Technical Field
[0001]
The present invention relates to an air conditioner for
a rail vehicle.
Background Art
[0002]
Most of dust or the like suspended in the inner air of
a railroad vehicle is naturally discharged to the outside of
the vehicle through openings such as ventilators and doors,
but some of them adhere to the wall surfaces and floor surfaces
of the vehicle and the inside of an air conditioning device.
Even if dust or the like adheres to the wall surfaces and
floor surfaces, it is removed by periodic cleaning work, and
its sanitation is maintained. On the contrary, the cleaning
work of the inside of the air conditioning device is often
performed only when the maintenance work is performed. Due
to an increase in cleanliness-consciousness in recent years,
it is desirable to perform regular cleaning work even for the
inside of the air conditioning device, but from the viewpoint
of suppressing labor costs and the like, the demand for
automation thereof is increasing.
[0003]
As a technique for automatically cleaning a heat
exchanger configuring an air conditioning device, there is a
technique described in, for example, Patent Literature 1. In
this technique, the temperature of the heat exchanger is
3
lowered to cover the surface of the heat exchanger with frost
or ice, and then the temperature of the heat exchanger is
raised to thaw the frost and the like and remove dust on the
surface of the heat exchanger, and the operation thereof is
referred to as freeze cleaning.
[0004]
However, since the air conditioning operation cannot be
performed during the freeze cleaning operation, when this
technology is applied to an air conditioner for a railroad
vehicle, there is a possibility that the comfort of the inside
of the vehicle is deteriorated to cause discomfort to
passengers depending on the operation timing.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0005]
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 6400147
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide an air
conditioner for a rail vehicle that is excellent in
cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the air conditioner at an
appropriate timing without causing discomfort to passengers.
Solution to Problem
[0007]
In order to solve the above problems, one of
representative air conditioners for a rail vehicle of the
present invention can be achieved by an air conditioner for a
4
rail vehicle including a vehicle control system, the
conditioner including: a refrigeration cycle device that can
execute a cleaning operation; and an air conditioning control
device that controls the refrigeration cycle device, wherein
the air conditioning control device can communicate with the
vehicle control system and causes the refrigeration cycle
device to execute a cleaning operation on the basis of status
information obtained from the vehicle control system.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0008]
According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide an air conditioner for a rail vehicle that is excellent
in cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the air conditioner at
an appropriate timing without causing discomfort to passengers.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those
described above will be clarified by the following description
of the embodiments.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0009]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for showing a relationship
between an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the
present invention and a vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of control according to a first
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control according to a second
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control according to a third
embodiment of the present invention.
5
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of control according to a fourth
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control according to a fifth
embodiment of the present invention.
Description of Embodiments
[0010]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will
be described by using the drawings. A rail vehicle is a
general term for vehicles that run along laid tracks, and
means a railroad vehicle, a streetcar, a new transportation
system vehicle, and a monorail vehicle. Hereinafter,
embodiments of the present invention will be described with
reference to the drawings by exemplifying a railroad vehicle
as a representative example of the rail vehicle. Accordingly,
an air conditioning device for a railway vehicle of the
embodiments configures an air conditioning device for a rail
vehicle of the present invention.
[0011]
In the embodiments, status information of the vehicle
includes, but is not limited to, information of an
identification number (train number) for specifying the
vehicle, information of whether or not the vehicle is
activated, information of whether or not the vehicle is in a
deadhead state, information of whether or not the current
position of the vehicle is in a vehicle base, information of
instructing an air conditioning control device 4 to perform
cleaning control, information (time information) of whether
or not the current time is within business operation hours,
6
information (date information) of whether or not the current
date is within a period during which cooling is used, and the
like. However, the air conditioning control device 4 may
store the business operation hours in advance to determine
whether or not the current time is within the business
operation hours from the built-in clock, or may store the
period during which cooling is used in advance to determine
whether or not the current date is within the period during
which cooling is used from the built-in clock.
[0012]
[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention relates to
control for performing a cleaning operation during deadheading
after the vehicle is activated. The first embodiment will be
described by using FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic
diagram for showing a relationship between an air conditioner
according to the present invention and a vehicle. The air
conditioner of the embodiment is configured using a
refrigeration cycle device 3 and an air conditioning control
device 4, both of which are connected to each other by at
least a communication line 5.
[0013]
The air conditioning control device 4 is also connected
to a vehicle control system 2 that controls various
information of the vehicle by a communication line 6. The
refrigeration cycle device 3 is configured using a compressor,
an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, a
throttling device, an outdoor blower, an indoor blower, an
7
outdoor temperature sensor, an in-vehicle temperature sensor,
and the like, and the compressor, the blowers, the throttling
device, and the like are driven on the basis of a command from
the air conditioning control device 4. The air conditioning
control device 4 controls the refrigeration cycle device 3 on
the basis of an air conditioning command from the vehicle
control system 2. The refrigeration cycle device 3 can clean
the heat exchangers by a freeze cleaning operation. However,
the cleaning of the heat exchangers is not limited to the
freeze cleaning operation. In addition, the air conditioning
control device 4 can obtain information on various current
states of the train from the vehicle control system 2 in
addition to the air conditioning command.
[0014]
Next, a flow of control performed by the air conditioning
control device 4 will be described by using FIG. 2 that is a
flowchart of control of the embodiment. The control starts
when the vehicle is powered and activated. After activating
the vehicle, the air conditioning control device 4 acquires
status information of the vehicle from the vehicle control
system 2 via the communication line 6 (Step S101). Thereafter,
the activation state of the vehicle is determined on the basis
of the status information (Step S102), and if it is determined
that the vehicle is not activated, the air conditioning
control device 4 terminates the control.
[0015]
On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in
Step S102 that the vehicle is in the activation state, the air
8
conditioning control device 4 determines whether or not the
vehicle is in the deadhead state in Step S103. Whether or not
the vehicle is in the deadhead state may be determined by
using information of whether or not the vehicle is in the
deadhead state among the status information of the vehicle
acquired from the vehicle control system 2, or by using train
number information in the case where whether or not the vehicle
is in the deadhead state can be determined from the train
number information. In addition, in the case where an
operation schedule is set for each train, the air conditioning
control device 4 can collate the train number information and
the current time with the operation schedule to perform the
cleaning operation when it is determined that the vehicle is
not operated.
[0016]
Since the vehicle is in the normal operation state in
the case where it is determined in Step S103 that the vehicle
is not in the deadhead state, the air conditioning control
device 4 performs an operation on the basis of the air
conditioning command from the vehicle control system 2 (Step
S107).
[0017]
On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in
Step S103 that the vehicle is in the deadhead state, the air
conditioning control device 4 then determines whether the
cleaning of the heat exchangers has been completed (Step S104).
In the case where it is determined that the cleaning has been
completed, the flow proceeds to Step S107 in which the air
9
conditioning control device 4 performs the operation on the
basis of the air conditioning command from the vehicle control
system 2. On the contrary, in the case where it is determined
that the cleaning has not been completed, the air conditioning
control device 4 performs the cleaning operation of the heat
exchangers (Step S105), transmits heat exchanger cleaning
completion information to the vehicle control system (Step
S106), and performs the operation on the basis of the air
conditioning command from the vehicle control system 2 (Step
S107). Thereafter, the air conditioning control device 4
waits for a certain period of time (Step S108), returns to
Step S101 to acquire the vehicle status again, and repeats the
determination and control from Step S102. Since the heat
exchanger cleaning completion information is transmitted to
the vehicle control system in Step S106, the cleaning
completion can also be grasped on the vehicle system side, and
the information can be displayed to the crews or the cleaning
history can be managed as a vehicle system.
[0018]
By performing the control in this manner, the cleaning
operation can be performed during the deadhead operation in
which no passengers are on board, so that the cleaning
operation of the heat exchangers can be performed at a timing
when no passengers feel discomfort. That is, it is possible
to provide an air conditioner for a railroad vehicle that is
excellent in cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the heat
exchangers in the air conditioner without causing discomfort
to passengers.
10
[0019]
[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention relates to
control for performing a cleaning operation when the vehicle
is in a base after the vehicle is activated. The second
embodiment will be described by using FIG. 3 while focusing
on the difference from the first embodiment. The
configuration of an air conditioner for a railroad vehicle
according to the embodiment is the same as that of the first
embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control of the air conditioning
control device 4. The difference from the first embodiment
is that the step (Step S103 in FIG. 2) in which the air
conditioning control device 4 determines whether or not the
vehicle is in the deadhead state in the first embodiment is
replaced with a step (Step S203) of determining whether or not
the vehicle is in a vehicle base. Since the other controls
(Steps S201 to S202 and S204 to S209) are the same as those
(Steps S101 to S102 and S104 to S108) of the first embodiment,
the duplicated description is omitted.
[0021]
The determination of whether or not the vehicle is in
the vehicle base in Step S203 can be made by the air
conditioning control device 4 from information related to the
current location such as kilometers (distance from a certain
point) and point information among the status information of
the vehicle acquired in Step S201.
11
[0022]
In general, in the case where the vehicle is in the
vehicle base, it is considered that no passengers are on board,
so that by performing the control in this manner, the cleaning
operation of the heat exchangers can be performed at a timing
when no passengers feel discomfort. That is, it is possible
to provide an air conditioner for a railroad vehicle that is
excellent in cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the heat
exchangers in the air conditioner without causing discomfort
to passengers.
[0023]
[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention relates to
control for performing a cleaning operation in response to a
command from the vehicle control system. The third embodiment
will be described by using FIG. 4. The configuration of an
air conditioner for a railroad vehicle according to the
embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown
in FIG. 1.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of control of the air conditioning
control device 4. The control starts when the vehicle is
powered and activated. After the vehicle is activated, the
air conditioning control device 4 acquires the status
information of the vehicle from the vehicle control system 2
via the communication line 6 (Step S301). Thereafter, the
activation state of the vehicle is determined on the basis of
the status information (Step S302), and if it is determined
12
that the vehicle is not activated, the air conditioning
control device 4 terminates the control.
[0025]
On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in
Step S302 that the vehicle is in the activation state, the air
conditioning control device 4 determines in Step S303 whether
or not a heat exchanger cleaning command is issued from the
status information of the vehicle acquired in the previous
step. Here, in the case where it is determined that there is
no cleaning command, the air conditioning control device 4
performs an air conditioning operation on the basis of the air
conditioning command (Step S306).
[0026]
In the case where it is determined that there is a
cleaning command, the air conditioning control device 4
performs the heat exchanger cleaning operation (Step S304),
and transmits the information to the vehicle control system
after the completion of the cleaning (Step S305). Thereafter,
the air conditioning control device 4 performs an operation
on the basis of the air conditioning command from the vehicle
control system 2 (Step S306). Further, the air conditioning
control device 4 waits for a certain period of time (Step
S307), returns to Step S301 again to acquire the vehicle status,
and repeats the determination and control from Step S302.
[0027]
By performing the control in this manner, even in a
situation where it is not easily determined whether there are
passengers in the vehicle or whether the vehicle is in
13
commercial operation, for example, in the case where the
vehicle stops at a station platform and is standing by with
the doors closed, the cleaning of the heat exchangers can be
performed in accordance with the determination on the vehicle
system side. That is, it is possible to provide an air
conditioner for a railroad vehicle that is excellent in
cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the heat exchangers in the
air conditioner without causing discomfort to passengers
according to the determination on the vehicle system side.
[0028]
[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention relates to
control in which a condition on the basis of a set time is
added to the first embodiment. The fourth embodiment will be
described by using FIG. 5 while focusing on the difference
from the first embodiment. The configuration of an air
conditioner for a railroad vehicle according to the embodiment
is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
[0029]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of control of the air conditioning
control device 4. The difference from the first embodiment
is that a step (Step S404 here) in which the air conditioning
control device 4 determines whether the time is after the set
time on the basis of the status information of the vehicle is
added between a step (Step S403 here) of determining whether
or not the vehicle is in the deadhead state in the first
embodiment and a step (Step S405 here) of determining the
completion of the cleaning of the heat exchangers. Since the
14
other controls (Steps S401 to S403 and S405 to S409) are the
same as those (Steps S101 to S103 and S104 to S108) of the
first embodiment, the duplicated description is omitted.
[0030]
For example, if the set time included in the status
information is set to 18:00, the air conditioning control
device 4 can control the cleaning operation of the heat
exchangers in Step S406 to be performed only after 18:00 (for
example, during the deadheading of the vehicle). That is, if
the set time is appropriately determined, the cleaning
operation of the heat exchangers can be performed at the timing
of deadheading after the completion of the commercial
operation on the day.
[0031]
By performing the control in this manner, the cleaning
operation can be performed after the commercial operation on
the day, so that the heat exchangers contaminated with dust
or the like during the air conditioning operation can be
cleaned without carrying over the contamination to the next
day. That is, it is possible to provide an air conditioner
for a railroad vehicle that is more excellent in cleanliness
and comfort by cleaning the heat exchangers in the air
conditioner without causing discomfort to passengers.
[0032]
[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention relates to
control for performing a cleaning operation during only a
period in which air conditioning is used. The fifth
15
embodiment will be described by using FIG. 6 while focusing
on the difference from the first embodiment. The
configuration of an air conditioner for a railroad vehicle
according to the embodiment is the same as that of the first
embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
[0033]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control of the air conditioning
control device 4. The difference from the first embodiment
is that a step (Step S504 here) in which the air conditioning
control device 4 determines the current period on the basis
of the status information is added between a step (Step S503
here) of determining whether or not the vehicle is in the
deadhead state in the first embodiment and a step (Step S505
here) of determining the completion of the cleaning of the
heat exchangers. Since the other controls (Steps S501 to S503
and S505 to S509) are the same as those (Steps S101 to S103
and S104 to S108) of the first embodiment, the duplicated
description is omitted.
[0034]
For example, in the embodiment, the cleaning period is
set to be between May and October during which cooling is used,
and only in the case where the air conditioning control device
4 determines that the current time is the cleaning period, it
is possible to control to perform the cleaning operation of
the heat exchangers in Step S506. Accordingly, the cleaning
operation of the heat exchangers is performed during only at
least a period in which cooling is used.
[0035]
16
By performing the control in this manner, in the case
where the air conditioning device is exclusively used for
cooling, the cleaning operation can be performed during only
a period in which cooling is used, so that the cleaning
operation can be prevented from being inefficiently performed
during a period such as in winter in which the air conditioning
device is not contaminated. That is, it is possible to more
efficiently provide an air conditioner for a railroad vehicle
that is excellent in cleanliness and comfort by cleaning the
heat exchangers in the air conditioner only in a period that
is likely to cause discomfort to passengers.
[0036]
It should be noted that the cleaning of the air
conditioner is not limited to the heat exchangers, and other
parts may be cleaned under the control of the air conditioning
control device 4.
List of Reference Signs
[0037]
1 railroad vehicle
2 vehicle control system
3 refrigeration cycle device
4 air conditioning control device
5 communication line connecting control device and
refrigeration cycle device
6 communication line connecting vehicle control system and
air conditioning control system

We Claim:
[Claim 1]
An air conditioner for a rail vehicle including a vehicle
control system, the conditioner comprising:
a refrigeration cycle device that can execute a cleaning
operation; and
an air conditioning control device that controls the
refrigeration cycle device,
wherein the air conditioning control device can
communicate with the vehicle control system and causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of status information obtained from the vehicle
control system.
[Claim 2]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least information of whether or not the rail
vehicle is in a deadhead state obtained from the vehicle
control system.
[Claim 3]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least information of the current position of
the rail vehicle obtained from the vehicle control system.
18
[Claim 4]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least information for specifying the rail
vehicle obtained from the vehicle control system.
[Claim 5]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least command information obtained from the
vehicle control system.
[Claim 6]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least time information obtained from the
vehicle control system.
[Claim 7]
The air conditioner for a rail vehicle according to claim
1,
wherein the air conditioning control device causes the
refrigeration cycle device to execute a cleaning operation on
the basis of at least date information obtained from the
vehicle control system.