METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE EVAPORATOR TEMPERATURE OF AN AIR CONDITIONER AS A FUNCTION OF THE OUTSIDE DEW POINT

A method for controlling the evaporator temperature of an air conditioner as a function of the outside dew point, in which the dew point temperature of the intake air drawn in by the air conditioner to air-condition an interior and the blown air temperature setpoint that is associated with one or more variably presettable interior temperature setpoints is determined for the intake air to be blown out into the interior. At the beginning of each cooling cycle, a determination is made as to whether the evaporator is wet or dry. The evaporator temperature is then adjusted to a setpoint that is at most approximately as high as the dew point temperature and otherwise is approximately as high as the blown air temperature setpoint. This is for cases within presettable limits, with a wet evaporator and a blown air temperature setpoint that is above the intake air dew point temperature. Alternatively, interrogation of the evaporator state can be eliminated and the smaller of the blown air temperature setpoint and the outside temperature dew point temperature differential is selected as the evaporator temperature. A typical use of the method, for example, is in the air conditioners of motor vehicles.