OPERATING DEVICE FOR AN AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL AS WELL AS MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating device (5) for an automatic climate control (2) of a motor vehicle (1) including a sensor assembly (7) for determining an interior temperature in a passenger cabin (4) of the motor vehicle (1) and including an operating area (8), wherein the sensor assembly (7) comprises a circuit board (11) and a sensor unit (12) disposed on the circuit board (11) with a first temperature sensor (17), and wherein a top side (9) of the operating area (8) faces the passenger cabin (4) in an intended installation position of the operating device (5) on the motor vehicle (1). In addition, the invention relates to an automatic climate control (2) as well as to a motor vehicle (1).

Claims

1. An operating device for an automatic climate control of a motor vehicle comprising: a sensor assembly for determining an interior temperature in a passenger cabin (4) of the motor vehicle; and an operating area, wherein the sensor assembly comprises: a circuit board, and a sensor unit disposed on the circuit board with a first temperature sensor, wherein a top side of the operating area faces the passenger cabin in an intended installation position of the operating device on the motor vehicle, wherein a bottom side of the operating area opposing the top side is disposed spaced from the sensor unit disposed on the circuit board and is formed completely covering the sensor unit, and the first temperature sensor is adapted to contactlessly acquire a first surface temperature of a surface element of the operating area, depending on which the interior temperature can be determined.

2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operating device has an evaluation unit, which is adapted to determine the interior temperature in the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle depending on the first surface temperature.

3. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature sensor is formed as an infrared sensor, which determines the first surface temperature based on infrared radiation incident on the infrared sensor from the surface element.

4. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit has a second temperature sensor for measuring a clearance temperature in a clearance between the sensor unit and the bottom side of the operating area facing the sensor unit.

5. The operating device according to claim 4, wherein the second temperature sensor is formed as a thermistor, in particular as a Negative Temperature Coefficient Thermistor.

6. The operating device according to claim 4, wherein an evaluation unit of the operating device is adapted to capture heating of the operating area due to solar radiation on the top side of the operating area based on a comparison of the first surface temperature and the clearance temperature.

7. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit has a third temperature sensor for contactless surface temperature measurement and a flat measuring part is disposed in a clearance between the sensor unit and the bottom side of the operating area, wherein the third temperature sensor is adapted to contactlessly acquire a second surface temperature of a surface of the flat measuring part.

8. The operating device according to claim 7, wherein the third temperature sensor is configured as an infrared sensor, which is adapted to determine the second surface temperature based on infrared radiation incident on the infrared sensor from the surface of the measuring part.

9. The operating device according to claim 7, wherein an evaluation unit of the operating device is adapted to determine a differential surface temperature based on the first and the second surface temperature and to determine the interior temperature in the passenger cabin depending on the differential surface temperature.

10. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the top side and/or the bottom side of the operating area have a ribbed structure at least in the surface element.

11. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that a region of the circuit board surrounding the sensor unit is mechanically connected to the bottom side of the operating area such that a duct is formed for thermal decoupling in an overlap area between the bottom side of the operating area and the sensor unit.

12. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operating device has a housing surrounding the sensor assembly, wherein a housing lid of the housing forms the operating area.

13. An automatic climate control for a motor vehicle comprising: an operating device according to claim 1; and a control device for controlling the interior temperature in the passenger cabin depending on the interior temperature determined by the operating device.

14. A motor vehicle with an automatic climate control according to claim 13, wherein the operating device of the automatic climate control is disposed on the motor vehicle such that the top side of the operating area faces the passenger cabin and the sensor assembly is invisibly installed.

Description

[0030] There show:

[0031] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0032] FIG. 2 a schematic representation of an embodiment of an operating device according to the invention; and

[0033] FIG. 3 a schematic representation of a further embodiment of an operating device according to the invention.

[0034] In the figures, identical as well as functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference characters.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle 1 according to the present invention. In particular, the motor vehicle 1 is formed as a passenger car. The motor vehicle 1 includes an automatic climate control 2 with a control device 3. The control device 3 can for example be integrated in a vehicle-side control unit and serves for controlling an interior temperature in an interior or a passenger cabin 4 of the motor vehicle 1. Thereto, the automatic climate control 2 additionally has an operating device 5, which can for example be integrated in a dashboard 6 and/or a center console of the motor vehicle 1 not shown here. The operating device 5 serves for determining a current interior temperature in the passenger cabin 4 among other things. Thereto, the operating device 5 has a sensor assembly 7, which is disposed behind an operating area 8 of the operating device 5.

[0036] In an intended installation position of the operating device 5 in the passenger cabin 4, a top side 9 or front side of the operating area 8 faces the passenger cabin 4. Looking from the passenger cabin 4 towards the top side 9, the sensor assembly 7 is disposed below the operating area 8 and spaced from the operating area 8. Therein, the sensor assembly 7 can be integrated in a housing 10 of the operating device 5, wherein a housing lid of the housing 10 forms the operating area 8. In addition, the operating area 8 can have operating elements not shown here, by means of which a driver of the motor vehicle 1 can preset a desired temperature for the passenger cabin 4. Thereupon, the control device 3 can adjust the interior temperature to the desired temperature adjusted by the driver depending on the interior temperature acquired by the sensor assembly 7.

[0037] An embodiment of the operating device 5 is schematically shown in FIG. 2 in a cross-section. Therein, the sensor assembly 7 has a circuit board 11, on which a sensor unit 12 is disposed. The sensor unit 12 is disposed spaced from the operating area 8, wherein a bottom side 13 of the operating area 8 opposing the top side 9 faces the sensor unit 12. Here, the sensor unit 12 is disposed within a duct 14, wherein a region 15 surrounding the duct 14 mechanically connects the circuit board 11 as well as the operating area 8. The region 15 can for example be formed as a potting compound, by which a stability of the operating device 5 can be increased. By the duct 14, the operating area 8 can be thermally decoupled from the sensor unit 12. Along an extension direction of the operating area 8 and the circuit board 11, the duct has a width, which extends at least over an overlap area 16 between the sensor unit 12 and the operating area 8. The operating area 8 completely covers the sensor unit 12 in the overlap area 16. This in particular means that the operating area 8 is formed as a closed area without opening in the overlap area 16.

[0038] In addition, the sensor unit 12 has a first temperature sensor 17, by means of which a first surface temperature of a surface element 18 of the operating area 8 can be acquired within the overlap area 16 in contactless or non-contact manner. Since the operating area 8 is formed closed or without opening at least in the overlap area 16, by the first temperature sensor 17, it is not directly determined the interior temperature in the passenger cabin 4, but the first surface temperature. The interior temperature in the passenger cabin 4 is then derived from the first surface temperature for example by an evaluation unit not shown here, which can for example also be disposed on the circuit board 11. For example, the evaluation unit can set the first surface temperature as the interior temperature.

[0039] In particular, the first temperature sensor 17 is formed as an infrared sensor, by means of which the first surface temperature can be determined based on infrared radiation incident on the infrared sensor 17 from the surface element 18. In addition, the sensor unit 12 here has a second temperature sensor 19 within the duct 14, which is able to acquire a clearance temperature within the duct 14. Therein, the second temperature sensor 19 in particular does not measure a surface temperature, but the temperature within a volume around the second temperature sensor 19. The second temperature sensor 19 is in particular formed as a thermistor, preferably as a high-temperature conductor or NTC resistor.

[0040] By means of the clearance temperature within the duct 14 acquired by the second temperature sensor 19, the surface temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor 17 can be made plausible. Namely, if solar radiation is incident on the top side 9 of the operating area 8 and thereby greatly heats the operating area 8, it can occur that the first surface temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor 17 does not reflect the current temperature in the interior 4 of the motor vehicle 1. This would result in false temperature determination by the operating device 5 and thereby in erroneous temperature control by the control device 3. If a difference between the first surface temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor 17 and the clearance temperature acquired by the second temperature sensor 19 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, thus, this indicates heating of the operating area 8 by solar radiation and can be taken into account in the determination of the interior temperature in the passenger cabin 4.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the operating device 5 according to the invention. Therein, the embodiment of the operating device 5 shown in FIG. 2 is extended by a further, third temperature sensor 20 adapted for contactless surface temperature acquisition according to FIG. 3. The third temperature sensor 20 can again be formed as an infrared sensor. The third temperature sensor 20 acquires a second surface temperature of a measuring part 21, which is here disposed centrally within the duct 14 along a longitudinal axis of the operating device 5. For example, the measuring part 21 can be formed of the same material as the operating area 8 and be attached to an edge of the duct 14. Therein, the measuring part 21 in particular overlaps only with the third temperature sensor 20. This third temperature sensor 20 measures the second surface temperature of the measuring part 21 based on the infrared radiation emitted from the measuring part 21.

[0042] Now, the evaluation unit of the operating device 5 can perform a differential temperature measurement by determining a difference between the first surface temperature acquired by the first temperature sensor 17 and the second surface temperature acquired by the third temperature sensor 20. Based on this difference, an energy flow evaluation or convection between the passenger cabin 4 and the duct 14 can be evaluated. Based on the differential temperature, it can also be evaluated if the operating area 8 is exposed to severe solar radiation, by which the operating area 8 is heated. In addition, the interior temperature in the passenger cabin 4 can be determined based on the differential surface temperature.