged state.

[0068] The defogging control of the WS1 executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0069] In S21, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether WS1 is already fogged up. This determination can be made, for example, based on information obtained from an onboard camera installed inside the vehicle. The onboard camera captures images of the outside of the vehicle through WS1 from inside the vehicle. Therefore, the air conditioning ECU 4 can determine whether WS1 is already fogged up based on image information captured by the onboard camera. If it is determined that WS1 is already fogged up, the process proceeds to S22.

[0070] In S22, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2 and drives the air conditioner 3 in defroster mode. This allows the airflow blown from the defroster outlet 17 toward the WS1 to prevent the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1 from increasing, while the WS heater 2 heats the WS1 and efficiently evaporates the fogging on the WS1. This reduces total power consumption. When using both the defroster mode and the WS heater 2, the defroster mode only requires an airflow to prevent the relative humidity near the WS1 from increasing, so air not heated by the air conditioning heater 35 can be blown toward the WS1. In this case, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the intermediate door 50, the air mix door 23, and the multiple mode switching doors 24, 25, and 26 of the air conditioner 3, as shown in FIG. 8 , for example. In this state, the air conditioner 3 uses the middle air mix door 23 to bypass the heating heat exchanger 22 and blows unheated air toward WS1 from the defroster outlet 17. The air conditioner 3 also blows warm air, which is air heated by the air conditioning heater 35 passing through the heating heat exchanger 22, from the foot outlet 19.

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined in S21 that WS1 is not fogging up, the process proceeds to S23. In S23, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether or not there is a high possibility that WS1 will fogging up. This determination can be made, for example, by determining whether or not the relative humidity near the surface of WS1 is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. This determination may also be made, for example, by determining whether or not the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature threshold, or whether or not the relative humidity inside the vehicle cabin is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. If it is determined that there is a high possibility that WS1 will fogging up, the process proceeds to S24.

[0072] In S24, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2. This prevents the WS 1 from fogging up. When defogging the WS 1 that is not fogging up, the WS heater 2 directly heats the WS 1, thereby reducing power consumption compared to using the defroster mode.

[0073] On the other hand, if it is determined in S23 that there is a low possibility that the WS 1 will fog up, the air conditioning ECU 4 turns off the WS heater 2 and operates the air conditioning device 3 in a mode other than the defroster mode or stops the air conditioning device 3. The air conditioning ECU 4 then repeatedly executes the processes of S21 to S24 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0074] The vehicle air conditioning system of the fourth embodiment described above provides the following advantages. (1) In the fourth embodiment, when defogging a fogged WS1, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes the defroster mode and controls the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1. On the other hand, when defogging a non-fogged WS1, the air conditioning ECU 4 does not execute the defroster mode and controls the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1. This prevents the airflow in the defroster mode from increasing the relative humidity near the surface of the WS1, allowing the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1 and efficiently evaporate the fog on the WS1. Therefore, total power consumption can be reduced. On the other hand, when defogging a non-fogged WS1, directly heating the WS1 with the WS heater 2 reduces power consumption compared to using the defroster mode.

[0075] (2) In the fourth embodiment, when defogging WS1, the air conditioning ECU 4 can execute a defroster mode in which WS1 is heated by the WS heater 2 and defog WS1 by the air conditioning heater 35. In this manner, when defogging WS1 that is already fogged up, WS1 is heated by the WS heater 2. Therefore, the airflow in the defroster mode does not need to be warm air; it is sufficient to provide an airflow that prevents an increase in relative humidity near WS1. Therefore, total power consumption can be reduced, and defogging of WS1 can be achieved in a short time.

[0076] (3) In the fourth embodiment, when the defroster mode switch or the foot / defroster mode switch on the operation panel 40 is turned on by the occupant, the defroster mode or the foot / defroster mode may be executed, and the WS 1 may be heated by the WS heater 2. In this way, the combined use of the airflow in the defroster mode and the WS heater 2 allows the windows to be opened in a short time. In addition, the conditioned air from the foot outlet 19 can improve the comfort of the vehicle interior by heating it.

[0077] (Modification of the Fourth Embodiment) A modification of the fourth embodiment will be described. In step S24 of the fourth embodiment, when defogging the WS1 in a non-fogging state, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to heat the WS1 by the WS heater 2 without executing the defroster mode.

[0078] In contrast, in the modification of the fourth embodiment, when defogging the WS1 in a non-fogging state, the air conditioning ECU 4 may control the WS heater 2 to heat the WS1 while allowing a small amount of airflow from the defroster, as long as the airflow volume has a substantially small impact on power consumption. In other words, in this case, the airflow in the defroster mode does not need to be stopped. To summarize the fourth embodiment and the modification of the fourth embodiment, when defogging the WS1 in a non-fogging state, the air conditioning ECU 4 can control the WS heater 2 to heat the WS by stopping or reducing the airflow volume in the defroster mode.

[0079] Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it describes the defogging control of the side windows executed by the air conditioning ECU 4. Since the fifth embodiment is otherwise similar to the first embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0080] The air conditioning system of Patent Document 1 listed in the above-mentioned section "Prior Art Documents" describes the defogging of the WS1, but does not describe the defogging of the side windows.

[0081] The inventors of the present disclosure have found that if the WS1 is defrosted only by the WS heater 2 and the ratio of inside air is increased, fogging occurs on the side windows. Fogging on the side windows can cause problems with driving safety.

[0082] Therefore, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the fifth embodiment is configured to reduce the ratio of inside air, i.e., to increase the amount of outside air introduced, when there is a high possibility that the side windows will fog up. In this case, the air conditioning ECU 4 may also blow conditioned air toward the side windows 61 from side defroster air outlets 60 provided in the vehicle compartment, as shown in FIG.

[0083] As shown in Fig. 10, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the fifth embodiment receives signals from a side window humidity sensor 51 and a side window temperature sensor 52 in addition to the various sensors described in the first embodiment. The side window humidity sensor 51 is provided on the passenger compartment side of the side window 61 and detects the humidity near the surface of the side window 61. The side window temperature sensor 52 detects the temperature of the side window 61. The side window humidity sensor 51, the seating sensor 48, the CO ２ The sensor 49 may be at least one of these three types of sensors.

[0084] Next, the defogging control for the side windows 61 executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0085] In S31, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether there is a high possibility that the side window 61 will fog up. This determination can be made, for example, based on whether the value obtained by subtracting the dew point temperature of the side window 61 from the temperature of the side window 61 is smaller than a predetermined temperature threshold. Alternatively, the air conditioning ECU 4 may determine that there is a high possibility that the side window 61 will fog up based on whether the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature threshold or whether the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold.

[0086] The dew point temperature of the side window 61 is calculated based on the relative humidity on the vehicle interior side of the side window 61 and the temperature of the side window 61. The relative humidity on the vehicle interior side of the side window 61 is detected by the side window humidity sensor 51, or based on the number of passengers detected by the seating sensor 48, or the CO ２ The carbon dioxide concentration is estimated from the carbon dioxide concentration detected by the sensor 49. If it is determined that there is a high possibility that the side window 61 will fog up, the process proceeds to S32.

[0087] In S32, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the blower unit 7 to reduce the ratio of inside air. Alternatively, the air conditioning ECU 4 may reduce the ratio of inside air and execute the side defroster mode. The side defroster mode is a mode in which conditioned air is blown out from the side defroster outlet 60 toward the side window 61. This makes it possible to prevent the side window 61 from fogging up.

[0088] On the other hand, if it is determined in S32 that the possibility of the side window 61 fogging up is low, the air conditioning ECU 4 sets the inside air ratio as described in the first embodiment and operates the air conditioning unit 3 in a mode other than the side defroster mode or stops the air conditioning unit 3. The air conditioning ECU 4 then repeatedly executes the processes of S31 to S32 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0089] The vehicle air conditioning system of the fifth embodiment described above has the following advantages. (1) In the fifth embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the blower unit 7 to reduce the inside air ratio when the temperature of the side window 61 minus the dew point temperature of the side window 61 becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold. In this manner, if the inside air ratio is increased while the window support heater 2 is driven, the window support heater 2 can prevent fogging of the window support window 61, but the side window support window 61 may still fogging up. Therefore, by reducing the inside air ratio when the temperature of the side window 61 approaches the dew point temperature, i.e., by increasing the amount of outside air introduced, the relative humidity of the air in the vehicle interior can be reduced, thereby preventing fogging of the side window support window 61.

[0090] (2) In the fifth embodiment, when the temperature of the vehicle side window 61 minus the dew point temperature of the side window 61 becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the blower unit 7 to reduce the ratio of inside air and activates the side defroster mode. This reduces the relative humidity of the air in the vehicle cabin and activates the side defroster mode, thereby reliably defrosting the side window 61.

[0091] (3) In the fifth embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 calculates the dew point temperature of the side window 61 based on the relative humidity of the side window 61 on the passenger compartment side and the temperature of the side window 61. By calculating the dew point temperature of the side window 61 and executing the above control, the air conditioning ECU 4 can prevent the side window 61 from fogging up.

[0092] (4) In the fifth embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 estimates the dew point temperature of the side window 61 based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin, which is estimated based on the number of occupants or the concentration of carbon dioxide in the vehicle cabin, and the temperature of the side window 61. In this manner, the air conditioning ECU 4 estimates the dew point temperature of the side window 61 and executes the above-described control, thereby preventing the side window 61 from fogging up.

[0093] Sixth Embodiment A sixth embodiment will be described. In the sixth embodiment, a part of the configuration of the WS heater 2 is changed from the first embodiment, etc., but other parts are the same as the first embodiment, etc. Therefore, only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0094] The inventors of the present disclosure have found that in the WS1, window fogging is more likely to occur in the outer periphery 54 than in the central portion 53. Therefore, if the heat generation amount per unit area of ​​the central portion 53 of the WS heater 2 is made the same as the heat generation amount per unit area of ​​the outer periphery 54, the heat generation amount of the central portion 53 will be wasted, and power consumption may increase.

[0095] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 , the WS heater 2 of the sixth embodiment is configured to allow a larger current to flow through the outer peripheral portion 54 of the WS1 than through the central portion 53 of the WS1. That is, the WS heater 2 is configured such that the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​the outer peripheral portion 54 of the WS1 is lower than the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​the central portion 53 of the WS1. As a result, the WS heater 2 generates a larger amount of heat per unit area of ​​the outer peripheral portion 54 of the WS1 than the amount of heat generated per unit area of ​​the central portion 53 of the WS1. Note that, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 12 shows an example of the boundary between the central portion 53 of the WS1 and the outer peripheral portion 54 of the WS1 with a dashed line BL, but this is not limiting. For example, the WS heater 2 may be configured such that the electrical resistance per unit area gradually decreases from the central portion 53 of the WS1 toward the outer peripheral portion 54 of the WS1.

[0096] In the sixth embodiment described above, the WS heater 2 is configured such that the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​the outer periphery 54 of the WS 1 is lower than the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​the central portion 53 of the WS 1. This allows a larger current to flow through the outer periphery 54 of the WS 1, which is prone to window fogging, to increase the amount of heat generated, thereby maintaining anti-fogging performance, and further reduces the current through the central portion 53 of the WS 1, thereby reducing the power consumption of the WS heater 2.

[0097] Seventh Embodiment A seventh embodiment will be described. The seventh embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except that the functions of an air conditioning ECU 4 are added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0098] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, in the seventh embodiment, an on-board camera 55 is mounted inside the vehicle cabin. The on-board camera 55 captures images of the outside of the vehicle from inside the vehicle cabin via the WS 1. The on-board camera 55 is provided with a heating device 56 that heats its own lens. The heating device 56 is driven and controlled by the air conditioning ECU 4. That is, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the seventh embodiment is configured to be able to drive and control the heating device 56 of the on-board camera 55 together with the WS heater 2 and the air conditioning device 3.

[0099] In the seventh embodiment described above, the heating device 56 that heats the lens of the vehicle-mounted camera 55 is driven and controlled using the air conditioning ECU 4, thereby reducing the number of parts in the ECU and reducing costs.

[0100] Eighth Embodiment An eighth embodiment will be described. The eighth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment and the like except that a method for determining window fogging of WS1 is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0101] The inventors of the present disclosure have found a problem that the visibility of the occupants is temporarily impaired when determining that the window of the WS1 is fogging up based on image information captured by the in-vehicle camera 55. When the WS1 is fogging up, there is a risk that a problem will arise in terms of driving safety, and further, power will be consumed to clear the fogging from the WS1.

[0102] 15, in the eighth embodiment, a portion 57 of the WS 1 is provided that is difficult to heat with the WS heater 2 and that is prone to window fogging. The portion 57 is set to a location within the WS 1 that does not obstruct the visibility of the occupants. Methods for making the window fogging more likely include increasing the resistance or decreasing the current of the WS heater 2 at the portion 57.

[0103] Thus, when window fogging occurs at a location 57 provided in the WS 1 where window fogging is likely to occur, the location 57 is photographed by the vehicle-mounted camera 55 to detect the window fogging, and the WS heater 2 is driven.

[0104] In the eighth embodiment described above, the defogging control can be started without temporarily impairing the visibility of the occupants.

[0105] Ninth Embodiment A ninth embodiment will be described. The ninth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment and the like except that anti-fogging control is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0106] The air conditioning ECU 4 of the ninth embodiment incorporates a control to start driving the WS heater 2 before a passenger gets into the vehicle if the WS 1 is fogged up while the vehicle is stopped.

[0107] The defogging control executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the ninth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 16. This process is repeatedly executed while the vehicle is stopped and no passenger is seated in the driver's seat.

[0108] In S41, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside. This determination can be made, for example, by analyzing image information captured by an in-vehicle side camera that captures an area including the sides of the vehicle. Alternatively, this determination can be made by receiving, with a receiver mounted on the vehicle, radio waves transmitted from a transmitter attached to a smart key or the like carried by the occupant. If it is determined that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside, the process proceeds to S42.

[0109] In S42, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether the WS1 is fogged up. Whether the WS1 is fogged up can be determined, for example, by analyzing image information captured by the in-vehicle camera 55, which captures an image of the outside of the vehicle through the WS1 from inside the vehicle cabin. If it is determined that the WS1 is fogged up, the process proceeds to S43.

[0110] In S43, the air conditioning ECU 4 activates the WS heater 2. This starts the activation of the WS heater 2 before any passengers get into the vehicle, and defogs the WS1. At this time, the air conditioning ECU 4 may also execute control to heat the WS1 with the WS heater 2, and execute a defroster mode in which unaheated air from the air conditioning heater 35 is blown toward the WS1. This reduces the total power consumption and enables the WS1 to be defogged in a short time.

[0111] On the other hand, if it is determined in S41 that an occupant is not approaching the vehicle, if it is determined in S42 that WS1 is not fogging up, or after executing the processing of S43, the air conditioning ECU 4 temporarily terminates the processing and repeats the processing of S41 to S43 again at a predetermined control cycle.

[0112] The ninth embodiment described above provides the following advantageous effects. (1) In the ninth embodiment, when the air conditioning ECU 4 detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside and detects that the WS1 is fogged up based on an image captured by the onboard camera 55, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to defog the WS1. Examples of the control to defog the WS1 include executing a defroster mode and heating the WS1 with the WS heater 2. In this manner, the air conditioning ECU 4 can activate the WS heater 2 when necessary by detecting that the WS1 is fogged up while the vehicle is stopped and then driving the WS heater 2 when an occupant gets into the vehicle. This reduces the power consumption of the WS heater 2. Furthermore, the WS1 can be defogged in a short time.

[0113] (2) In the ninth embodiment, when the air conditioning ECU 4 detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside and detects that the WS1 is fogged up based on an image captured by the onboard camera 55, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to defog the WS1. One example of the control to defog the WS1 is to execute a defroster mode in which the WS1 is heated by the WS heater 2 and unheated air is blown toward the WS1 by the air conditioning heater 35. In this way, when defrosting an already fogged WS1, the WS1 is heated by the WS heater 2. Therefore, the airflow in the defroster mode does not need to be warm air; it is sufficient to have an airflow that prevents an increase in relative humidity near the WS1. This reduces total power consumption and enables the WS1 to be defogged in a short time.

[0114] Tenth Embodiment A tenth embodiment will be described. The tenth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment and the like except that it adds anti-fogging feedforward control. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0115] The inventors of the present disclosure have found a problem in that fogging can occur on the WS1 due to a sudden change in temperature or a sudden change in the ratio of inside air, for example, when the amount of solar radiation decreases as the vehicle enters a tunnel or when the amount of outside air introduced is suddenly reduced due to exhaust gas control. When fogging occurs on the WS1, power is consumed to clear it.

[0116] In contrast, as shown in Figure 17, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the tenth embodiment is configured to perform feedforward control to increase the amount of current supplied to the WS heater 2 when fogging of the WS1 is predicted based on the outside air temperature, vehicle speed, amount of solar radiation, and proportion of inside air.

[0117] The air conditioning ECU 4 of the tenth embodiment described above uses feedforward control to improve responsiveness, and can prevent fogging of the WS 1 even when there is a sudden change in the ratio of inside air or temperature. For example, when the ratio of inside air suddenly increases due to exhaust gas control, or when the amount of solar radiation suddenly decreases when entering a tunnel, the amount of heat generated by the WS heater 2 can be increased to prevent fogging of the WS 1.

[0118] Eleventh Embodiment An eleventh embodiment will be described. The eleventh embodiment is similar to the first embodiment and the like except that anti-fogging control is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0119] In recent years, the number of people using cars as living environments has increased, but windows can become foggy when sleeping in the car, etc. In such cases, if the WS heater 2 is driven with high power when there is no need to ensure visibility from the WS 1, such as when sleeping in the car, excess power will be consumed.

[0120] Therefore, the air conditioning ECU 4 of the eleventh embodiment sets the anti-fogging mode when the vehicle is stopped.

[0121] The defogging control executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the eleventh embodiment when the vehicle is stopped will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0122] In S51, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether the vehicle has been stopped for a certain period of time or longer. This determination can be made, for example, based on the state of the parking brake or the side brake. If it is determined that the vehicle has been stopped for a certain period of time or longer, the process proceeds to S52.

[0123] In step S52, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes the anti-fogging mode, which controls the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 so that some fogging of the WS 1 is not a problem.

[0124] On the other hand, if it is determined in S51 that the vehicle has not been stopped for a certain period of time, the process proceeds to S53. In S53, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes the normal defogging mode. In the normal defogging mode, the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 is not suppressed, but is set to the heat generation amount in normal control.

[0125] After the processes of S52 and S53, the air conditioning ECU 4 repeats the process from S51 again.

[0126] The air conditioning ECU 4 of the eleventh embodiment described above can execute a defogging suppression mode that suppresses the amount of current supplied to the water window heater 2 when the vehicle has been parked for a certain period of time or longer. By setting the defogging suppression mode in the air conditioning ECU 4, it is possible to control the heat generation amount of the water window heater 2 within a range where visibility is not required and some fogging is not a problem. Therefore, the power consumption of the water window heater 2 can be reduced.

[0127] (Twelfth embodiment) A twelfth embodiment will be described. The twelfth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment and the like except that anti-fogging control is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0128] The vehicle air conditioning system of the twelfth embodiment is installed in a vehicle capable of charging the vehicle drive battery, such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The air conditioning ECU 4 incorporates control to energize the water heater 2 when an event is detected that predicts the vehicle will be driven while the vehicle drive battery is being charged or for a certain period of time after charging (hereinafter referred to as a "vehicle drive flag").

[0129] The defogging control executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the twelfth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0130] In S61, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether the driving battery is being charged or has been for a certain period of time since charging. Whether the driving battery is being charged can be determined, for example, by the fact that a charging connector extending from an external charging facility is connected to a charging socket on the vehicle side. Whether the driving battery is being charged for a certain period of time since charging has been completed can be determined, for example, by the fact that a certain period of time has elapsed since the charging connector was removed from the charging socket on the vehicle side. If it is determined that the driving battery is being charged or has been for a certain period of time since charging, processing proceeds to S62.

[0131] In S62, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether a vehicle running flag has been detected. Examples of vehicle running flags include the driver's door being opened, a passenger sitting in the driver's seat, the parking brake or side brake being released, or the start button or power switch being pressed. If a vehicle running flag has been detected, the process proceeds to S63.

[0132] In S63, if the WS1 is fogged, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2. This starts driving the WS heater 2 before the occupant starts the vehicle, and the WS1 can be cleared of fog. Note that the fogged-up state of the WS1 can be determined, for example, by analyzing an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 55.

[0133] On the other hand, if it is determined in S61 that the driving battery is not being charged or that a certain period of time has not elapsed since charging, if the vehicle driving flag is not detected in S62, or after executing the process of S63, the air conditioning ECU 4 temporarily ends the process.The air conditioning ECU 4 then repeatedly executes the processes of S61 to S63 at a predetermined control cycle.

[0134] In the twelfth embodiment described above, if the WS 1 is fogged when the vehicle is expected to be driven while the vehicle drive battery is being charged or for a certain period of time after charging, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the WS heater 2. This allows the air conditioning ECU 4 to drive the WS heater 2 when necessary while working in conjunction with the vehicle's charging device.

[0135] (Thirteenth embodiment) A thirteenth embodiment will be described. The thirteenth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except that the control process of the air conditioning ECU 4 is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0136] The air conditioning ECU 4 of the thirteenth embodiment executes control to drive both the air conditioner 3 and the WS heater 2 in each of the de-icing mode, demisting mode, defogging mode, and human body temperature control mode. In the description of the thirteenth embodiment, the de-icing mode is a mode to thaw the WS1. The demisting mode is a mode to defog the WS1. The defogging mode is a mode to prevent the WS1 from fogging. The human body temperature control mode is a mode to warm the occupants sitting in the front seats by the radiant heat of the WS heater 2 together with the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner 3.

[0137] The control process in the human body temperature control mode executed by the air conditioning ECU 4 of the thirteenth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 20. This process is incorporated into a part of the air conditioning control process and is executed repeatedly.

[0138] In S71, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether or not there is a heating request. Specifically, whether or not there is a heating request is determined by whether or not the temperature inside the vehicle compartment is lower than the set temperature. If there is a heating request, the process proceeds to S72.

[0139] In S72, the air conditioning ECU 4 determines whether the bi-level mode or the face mode has been selected by automatic control or by an operation by the occupant. If the bi-level mode or the face mode has been selected, the process proceeds to S73.

[0140] In S73, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to drive the WS heater 2 together with the air conditioning unit 3. Specifically, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the air conditioning unit 3 to blow air heated by the air conditioning heater 35 from the designated outlets. Specifically, when the bi-level mode is selected, warm air is blown out from the face outlet 18 and the foot outlet 19. When the face mode is selected, warm air is blown out from the face outlet 18. Furthermore, the air conditioning ECU 4 energizes the WS heater 2 to generate heat. This makes it possible to warm the upper body of the occupant by the radiant heat of the WS heater 2 together with the warm air blown out by the driving of the air conditioning unit 3.

[0141] On the other hand, if it is determined in S71 that there is no heating request, or if a mode other than the bi-level mode or face mode is selected in S72, the process proceeds to the next air conditioning control process (not shown).

[0142] The vehicle air conditioning system of the thirteenth embodiment described above provides the following advantages.

[0143] (1) In the thirteenth embodiment, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to drive the WS heater 2 in each of the de-icing mode, demisting mode, defogging mode, and human body temperature control mode. Accordingly, when the WS heater 2 is driven, the radiant heat of the WS heater 2 can warm the upper body of the occupant. Therefore, by using the WS heater 2 for human body temperature control in addition to de-icing, demisting, and defogging in the WS1, the comfort of the vehicle interior air conditioning can be improved and the total power consumption can be reduced.

[0144] (2) In the thirteenth embodiment, when the bi-level mode or face mode is selected automatically or by the occupant's operation and the vehicle interior temperature is lower than the set temperature, the air conditioning ECU 4 executes control to drive the air conditioner 3 and the WS heater 2. According to this, when there is a heating request to warm the upper body of the occupant, the air conditioning ECU 4 drives the air conditioner 3 and the WS heater 2. This makes it possible to warm the upper body of the occupant by the radiant heat of the WS heater 2 as well as the warm air blown out from the air conditioner 3. Therefore, the comfort of the vehicle interior air conditioning can be improved and the total power consumption can be reduced.

[0145] Fourteenth Embodiment A fourteenth embodiment will be described. The fourteenth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except that the control process of the air conditioning ECU 4 is added. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0146] The air conditioning ECU 4 of the fourteenth embodiment drives the WS heater 2 so as not to fog the WS 1, and executes control to set the target blow-out temperature TAO of the air conditioner 3 based on at least the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2, the set temperature, the cabin temperature, and the outside air temperature. In this way, the air conditioning ECU 4 adds the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 to the setting of the target blow-out temperature TAO of the air conditioner 3. This can improve the comfort of the cabin air conditioning and reduce the total power consumption.

[0147] The heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 may be calculated by detecting the surface temperature of the WS 1 or by using the amount of power supplied to the WS heater 2. Alternatively, the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 may be predicted by detecting the temperature of the occupant or the area around the occupant with an infrared sensor.

[0148] Furthermore, when the WS 1 is fogging up, it is preferable to prioritize heating by the WS heater 2 for defogging. After the WS 1 is defrosted, the WS heater 2 can be controlled to be used for air conditioning in the vehicle cabin. In this case, the air conditioning ECU 4 also adjusts the amount of power consumed by the air conditioner 3 and the amount of power consumed by the WS heater 2 so that the total power consumption is minimized.

[0149] Heaters may also be provided on the side windows 61 and rear window other than the window WS1. In this case, the air conditioning ECU 4 controls the air conditioning while heating the windows with these heaters.

[0150] In addition, when the air conditioning device 3 is configured to blow conditioned air to a region of the vehicle rear side of the passenger compartment to heat it, it is preferable that the air conditioning ECU 4 does not take into account the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 when setting the target outlet temperature for the region of the vehicle rear side. Alternatively, it is preferable that the air conditioning ECU 4 corrects and controls the target outlet temperature for the region of the vehicle rear side so that the heat generation amount of the WS heater 2 is not taken into account when setting the target outlet temperature for the region of the vehicle rear side. This makes it possible to control the air conditioning comfort in the passenger compartment over a wider range, and reduce total power consumption while preventing fogging of the WS 1.

[0151] Other Embodiments In the above embodiments, the air conditioning heater 35 of the air conditioner 3 has been described as constituting part of the water circuit 33, but this is not limiting. The air conditioning heater 35 may be provided in the ventilation duct 27 of the air conditioning unit 8 and directly heat the air flowing through the ventilation duct 27. Furthermore, the air conditioning heater 35 is not limited to an electric heater, and may be constituted by part of the condenser 30 of the refrigeration cycle 28.

[0152] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and portions thereof are not unrelated to each other and can be combined as appropriate unless the combination is clearly impossible. It goes without saying that, in each of the above embodiments, the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential unless specifically stated as essential or clearly considered essential in principle. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, when numerical values ​​such as the number, values, amounts, and ranges of components of the embodiments are mentioned, they are not limited to the specific numbers unless specifically stated as essential or clearly limited to a specific number in principle. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, when the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc. are mentioned, they are not limited to the shape, positional relationship, etc., unless specifically stated or limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc. in principle.

[0153] The controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor configured with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the controller and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions in combination with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.

[0154] (Viewpoints of the Present Disclosure) The above-described present disclosure can be understood from the following viewpoints, for example: [First Viewpoint] A vehicle air conditioning system comprising: an air conditioner (3) having a windshield heater (2) provided on a windshield (1) of a vehicle and capable of heating the windshield, a blower unit (7) capable of adjusting the ratio of an amount of outside air introduced into a vehicle compartment and an amount of air circulating inside the vehicle compartment, and an air conditioning unit (8) that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows the air into the vehicle compartment, an outside air temperature sensor (41) that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle compartment, an inside air temperature sensor (42) that detects the inside vehicle compartment temperature, and an air conditioning control device (4) that drives the windshield heater to prevent the windshield from fogging up, drives the air conditioning heater to maintain the inside vehicle compartment temperature at a set temperature, and further drives the blower unit to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and increase the ratio of the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle compartment according to the outside air temperature. [Second Aspect] The blower unit includes: a blower (11); a blower unit case (9) having an outside air intake port (12) that draws in outside air by driving the blower, and an inside air intake port (13) that draws in air from inside the vehicle cabin; and an inside / outside air switching door (10) that opens and closes the outside air intake port and the inside air intake port, and is capable of adjusting the amount of outside air drawn into the blower unit case from the outside air intake port and the amount of inside air drawn into the blower unit case from the inside air intake port, and the air conditioning control device sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door so that, when outside air and inside air are drawn into the blower unit case simultaneously, abnormal noise coming from the outside air intake port is within a range that an occupant cannot perceive as an abnormal noise.[Third Aspect] The blower unit includes: a blower (11); a blower unit case (9) having a first outside air intake port (121) that draws in outside air in the vehicle cabin by driving the blower, a second outside air intake port (122) that is formed with an opening area smaller than that of the first outside air intake port and draws in outside air in the vehicle cabin, and an inside air intake port (13) that draws in air in the vehicle cabin; and an inside / outside air switching door (10) that can open and close the first outside air intake port, the second outside air intake port, and the inside air intake port, wherein the second outside air intake port has an aspect ratio that is within a range that an occupant cannot recognize as an abnormal noise when the inside / outside air switching door opens the second outside air intake port, and a second outside air inlet opening for opening the first outside air inlet and the second outside air inlet opening, the first outside air inlet opening being opened to an extent that an occupant can perceive an abnormal noise when the first outside air inlet opening is opened to an extent that an occupant can perceive an abnormal noise when the first outside air inlet opening is opened to an extent that an occupant can perceive an abnormal noise when the second ... [Fifth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing the defroster mode in which, when clearing the fogged windshield, the windshield is heated by the windshield heater and air that is not heated by the air conditioning heater is blown toward the windshield.[Sixth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the air conditioner is capable of executing a defroster mode in which air is blown toward the windshield, and the air conditioning control device, when defogging the windshield that is fogged up by automatic control, executes the defroster mode and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield, when defogging the windshield that is not fogged up by automatic control, stops the airflow in the defroster mode or reduces the airflow rate and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield, and when a defroster mode switch or a foot / defroster mode switch provided at the driver's seat is turned on by an occupant, executes the defroster mode or the foot / defroster mode and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield. [Seventh Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the blower unit to increase the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and reduce the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle compartment when a value obtained by subtracting a dew point temperature of the side window (61) from a temperature of the vehicle side window (61) becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold. [Eighth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the blower unit to increase the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and reduce the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle compartment when a value obtained by subtracting a dew point temperature of the side window (61) from a temperature of the vehicle side window (61) becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold, and further executes a side defroster mode in which air is blown toward the side window. [Ninth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the seventh or eighth aspect, further comprising: a side glass humidity sensor (51) provided on the interior side of the side glass; and a side glass temperature sensor (52) provided on the interior side of the side glass, wherein the air conditioning control device calculates a dew point temperature of the side glass based on the relative humidity on the interior side of the side glass and the temperature of the side glass.[Tenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the seventh or eighth aspect, further comprising a side glass temperature sensor (52) provided on the passenger compartment side of the side glass, and the air conditioning control device estimates the dew point temperature of the side glass based on the relative humidity in the passenger compartment estimated based on the number of occupants and the temperature of the side glass. [Eleventh Aspect] A CO sensor for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide in the passenger compartment. ２a dew point temperature of the side window, the dew point temperature of the side window being estimated based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin estimated based on the concentration of carbon dioxide, and a dew point temperature of the side window being estimated based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin estimated based on the concentration of carbon dioxide. [Twelfth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the windshield heater is configured such that the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​an outer periphery of the windshield is lower than the electrical resistance per unit area of ​​a central portion of the windshield. [Thirteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, further comprising a windshield temperature sensor (46) that detects the temperature of the windshield, and the air conditioning control device is configured to control the windshield heater to heat the windshield when the relative humidity of the surface of the windshield, calculated based on the humidity inside the vehicle cabin estimated according to the number of occupants or the concentration of carbon dioxide inside the vehicle cabin and the temperature of the windshield detected by the windshield temperature sensor, is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. [Fourteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, further comprising: a temperature and humidity sensor (47) provided in a region rearward of the center of the vehicle interior in the longitudinal direction; and a windshield temperature sensor (46) that detects the temperature of the windshield, and the air conditioning control device is configured to control the windshield heater to heat the windshield when a relative humidity of the surface of the windshield calculated based on the temperature and relative humidity detected by the temperature and humidity sensor and the temperature of the windshield detected by the windshield temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold. [Fifteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, further comprising: an on-board camera (55) that takes images of the outside of the vehicle through the windshield from within the vehicle interior, the on-board camera being provided with a heating device (56) that heats its own lens, and the air conditioning control device being configured to be able to drive and control the heating device.[Sixteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an on-board camera (55) that takes images of the outside of the vehicle through the windshield from inside the vehicle cabin, and the air conditioning control device executes the defroster mode and controls the windshield to heat the windshield with the windshield heater when it detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside and detects that the windshield is fogged up in the image captured by the on-board camera. [Seventeenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing the defroster mode in which the windshield is heated with the windshield heater and air that has not been heated by the air conditioning heater is blown towards the windshield when it detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside and detects that the windshield is fogged up in the image captured by the on-board camera. [Eighteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to increase the amount of current supplied to the windshield heater when fogging of the windshield is predicted based on the outside air temperature, the vehicle speed, the amount of solar radiation, and the ratio of inside air as the amount of inside air circulated to the sum of the amount of outside air introduced and the amount of inside air circulated. [Nineteenth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to eighteenth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing a defogging suppression mode that suppresses the amount of current supplied to the windshield heater when the vehicle has been stopped for a certain period of time or more. [Twentieth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and the air conditioning control device starts supplying current to the windshield heater if the windshield is fogging up when an event that predicts that the vehicle will be driven is detected during charging of a vehicle drive battery or for a certain period of time after charging.[Twenty-first aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twentieth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device controls the drive of the windshield heater and the air conditioner so that total power consumption, which is the sum of power consumption of the windshield heater and power consumption of the air conditioner, approaches a minimum value according to the outside air temperature. [Twenty-second aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to 21st aspects, wherein the air conditioning heater is an electric heater that generates heat when energized and directly or indirectly heats air flowing through an air passage (27) of the air conditioner. [Twenty-third aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to 22nd aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the blower unit so as to reduce the proportion of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and increase the proportion of air circulated in the vehicle compartment according to the outside air temperature, at least when the outside air temperature is 0°C or lower. [Twenty-fourth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twenty-third aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the windshield heater in each of a de-icing mode that thaws the windshield, a demisting mode that defogs the windshield, a defogging mode that prevents the windshield from fogging, and a human body temperature control mode that warms an occupant with radiant heat from the windshield heater together with conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner. [Twenty-fifth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twenty-fourth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the windshield heater together with the air conditioner when a bi-level mode or a face mode is selected by automatic control or operation by an occupant and the vehicle interior temperature is lower than a set temperature. [Twenty-sixth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to twenty-fifth aspects, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater to prevent the windshield from fogging up, and executes control to set a target blowing temperature of the air conditioner based on at least the heat generation amount of the windshield heater, a set temperature, an interior temperature of the vehicle, and an outside temperature.[Twenty-seventh Aspect] An air conditioning control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls the operation of the windshield heater (2) provided on the windshield (1) of the vehicle and capable of heating the windshield, an air conditioning unit (8) that includes a blower unit (7) that is capable of adjusting the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle compartment, and an air conditioning unit (8) that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows the air into the vehicle compartment, an outside air temperature sensor (41) that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle compartment, and an inside air temperature sensor (42) that detects the temperature inside the vehicle compartment, the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater to prevent the windshield from fogging up, drives the air conditioning heater to maintain the temperature inside the vehicle compartment at a set temperature, and further performs control to drive the blower unit to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle compartment and increase the ratio of the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle compartment according to the outside air temperature. [Twenty-eighth aspect] A vehicle air conditioning system comprising: a windshield heater (2) provided on a windshield (1) of a vehicle and capable of heating the windshield; an air conditioning device (3) having a blower unit (7) that draws in air outside the vehicle cabin and air inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning unit (8) that heats air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows the air into the vehicle cabin; and an air conditioning control device (4) that executes control to drive the windshield heater in each of a de-icing mode that thaws the windshield, a demisting mode that defogs the windshield, a defogging mode that prevents fogging of the windshield, and a human body temperature control mode that warms an occupant by radiant heat from the windshield heater together with conditioned air blown out from the air conditioning device. [Twenty-ninth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the twenty-eighth aspect, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the air conditioning device and the windshield heater when the bi-level mode or the face mode is selected by automatic control or by operation by an occupant and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin is lower than a set temperature.[Thirtieth Aspect] The vehicle air conditioning system according to the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth aspect, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater so as to prevent the windshield from fogging up, and executes control to set a target blowing temperature of the air conditioner based on at least the heat generation amount of the windshield heater, a set temperature, the cabin temperature, and the outside air temperature.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system for a vehicle comprising: a windshield heater (2) provided on a windshield (1) of a vehicle and capable of heating the windshield; an air conditioning device (3) having a blower unit (7) capable of adjusting the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning unit (8) that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows it into the vehicle cabin; an outside air temperature sensor (41) that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle cabin; an inside air temperature sensor (42) that detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin; and an air conditioning control device (4) that drives the windshield heater so that the windshield does not fog up, drives the air conditioning heater so that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin becomes a set temperature, and further drives the blower unit so as to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and increase the ratio of the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle cabin according to the outside air temperature.

2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the blower unit comprises: a blower (11); a blower unit case (9) having an outside air intake port (12) for drawing in outside air by driving the blower, and an inside air intake port (13) for drawing in air from inside the vehicle cabin; and an inside / outside air switching door (10) for opening and closing the outside air intake port and the inside air intake port and for adjusting the volume of outside air drawn into the blower unit case from the outside air intake port and the volume of inside air drawn into the blower unit case from the inside air intake port, and wherein the air conditioning control device sets the position of the inside / outside air switching door so that, when the outside air and the inside air are drawn into the blower unit case simultaneously, abnormal noises coming from the outside air intake port are within a range that an occupant cannot recognize as abnormal noises.

3. The blower unit comprises: a blower (11); a blower unit case (9) having a first outside air intake port (121) for drawing in outside air by driving the blower, a second outside air intake port (122) formed with an opening area smaller than that of the first outside air intake port for drawing in outside air, and an inside air intake port (13) for drawing in air inside the vehicle cabin; and an inside / outside air switching door (10) capable of opening and closing the first outside air intake port, the second outside air intake port, and the inside air intake port, the second outside air intake port having an aspect ratio within a range in which an abnormal sound generated when the inside / outside air switching door opens the second outside air intake port cannot be recognized as an abnormal sound by an occupant, 2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning control device sets a position of the inside / outside air switching door so that, when outside air and inside air of the vehicle cabin are simultaneously sucked into the blower unit case, the inside air intake and the second outside air intake are opened without opening the first outside air intake to an extent that an occupant can detect an abnormal noise.

4. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning device is capable of executing a defroster mode in which air is blown toward the windshield, and the air conditioning control device, when clearing a fogged windshield, executes the defroster mode and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield, and when defrosting a defogging windshield, stops the wind in the defroster mode or reduces the amount of air, and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield.

5. The vehicle air conditioning system of claim 4, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing the defroster mode in which, when the windshield is fogged up, the windshield is heated by the windshield heater and air that is not heated by the air conditioning heater is blown toward the windshield.

6. The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning device is capable of executing a defroster mode in which air is blown toward the windshield, and the air conditioning control device, when defogging the windshield that is fogged up by automatic control, executes the defroster mode and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield, when defogging the windshield that is not fogged up by automatic control, stops the wind in the defroster mode or reduces the amount of airflow and executes control to heat the windshield with the windshield heater, and when a defroster mode switch or a foot / defroster mode switch provided at the driver's seat is turned on by an occupant, executes the defroster mode or foot / defroster mode and executes control to heat the windshield with the windshield heater.

7. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the blower unit to increase the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and reduce the amount of air circulated inside the vehicle cabin when a value obtained by subtracting the dew point temperature of the side window (61) from the temperature of the vehicle's side window becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

8. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when a value obtained by subtracting the dew point temperature of a side window (61) of the vehicle from the temperature of the side window becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the air conditioning control device drives the blower unit to increase the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and reduce the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle cabin, and further executes a side defroster mode in which air is blown toward the side window.

9. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in claim 7, further comprising a side glass humidity sensor (51) provided on the interior side of the side glass, and a side glass temperature sensor (52) provided on the interior side of the side glass, wherein the air conditioning control device calculates a dew point temperature of the side glass based on the relative humidity on the interior side of the side glass and the temperature of the side glass.

10. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in claim 7, further comprising a side glass temperature sensor (52) provided on the interior side of the side glass, and the air conditioning control device estimates the dew point temperature of the side glass based on the relative humidity in the vehicle cabin estimated based on the number of occupants and the temperature of the side glass.

11. CO detector for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide in the vehicle cabin ２ 8. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 7, further comprising: a dew point sensor (49) and a side glass temperature sensor (52) provided on the passenger compartment side of the side glass, wherein the air conditioning control device estimates a dew point temperature of the side glass based on a relative humidity in the passenger compartment estimated based on a concentration of carbon dioxide and the temperature of the side glass.

12. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the windshield heater is configured such that the electrical resistance value per unit area of ​​the outer periphery (54) of the windshield is lower than the electrical resistance value per unit area of ​​the center (53) of the windshield.

13. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a windshield temperature sensor (46) for detecting the temperature of the windshield, and the air conditioning control device is configured to control the windshield heater to heat the windshield when the relative humidity of the surface of the windshield calculated based on the humidity in the vehicle cabin estimated according to the number of occupants or the concentration of carbon dioxide in the vehicle cabin and the temperature of the windshield detected by the windshield temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold.

14. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a temperature and humidity sensor (47) provided in an area rearward of the center of the front-to-rear direction inside the vehicle cabin, and a windshield temperature sensor (46) that detects the temperature of the windshield, and the air conditioning control device is configured to control the windshield heater to heat the windshield when the relative humidity of the surface of the windshield calculated based on the temperature and relative humidity detected by the temperature and humidity sensor and the temperature of the windshield detected by the windshield temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined humidity threshold.

15. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an on-board camera (55) that takes pictures of the outside of the vehicle through the windshield from inside the vehicle cabin, the on-board camera is provided with a heating device (56) that heats its own lens, and the air conditioning control device is configured to be able to drive and control the heating device.

16. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an on-board camera (55) that takes pictures of the outside of the vehicle through the windshield from inside the vehicle cabin, and when the air conditioning control device detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside the vehicle and detects that the windshield is fogged up from an image taken by the on-board camera, the air conditioning control device executes a defroster mode and controls the windshield heater to heat the windshield.

17. The vehicle air conditioning system of claim 16, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing a defroster mode in which, when it detects that an occupant has approached the vehicle from outside the vehicle and detects that the windshield is fogged up from an image captured by the onboard camera, the windshield is heated by the windshield heater and air not heated by the air conditioning heater is blown toward the windshield.

18. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to increase the amount of electricity supplied to the windshield heater when fogging of the windshield is predicted based on the outside air temperature, vehicle speed, amount of solar radiation, and the ratio of inside air as the amount of inside air circulated to the sum of the amount of outside air introduced and the amount of inside air circulated.

19. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device is capable of executing an anti-fogging suppression mode that suppresses the amount of electricity supplied to the windshield heater when the vehicle is stopped for a certain period of time or more.

20. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and the air conditioning control device starts supplying electricity to the windshield heater when an event that predicts that the vehicle will be driven is detected during charging of a vehicle drive battery or for a certain period of time after charging.

21. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device controls the operation of the windshield heater and the air conditioning device so that the total power consumption, which is the sum of the power consumption of the windshield heater and the power consumption of the air conditioning device, approaches a minimum value according to the outside air temperature.

22. An air conditioning system for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning heater is an electric heater that generates heat when electricity is applied thereto and directly or indirectly heats air flowing through an air passage (27) of the air conditioning device.

23. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the blower unit so as to reduce the proportion of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and increase the proportion of air circulating inside the vehicle cabin, depending on the outside air temperature, at least when the outside air temperature is below 0°C.

24. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the windshield heater in each of a de-icing mode for defrosting the windshield, a demisting mode for clearing fog on the windshield, an anti-fogging mode for preventing fog on the windshield, and a human body temperature control mode for warming occupants by the radiant heat of the windshield heater together with the conditioned air blown out of the air conditioning unit.

25. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the windshield heater together with the air conditioning device when bi-level mode or face mode is selected by automatic control or by operation by a passenger and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin is lower than a set temperature.

26. An air conditioning system for a vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater so as to prevent the windshield from fogging up, and executes control to set a target outlet temperature of the air conditioning unit based on at least the heat generation amount of the windshield heater, the set temperature, the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, and the outside air temperature.

27. An air conditioning control device that is mounted on a vehicle and that controls the operation of the windshield heater and the air conditioner, the air conditioning control device comprising: a windshield heater (2) provided on a windshield (1) of the vehicle and capable of heating the windshield; a blower unit (7) capable of adjusting the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and the amount of air circulating inside the vehicle cabin; an air conditioning unit (8) that heats the air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows it into the vehicle cabin; an outside air temperature sensor (41) that detects the outside air temperature as the temperature outside the vehicle cabin; and an inside air temperature sensor (42) that detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater so that the windshield does not fog up, drives the air conditioning heater so that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin becomes a set temperature, and further controls the operation of the blower unit so as to reduce the ratio of the amount of outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin and increase the ratio of the air circulating inside the vehicle cabin according to the outside air temperature.

28. A vehicle air conditioning system comprising: a windshield heater (2) provided on a windshield (1) of a vehicle and capable of heating the windshield; an air conditioning unit (3) having a blower unit (7) that draws in air outside the vehicle cabin and air inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning unit (8) that heats air supplied from the blower unit with an air conditioning heater (35) and blows it into the vehicle cabin; and an air conditioning control device (4) that executes control to drive the windshield heater in each of a de-icing mode that thaws the windshield, a demisting mode that clears fog from the windshield, an anti-fogging mode that prevents fog from forming on the windshield, and a human body temperature control mode that warms occupants by the radiant heat of the windshield heater together with the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioning unit.

29. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 28, wherein the air conditioning control device executes control to drive the air conditioning device and the windshield heater when bi-level mode or face mode is selected by automatic control or by operation by a passenger and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin is lower than a set temperature.

30. A vehicle air conditioning system as described in claim 28 or 29, wherein the air conditioning control device drives the windshield heater so as to prevent the windshield from fogging up, and executes control to set a target outlet temperature of the air conditioning unit based on at least the heat generation amount of the windshield heater, the set temperature, the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, and the outside air temperature.

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