Vehicular air-conditioning system with a switching heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9499026-B2
Application number	US-201314027508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2013
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

An air-conditioning system for a vehicle includes a switching heat exchanger. The switching heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger core, a receiver tank, and a switch valve. The switch valve may be arranged between the heat exchanger core and the receiver tank to control the flow of refrigerant. A controller can be configured to control the switch valve in an access position during a cooling mode and a bypass position during a heating mode. In the access position, the heat exchanger core is in communication with the receiver tank such that the refrigerant flows from a primary region of the heat exchanger core to the receiver tank. In the bypass position, the heat exchanger core is in communication with its outlet such that the refrigerant from the primary region flows out from the switching heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system for a vehicle comprising:
a switching heat exchanger disposed at a front portion of the vehicle and including a heat exchanger core, a receiver tank, and a switch valve, the heat exchanger core having a primary region and a secondary region, the primary region being before the secondary region, the heat exchanger core exchanging heat between refrigerant flowing therein and air blowing through, an inlet of the receiver tank communicating with the primary region of the heat exchanger core for receiving the refrigerant and an outlet of the receiver tank communicating with the secondary region for providing the refrigerant to the heat exchanger core, the switch valve being arranged between the heat exchanger core and the receiver tank for controlling the flow of the refrigerant from the heat exchanger core to the receiver tank; and
a controller configured to control the switch valve to an access position during a cooling mode and a bypass position during a heating mode, wherein
in the access position, the switch valve opens a first passage to have the primary region of the heat exchanger core communicating with the receiver tank and the refrigerant flows from the primary region to the receiver tank, from which the refrigerant flows to the secondary region before flowing out from an outlet of the heat exchanger core, and
in the bypass position, the switch valve opens a second passage to have the primary region of the heat exchanger core communicate with the outlet of the heat exchanger core and the refrigerant flows from the primary region to the outlet of the heat exchanger core.

2. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the switching heat exchanger further comprises:
a bypass tube that has one end in communication with the outlet of the heat exchanger core, wherein
the switch valve is disposed at a junction between the receiver tank, the other end of the bypass tube, and the primary region of the heat exchanger core,
the switch valve, in the access position, opens the first passage defined between the primary region and the receiver tank to have the refrigerant flow from the primary region to the receiver tank, and
the switch valve, in the bypass position, opens the second passage defined between the primary region and the bypass tube to have the refrigerant flow from the primary region to the outlet of the heat exchanger core via the bypass tube.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the switching heat exchanger further comprises:
a bypass tube that has one end in communication with the secondary region of the heat exchanger core, wherein
the switch valve is disposed at a junction between the inlet of the receiver tank, the other end of the bypass tube, and the primary region of the heat exchanger core,
the switch valve, in the access position, opens the first passage defined between the inlet of the receiver tank and the primary region of the heat exchanger core to have the refrigerant flow from the primary region to the receiver tank, and
the switch valve, in the bypass position, opens the second passage defined between the primary region and the bypass tube to have the refrigerant flow from the primary region to the outlet of the heat exchanger core by way of the bypass tube and the secondary region of the heat exchanger core.

4. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver tank is arranged above the heat exchanger core.

5. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the switch valve is disposed at an outlet of the receiver tank.

6. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the switching heat exchanger further comprises:
a bypass tube that has one end in communication with the secondary region of the heat exchanger core, wherein
the switch valve is disposed at a junction between an outlet of the receiver tank, the other end of the bypass tube, and the secondary region of the heat exchanger core,
the switch valve, in the access position, opens the first passage defined between the outlet of the receiver tank and the secondary region of the heat exchanger core to have the refrigerant provided by the primary region to flow from the receiver tank to the secondary region, from which the refrigerant flows out from the outlet of the heat exchanger core, and
the switch valve, in the bypass position, opens a second passage defined between the outlet of the receiver tank and the bypass tube to have the refrigerant provided by the primary region to flow from the receiver tank to the outlet of the heat exchanger core by way of the bypass tube.

7. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 further comprising:
a heat pump system cooling the passenger cabin during the cooling mode and heating a passenger cabin of the vehicle during the heating mode, wherein
the switching heat exchanger is disposed in the heat pump system as an outer heat exchanger to operate like a sub-cool condenser during the cooling mode and to operate like an outer evaporator during the heating mode.

Assignees

• Denso Int America Inc

Inventors

• Brodie Bradley R
• Huyghe Erik Philip
• Kurata Masafumi

Classifications

• B60H1/00335 Primary

  of the gas-air type (B60H1/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28D1/05366

  Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators · CPC title

• F25B2339/00

  Details of evaporators; Details of condensers · CPC title

• F28D2021/0084

  Condensers · CPC title

• B60H1/00914

  where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is a bypass of the condenser · CPC title