Air-conditioning system of a motor vehicle and method for operating the air-conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016265819-A1
Application number	US-201615067656-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention concerns an air conditioning system for the conditioning of the air of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. The air conditioning system has a refrigerant circuit with a compressor, a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger for desuperheating the refrigerant after the compression, a first refrigerant-air heat exchanger and a second refrigerant-air heat exchanger, and at least one coolant circuit. The coolant circuit has a heating heat exchanger for heating an air mass flow being supplied to the passenger compartment. The refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger is designed as a component of the coolant circuit having the heating heat exchanger. The air conditioning system is designed for an operation in refrigerator mode, in heat pump mode, and in afterheating mode for the heating, cooling, and dehumidification of the air being supplied to the passenger compartment. A valve arrangement switches the air conditioning system between the different operating modes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air conditioning system for conditioning air of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising:
a refrigerant circuit including a compressor configured for compressing a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger configured for desuperheating the refrigerant, a first refrigerant-air heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor, and a second refrigerant-air heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor, the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor with respect to a direction of flow of the refrigerant through the compressor; a coolant circuit conveying a coolant therethrough, the coolant circuit including a heating heat exchanger configured for heating air conveyed through the air conditioning system, the heating heat exchanger in fluid communication with the refrigerant coolant heat exchanger, the coolant circuit and the refrigerant circuit selectively operable between a refrigerator mode, a heat pump mode, and an afterheating mode; a valve arrangement disposed in the refrigerant circuit and selectively switching the coolant circuit and the refrigerant circuit between the refrigerator mode, the heat pump mode, and the afterheating mode.

2 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the valve arrangement is disposed downstream from the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger with respect to the direction of flow of the refrigerant through the compressor.

3 . The air conditioning system of claim 2 , wherein the valve arrangement is disposed intermediate the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger with respect to the direction of flow of the refrigerant through the compressor or intermediate the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger with respect to the direction of flow of the refrigerant through the compressor.

4 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger is one of an evaporator and a liquefier.

5 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger is one of an evaporator and a liquefier.

6 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the heating heat exchanger is disposed adjacent and downstream from the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger with respect to a flow of air through the air conditioning system.

7 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flows through the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger in a first direction in the refrigerator mode and the afterheating mode, and wherein the refrigerant flows through the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger in a second direction in the heat pump mode.

8 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger in a first direction in the refrigerator mode and the afterheating mode, and wherein the refrigerant flows through the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger in a second direction in the heat pump mode.

9 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the valve arrangement includes four shutoff valves, a first one of the shutoff valves and a second one of the shutoff valves are normally open, a third one of the shutoff valves and a fourth one of the shutoff valves are normally closed.

10 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the valve arrangement includes a pair of three-way valves, a first one of the pair of three-way valves including one inlet and two outlets and a second one of the pair of three-way valves including two inlets and one outlet.

11 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein a first expansion element is disposed intermediate the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger and the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger.

12 . The air conditioning system of claim 11 , further comprising a secondary refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger disposed in parallel with the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger.

13 . The air conditioning system of claim 12 , wherein the secondary refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger is disposed in a flow pathway extending from a branch to an opening, the branch disposed intermediate the first refrigerant-air heat exchanger and the expansion element, the opening disposed intermediate the second refrigerant-air heat exchanger and the compressor.

14 . The air conditioning system of claim 13 , wherein a second expansion element is disposed intermediate the secondary refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the branch.

15 . The air conditioning system of claim 14 , wherein a check valve is disposed intermediate the secondary refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the opening.

16 . The air conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising an internal heat exchanger disposed in the refrigerant circuit, the internal heat exchanger exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing upstream of the compressor with the refrigerant flowing downstream of the compressor.

17 . An air conditioning system for conditioning air of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising:
a refrigerant circuit including a compressor configured for compressing a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger configured for desuperheating the refrigerant, a first refrigerant-air heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor, and a second refrigerant-air heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor, the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor with respect to a direction of the refrigerant flowing through the compressor; a coolant circuit conveying a coolant therethrough, the coolant circuit including a heating heat exchanger configured for heating air conveyed through the air conditioning system, the heating heat exchanger in fluid communication with the refrigerant coolant heat exchanger, the coolant circuit and the refrigerant circuit selectively operable between a refrigerator mode, a heat pump mode, and an afterheating mode; a valve arrangement disposed in the refrigerant circuit and selectively switching the coolant circuit and the refrigerant circuit between the refrigerator mode, the heat pump mode, and the afterheating mode, the valve arrangement including four shutoff valves, a first one of the shutoff valves and a second one of the shutoff valves are normally open, a third one of the shutoff valves and a fourth one of the shutoff valves are normally closed; and an internal heat exchanger disposed in the refrigerant circuit, the internal heat exchanger exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing upstream of the compressor with the refrigerant flowing downstream of the compressor.

18 . A method for operating an air conditioning system for conditioning air of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:
providing a refrigerant circuit including a compressor configured for compressing a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit and a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger, the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger disposed downstream of the compressor with respect to a direction of the refrigerant flowing through the compressor; providing a coolant circuit conveying a flow of coolant therethrough, the coolant circuit including a heating heat exchanger configured for heating air conveyed through the air conditioning system to the passenger compartment, the heating heat exchanger in fluid communication with the refrigerant-c

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Durrani Navid
• Della Rovere Roberto
• Graaf Marc

Classifications

• B60H2001/00935

  comprising four way valves for controlling the fluid direction · CPC title

• F25B13/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title

• F25B5/02

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• B60H2001/00121

  More than one heat exchanger in parallel · CPC title

• F25B2313/0272

  using bridge circuits of one-way valves · CPC title