Vehicular air conditioning device, and constituent unit thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159199-A1
Application number	US-201414907170-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 25, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a vehicular air conditioning device which is based on a configuration adopted in a conventional vehicle including a hot-water heater, a heat-pump cooling device, and a control system, and which is capable of increasing heating performance at low cost and with a small increase in installation space. This vehicular air conditioning device is provided with: a first water refrigerant heat exchanger that vaporizes a refrigerant; a second water refrigerant heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant; and a switching means capable of switching between a state in which the refrigerant flows in a refrigerant circuit including the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, a compressor, and the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, and a state in which the refrigerant flows in another refrigerant circuit including an evaporator, the compressor, and a condenser.

First claim

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . A vehicle air conditioning apparatus comprising:
a first water refrigerant heat exchanger that causes heat exchange between refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state and coolant for heat conveyance to vaporize the refrigerant; a second water refrigerant heat exchanger that causes heat exchange between the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state and the coolant to condense the refrigerant; a compressor that compresses the refrigerant; an evaporator that causes heat exchange between the refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state and sucked air that is sent to a vehicle interior; a condenser that causes heat release from the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state to condense the refrigerant; and a switching section capable of switching between a state where the refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit including the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, the compressor, and the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, and a state where the refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit including the evaporator, the compressor, and the condenser, wherein the first water refrigerant heat exchanger takes in the coolant from a heater core that heats air that is sent to the vehicle interior, and outputs the coolant to a passage for cooling a heat generation member of a vehicle, the second water refrigerant heat exchanger takes in the coolant from the passage for cooling the heat generation member, and outputs the coolant to the heater core, and a refrigerant passage from the second water refrigerant heat exchanger to the first water refrigerant heat exchanger and a refrigerant passage from the condenser to the evaporator are different from each other.

17 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising a check valve disposed on a passage through which the refrigerant flows from the evaporator to the compressor.

18 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising:
a first expansion section that expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser into a low-temperature and low-pressure state, and discharges the refrigerant to the evaporator; and
a second expansion section that expands the condensed refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure state, and discharges the refrigerant to the first water refrigerant heat exchanger.

19 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising:
a first air-conditioning control section that controls an operation of the compressor; and
a second air-conditioning control section that controls switching of the switching section, wherein
the first air-conditioning control section and the second air-conditioning control section are communicably connected with each other.

20 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein:
the first air-conditioning control section is capable of transmitting air-conditioning switch information to the second air-conditioning control section, the air-conditioning switch information representing on-off of an air-conditioning switch that is operated by a user; and the second air-conditioning control section is capable of transmitting a compressor activation request to the first air-conditioning control section.

21 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein:
a refrigerant passage from a discharge port of the compressor includes a branching part that diverges to a side of the condenser on which the refrigerant is taken in and to a side of the second water refrigerant heat exchanger on which the refrigerant is taken in; and the switching section includes a first opening/closing valve capable of blocking a refrigerant passage between the branching part and the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, and a second opening/closing valve capable of blocking a refrigerant passage between the branching part and the condenser.

22 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the switching section includes a three-way valve disposed at a branching part where a refrigerant passage from a discharge port of the compressor diverges to a side of the condenser on which the refrigerant is taken in and to a side of the second water refrigerant heat exchanger on which the refrigerant is taken in.

23 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the second air-conditioning control section receives information for determining necessity of a heat-pump heating mode, and transmits a compressor activation request to the first air-conditioning control section on a basis of the received information.

24 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the information for determining the necessity of the heat-pump heating mode includes switch information of a heat pump heating switch that is operated by the user.

25 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the heat generation member is an internal combustion engine.

26 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein:
the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, and the switching section are integrated together to compose a unit; and the compressor is provided outside the unit.

27 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein:
the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, the switching section, and the second air-conditioning control section are integrated together to compose a unit; and the compressor and the first air-conditioning control section are provided outside the unit.

28 . A constituent unit of a vehicle air conditioning apparatus, wherein a first water refrigerant heat exchanger, a second water refrigerant heat exchanger, and a switching section are integrated together, wherein
the first water refrigerant heat exchanger causes heat exchange between refrigerant in a low-temperature and low-pressure state and coolant for heat conveyance to vaporize the refrigerant; the second water refrigerant heat exchanger causes heat exchange between the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state and the coolant to condense the refrigerant; and the switching section is capable of switching between a state where the refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit including the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, and a state where the refrigerant flows through another refrigerant circuit including the compressor.

29 . The constituent unit of the vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 28 further comprising:
a connecting section that is connected to a signal line for communication with a first air-conditioning control section that controls the compressor; and
a second air-conditioning control section that is communicably connected to the first air-conditioning control section through the connecting section, and controls switching of the switching section.

30 . The constituent unit of the vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein the first water refrigerant heat exchanger, the second water refrigerant heat exchanger, the switching section, and the second air-conditioning control section are integrated together.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kuroda Kentaro
• Taniguchi Katsuji
• Noda Yoshitoshi

Classifications

• 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

• F25B5/04

  arranged in series · CPC title

• F25B6/02

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• B60H2001/00928

  comprising a secondary circuit · CPC title

• B60H1/3213

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