Air conditioning device for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12160712-B2
Application number	US-202117794205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2021
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

This air conditioning device for a vehicle comprises: a refrigeration cycle having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which refrigerant sequentially flows; a high-temperature heat medium circuit in which a high-temperature heat medium that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the condenser circulates; a low-temperature heat medium circuit in which a low-temperature heat medium that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator circulates; a connection line for connecting the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit; a plurality of heat exchangers outside the vehicle that allow introduction of the heat medium; and a switching unit capable of switching modes for each of the plurality of heat exchangers outside the vehicle, among a mode for connecting to the high-temperature heat medium circuit, a mode for connecting to the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and a mode for not connecting to either of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioning device for a vehicle comprising:
a refrigerating cycle having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator through which a refrigerant sequentially flows;
a high-temperature heat medium circuit in which a high-temperature heat medium that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the condenser circulates;
a low-temperature heat medium circuit in which a low-temperature heat medium that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator circulates;
a connection line that connects the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit;
a plurality of vehicle-exterior heat exchangers into which the high-temperature heat medium and/or the low-temperature heat medium are capable of being introduced; and
a switching part configured to switch, for each of the plurality of vehicle-exterior heat exchangers, between a mode of connecting to the high-temperature heat medium circuit, a mode of connecting to the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and a mode of not connecting to any of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit.

2. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the refrigerating cycle adjusts, in a pure heating mode, a temperature of the refrigerant to create a state where a temperature of the low-temperature heat medium in the vehicle-exterior heat exchangers is lower than an outside air temperature, the low-temperature heat medium performing heat exchange with the refrigerant in the evaporator and being introduced to all the vehicle-exterior heat exchangers.

3. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein the refrigerating cycle adjusts, in a heating and defrosting mode, a temperature of the refrigerant to create a state where a temperature of the high-temperature heat medium in the vehicle-exterior heat exchanger is higher than a freezing point of water, the high-temperature heat medium performing heat exchange with the refrigerant in the condenser and being introduced to at least one of the vehicle-exterior heat exchangers excluding one of the vehicle-exterior heat exchangers.

4. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 2 .
wherein the switching part is a plurality of valve devices capable of changing a flow state in the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and includes
a plurality of valve bodies, each of which has a columnar shape centered on an axis, and which are arranged in a direction of the axis and are rotatable around the axis,
a valve casing that covers the plurality of valve bodies and is provided with four flow paths that communicate with at least one of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and
an actuator that advances and retreats the plurality of valve bodies in the direction of the axis in the valve casing and rotates the plurality of valve bodies around the axis.

5. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the refrigerating cycle adjusts, in a heating and defrosting mode, a temperature of the refrigerant to create a state where a temperature of the high-temperature heat medium the vehicle-exterior heat exchanger is higher than a freezing point of water, the high-temperature heat medium performing heat exchange with the refrigerant in the condenser and being introduced to at least one of the vehicle-exterior heat exchangers excluding one of the vehicle-exterior heat exchanger.

6. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 5 ,
wherein the switching part is a plurality of valve devices capable of changing a flow state in the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and includes
a plurality of valve bodies, each of which has a columnar shape centered on an axis, and which are arranged in a direction of the axis and are rotatable around the axis,
a valve casing that covers the plurality of valve bodies and is provided with four flow paths that communicate with at least one of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and
an actuator that advances and retreats the plurality of valve bodies in the direction of the axis in the valve casing and rotates the plurality of valve bodies around the axis.

7. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switching part is a plurality of valve devices capable of changing a flow state in the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and includes
a plurality of valve bodies, each of which has a columnar shape centered on an axis, and which are arranged in a direction of the axis and are rotatable around the axis,
a valve casing that covers the plurality of valve bodies and is provided with four flow paths that communicate with at least one of the high-temperature heat medium circuit and the low-temperature heat medium circuit, and
an actuator that advances and retreats the plurality of valve bodies in the direction of the axis in the valve casing and rotates the plurality of valve bodies around the axis.

8. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is an adjacent two-by-two valve body in which adjacent opening portions that are open in four directions at intervals in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis are formed and a communication passage making a pair of the adjacent opening portions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction communicate with each other inside the valve body is formed.

9. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is a three-way valve body in which three opening portions that are open in three directions at intervals in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis are formed and a communication passage making the three opening portions communicate with each other inside the valve body is formed.

10. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is a two-way valve body in which two opening portions that are open in two directions at an interval in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis are formed and a communication passage making the two third opening portions communicate with each other inside the valve body is formed.

11. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is an opposing two-by-two valve body in which opposing opening portions that are open in four directions at intervals in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis are formed and a communication passage making a pair of the opposing opening portions located on both sides in a radial direction with respect to the axis communicate with each other inside the valve body is formed.

12. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is a three-way valve body in which three opening portions that are open in three directions at intervals in a circumferential direction with respect to the axis are formed and a communication passage making the three opening portions communicate with each other inside the valve body is formed.

13. The air conditioning device for a vehicle according to claim 12 ,
wherein one of the plurality of valve bodies is a two-way valve body in which two opening portions

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Thermal Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Takayuki
• Tanabe Hirotaka
• Hase Tomoki
• Ohta Masahiro
• Tatenoi Hideaki
• Nakado Koji

Classifications

• H04R29/001 Primary

  for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B61D27/0018 Primary

  Air-conditioning means, i.e. combining at least two of the following ways of treating or supplying air, namely heating, cooling or ventilating (air-conditioning in general F24F) · CPC title

• B60H1/00899

  Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system (controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204) · CPC title

• B60H1/00485

  Valves for air-conditioning devices, e.g. thermostatic valves · CPC title

• B60H2001/00961

  comprising means for defrosting outside heat exchangers · CPC title