Heat pump system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016339766-A1
Application number	US-201514907928-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 19, 2015
Priority date	Jan 12, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle which includes a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger mounted on a refrigerant circulation line of an inlet side of an external heat exchanger to exchange heat between coolant induced into the external heat exchanger and coolant circulating through electronic units of the vehicle, thereby enhancing cooling performance and reducing power consumption without an increase in size of the external heat exchanger by increasing a condensation amount because refrigerant radiates heat while passing through the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger in an air-conditioning mode and enhancing heating performance and reducing power consumption by increasing an evaporation amount because refrigerant absorbs heat while passing through the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger, the external heat exchanger and a chiller in a heat pump mode, and increasing temperature of the refrigerant induced into the external heat exchanger to delay frosting of the external heat exchanger.

First claim

1 . A heat pump system for a vehicle which comprises:
a compressor mounted on a refrigerant circulation line (R) for compressing and discharging refrigerant; an internal heat exchanger mounted inside an air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the air inside the air-conditioning case and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an evaporator mounted inside the air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the air inside the air-conditioning case and the refrigerant supplied to the compressor; an external heat exchanger mounted outside the air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) and the outdoor air; first expansion means mounted on the refrigerant circulation line (R) located between the internal heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger to selectively expand refrigerant discharged from the internal heat exchanger; and second expansion means mounted on the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an inlet side of the evaporator to expand the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator, further comprising: a coolant circulation line (W) configured to circulate coolant toward electronic units of the vehicle to cool the electronic units; and a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing the refrigerant circulation line (R) between the first expansion means and the external heat exchanger and the coolant circulating through the coolant circulation line (W), wherein the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) radiates heat to the coolant and the outdoor air while passing through the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger in an air-conditioning mode, and wherein the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) absorbs heat from the coolant and the outdoor air while passing through the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger in a heat pump mode.

2 . The heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant circulation line (R) is configured in such a way that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor, the internal heat exchanger, the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger, the external heat exchanger, the second expansion means, the evaporator and the compressor in the air-conditioning mode, and is configured in such a way that the refrigerant circulates through the compressor, the internal heat exchanger, the first expansion means, the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger, the external heat exchanger and the compressor in the heat pump mode.

3 . The heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant circulation line (R) comprises:
a first bypass line (R 1 ) which is mounted to connect the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an inlet side of the second expansion means and the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an outlet side of the evaporator with each other to make the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) bypass the second expansion means and the evaporator; and a second bypass line (R 2 ) which is mounted to connect the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an inlet side of the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an outlet side of the external heat exchanger with each other to make the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) bypass the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger.

4 . The heat pump system according to claim 3 , wherein a chiller for exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing along the first bypass line (R 1 ) and the coolant circulating through the coolant circulation line (W) is mounted on the first bypass line (R 1 ), such that the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) absorbs heat through the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger, the external heat exchanger and the chiller in the heat pump mode.

5 . The heat pump system according to claim 4 , wherein the coolant circulation line (W) comprises a first coolant circulation line (W 1 ) which circulates the coolant of the electronic units toward the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and a second coolant circulation line (W 2 ) which circulates the coolant of the electronic units toward the chiller so as to circulate the coolant to the first coolant circulation line (W 1 ) in the air-conditioning mode and circulate the coolant to the second circulation line (W 2 ) in the heat pump mode.

6 . The heat pump system according to claim 5 , wherein an electric radiator is mounted on the first coolant circulation line (W 1 ) to cool the coolant circulating through the first coolant circulation line (W 1 ), and
wherein the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger is mounted inside the electric radiator.

7 . The heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein a dehumidification line (R 4 ) which supplies some of the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) is mounted on the refrigerant circulation line (R) to perform dehumidification inside the vehicle in the heat pump mode, and
wherein the dehumidification line (R 4 ) supplies some of the refrigerant passing through the first expansion means toward the evaporator.

8 . The heat pump system according to claim 6 , wherein the electric radiator is mounted on the same line in the flow direction of the air passing through the external heat exchanger.

9 . A heat pump system for a vehicle which comprises:
a compressor mounted on a refrigerant circulation line (R) for compressing and discharging refrigerant; an internal heat exchanger mounted inside an air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the air inside the air-conditioning case and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an evaporator mounted inside the air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the air inside the air-conditioning case and the refrigerant supplied to the compressor; an external heat exchanger mounted outside the air-conditioning case for exchanging heat between the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation line (R) and the outdoor air; first expansion means mounted on the refrigerant circulation line (R) located between the internal heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger to selectively expand refrigerant discharged from the internal heat exchanger; and second expansion means mounted on the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an inlet side of the evaporator to expand the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator, further comprising: a first bypass line (R 1 ) which connects the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an inlet side of the second expansion means and the refrigerant circulation line (R) of an outlet side of the evaporator with each other to make the refrigerant bypass the second expansion means and the evaporator in a heat pump mode; a chiller mounted on the first bypass line (R 1 ) to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing along the first bypass line (R 1 ) and the coolant circulating through electronic units of the vehicle; a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing the refrigerant circulation line (R) between the first expansion means and the external heat exchanger and the coolant circulating through the electronic units of the vehicle; and a coolant circulation line (W) configured to circulate the coolant of the electronic units of the vehicle toward the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger in an air-conditioning mode and to circulate the coolant of the electronic units toward the chiller in the heat pump mode.

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Choi Young Ho
• Kang Sung Ho
• Kim Hak Kyu
• Lee Seung Ho
• Lee Jae Min
• Lee Jung Jae

Classifications

• B60H2001/00949

  comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator · CPC title

• F25B5/02

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• B60H2001/00307

  Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow · CPC title

• F25B5/04

  arranged in series · CPC title

• B60H1/00921 Primary

  where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct · CPC title