Cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9732663-B2
Application number	US-201214235969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2012
Priority date	Aug 1, 2011
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A cooling system for cooling a hybrid vehicle apparatus includes a compressor that circulates a refrigerant, a first heat exchanger that carries out heat exchange between the refrigerant and outside air, an expansion valve that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, a second heat exchanger that carries out heat exchange between the refrigerant and air-conditioning air, a cooling portion that cools the hybrid vehicle apparatus using the refrigerant that flows between the heat exchanger and the expansion valve, a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant that flows between the heat exchanger and the cooling portion into a liquid-phase refrigerant and a gas-phase refrigerant, and a liquid accumulator that is provided between the gas-liquid separator and the cooling portion, and that retains the liquid-phase refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling system that cools a heat generator, comprising:
a compressor that circulates a refrigerant;
a first heat exchanger that carries out heat exchange between the refrigerant and outside air;
an expansion valve that reduces a pressure of the refrigerant;
a second heat exchanger that carries out heat exchange between the refrigerant and air-conditioning air;
a portion of a refrigerant passage that cools the heat generator using the refrigerant that flows between the first heat exchanger and the expansion valve;
a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant that flows between the first heat exchanger and the portion of the refrigerant passage, into a liquid-phase refrigerant and a gas-phase refrigerant; and
a liquid accumulator that is provided between the gas-liquid separator and the portion of the refrigerant passage, and that retains at least a portion of the liquid-phase refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid-phase refrigerant flows into the liquid accumulator to be retained in the liquid accumulator during operation of the compressor, and flows out from the liquid accumulator to flow to the portion of the refrigerant passage during stoppage of the compressor.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a discharge portion that forcibly discharges the liquid-phase refrigerant from the liquid accumulator.

4. The cooling system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a first temperature sensor that is arranged upstream with respect to flow of the refrigerant that flows into the portion of the refrigerant passage, and that measures a temperature of the refrigerant; and
a second temperature sensor that is arranged downstream with respect to flow of the refrigerant that flows out from the portion of the refrigerant passage, and that measures a temperature of the refrigerant,
wherein a cooling control of the heat generator is performed on the basis of the temperatures measured by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.

5. The cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein the refrigerant is supplied to the portion of the refrigerant passage when a value of a difference between the temperatures measured by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a check valve that prohibits the liquid-phase refrigerant that flows out from the liquid accumulator from flowing to the gas-liquid separator.

7. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid accumulator includes a movable partition portion that divides an inner space of the liquid accumulator into a liquid accommodation portion in which the refrigerant is accommodated and a gas encapsulation portion in which a gas is encapsulated.

8. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first passage through which the gas-phase refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator flows; and
a second passage through which the liquid-phase refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator flows,
wherein the first passage and the second passage are connected in parallel with each other in a route of the refrigerant between the gas-liquid separator and the expansion valve, and
wherein the heat generator is cooled by the liquid-phase refrigerant that flows through the second passage.

9. The cooling system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a third passage through which the refrigerant flows between the compressor and the first heat exchanger; and
a communication channel that establishes communication between the third passage and a side of the second passage, the side being located closer to the expansion valve than the portion of the refrigerant passage.

10. The cooling system according to claim 9 , further comprising
a changeover valve that changes a communication state between the communication channel and the side of the second passage, the side being located closer to the expansion valve than the portion of the refrigerant passage.

11. The cooling system according to claim 10 , wherein the changeover valve causes the refrigerant to flow to the communication channel during stoppage of the compressor.

Assignees

• Kawakami Yoshiaki
• Jojima Yuki
• Takahashi Eizo
• Sato Kousuke
• Ohno Yuichi
• Uchida Kazuhide
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawakami Yoshiaki
• Jojima Yuki
• Takahashi Eizo
• Sato Kousuke
• Ohno Yuichi
• Uchida Kazuhide

Classifications

• B60H1/323

  characterised by comprising auxiliary or multiple systems, e.g. plurality of evaporators, or by involving auxiliary cooling devices · CPC title

• B60H2001/3288

  Additional heat source · CPC title

• F01P9/06 Primary

  by use of refrigerating apparatus, e.g. of compressor or absorber type · CPC title

• B60H1/00278 Primary

  for the battery · CPC title

• B60H1/143

  the heat being derived from cooling an electric component, e.g. electric motors, electric circuits, fuel cells or batteries · CPC title