Patent ID: 6397615
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: B60H

Abstract:
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, the air conditioner comprising:an air duct for defining an air passage through which air flows into the passenger compartment; a heat exchanger disposed in the air duct, for performing a heat exchange with air; a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting temperature of air blown into the passenger compartment; and a control unit which controls the temperature adjustment unit so that temperature of air blown into the passenger compartment becomes a target air temperature; wherein: the control unit includes, a temperature setting unit for setting a temperature of the passenger compartment to a set temperature, and a non-contact temperature sensor which detects a surface temperature of a predetermined detection range of the passenger compartment; the predetermined detection range of the non-contact temperature sensor includes a first detection portion in which a surface temperature is changed to approximately correspond to an inside air temperature inside the passenger compartment, a second detection portion in which a surface temperature is changed in accordance with an outside air temperature outside the passenger compartment, and a third detection portion in which a surface temperature is changed in accordance with a sunlight amount entering into the passenger compartment; and the control unit calculates the target air temperature only using the set temperature from the temperature setting unit and a detection surface temperature detected from the non-contact temperature sensor.