Operation unit for vehicle air conditioner and vehicle air-conditioning control apparatus using the same

An operation unit for a vehicle air conditioner, comprising:

• a display device including a dial calibrated such that a present set value of a control parameter other than a set temperature of the air conditioner is directly readable, a pointer rotatably disposed on the dial, and a pointer driving motor for rotatably driving the pointer;
• a setting input portion operable to set a set value of the control parameter;
• a determining unit obtaining the present set value of the control parameter and determining a change of the present set value of the control parameter;
• an operating state identification unit identifying whether an air-conditioning operating state is in one of a plurality of predetermined operating states of the air conditioner;
• and
• a pointer operation control unit controlling an operation of the pointer driving motor such that the pointer moves on the dial at different moving velocities according to the one air-conditioning operating state, wherein the pointer moves to a position corresponding to the set value of the control parameter with a time lag after the determining unit determines the change of the present set value of the control parameter.