Patent ID: 6725681
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
An air conditioner for air conditioning the interior of a compartment, wherein the air conditioner is mounted on a vehicle to air condition the passenger compartment of the vehicle and is also driven by an engine of the vehicle, the air conditioner comprising:a variable displacement compressor, wherein the compressor compresses refrigerant gas and changes the displacement, wherein the compressor includes a housing, wherein the housing rotatably supports a rotary body, the rotary body being rotated by the engine, an electric motor for driving the compressor, wherein the electric motor is located radially inward of the rotary body; a motor controller for rotating the motor at a constant reference speed; a detection device for detecting information related to the thermal load on the air conditioner; a current sensor for detecting the value of current supplied to the electric motor; and a controller for controlling the compressor based on the detected thermal load information and the detected current value, wherein the controller: computes a target torque of the compressor based on the thermal load information; computes a target current value to be supplied to the electric motor in accordance with the computed target torque; and controls the displacement of the compressor such that the detected current value matches the target current value matches the target value.