Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle air conditioner

A method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which controls an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of air-conditioning air while balancing between a heat amount supplied from an air conditioner for adjusting the air-conditioning air into a passenger room, and a heat load acting on a vehicle, comprising:

• the first step of predicting an optimal target temperature with reference to a comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort felt by a passenger in the passenger room, and on the basis of a comfort index obtained under an assumption that a control state of air-conditioning control is in a stable period, and a heat balance equation;
• the second step of selecting an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature on the basis of the target temperature predicted in the first step and a comfort index having, as parameters, factors which influence comfort actually felt by the passenger in the passenger room;
• and
• the third step of executing the air-conditioning control on the basis of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature selected in the second step.

An apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which controls an outlet air flow rate and an outlet air temperature of air-conditioning air while balancing between a heat amount supplied from an air conditioner for adjusting the air-conditioning air into a passenger room, and a heat load acting on a vehicle, comprising:

• first calculation means for obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates and the outlet air temperatures necessary for maintaining a passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature;
• second calculation means for calculating comfort indices each representing a comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates and the outlet air temperatures obtained by said first calculation means;
• and
• search means for searching a combination of the outlet air flow rate and the outlet air temperature, which can provide a comfort index closest to an optimal value of the comfort indices calculated by said second calculation means.