Refrigeration cycle device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12337656-B2
Application number	US-202218070060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2022
Priority date	Jun 29, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A refrigeration cycle device includes: a compressor; a heat radiating unit that causes refrigerant to heat air supplied to a space inside a vehicle cabin; a decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant; an outside air heat absorbing unit that causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from outside air; a waste heat absorbing unit that causes the refrigerant to absorb waste heat of a waste heat device; a shutter that opens and closes a passage for the outside air introduced into the outside air heat absorbing unit; and a control unit that closes the shutter when it is determined that an amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigeration cycle device comprising:
a compressor configured to suck, compress, and discharge a refrigerant;
a heat radiating unit configured to cause the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to radiate heat to heat air supplied to a space inside a vehicle cabin;
a decompression unit configured to decompress the refrigerant having radiated heat in the heat radiating unit;
an outside air heat absorbing unit configured to cause the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat from outside air;
a waste heat absorbing unit configured to cause the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb waste heat of a waste heat device;
a shutter configured to open and close to regulate an opening of a passage for the outside air introduced into the outside air heat absorbing unit; and
a controller configured to close the shutter when the controller determines that an amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit.

2. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller closes the shutter when a flow of the refrigerant to the outside air heat absorbing unit is blocked.

3. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller determines whether the outside air heat absorbing unit absorbs heat on a basis of a temperature of the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and an outside air temperature,
in a case where the controller determines that the outside air heat absorbing unit absorbs heat, the controller determines whether an amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit, and
when the controller determines that the amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit, the controller closes the shutter.

4. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein
the waste heat absorbing unit causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from a heat medium that cools the waste heat device,
the refrigeration cycle device further comprises a radiator that exchanges heat between the heat medium and the outside air,
the shutter opens and closes a passage for the outside air introduced into the radiator, and
the controller opens the shutter when a temperature of the heat medium is equal to or higher than a forced cooling temperature.

5. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein
a waste heat recovery mode in which the waste heat absorbing unit absorbs waste heat of the waste heat device and an outside air heat absorbing mode in which the outside air heat absorbing unit absorbs heat from the outside air can be switched from each other,
the waste heat absorbing unit causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from a heat medium that cools the waste heat device, and
in a case where a temperature of the heat medium is equal to or higher than a waste heat recovery temperature, the controller shifts to the waste heat recovery mode, and the controller closes the shutter when the controller determines that an amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit in the waste heat recovery mode.

6. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein
the waste heat device has a characteristic that an amount of waste heat increases as a travel load of a vehicle increases, and
the controller closes the shutter when the travel load exceeds a predetermined load.

7. A refrigeration cycle device comprising:
a compressor configured to suck, compress, and discharge a refrigerant;
a heater core configured to cause the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to radiate heat to heat air supplied to a space inside a vehicle cabin;
an air-heating expansion valve configured to decompress the refrigerant having radiated heat in the heater core;
an outside heat exchanger configured to cause the refrigerant decompressed by the air-heating expansion valve to absorb heat from outside air;
a chiller configured to cause the refrigerant decompressed by the air-heating expansion valve to absorb waste heat of a battery;
a shutter configured to open and close to regulate an opening of a passage for the outside air introduced into the outside heat exchanger; and
a controller configured to close the shutter when the controller determines that an amount of waste heat of the battery is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside heat exchanger and the chiller.

8. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 7 , wherein the controller closes the shutter when a flow of the refrigerant to the outside heat exchanger is blocked.

9. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 7 , wherein
the controller determines whether the outside heat exchanger absorbs heat on a basis of a temperature of the refrigerant in the outside heat exchanger and an outside air temperature,
in a case where the controller determines that the outside heat exchanger absorbs heat, the controller determines whether an amount of waste heat of the battery is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside heat exchanger and the chiller, and
when the controller determines that the amount of waste heat of the battery is larger than the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside heat exchanger and the chiller, the controller closes the shutter.

10. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 7 , wherein
the chiller causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from a heat medium that cools the battery,
the refrigeration cycle device further comprises a radiator that exchanges heat between the heat medium and the outside air,
the shutter opens and closes a passage for the outside air introduced into the radiator, and
the controller opens the shutter when a temperature of the heat medium is equal to or higher than a forced cooling temperature.

11. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 7 , wherein
a waste heat recovery mode in which the chiller absorbs waste heat of the battery and an outside air heat absorbing mode in which the outside heat exchanger absorbs heat from the outside air can be switched from each other,
the chiller causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from a heat medium that cools the battery, and
in a case where a temperature of the heat medium is equal to or higher than a waste heat recovery temperature, the controller shifts to the waste heat recovery mode, and the controller closes the shutter when the controller determines that an amount of waste heat of the battery is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside heat exchanger and the chiller in the waste heat recovery mode.

12. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 7 , wherein
the battery has a characteristic that an amount of waste heat increases as a travel load of a vehicle increases, and
the controller closes the shutter when the travel load exceeds a predetermined load.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Satoshi
• Itoh Satoshi
• Mitsuhashi Takuya
• Yamada Atsushi

Classifications

• B60K11/04

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title

• B60H1/3204

  using compression (B60H1/3233 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K11/02

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• B60K11/085

  with adjustable shutters or blinds · CPC title

• B60H2001/00307

  Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow · CPC title