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DE-102025144861-A1 - VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING

DE102025144861A1DE 102025144861 A1DE102025144861 A1DE 102025144861A1DE-102025144861-A1

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioning system according to this invention comprises: a flow path 10 through which interior air from the vehicle interior and/or exterior air from the vehicle exterior can flow; at least one humidity control device 20 provided in the flow path 10, wherein the humidity control device 20 is configured to adsorb and desorb moisture; an HVAC unit 30 with a damper 52 configured to adjust a percentage of the amount of interior air and the amount of supplied exterior air; and a control unit 40 configured to control the humidity control device 20 and the HVAC unit 30. The control unit 40 controls the damper 52 such that the amount of supplied exterior air increases when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or higher, while heating operation is performed by the HVAC unit (30) and dehumidification operation is performed by the humidity control device (20).

Inventors

  • Takafumi Hamada

Assignees

  • NGK INSULATORS, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251031
Priority Date
20241111

Claims (15)

  1. Vehicle air conditioning system comprising: a flow path (10) through which interior air from the vehicle interior and/or exterior air from the vehicle exterior can flow; at least one humidity control device (20) provided in the flow path (10), wherein the humidity control device (20) is configured to adsorb and desorb moisture; an HVAC unit (30) with a damper (52) configured to adjust a percentage of the amount of interior air and the amount of supplied outside air; and a control unit (40) configured to control the humidity control device (20) and the HVAC unit (30), the control unit (40) controlling the flap (52) such that the amount of outside air supplied increases when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or more, while heating operation is performed by the HVAC unit (30) and dehumidification operation is performed by the humidity control device (20).
  2. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 1 , wherein the control unit (40) controls the flap (52) such that a percentage of the amount of outside air supplied is 11% or more when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or more, while the heating operation of the HVAC unit (30) and the dehumidification operation of the humidity control device (20) are being carried out.
  3. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 1 , wherein the control unit (40) controls the flap (52) such that a percentage of the supplied outside air is 15% or more when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or more, while the heating operation of the HVAC unit (30) and the dehumidification operation of the humidity control device (20) are performed.
  4. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 1 , wherein the control unit (40) controls the flap (52) such that a percentage of the supplied outside air is 20% or more when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or more, while the heating operation of the HVAC unit (30) and the dehumidification operation of the humidity control device (20) are performed.
  5. Vehicle air conditioning according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , wherein the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is measured by a humidity sensor provided in the vehicle interior and transmitted to the control unit (40).
  6. Vehicle air conditioning according to one of the Claims 1 until 5 , where the percentage of outside air supplied is 0 to 10% when the relative humidity inside the vehicle is less than 60%.
  7. Vehicle air conditioning after one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the humidity control device (20) is provided on a downstream side of the flap (52) in the HVAC unit (30).
  8. Vehicle air conditioning according to one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the humidity control device (20) is provided on an upstream side of the HVAC unit (30).
  9. Vehicle air conditioning after one of the Claims 1 until 8 , wherein the HVAC unit (30) includes a condenser (32), and the condenser (32) is connected to a heat pump circuit.
  10. Vehicle air conditioning according to one of the Claims 1 until 9 , wherein the flow path (10) on a downstream side of the humidity control device (20) branches into a first flow path (11) to allow the interior air and/or the exterior air to flow into the vehicle interior, and a second flow path (12) to allow the interior air and/or the exterior air to flow to the vehicle exterior, and wherein the vehicle air conditioning system further comprises a first valve (60) configured to switch the flow of the interior air and/or the exterior air between the first flow path (11) and the second flow path (12).
  11. Vehicle air conditioning according to one of the Claims 1 until 10 , wherein the humidity control device (20) comprises: an adsorption section containing an adsorbent configured to adsorb moisture at a temperature below or equal to a predetermined temperature and the to desorb adsorbed moisture when the temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature; and a heating device or heating structure designed to heat the adsorption section.
  12. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 11 , wherein the humidity control device (20) comprises: a honeycomb structure (21) with an outer circumferential wall (22) and partitions (25) provided on an inner side of the outer circumferential wall (22), the partitions (25) defining a plurality of cells (24), each of the cells (24) extending from a first end face (23a) to a second end face (23b) of the honeycomb structure (21) to form a flow path for air; an adsorption layer (26) containing the adsorbent, the adsorption layer (26) being provided on a surface of each of the partitions (25); and an electrode pair (27a, 27b) being provided on the first end face (23a) and the second end face (23b) of the honeycomb structure (21) or on the outer circumferential wall (22) parallel to an extension direction of the cells (24) of the honeycomb structure (21).
  13. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 12 , wherein at least the partitions (25) of the honeycomb structure (21) consist of a material with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) property.
  14. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 11 , wherein the humidity control device (20) has a flow path for air and a flow path for a heating medium adjacent to the flow path for air and wherein the adsorption section is provided in the flow path for air.
  15. Vehicle air conditioning system Claim 11 , wherein the humidity control device (20) comprises: a honeycomb structure (21) with an outer perimeter wall (22) and partitions (25) provided on an inner side of the outer perimeter wall (22), the partitions (25) defining a plurality of cells (24), each of the cells (24) extending from a first end face (23a) to a second end face (23b) of the honeycomb structure (21) to form a flow path for air; an adsorption layer (26) containing the adsorbent, the adsorption layer (26) being provided on a surface of each of the partitions (25); and a heating device being provided on an upstream side of the honeycomb structure (21).

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In various vehicle types, such as automobiles, the demands for improving the vehicle interior environment are increasing. Specific requirements include reducing CO₂ concentration in the vehicle interior to decrease driver fatigue, regulating humidity, and eliminating harmful volatile components such as odors and allergens. Ventilation is an effective measure for meeting these requirements; however, in winter, ventilation leads to significant heat loss, thus reducing energy efficiency. This is particularly problematic for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as their range is considerably reduced due to energy loss. As a method for solving the aforementioned problems, a vehicle cleaning system (vehicle air conditioning system) is proposed, comprising: a heating element (humidity control device) with a honeycomb structure having an outer perimeter wall and partitions provided on an inner surface of the outer perimeter wall, the partitions defining a plurality of cells, each extending from one end face to the other end face of the honeycomb structure to form a flow path, wherein at least the partition is made of a material with PTC properties; an electrode pair comprising a first electrode provided on one end face and a second electrode provided on the other end face; and a layer containing a functional material provided on a surface of each partition; as well as an inlet pipe connecting a vehicle interior to an inlet end face of the heating element; and an outlet pipe with a first path (first flow path) connecting an outlet surface of the heating element to the vehicle interior, wherein the outlet pipe has a first path connecting an outlet surface of the heating element to the vehicle interior and a second path (second flow path) connecting the outlet surface of the heating element to the vehicle exterior, and wherein the system includes a switching valve configured to switch an airflow circulating through the outlet pipe between the first path and the second path (for example, patent literature 1). On the other hand, an air conditioning system with an HVAC unit (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) using a heat pump circuit as an air conditioning system has been proposed that can perform the heating and cooling of a vehicle (e.g. patent literature 2 and 3). STATE OF THE ART Patent literature [Patent literature 1] WO 2023/074202 A1[Patent literature 2] Japanese Patent No. 6746742 B[Patent Literature 3] Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-097817 A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be solved by the invention In a vehicle climate control system with a humidity control device and an HVAC unit, the humidity in the vehicle interior can suddenly rise during heating by the HVAC unit due to factors such as an increase in the number of passengers or the ingress of rain or snow from the exterior of the vehicle. Under these conditions, dehumidification by the humidity control device takes a very long time. Therefore, condensation can easily form on the windows inside the vehicle. The present invention was developed to solve the problems described above. The aim of this invention is to provide a vehicle climate control system that can efficiently dehumidify the vehicle interior in order to prevent the windows from fogging up, even if the humidity in the vehicle interior suddenly increases during heating operation by the HVAC unit. Means to solve the problem As a result of extensive investigations into vehicle air conditioning systems, including humidity control devices and HVAC units, the inventor has determined that the problems described above can be solved by controlling a flap to increase the amount of outside air supplied when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior reaches 60% or more during heating operation by the HVAC unit and dehumidification by the humidity control device. In other words, this invention can be illustrated as follows: <1> Vehicle air conditioning system, which includes the following: a flow path through which interior air from the vehicle interior and/or exterior air from the vehicle exterior can flow; at least one humidity control device provided in the flow path, wherein the humidity control device is configured to adsorb and desorb moisture; an HVAC unit with a damper that is configured to adjust a percentage of the amount of indoor air and the amount of outdoor air supplied; and a control unit that is set up to control the humidity control device and the HVAC unit, the control unit controls the flap so that the amount of outside air supplied increases when the relative humidity in the vehicle interior is 60% or more, while heating operation is carried out by the HVAC unit and dehumidification operation by the humidity control device. <2> Vehicle air conditioning system according to <1>, wherein the control unit controls the flap such that a percentage of the amount o