Vehicle-mounted temperature controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11241930-B2
Application number	US-202016887524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	Jul 12, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted temperature controller has a first heat circuit and a refrigeration circuit. The first heat circuit has a first radiator exchanging heat with outside air, a first heat exchanger, and a first pump, and configured so that a first heat medium is circulated therethrough. The refrigeration circuit has the first heat exchanger discharging heat from the refrigerant to a first heat medium to make a refrigerant condense, a second heat exchanger absorbing heat to the refrigerant to thereby make the refrigerant evaporate and to cool an object to be cooled, and a compressor, and is configured so that the refrigerant circulates through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and thereby a refrigeration cycle is realized. When the object to be cooled starts being cooled, the compressor is started up after the first pump is started up.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle-mounted temperature controller comprising:
a first heat circuit having a first radiator exchanging heat with outside air, a first heat exchanger, a heater core used for heating an inside of a passenger compartment of a vehicle in which the temperature controller is mounted, and a first pump, the first heat circuit being configured so that when the first pump is driven, a first heat medium is circulated through the first heat circuit, the first heat circuit also being configured to be able to change a circulation mode of the first heat medium so that the first heat medium circulates through at least one of the first radiator and the heater core;
a refrigeration circuit having the first heat exchanger discharging heat from a refrigerant to the first heat medium to make the refrigerant condense, a second heat exchanger transferring heat to the refrigerant to make the refrigerant evaporate and to cool an object to be cooled, and a compressor, the refrigeration circuit being configured so that when the compressor is driven, the refrigerant circulates through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger to realize a refrigeration cycle; and
an electronic control unit configured to: (i) when starting to cool the object to be cooled, start up the compressor after starting up the first pump, and (ii) when starting to heat the passenger compartment, start up the first pump after starting up the compressor, and control the first heat circuit so that the first heat medium circulates so as to flow through the heater core.

2. The vehicle-mounted temperature controller according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to, when cooling the object to be cooled, control the first heat circuit so that the first heat medium is circulated so as to flow through the first radiator.

3. The vehicle-mounted temperature controller according to claim 1 , further comprising
a second heat circuit having a second radiator exchanging heat with the outside air, the second heat exchanger, an equipment heat exchanger for heat generating equipment, which exchanges heat with the heat generating equipment, and a second pump, wherein
the second heat circuit is configured to be able to change a circulation mode of a second heat medium so that the second heat medium flows through the second heat exchanger and circulates through at least one of the second radiator and the equipment heat exchanger, and
the electronic control unit is configured to, when heating the passenger compartment, control the second heat circuit so that the second heat medium is circulated so as to flow through the second radiator.

4. The vehicle-mounted temperature controller according to claim 3 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to, when cooling the second heat medium as the object to be cooled so as to cool the heat generating equipment, control the second heat circuit so that the second heat medium is circulated so as to flow through the equipment heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aikawa Hidefumi
• Miyoshi Yuji

Classifications

• B60H1/32281

  comprising a single secondary circuit, e.g. at evaporator or condenser side · CPC title

• B60H1/143

  the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries · CPC title

• B60H1/3213

  for increasing the efficiency in a vehicle heat pump · CPC title

• B60H2001/0015

  Temperature regulation · CPC title

• B60H1/03

  and from a source other than the propulsion plant · CPC title