Heat pump system for vehicle and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8948966-B2
Application number	US-201313780928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 2, 2012
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

Disclosed therein are a heat pump system for a vehicle and a method of controlling the heat pump system, which variably controls only a compressor if the number of revolutions of the compressor is less than the upper limit of the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor and operates an electric heater only when the number of revolutions of the compressor reaches the upper limit of the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor in order to satisfy a target discharge temperature in a heat pump mode, thereby preventing that convergence of an air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle is deteriorated or becomes unstable when the compressor and the electric heater are variably controlled at the same time in order to satisfy the target discharge temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a heat pump system for a vehicle, comprising:
a first step of receiving various sensor values of the vehicle and calculating a target discharge temperature;
a second step of determining whether the air-conditioning mode or the heat pump mode is selected according to the target discharge temperature or a passenger's selection;
a third step of calculating a deviation between the target discharge temperature and an air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle, when the heat pump mode is selected as the determination result of the second step;
a fourth step of calculating the number of revolutions of a compressor by the deviation of the third step;
a fifth step of determining whether or not the number of revolutions of the compressor is less than the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor;
a sixth step of variably controlling the compressor by the number of revolutions of the compressor according to the deviation calculated in the fourth step, if the number of revolutions of the compressor is less than the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor as the determination result of the fifth step;
a seventh step of determining whether or not the target discharge temperature is higher than the air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle, if the number of revolutions of the compressor is not less than the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor as the determination result of the fifth step; and
an eighth step of controlling the operation of an electric heater while keeping the operation of the compressor, if target discharge temperature is higher than the air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle as the determination result of the seventh step,
wherein the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor is the minimum value out of the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor according to factors of outdoor air temperature, refrigerant pressure, vehicle speed, air volume of a blower, the number of revolutions of a cooling fan of an exterior heat exchanger, and the ON-OFF states of a driving source.

2. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor is the minimum value out of the maximum revolutions of the compressor according to noise generation factors of the vehicle.

3. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor is the minimum value out of the maximum revolutions of the compressor according to protective factors of the heat pump system.

4. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 2 , wherein the noise generation factors are vehicle speed, air volume of the blower, the number of revolutions of the cooling fan of the exterior heat exchanger, and ON-OFF states of the driving source.

5. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 3 , wherein the protection factors of the heat pump system are outdoor air temperature, and refrigerant pressure.

6. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein in the eighth step, the number of revolutions of the compressor is maintained to the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor in order to keep the operation of the compressor.

7. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein in order to control the operation of the electric heater, the eighth step comprises:
a step of keeping the number of revolutions of the compressor to the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor; and
a step of calculating a heat generation rate of the electric heater according to the deviation between the target discharge temperature and the air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle and variably controlling the electric heater.

8. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 7 , wherein the eighth step further comprises:
a step of determining whether or not conditions to turn off the electric heater are satisfied; and
a step of turning off only the electric heater, if the conditions to turn off the electric heater are satisfied as the determination result of the step.

9. The method of controlling the heat pump system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a ninth step of calculating a target temperature of an evaporator, if the system is in the air-conditioning mode as the determination result of the second step;
a tenth step of calculating a deviation between the target temperature of the evaporator and the temperature of the evaporator; and
an eleventh step of calculating the number of revolutions of the compressor according to the deviation of the tenth step and variably controlling the compressor.

10. A heat pump system for a vehicle comprising:
a compressor connected to a refrigerant circulation line to compress and discharge refrigerant;
an evaporator and an interior heat exchanger connected to the refrigerant circulation line and arranged inside an air-conditioning case;
an exterior heat exchanger connected to the refrigerant circulation line and arranged outside the air-conditioning case;
an electric heater mounted inside the air-conditioning case; and
a controlling part receiving various sensor values of the vehicle and calculating a target discharge temperature so as to control the heat pump system,
wherein in a heat pump mode, the controlling part variably controls the compressor by the number of revolutions of the compressor according to a deviation between the target discharge temperature and an air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle if the number of revolutions of the compressor calculated by the deviation is less than the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor, and controls the operation of the electric heater while keeping the operation of the compressor if the number of revolutions of the compressor is equal to or more than the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor and if the target discharge temperature is higher than the air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle, and
wherein the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor is the minimum value out of the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor according to factors of outdoor air temperature, refrigerant pressure, vehicle speed, air volume of a blower, the number of revolutions of a cooling fan of an exterior heat exchanger, and the ON-OFF states of a driving source.

11. The heat pump system according to claim 10 , wherein the controlling part maintains the number of revolutions of the compressor to the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor so as to keep the operation of the compressor.

12. The heat pump system according to claim 10 , wherein in order to control the operation of the electric heater, the controlling part calculates a heat generation rate of the electric heater according to the deviation between the target discharge temperature and the air discharge temperature of the interior of the vehicle and variably controls the electric heater while keeping the number of revolutions of the compressor to the number of the maximum revolutions of the compressor.

Assignees

• Kim Taeeun
• Kim Hakkyu
• Oh Saewon
• Lim Younwoo
• Yoo Sangjun
• Lee Jungjae
• Choi Youngho
• Kang Sungho
• Seo Jeonghun
• Halla Visteon Climate Control

Inventors

• Kim Taeeun
• Kim Hakkyu
• Oh Saewon
• Lim Younwoo
• Yoo Sangjun
• Lee Jungjae
• Choi Youngho
• Kang Sungho
• Seo Jeonghun

Classifications

• 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

• B60H1/2218

  controlling the operation of electric heaters · CPC title

• B60H2001/3238

  related to the operation of the compressor · CPC title

• F25B29/003 Primary

  of the compression type system · CPC title

• B60H2001/3272

  to control the revolving speed of a compressor · CPC title