Vehicular air conditioning device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicular air conditioning device making it possible to improve the comfort of an occupant from the present into the future. [Solution] A control device 11 comprises: a temperature distribution detection unit 16 for detecting the temperature distribution at the present time point in a vehicle interior; a vehicle information acquisition unit 17 for acquiring information pertaining to the vehicle; an external environment information acquisition unit 18 for acquiring information pertaining to the external environment of the vehicle; a prediction unit 12 for predicting a future temperature distribution in the vehicle interior on the basis of the current temperature distribution in the vehicle interior and the information pertaining to the vehicle and information pertaining to the external environment of the vehicle; and an identification unit 13 for identifying a site at which a deviation of the temperature is found in comparison with the surroundings in the future temperature distribution in the vehicle interior predicted by the prediction unit 12. A louver 51 blows air out of an air outlet toward a zone identified by the identification unit 13.

Description

Vehicle air conditioning system

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system that conditions the interior of a vehicle by blowing temperature-adjusted air from an air outlet.

[0002] Conventionally, vehicle air conditioning systems have been designed to provide air conditioning by placing a temperature control unit, consisting of a radiator and a heat sink that form a refrigerant circuit, inside an HVAC, through which outside air drawn in from outside the vehicle cabin and inside air drawn in from inside the vehicle cabin circulate, and blowing air that has been temperature-controlled (cooled or heated) by this temperature control unit into the vehicle cabin through an air outlet.

[0003] Also, a system has been developed in which a louver and a motor for operating the louver are provided at the air outlet, and the direction of the louver is controlled by a control device using the motor to blow air toward a desired location in the vehicle cabin. In this case, some systems detect the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin and blow air toward locations with high temperatures (see, for example, Patent Document 1), while others predict the future temperatures of various locations in the vehicle cabin based on information on the vehicle's orientation, time, position, etc., and blow air in that direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] JP 2003-252023 A

[0005] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, air is blown to areas that are currently hot, which can improve current comfort, but because the environment surrounding the vehicle is constantly changing, it cannot improve the imbalance in temperature distribution (temperature unevenness) within the vehicle interior in the future, and since it can only be addressed after the environment has changed, it is a delayed response, which limits the improvement in comfort.

[0006] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, the future temperature inside the vehicle cabin was predicted and air was simply blown toward areas where the temperature was predicted to be high, so the current imbalance in temperature distribution could not be resolved and it was difficult to alleviate the discomfort felt by passengers at the present time.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and aims to provide a vehicle air conditioning system that can improve passenger comfort from the present to the future.

[0008] The vehicle air conditioning device of the present invention conditions the vehicle cabin by blowing temperature-adjusted air into it through an air outlet, and is equipped with an air direction changer that changes the direction of the air blown out of the air outlet, and a control device that controls the air direction changer. The control device has a temperature distribution detection unit that detects the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin, a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle, an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle's external environment, a prediction unit that predicts the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin based on the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin, the information about the vehicle, and the information about the vehicle's external environment, and an identification unit that identifies areas in the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit where there is a temperature deviation compared to the surrounding area, and is characterized in that the air is blown out of the air outlet through the air direction changer toward the areas identified by the identification unit.

[0009] The vehicle air conditioning device of the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that in the above invention, the identification unit identifies areas in the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit that have a higher temperature than the surrounding area when cooling the vehicle cabin, and identifies areas in the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit that have a lower temperature than the surrounding area when heating the vehicle cabin.

[0010] The vehicle air conditioning device of the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the prediction unit sets multiple zones within the vehicle cabin and predicts the temperature distribution using each zone as the location, and the identification unit identifies a zone where there is a temperature deviation compared to surrounding zones, and the control device controls the air direction changing device so that air is blown out from the outlet toward the zone identified by the identification unit.

[0011] The vehicle air conditioning device of the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that in the invention of claim 1, the information about the vehicle includes at least one of the vehicle's position, orientation, driving history, and time, and the information about the vehicle's external environment includes at least one of the outside air temperature and solar radiation.

[0012] The vehicle air conditioning device of the invention of claim 5 is characterized in that in each of the above inventions, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the specific unit started controlling the blowing of air toward the specified part, the control device checks the deviation between the temperature of the part specified by the specific unit and the ambient temperature using the temperature distribution detection unit, and if the deviation is below a certain value, returns to the prediction by the prediction unit, and if the deviation is greater than the certain value, continues the control of blowing air toward the part specified by the specific unit.

[0013] According to the present invention, a vehicle air conditioning device that conditions the vehicle cabin by blowing temperature-adjusted air into the cabin from an air outlet includes an air direction changing device that changes the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet, and a control device that controls the air direction changing device.The control device includes a temperature distribution detection unit that detects the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin, a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle, an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle's external environment, a prediction unit that predicts the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin based on the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin, the information about the vehicle, and the information about the vehicle's external environment, and an identification unit that identifies areas in the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit where there is a temperature deviation compared to the surrounding area.The air direction changing device causes air to be blown out from the air outlet toward the areas identified by the identification unit, making it possible to reduce bias in the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin while also leveling out the future temperature distribution.

[0014] This makes it possible to improve the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin without making the current passengers too uncomfortable while ensuring future comfort for the passengers, thereby improving passenger comfort from the present to the future. In addition, because the temperature control in the vehicle cabin can be optimized, it is possible to achieve energy savings in the vehicle cabin air conditioning.

[0015] In this case, when cooling the vehicle interior, the identification unit of the control device will identify areas in the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle interior predicted by the prediction unit that have a higher temperature than the surrounding area, and when heating the vehicle interior, it will identify areas that have a lower temperature than the surrounding area.

[0016] The prediction unit actually sets multiple zones in the vehicle cabin and predicts the temperature distribution for each zone, while the identification unit identifies a zone where a temperature deviation occurs compared to surrounding zones, and the control device controls the air direction changing device to blow air from the air outlet toward the zone identified by the identification unit, thereby enabling efficient and accurate air conditioning of the vehicle cabin.

[0017] In addition, the information about the vehicle includes at least one of the vehicle's position, orientation, driving history, and time, as in the invention of claim 4, and the information about the vehicle's external environment includes at least one of the outside air temperature and solar radiation.

[0018] Furthermore, as in the invention of claim 5, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the control device began controlling the specific part to blow air toward the specific part, the temperature distribution detection part checks the deviation between the temperature of the part identified by the specific part and the ambient temperature, and if the deviation is below a certain value, the prediction part is reverted to, and if the deviation is greater than the certain value, the control part continues controlling the specific part to blow air toward the specific part. This allows the temperature distribution within the vehicle cabin to be effectively and appropriately leveled out.

[0019] 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioning device of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a control device related to wind direction control of the vehicle air conditioning device of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining horizontal zoning in the vehicle cabin. FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining vertical zoning in the vehicle cabin. FIG. 10 is a flowchart related to wind direction control performed by the control device of FIG. 2. FIG. 11 is a diagram of temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin explaining an example of wind direction control performed by the control device of FIG. 2. FIG. 12 is a diagram of temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin explaining another example of wind direction control performed by the control device of FIG. 2. FIG. 13 is a diagram of temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin explaining a case where prediction is not performed in FIG. 7.

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle air conditioning system 1 of the embodiment selectively executes a heating mode or a cooling mode by operating a heat pump using a refrigerant circuit in, for example, an electric vehicle that cannot use engine waste heat for heating. The present invention is not limited to electric vehicles; it is also effective for so-called hybrid vehicles that use both an engine and an electric motor for traction, and it goes without saying that it can also be applied to ordinary vehicles that run on an engine.

[0021] (1) Configuration of Vehicle Air Conditioner 1 First, the HVAC 10 of Fig. 1 will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment provides air conditioning (heating, cooling, ventilation, etc.) for the interior of an electric vehicle, and includes a compressor (not shown), a radiator 4 provided in an air flow passage 3 of the HVAC 10 through which cabin air is circulated and radiates heat from high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor into the cabin during heating, an exterior heat exchanger (not shown) that functions as a radiator during cooling and as an evaporator during heating, exchanging heat between the refrigerant and outside air, a heat absorber 9 provided in the air flow passage 3 to absorb heat from inside and outside the cabin into the refrigerant during cooling, and a refrigerant circuit including an expansion valve (not shown). The radiator 4 and the heat absorber 9 constitute a temperature adjustment unit 30 of the present invention.

[0022] An outside air intake port 26 for introducing outside air into the air flow passage 3 and an inside air intake port 27 for drawing air from within the vehicle cabin, i.e., inside air, into the air flow passage 3 are formed on the air upstream side of the air flow passage 3 of the HVAC 10, and an inside / outside air switching damper 28 is provided for adjusting the opening degree (degree of opening) of these outside air intake port 26 and inside air intake port 27 to control the ratio of outside air and inside air circulating in the air flow passage 3.

[0023] In the figure, reference numeral 31 denotes a filter provided in the air flow passage 3 downstream of each intake port 26, 27 of the HVAC 10, and reference numeral 32 denotes an interior blower provided in the HVAC 10 downstream of the filter 31 for circulating air through the air flow passage 3. When the interior blower 32 is operated, outside air is introduced into the air flow passage 3 through the outside air intake port 26, and air from within the vehicle cabin, i.e., inside air, is drawn into the air flow passage 3 through the inside air intake port 27.

[0024] A heat absorber 9 constituting the temperature adjustment unit 30 is provided in the air flow passage 3 downstream of the indoor blower 32, and a radiator 4 also constituting the temperature adjustment unit 30 is provided downstream of the heat absorber 9. A heating passage 33 and a bypass passage 34 are formed in the air flow passage 3, and the radiator 4 is provided in the heating passage 33. An air mix damper 36 is provided in the air flow passage 3 upstream of the radiator 4 to adjust the ratio of air (indoor air or outdoor air) that has passed through the heat absorber 9 to be ventilated through the heating passage 33 and the bypass passage 34.

[0025] Furthermore, the HVAC 10 on the air downstream side of the radiator 4 is provided with a foot outlet 37 and a deflector outlet 38, and further provided with a vent outlet 41, a right side outlet 42, and a left side outlet 43 on the dashboard as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 1, the vent outlet 41, the right side outlet 42, and the left side outlet 43 are representatively indicated by the reference numeral 44.

[0026] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 46 denotes a foot outlet damper that adjusts the amount of air blown out from the foot outlet 37, and 47 denotes a Deflection outlet damper that adjusts the amount of air blown out from the Deflection outlet 38. Furthermore, reference numeral 48 denotes a vent outlet damper that adjusts the amount of air blown out from the vent outlet 41, the right side outlet 42, and the left side outlet 43. Note that a vent outlet damper 48 is provided at each of the vent outlet 41, the right side outlet 42, and the left side outlet 43, but in Fig. 1 it is represented by reference numeral 48.

[0027] 2, the VENT outlet 41 is provided with a horizontal VENT louver 51 and a vertical VENT louver 52, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42 is provided with a horizontal right SIDE louver 53 and a vertical right SIDE louver 54, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 is provided with a horizontal left SIDE louver 56 and a vertical left SIDE louver 57. In FIG. 1, the horizontal louvers and the vertical louvers are respectively represented by 61 and 62.

[0028] The louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57 are driven by motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M (FIG. 2) described below, and the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M are controlled by the control device 11, so that the direction in which air is blown out from each of the air outlets 41 to 43 can be automatically controlled in the horizontal and vertical directions by the control device 11. The louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57 and the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M constitute the air direction changing device of the present invention.

[0029] (2) Configuration of the control device 11 Next, Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device 11 of the vehicle air conditioning device 1 of the embodiment. The control device 11 is configured with a microcomputer, which is an example of a computer equipped with a processor. The control device 11 of the embodiment has a prediction unit 12, an identification unit 13, a wind direction control unit 14, a temperature distribution detection unit 16, a vehicle information acquisition unit 17, and an external environment information acquisition unit 18.

[0030] (2-1) Temperature distribution detection unit 16 The temperature distribution detection unit 16 is composed of an IR sensor and a far-infrared camera, and detects the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin by measuring the surface temperatures of passengers and equipment such as seats in the vehicle cabin. The detection results of this temperature distribution detection unit 16 are input to the prediction unit 12.

[0031] (2-2) Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 17 The vehicle information acquisition unit 17 acquires information about the past driving history of the vehicle, the current time, and the position and orientation of the vehicle obtained by GPS. The information about the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 17 is also input to the prediction unit 12.

[0032] (2-3) External Environment Information Acquisition Unit 18 The external environment information acquisition unit 18 acquires weather information including outside air temperature and solar radiation status obtained via the Internet, i.e., information about the external environment of the vehicle. The information about the external environment acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 18 is also input to the prediction unit 12.

[0033] (2-4) Prediction Unit 12 The prediction unit 12 predicts the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin based on the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin detected by the temperature distribution detection unit 16, information about the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 17, and information about the external environment acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 18. The operation of this prediction unit 12 will be described in detail later, but the result of the prediction by the prediction unit 12, i.e., information about the result of the prediction regarding the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin, is input to the identification unit 13.

[0034] (2-5) Identification Unit 13 The identification unit 13 identifies areas in the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit 12 where there is a temperature deviation compared to the surrounding area. In this case, in the cooling mode of the vehicle air conditioning device 1, the identification unit 13 identifies areas in the future temperature distribution where the temperature is higher than the surrounding area. In addition, in the heating mode, the identification unit 13 identifies areas in the future temperature distribution where the temperature is lower than the surrounding area. The operation of this identification unit 13 will be described in detail later, and information regarding the areas identified by the identification unit 13 is input to the airflow direction control unit 14.

[0035] (2-6) Wind direction control unit 14 The wind direction control unit 14 controls the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M to adjust the orientation of the louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57 so that the air (conditioned air whose temperature has been adjusted by the temperature adjustment unit 30) blown out from the VENT outlet 41, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 is blown out toward the area identified by the identification unit 13.

[0036] (3) Airflow Direction Control by Control Device 11 Next, the airflow direction control from the VENT outlet 41, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 executed by the control device 11 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8. In step S1 of the flowchart in Figure 5, the control device 11 detects the surface temperature inside the vehicle cabin using the temperature distribution detection unit 16 to detect the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin.

[0037] Next, in step S2, the prediction unit 12 predicts a future temperature change in the vehicle cabin based on the information about the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 17 and the information about the external environment acquired by the external environment information acquisition unit 18. This future temperature change is, for example, the temperature change from the present time until a predetermined time has elapsed. The value of this future temperature change is then added to the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin detected by the temperature distribution detection unit 16 to predict the future temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin.

[0038] At this time, the prediction unit 12 divides the vehicle interior horizontally into areas A, B, C, and D from the window side as shown in Fig. 3, and vertically into areas 1, 2, 3, and 4 from the roof side as shown in Fig. 4. These areas are then combined to set multiple zones within the vehicle interior: A1 to A4, B1 to B4, C1 to C4, and D1 to D3. That is, each location within the vehicle interior is identified by a zone, and the temperature distribution within the vehicle interior is determined by the temperature distribution within each zone. Therefore, the predicted future temperature distribution within the vehicle interior is the sum of the current temperature of each zone and the value of the future temperature change in each zone.

[0039] Next, in step S3, the identification unit 13 identifies a zone where a temperature deviation occurs compared with surrounding zones. Then, in step S4, the airflow direction control unit 14 controls the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M to blow air from the VENT outlet 41, right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and left SIDE VENT outlet 43 toward the zone identified by the identification unit 13, and adjusts the orientation of the louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57.

[0040] Next, in step S5, the temperature of each zone after a predetermined time has elapsed since control of blowing air toward the identified zone (region) was started is acquired from the temperature distribution detection unit 16, and the deviation between the temperature of the identified zone and the temperature of the surrounding zone is confirmed. If the confirmed deviation is equal to or less than a certain value, the process returns to step S1 and step S2, where detection of the surface temperature inside the vehicle cabin and prediction of temperature change are performed. If the deviation is still greater than the certain value, step S5 is repeated to continue control of blowing air toward the identified zone. This process is then repeated.

[0041] (3-1) Example 1 of Wind Direction Control An example of the above-described wind direction control will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that the following description applies to the cooling mode in summer or the like. For example, assume that the current temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin acquired by the temperature distribution acquisition unit 16 is as shown in the matrix in the upper left of FIG. 6, and that the temperature of zone A2 is 30°C, the highest compared to the surrounding zones. On the other hand, if the future temperature distribution predicted by the prediction unit 12 by adding future temperature changes to the current temperatures of each zone is as shown in the matrix in the lower center of FIG. 6, and it is predicted that the temperature of zone A2 will become even higher than the surroundings and have the largest deviation, the identification unit 13 will identify zone A2.

[0042] The air direction control unit 14 then controls the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M to blow air from the VENT outlet 41, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 toward this zone A2, and adjusts the direction of the louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57. This results in the matrix in the upper right of Figure 6, where zone A2 is cooled intensively and its temperature drops to 26.5°C. Note that the temperature in the surrounding area also drops, so the temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin is leveled out.

[0043] (3-2) Example 2 of Wind Direction Control Meanwhile, for example, if the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin currently acquired by the temperature distribution acquisition unit 16 is as shown in the matrix in the upper left of Fig. 7 (the same as Fig. 6 ), with the temperature of zone A2 being 30°C, the highest compared to the surrounding zones, but the future temperature distribution predicted by the prediction unit 12 by adding future temperature changes to the current temperatures of each zone is as shown in the matrix in the lower center of Fig. 7 , and it is predicted that the temperature of zone A2 will decrease in the future, and conversely, the temperature of zone A1 will become 30°C, higher than the surroundings, with the largest deviation, the identification unit 13 will identify zone A1. Note that such a situation occurs when the amount of sunlight entering the vehicle cabin changes depending on the position or orientation of the vehicle, for example.

[0044] In response to this, the airflow direction control unit 14 controls the motors 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, and 57M so that air is blown out from the VENT outlet 41, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 toward the identified zone A1, rather than toward zone A1, and adjusts the direction of the louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, and 57. This results in the matrix in the upper right of Figure 7, where zone A1 is cooled intensively and its temperature drops to 26.5°C. Note that the ambient temperature, including zone A1, also drops, and as a result, the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin is leveled out.

[0045] Figure 8 shows the results of wind direction control without prediction under the same conditions as in Figure 7. If wind direction control is performed without predicting future temperature distribution, air will naturally be blown toward zone A2, which is currently the hottest. As a result, the temperature of zone A2, which is already low due to changes in solar radiation, drops even further, dropping to 24.5°C. On the other hand, zone A1, which is prone to temperature increases, drops slightly but remains at 29.5°C, which is higher than the surrounding area, further increasing the imbalance in temperature distribution.

[0046] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the control device 11 includes a temperature distribution detection unit 16 that detects the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin, a vehicle information acquisition unit 17 that acquires information about the vehicle, an external environment information acquisition unit 18 that acquires information about the vehicle's external environment, a prediction unit 12 that predicts the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin based on the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin, the information about the vehicle, and the information about the vehicle's external environment, and an identification unit 13 that identifies zones (areas) in the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin predicted by the prediction unit 12 where there is a temperature deviation compared to the surrounding area. The louvers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57 blow air from the VENT outlet 41, the right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and the left SIDE VENT outlet 43 toward the zones identified by the identification unit 13, so that it is possible to reduce bias in the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin while also leveling out the future temperature distribution.

[0047] This makes it possible to improve the temperature distribution in the vehicle cabin without making the current passengers too uncomfortable while ensuring future comfort for the passengers, thereby improving passenger comfort from the present to the future. In addition, because the temperature control in the vehicle cabin can be optimized, it is possible to achieve energy savings in the vehicle cabin air conditioning.

[0048] In addition, in the embodiment, the prediction unit 12 sets multiple zones within the vehicle cabin and predicts the temperature distribution for each zone as a location within the vehicle cabin, and the identification unit 13 identifies a zone where there is a temperature deviation compared to surrounding zones, and the control device 11 controls each louver 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57 so that air is blown out from the VENT outlet 41, right SIDE VENT outlet 42, and left SIDE VENT outlet 43 toward the zone identified by the identification unit 13, thereby making it possible to air-condition the vehicle cabin efficiently and accurately.

[0049] In addition, in the embodiment, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the control device 11 started controlling the blowing of air toward the zone identified by the identification unit 13, the temperature distribution detection unit 16 checks the deviation between the temperature of the zone identified by the identification unit 13 and the ambient temperature, and if the deviation is below a certain value, the prediction by the prediction unit 12 is reverted to, and if the deviation is greater than the certain value, the control device 11 continues controlling the blowing of air toward the zone identified by the identification unit 13.This makes it possible to effectively and appropriately level the temperature distribution inside the vehicle cabin.

[0050] It goes without saying that the specific numerical values ​​and the structure of the HVAC 10 shown in the embodiment are not limited to those, and can be changed as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0051] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle air conditioning device 3 Air flow passage 4 Radiator 6 Outdoor expansion valve 9 Heat absorber 10 HVAC 11 Control device 41 VENT outlet 42 Right SIDE VENT outlet 43 Left SIDE VENT outlet 51 Horizontal VENT louver (air direction change device) 52 Vertical VENT louver (air direction change device) 53 Horizontal right SIDE louver (air direction change device) 54 Vertical right SIDE louver (air direction change device) 56 Horizontal left SIDE louver (air direction change device) 57 Vertical left SIDE louver (air direction change device) 51M, 52M, 53M, 54M, 56M, 57M Motor (air direction change device)

Claims

1. A vehicle air conditioning system that conditions the interior of a vehicle by blowing temperature-adjusted air into the vehicle compartment through an air outlet, comprising: an air direction change device that changes the direction of the air blown out from the air outlet; and a control device that controls the air direction change device, wherein the control device has: a temperature distribution detection unit that detects the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle compartment; a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the vehicle; an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the vehicle's external environment; a prediction unit that predicts the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle compartment based on the current temperature distribution inside the vehicle compartment, the information related to the vehicle, and the information related to the vehicle's external environment; and an identification unit that identifies areas in the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle compartment predicted by the prediction unit where there is a temperature deviation compared to the surrounding area, and wherein the air conditioning system for a vehicle blows air from the air outlet toward the areas identified by the identification unit using the air direction change device.

2. The vehicle air conditioning device described in claim 1, characterized in that when cooling the vehicle interior, the identification unit identifies areas in the future temperature distribution inside the vehicle interior predicted by the prediction unit that have a higher temperature than the surrounding area, and when heating the vehicle interior, the identification unit identifies areas that have a lower temperature than the surrounding area.

3. The vehicle air conditioning system described in claim 1, characterized in that the prediction unit sets multiple zones within the vehicle cabin and predicts the temperature distribution using each zone as the location, the identification unit identifies a zone where there is a temperature deviation compared to surrounding zones, and the control device controls the air direction changing device so that air is blown out from the air outlet toward the zone identified by the identification unit.

4. The vehicle air conditioning device described in claim 1, characterized in that the information about the vehicle includes at least one of the vehicle's position, orientation, driving history, and time, and the information about the vehicle's external environment includes at least one of the outside air temperature and solar radiation.

5. A vehicle air conditioning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when a predetermined time has elapsed since the identification unit began controlling the blowing of air toward the identified part, the control unit checks the deviation between the temperature of the part identified by the identification unit and the ambient temperature using the temperature distribution detection unit, and if the deviation is less than a certain value, returns to the prediction by the prediction unit, and if the deviation is greater than the certain value, continues the control of blowing air toward the part identified by the identification unit.

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