Patent ID: 8744673
Filing Date: 2014-06-03
Classification: B60H,G05D,G06F

Abstract:
1. A vehicle air conditioner for a vehicle cabin interior split into a plurality of air-conditioned zones that is capable of independent air conditioning control for individual air-conditioned zones, comprising: a solar radiation sensor that measures solar radiation levels individually for a first air-conditioned zone and a second air-conditioned zone, which are adjacent to each other; a judging unit that judges whether or not a difference between the solar radiation level of the first air-conditioned zone and the solar radiation level of the second air-conditioned zone falls within a predetermined range; a first controller that performs identical air conditioning control for the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone when the difference falls within the predetermined range; and a second controller that performs independent air conditioning control individually for the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone when the difference falls outside the predetermined range, wherein, of the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone, the first controller selects the air-conditioned zone with a higher solar radiation level as a first reference zone and performs the air conditioning control of the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone on the basis of the solar radiation level of the first reference zone, and wherein, of the first air-conditioned zone and the second air-conditioned zone, the second controller selects one zone as a second reference zone, corrects a control value for the second reference zone on the basis of a difference between a solar radiation level of the second reference zone and a solar radiation level of the other air-conditioned zone, and computes and adjusts a control value for the other air-conditioned zone.