Vehicle air conditioner device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059168-B2
Application number	US-201515512409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner device which is capable of continuing an air conditioning operation also in a case where a disconnection failure occurs in a solenoid valve to change a flow of a refrigerant in each operation mode. Respective solenoid valves 17, 20, 21 and 22 to change the respective operation modes of a vehicle air conditioner device 1 are constituted so that the flow of the refrigerant changes to a cooling mode when all the solenoid valves 17, 20, 21 and 22 are non-energized. The vehicle air conditioner device executes a cooling mode during failure in which a controller adjusts all the solenoid valves 17, 20, 21 and 22 to be non-energized and operates a compressor 2 , in a case where the disconnection failure occurs in one of the solenoid valves 17, 20, 21 and 22.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle air conditioner device comprising:
a compressor which compresses a refrigerant;
an air flow passage through which air to be supplied to a vehicle interior flows;
a radiator which lets the refrigerant radiate heat to heat the air to be supplied from the air flow passage to the vehicle interior;
a heat absorber which lets the refrigerant absorb heat to cool the air to be supplied from the air flow passage to the vehicle interior;
an outdoor heat exchanger disposed outside the vehicle interior to let the refrigerant radiate or absorb heat;
a plurality of solenoid valves to change a flow of the refrigerant;
auxiliary heating means for heating the air to be supplied from the air flow passage to the vehicle interior; and
control means,
the vehicle air conditioner device controlling the solenoid valves by the control means, thereby changing and executing at least a heating mode in which the control means lets the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiate heat in the radiator, decompresses the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated, and then lets the refrigerant absorb heat in the outdoor heat exchanger,
a dehumidifying mode in which the control means lets the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiate heat in the radiator, decompresses the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated, and then lets the refrigerant absorb heat in the heat absorber, and
a cooling mode in which the control means lets the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiate heat in the outdoor heat exchanger, decompresses the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated, and then lets the refrigerant absorb heat in the heat absorber,
wherein the respective solenoid valves are constituted so that the flow of the refrigerant changes to the cooling mode when all the solenoid valves are non-energized,
the control means executes a cooling mode during failure in which the control means adjusts all the solenoid valves to be non-energized and operates the compressor, in a case where a disconnection failure occurs in one of the solenoid valves.

2. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 , wherein the control means executes a dehumidifying mode during failure in which the control means adjusts all the solenoid valves to be non-energized, operates the compressor, and generates heat in the auxiliary heating means to heat the air to be supplied to the vehicle interior, in the case where the disconnection failure occurs in one of the solenoid valves.

3. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 , wherein the control means executes a heating mode during failure in which the control means stops the operation of the compressor to heat the air to be supplied to the vehicle interior by heat generation of the auxiliary heating means, in the case where the disconnection failure occurs in one of the solenoid valves.

4. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 , which comprises:
an accumulator disposed on a refrigerant suction side of the compressor; and
the solenoid valve for heating which is positioned between an outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger and an inlet of the accumulator,
wherein the solenoid valve for heating closes in a non-energized state.

5. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 ,
which comprises the solenoid valve for dehumidifying which is connected in parallel with the outdoor heat exchanger, and
the control means closes the solenoid valve for dehumidifying in the heating mode and the control means performs dehumidifying and heating by opening the solenoid valve for dehumidifying in the dehumidifying mode to let the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiate heat in the radiator, decompresses the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated, and then lets the refrigerant absorb heat in the heat absorber and the outdoor heat exchanger,
wherein the solenoid valve for dehumidifying closes in a non-energized state.

6. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 , which comprises:
a heating medium circulating circuit which has a heating medium-air heat exchanger, an electric heater and circulating means and circulates a heating medium heated by the electric heater through the heating medium-air heat exchanger by the circulating means,
wherein the auxiliary heating means is constituted of the heating medium-air heat exchanger.

7. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the auxiliary heating means is constituted of an electric heater.

8. The vehicle air conditioner device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the radiator is disposed outside the air flow passage, and
the auxiliary heating means is constituted of a heating medium circulating circuit which has a heating medium-refrigerant heat exchanger to perform heat exchange with the radiator, a heating medium-air heat exchanger disposed in the air flow passage, an electric heater and circulating means and circulates a heating medium heated by the heating medium-refrigerant heat exchanger and/or the electric heater through the heating medium-air heat exchanger by the circulating means.

Assignees

• Sanden Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Kenichi
• Miyakoshi Ryo
• Yamashita Kouhei

Classifications

• F25B5/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity (with cascade operation F25B7/00) · CPC title

• F25B40/00

  Subcoolers, desuperheaters or superheaters · CPC title

• B60H2001/00957

  comprising locations with heat exchange within the refrigerant circuit itself, e.g. cross-, counter-, or parallel heat exchange · CPC title

• B60H1/2221

  arrangements of electric heaters for heating an intermediate liquid (B60H1/034 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00978 Primary

  Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods · CPC title