Air conditioning system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12528337-B2
Application number	US-202318465161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2023
Priority date	Sep 28, 2022
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

An air conditioning system for a vehicle includes a grille shutter on a front part of a vehicle and arranged in a front face of an engine compartment where a driving source is installed, the grille shutter being capable of adjusting a volume of outside air to be introduced into the engine compartment. A heat source is in the engine compartment. Circulation piping includes a temperature increase section which goes through the heat source. The circulation piping diverges into a vehicle cabin front section and a vehicle cabin rear section from the temperature increase section. A rear air-conditioning controller can limit the volume of air to a rear side of a vehicle cabin when a first condition is satisfied. The first condition is a condition where a grille shutter is stuck in an open state and a defroster function of the vehicle is in an ON state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An air conditioning system for a vehicle comprising:
a grille shutter provided on a front part of a vehicle and arranged in a front face of an engine compartment where a driving source is installed, the grille shutter being capable of adjusting a volume of outside air to be introduced into the engine compartment; a heat source installed in the engine compartment; circulation piping through which refrigerant liquid flows, the circulation piping including a temperature increase section which goes through the heat source, wherein the circulation piping diverges into a vehicle cabin front section and a vehicle cabin rear section from the temperature increase section and converges to return to the temperature increase section; a front blower configured to send warm air to a front part of a vehicle cabin by exchanging heat with refrigerant liquid flowing through the vehicle cabin front section; a rear blower configured to send warm air to a rear part of the vehicle cabin by exchanging heat with refrigerant liquid flowing through the vehicle cabin rear section; a front air-conditioning controller configured to control a volume of air directed to the front part of the vehicle cabin, including ON/OFF of a defroster function; and a rear air-conditioning controller configured to control the volume of air directed to the rear part of the vehicle cabin, wherein the rear air-conditioning controller is operable to limit the volume of air directed to the rear part of the vehicle cabin when a first condition is satisfied, wherein the first condition is a condition where the grille shutter is stuck in an open state and the defroster function is in an ON state.

2 . The air conditioning system for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rear air-conditioning controller is operable to limit the volume of air directed to the rear part of the vehicle cabin when the first condition and a second condition are satisfied, wherein the second condition is a condition where a temperature outside the vehicle is equal to or lower than a threshold temperature.

3 . The air conditioning system for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the rear air-conditioning controller is configured to limit the volume of air directed to the rear part of the vehicle cabin when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, and a third condition is satisfied, wherein the third condition is a condition where a vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a threshold speed.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hoshino Yu

Classifications

• B60H1/3223 Primary

  characterised by the arrangement or type of the compressor (B60H1/3222 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H2001/3298

  Ejector-type refrigerant circuits · CPC title

• B60H1/242

  located in the front area · CPC title

• B60H1/00764

  the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed (B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/244

  located in the rear area · CPC title