Vehicular heat management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449830-B2
Application number	US-201414894549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2014
Priority date	Jun 4, 2013
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A vehicular heat management system includes: a refrigerant circuit; a first heat medium circuit in which a heat medium circulates and exchanges heat with a low-pressure side refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit; a second heat medium circuit in which a heat medium circulates and exchanges heat with a high-pressure side refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit; and a switching device configured to switch a mode between a communicating mode in which the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit are coupled and a non-communicating mode in which the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit are not coupled on the basis of a temperature of the heat medium in the first heat medium circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular heat management system comprising:
a low-pressure side heat exchanger configured to cool a heat medium by heat exchange between a low-pressure side refrigerant of a refrigeration cycle and the heat medium;
a first heat medium circuit in which the heat medium cooled by the low-pressure side heat exchanger circulates;
a high-pressure side heat exchanger configured to heat a heat medium by heat exchange between the high-pressure side refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle and the heat medium;
a second heat medium circuit in which the heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger circulates;
a temperature sensor disposed in the first heat medium circuit and configured to detect a temperature of the heat medium flowing out of the low-pressure side heat exchanger;
a valve disposed between the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit and configured to couple or separate the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit; and
a switching device including a controller configured to control the valve to switch a mode between a communicating mode in which the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit are coupled and a non-communicating mode in which the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit are not coupled, wherein
the switching device includes:
a first switching valve that switches a flow of the heat medium so as to allow the heat medium to flow from the second heat medium circuit to the first heat medium circuit in the communicating mode and prevent the heat medium from flowing from the second heat medium circuit into the first heat medium circuit in the non-communicating mode; and
a second switching valve that switches a flow of the heat medium so as to allow the heat medium to flow from the first heat medium circuit to the second heat medium circuit in the communicating mode and prevent the heat medium from flowing from the first heat medium circuit into the second heat medium circuit in the non-communicating mode,

the switching device selects the communicating mode when the temperature of the heat medium detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a first predetermined temperature, and
the switching device selects the non-communicating mode when the temperature of the heat medium detected by the temperature sensor is higher than or equal to a second predetermined temperature.

2. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , wherein the switching device couples the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit to allow the heat medium to flow from the second heat medium circuit to the low-pressure side heat exchanger in the communicating mode.

3. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , comprising a heat-absorption heat exchanger disposed in the first heat medium circuit, the heat-absorption heat exchanger performing heat exchange between the heat medium cooled by the low-pressure side heat exchanger and an outside air such that the heat medium absorbs heat, wherein
the switching device couples the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit to allow the heat medium to flow from the second heat medium circuit to the heat-absorption heat exchanger in the communicating mode.

4. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , wherein the switching device couples the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit to allow the heat medium to flow from the high-pressure side heat exchanger to the first heat medium circuit in the communicating mode.

5. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , comprising an air-heating heat exchanger disposed in the second heat medium circuit, the air-heating exchanger performing heat exchange between the heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger and air blown to a vehicle interior, thereby heating the blown air, wherein
the switching device couples the first heat medium circuit and the second heat medium circuit to allow the heat medium to flow from the air-heating heat exchanger to the first heat medium circuit in the communicating mode.

6. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , further comprising an inter-circuit flow rate control device configured to reduce a flow rate of the heat medium, flowing from the second heat medium circuit to the first heat medium circuit, with increase in temperature difference obtained by subtracting the temperature of the heat medium that flows in the first heat medium circuit from the temperature of the heat medium that flows in the second heat medium circuit.

7. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat medium is an ethylene glycol-based antifreezing fluid.

8. A vehicular heat management system comprising:
a compressor configured to draw and discharge a refrigerant;
a high-pressure side heat exchanger configured to heat a first heat medium by heat exchange between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the first heat medium;
an expansion valve configured to decompress the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the high-pressure side heat exchanger;
a low-pressure side heat exchanger configured to cool a second heat medium by heat exchange between the refrigerant decompressed in the expansion valve and the second heat medium;
a heat-absorption heat exchanger that causes the second heat medium to absorb heat by heat exchange between the second heat medium cooled by the low-pressure side heat exchanger and air;
an introducing portion including a flow channel configured to introduce a heat amount of the first heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger into the heat-absorption heat exchanger without communicating with the low-pressure side heat exchanger and without shutting off an inflow of the second heat medium cooled by the low-pressure side heat exchanger into the heat-absorption heat exchanger; and
a controller configured to determine whether frost is adhered to the heat-absorption heat exchanger and increase the temperature of the first heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger when it is determined that frost is adhered to the heat-absorption heat exchanger.

9. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 8 , comprising an air-heating heat exchanger configured to heat air by using at least a part of a heat amount of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

10. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 9 , comprising an air flow rate adjusting device including an air mix door configured to adjust a flow rate of air that passes through the air-heating heat exchanger, wherein
the controller increases the temperature of the first heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger by controlling the air flow rate adjusting device so as to reduce the flow rate of air that passes through the air-heating heat exchanger.

11. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 10 , wherein the air mix door is configured to adjust a ratio between the flow rate of air that flows in the air-heating heat exchanger and a flow rate of air that flows to bypass the air-heating heat exchanger.

12. The vehicular heat management system according to claim 9 , comprising a three-way valve configured to adjust a ratio between a flow rate of the first heat medium that flows in the air-heating heat exchanger and a flow rate of the first heat medium that flows to bypass the air heating heat exchanger, wherein
the controller increases the temperature of the first heat medium heated by the high-pressure side heat exchanger by controllin

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Sugimura Kengo
• Kuwayama Kazutoshi
• Makihara Masamichi
• Katoh Yoshiki
• Enomoto Norihiko

Classifications

• B60H2001/00961

  comprising means for defrosting outside heat exchangers · CPC title

• B60H1/321

  for preventing the freezing of a heat exchanger · CPC title

• B60H1/32284

  comprising two or more secondary circuits, e.g. at evaporator and condenser side · CPC title

• B60K6/22

  characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title