Air-conditioning device for vehicle

Abstract

An air-conditioning device for a vehicle includes a blower and an estimating portion. The blower is disposed in an air-conditioning case, and performs a dry control for a heat exchanger arranged in a passenger compartment of the vehicle by sending air. The blower uses one of power supplied from an external power source, power supplied from the battery having residual quantity equal to or larger than a predetermined quantity, or power supplied from an in-vehicle solar cell, while the vehicle is parked. The estimating portion estimates an approximate elimination of odor generated from the heat exchanger by starting the sending of air, and stops the blower based on the estimation.

1 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle having a battery, the vehicle being one of a vehicle having an external power source introducing portion to introduce electric power from an external power source, a vehicle having a battery residual quantity judging portion to judge whether a residual quantity of electric power in the battery is equal to or larger than a predetermined quantity necessary for a dry control of indoor heat exchanger, or a vehicle having an in-vehicle solar cell, the air-conditioning device comprising:
 an indoor heat exchanger disposed in an air-conditioning case, heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchanger so as to cool a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a blower disposed in the air-conditioning case so as to perform a dry control for the heat exchanger by sending air to the heat exchanger such that the heat exchanger is dried without flowing the heat exchange medium while the vehicle is parked, the blower using one of power supplied from the external power source, power supplied from the battery having residual quantity equal to or larger than the predetermined quantity, or power supplied from the in-vehicle solar cell; and   an estimating portion to estimate an approximate elimination of odor generated from the heat exchanger by starting the sending of air, and to stop the blower based on the estimation.   
     
     
         2 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the blower is driven by electric power supplied from a solar cell of the external power source, or by electric power supplied from the in-vehicle solar cell.   
     
     
         3 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the in-vehicle solar cell charges an original battery, and   the blower is driven by electric power of the in-vehicle solar cell through the original battery.   
     
     
         4 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the estimating portion is a time setting portion to set a time, for which air is sent to perform the drying of the heat exchanger, based on a state of air flowing upstream of the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         5 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the state of air represents a humidity of the air detected by a humidity sensor and a temperature of the air detected by a temperature sensor.   
     
     
         6 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the estimating portion stops the blower by estimating the approximate elimination of odor generated from the heat exchanger based on a value detected by a sensor to detect a dryness degree of air downstream of the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         7 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the value detected by the sensor is a humidity of the air downstream of the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         8 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the dry control is performed when a condensation determining portion determines that the heat exchanger has condensation water in a last air-conditioning time.   
     
     
         9 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the dry control is performed when an occupant absence determining portion determines that no occupant exists in the passenger compartment.   
     
     
         10 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an air inlet switching portion located upstream of the heat exchanger so as to switch an air inlet mode between an inside air circulation mode to circulate air inside of the vehicle and an outside air introduction mode to introduce air outside of the vehicle; and   a predicting portion to predict which mode is able to finish the dry control earlier between the inside air circulation mode and the outside air introduction mode, wherein the dry control is performed with a mode predicted by the predicting portion.   
     
     
         11 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the predicting portion predicts the mode based on a humidity and a temperature of air upstream of the heat exchanger.   
     
     
         12 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the blower is driven by the external power source so as to perform the dry control when the battery is disabled to have a quick charge from the external power source.   
     
     
         13 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
 an air-conditioning case defining an air passage, air passing through the air passage to be sent into a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a heat exchanger disposed in the air-conditioning case, heat exchange being performed between refrigerant flowing inside of the heat exchanger and the air passing through the air passage;   an air sending portion to send air into the passenger compartment;   a compressor to supply refrigerant to the heat exchanger; and   a control device to control the compressor and the air sending portion, air being sent to the heat exchanger by the air sending portion while the vehicle is parked, wherein   the control device determines a dryness degree of the heat exchanger using humidity of air after passing through the heat exchanger, and   the control device stops refrigerant supply to the heat exchanger by controlling the compressor during the parking, and controls the air sending portion to send air to the heat exchanger until the heat exchanger is determined to have a dryness state in which the heat exchanger is disabled to generate odor.   
     
     
         14 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the control device continuously detects a humidity of air after passing through the heat exchanger while drying operation is performed by the air sending portion, and   the control device determines the heat exchanger to have the dryness state when a difference between a highest humidity of air after the drying operation is started and a present humidity is larger than a predetermined value.   
     
     
         15 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the control device detects a humidity of air after passing through the heat exchanger using a humidity detector to detect a humidity adjacent to a window of the vehicle, and   the control device sets an air outlet mode in which air is blown toward the humidity detector while the vehicle is parked.   
     
     
         16 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
 a vapor compressing refrigerating cycle having a compressor to draw, compress and discharge refrigerant, and an evaporator to evaporate refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and air to be sent into a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a heater to heat the air using cooling water of an internal combustion engine as a heat source;   a target blow-off temperature calculator to compute a target blow-off temperature of air blown out of the evaporator;   a request signal output portion to output an operation request signal to an engine controller to activate the engine; and   a speed detector to detect a speed of the vehicle, wherein   the target blow-off temperature calculator raises the target blow-off temperature, and the request signal output portion lowers a frequency for outputting the operation request signal to the engine controller, as the speed is lowered.   
     
     
         17 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a rainfall, detector to detect a rainfall to the vehicle, wherein   the target blow-off temperature calculator causes an increasing ratio of the target blow-off temperature to be smaller when the rainfall detector detects a rainfall, compared with a case where the rainfall detector is unable to detect a rainfall.   
     
     
         18 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 17 , wherein
 the rainfall detector is a wiper switch to operate a wiper of the vehicle, and   the target blow-off temperature calculator causes the increasing ratio of the target blow-off temperature to be smaller when the wiper is operated, compared with a case where the wiper is disabled to be operated.   
     
     
         19 . The air-conditioning device according to  claim 17 , wherein
 the rainfall detector is a raindrop sensor to detect a raindrop adhering to the vehicle.   
     
     
         20 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
 a vapor compressing refrigerating cycle having a compressor to draw, compress and discharge refrigerant, and an evaporator to evaporate refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and air to be sent into a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a heater to heat the air using cooling water of an internal combustion engine as a heat source;   a target blow-off temperature calculator to compute a target blow-off temperature of air blown out of the evaporator;   a request signal output portion to output an operation request signal to an engine controller to activate the engine; and   a rainfall detector to detect a rainfall to the vehicle, wherein   the target blow-off temperature calculator raises the target blow-off temperature, and the request signal output portion lowers a frequency for outputting the operation request signal to the engine controller, when the rainfall detector is unable to detect a rainfall, compared with a case where the rainfall detector detects a rainfall.   
     
     
         21 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
 a vapor compressing refrigerating cycle having a compressor to draw, compress and discharge refrigerant, and an evaporator to evaporate refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and air to be sent into a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a heater to heat the air using heat medium heated by a heat-emitting element as a heat source, the heat emitting element emitting heat by consuming energy used for outputting driving power;   a target blow-off temperature calculator to compute a target blow-off temperature of air blown out of the evaporator;   a request signal output portion to output an operation request signal to an engine controller to activate the engine; and   a speed detector to detect a speed of the vehicle, wherein   the target blow-off temperature calculator raises the target blow-off temperature, and the request signal output portion lowers a frequency for outputting the operation request signal to the engine controller, as the speed is lowered.   
     
     
         22 . An air-conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
 a vapor compressing refrigerating cycle having a compressor to draw, compress and discharge refrigerant, and an evaporator to evaporate refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and air to be sent into a passenger compartment of the vehicle;   a heater to heat the air using heat medium heated by a heat-emitting element as a heat source, the heat emitting element emitting heat by consuming energy used for outputting driving power;   a target blow-off temperature calculator to compute a target blow-off temperature of air blown out of the evaporator;   a request signal output portion to output an operation request signal to an engine controller to activate the engine; and   a rainfall detector to detect a rainfall to the vehicle, wherein   the target blow-off temperature calculator raises the target blow-off temperature, and the request signal output portion lowers a frequency for outputting the operation request signal to the engine controller, when the rainfall detector is unable to detect a rainfall, compared with a case where the rainfall detector detects a rainfall.