Vehicle air conditioner that operates during engine stops

A vehicle air conditioner that is mounted on a vehicle, which carries out control to stop a vehicle engine when power of the vehicle engine is not necessary, the air conditioner comprising:

• a compressor driven by the vehicle engine;
• an evaporator provided in a refrigeration cycle having said compressor for cooling air blown into a vehicle cabin;
• and
• a cold thermal energy storage unit provided on a downstream side of said evaporator and cooled by cold air passed through said evaporator, wherein
• air blown into the cabin being cooled by a stored cold thermal energy quantity of said cold thermal energy storage unit when said vehicle engine is stopped,
• said cold thermal energy storage unit having a cold thermal energy storage material cooled and solidified by the cold air passed through said evaporator,
• during the operation of said vehicle engine, a cold thermal energy storage completion time after a temperature of said cold thermal energy storage unit reaches a solidifying point of said cold thermal energy storage material, or lower, until cold thermal energy storage to said cold thermal energy storage material is completed is pre-set for each air volume of said cold air,
• during the operation of the vehicle engine, the time passed after the temperature of said cold thermal energy storage unit reaches a solidifying point of said cold thermal energy storage material or lower is measured,
• said pre-set cold thermal energy storage completion time is selected based on an actual cold air volume after said temperature of said cold thermal energy storage unit reaches a solidifying point of said cold thermal energy storage material (44), or lower, and said stored cold thermal energy quantity of said cold thermal energy storage material during the operation of said vehicle engine is calculated based on a ratio of said passed time relative to said selected cold thermal energy storage completion time.

A vehicle air conditioner to be mounted on a vehicle that carries out control to stop a vehicle engine when power of said vehicle engine is not necessary, comprising:

• a compressor driven by said vehicle engine;
• an evaporator provided in a refrigeration cycle having said compressor for cooling air blown into a vehicle cabin;
• and
• a cold thermal energy storage unit provided at a downstream air location of said evaporator and cooled by cold air passed through said evaporator, wherein
• air blown into said vehicle cabin is cooled by a stored cold thermal energy quantity of said cold thermal energy storage unit when said vehicle engine is stopped,
• said cold thermal energy storage unit has a cold thermal energy storage material cooled and solidified by said cold air passed through said evaporator,
• a stored cold thermal energy quantity calculating means calculates the stored cold thermal energy quantity of said cold thermal energy storage material during the operation of said vehicle engine,
• when said vehicle engine is stopped, a volume of air blown into the cabin that can be cooled by cold thermal energy radiation of said cold thermal energy storage material for a prescribed duration is calculated based on information including at least said stored cold thermal energy quantity and said duration,
• the volume of air blown into said vehicle cabin when said vehicle engine is stopped is controlled to be said calculated air volume.