Patent ID: 7062923

Claim:
A cooling method for an interior portion of a vehicle, comprising: performing thermal storage by producing ice in said interior portion of the vehicle, the vehicle mounting an internal combustion engine, by driving a compressor utilizing electric power from a battery which is mounted on the vehicle, the electric power of said battery being obtained during a rotation time of the internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle; after the thermal storage, operating an air blowing means; introducing air into an interior portion of a duct, which is cooled by the ice surrounding an outside periphery of said duct; performing a heat exchange between said air introduced into said duct and the ice which is arranged surrounding the outside periphery of said duct; producing the ice by heat exchange between a refrigerant, which is compressed by the compressor, and water; cooling the vehicle using said cooled air; and after stopping the internal combustion engine, operating only said air blowing means, introducing the air to be cooled into said duct, conducting heat exchange between the air and the ice, to provide cooled air, and cooling the interior of the vehicle with the cooled air, whereby the interior portion of the vehicle can be cooled after stopping the internal combustion engine by operating only said air blowing means.