DE-102025144862-A1 - VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

Abstract

A vehicle air conditioning system 1 comprises: a humidity control device 2, which has an adsorption section 20 containing an adsorbent, configured to adsorb moisture at a temperature below or equal to a predetermined temperature and to desorb the moisture when the temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature; a first flow path 3 for supplying air 10 from a vehicle interior or exterior into the vehicle interior without passing through the humidity control device 2; a second flow path 4 for supplying the air 10 through the humidity control device 2 into the vehicle interior; and a flow rate control 5 for controlling a flow rate of the air 10 flowing through the first flow path 3 and/or the second flow path 4, such that when the air 10 is blown into the vehicle interior by a windshield heater, a flow rate ratio of the dehumidified air, which is a ratio of a flow rate of the air 10 flowing through the second flow path 4 to a total flow rate of the air flowing through the first flow path 3 and the second flow path 4, is 5% or more.

Inventors

• Takafumi Hamada

Assignees

• NGK INSULATORS, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20251031

Priority Date

20241112

Claims (8)

1. Vehicle climate control system, comprising: a humidity control device having an adsorption section containing an adsorbent, configured to adsorb moisture at a temperature below or equal to a predetermined temperature and to desorb the moisture when the temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature; a first flow path for supplying air from a vehicle interior or exterior into the vehicle interior without it passing through the humidity control device; a second flow path for supplying the air through the humidity control device to the vehicle interior; and a flow rate control for controlling a flow rate of air flowing through the first flow path and/or the second flow path, such that when air is blown into the vehicle interior by a windshield heater, the flow rate ratio of the dehumidified air, which is a ratio of a flow rate of air flowing through the second flow path to a total flow rate of air flowing through the first and second flow paths, is 5% or more.
2. Vehicle air conditioning system according to Claim 1 , wherein the flow rate control includes a blower for supplying air to the humidity control device.
3. Vehicle air conditioning system according to Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the flow rate control comprises a flow rate control valve provided in the first flow path.
4. Vehicle air conditioning system according to one of the Claims 1 until 3 , where the flow rate control has a flow rate of dehumidified air of 7% or more.
5. Vehicle air conditioning system according to Claim 4 , where the flow rate control has a flow rate of dehumidified air of 15% or more.
6. Vehicle air conditioning system according to one of the Claims 1 until 5 , further comprising a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity inside the vehicle, wherein the flow rate control changes the ratio of the flow rate of the dehumidified air based on the humidity measured by the humidity sensor.
7. Vehicle air conditioning system according to one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the adsorption section comprises: a honeycomb structure with an outer wall and partitions provided on an inner side of the outer wall, the partitions defining cells to form airflow paths, each of the cells extending from a first end face to a second end face of the honeycomb structure; and an adsorption layer containing an adsorbent, the adsorption layer being provided on a surface of each of the partitions, the humidity control device comprising a pair of electrodes connected to the honeycomb structure, and further comprising a heating medium for heating the honeycomb structure by passing current through the honeycomb structure via the pair of electrodes, and wherein at least the partitions of the honeycomb structure are made of a material having a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) property.
8. A method for controlling a vehicle air conditioning system, wherein the vehicle air conditioning system comprises: a humidity control device having an adsorption section containing an adsorbent configured to adsorb moisture at a temperature below or equal to a predetermined temperature and to desorb the moisture when the temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature; a first flow path for supplying air from a vehicle interior or exterior into the vehicle interior without passing through the humidity control device; and a second flow path for supplying the air through the humidity control device into the vehicle interior, wherein the method comprises controlling a flow rate of the air flowing through the first flow path and/or the second flow path such that, when the air is blown into the vehicle interior by a windshield heater, a flow rate ratio of the dehumidified air is maintained, which is a ratio of a flow rate the air flowing through the second flow path to a total flow rate of the air flowing through the first and second flow paths is 5% or more.

Description

AREA OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system and a method for controlling the same. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For various vehicle types, such as motor vehicles, the demands for improving the vehicle interior are increasing. Specific requirements include reducing the amount of carbon dioxide inside the vehicle to decrease driver fatigue, regulating humidity levels, and eliminating harmful volatile components such as odors and allergens. Ventilation is an effective measure to meet these requirements; however, in winter, ventilation results in significant heat loss, leading to reduced energy efficiency. This is particularly problematic for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as their range is considerably limited due to energy losses. The patent literature described below 1 discloses a vehicle interior cleaning system comprising a humidity control device (heating element) in which a removal target component, such as water vapor and CO2 in the air inside the vehicle, is captured by a functional material, such as an adsorbent, and the removal target component is then reacted or desorbed by heating in order to release it to the exterior of the vehicle and to regenerate the functional material. Furthermore, as disclosed in patent literature 2 described below, air is blown against a vehicle window pane to remove condensation. To reduce heat loss through ventilation in cold weather, outside air is partially supplied while the interior air is recirculated to reduce the humidity of the air blown against the window pane. BIBLIOGRAPHY Patent literature [Patent Literature 1] Publication of the Japanese patent application no. 2024 - 101455 A[Patent Literature 1] Publication of the Japanese patent application no. 2009 - 298323 A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is assumed that the efficiency of defrosting the window pane can be improved by using air that has passed through the humidity control device of patent literature 1 to defrost the window pane as described in patent literature 2. However, depending on the proportion of air flowing through the humidity control device to the total flow rate of air flowing through the humidity control device and air flowing outside of it, there is a risk that the defrosting of the window pane may be insufficient. This invention is intended to solve the problems described above and, among other things, to provide a vehicle air conditioning system and a method for controlling it that can more reliably eliminate the fogging of the vehicle glass panes. [1] In one embodiment, this invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system comprising: a humidity control device having an adsorption section containing an adsorbent, configured to adsorb moisture at a temperature below or equal to a predetermined temperature and to desorb the moisture when the temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature; a first flow path for supplying air from a vehicle interior or exterior into the vehicle interior without it passing through the humidity control device; a second flow path for supplying of the air through the humidity control device to the vehicle interior; and a flow rate control for controlling a flow rate of the air flowing through the first flow path and/or the second flow path, such that when the air is blown to the vehicle interior by a windshield heater, a flow rate ratio of the dehumidified air, which is a ratio of a flow rate of the air flowing through the second flow path to a total flow rate of the air flowing through the first and second flow paths, is 5% or more. [2] This invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to <1>, wherein the flow rate control comprises a blower for supplying air to the humidity control device. [3] This invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to [1] or [2], wherein the flow rate control comprises a flow rate control valve provided in the first flow path. [4] This invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to one of <1> to <3>, wherein the flow rate control has a flow rate of dehumidified air of 7% or more. [5] This invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to <4>, wherein the flow rate control has a flow rate of dehumidified air of 15% or more. [6] The present invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to <1> to <5>, further comprising a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity inside the vehicle, wherein the flow rate control changes the ratio of the flow rate of the dehumidified air on the basis of the humidity measured by the humidity sensor. [7] This invention may relate to the vehicle air conditioning system according to one of <1> to <6>, wherein the adsorption section comprises: a honeycomb structure with an outer wall and partitions provided on an inner side of the outer wall, the partitions defining cells to form airflow paths, each of the cells extending from a first end fa