Vehicle air conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9809081-B2
Application number	US-201214363892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2012
Priority date	Dec 9, 2011
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

In a vehicle air conditioning apparatus, during a cooling operation, and a cooling and dehumidifying operation, a refrigerant flows through an outdoor heat exchanger, flows through a supercooling radiator, and then flows into a radiator to absorb heat. During a heating operation, the refrigerant flows through a heat exchanger and then is sucked into a compressor without passing through the supercooling radiator. During a first heating and dehumidifying operation, the refrigerant flows through another radiator, flows through the supercooling radiator, and then flows into another heat exchanger to absorb heat.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle air conditioning apparatus comprising:
a compressor configured to compress and discharge a refrigerant;
a radiator configured to release heat from the refrigerant;
a heat exchanger configured to absorb the heat into the refrigerant;
an outdoor heat exchanger configured to release the heat from or absorb the heat into the refrigerant;
an outdoor radiator configured to further release the heat from the refrigerant having released the heat in the outdoor heat exchanger;
a first operable mode comprising a cooling and/or cooling and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to flow into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor radiator to flow into the heat exchanger via an expansion valve and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor;
a second operable mode comprising a heating refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger via an expansion part, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor;
a third operable mode comprising a first heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow part of the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger via the expansion part, to allow remaining refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor radiator to flow into the heat exchanger via the expansion valve, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant having passed though the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor;
a fourth operable mode comprising a second heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor radiator to flow into the heat exchanger via the expansion valve, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor;
an air flow passage configured to allow air to be supplied to a vehicle interior to pass through, the heat exchanger being disposed in an upstream side of an air flow direction of the air flow passage, and the radiator being disposed downstream from the heat exchanger;
an outlet switching part configured to switch modes among: a vent mode to blow the air flowing through the air flow passage toward a head of a passenger in the vehicle interior, a foot mode to blow the air toward feet of the passenger in the vehicle interior, and a bi-level mode to blow the air toward the head and the feet of the passenger in the vehicle interior, based on a target air-blowing temperature of the air to be supplied to the vehicle interior in order to set the temperature of the vehicle interior to a target preset temperature;
an intake air temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the air flowing into the air flow passage; and
a heating and dehumidifying controller configured to start or stop an operation for the second heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit, based on the temperature detected by the intake air temperature detector, when the outlet switching part sets the bi-level mode.

2. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a receiver tank configured to accumulate a liquid refrigerant, the receiver tank being provided upstream from the outdoor radiator in a refrigerant flow direction.

3. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiver tank configured to accumulate a liquid refrigerant; and
the first heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow part of the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger via the expansion part, to allow remaining refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the receiver tank without flowing into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the receiver tank to flow into the heat exchanger via the expansion valve, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor.

4. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
the second heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the receiver tank without flowing into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the receiver tank to flow into the heat exchanger via the expansion valve, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor.

5. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air temperature detector configured to detect the temperature of the air flowing through the air flow passage; and
an operation switching part configured to switch an operation for the first heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit or the cooling and/or cooling and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit to the operation for the second heating and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit, based on the temperature detected by the air temperature detector.

6. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heated air temperature estimator configured to estimate the temperature of the air flowing downstream from the radiator in the air flow passage;
a compressor controller configured to control a number of rotations of the compressor based on the temperature estimated by the heated air temperature estimator;
an air mix damper configured to change a percentage of the air flowing through the air flow passage that is subjected to a heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the radiator, wherein the percentage of the air increases when an opening of the air mix damper is greater; and
a damper opening controller configured to control the opening of the air mix damper such that the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior is the target air-blowing temperature.

7. The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an air flow passage configured to allow air to be supplied to a vehicle interior to pass through, the heat exchanger being disposed in an upstream side of an air flow direction of the air flow passage, and the radiator being disposed downstream from the heat exchanger;
a heat exchanger temperature detector configured to detect a surface temperature of the heat exchanger or the temperature of the air flowing downstream from the heat exchanger in the air flow passage;
a radiator temperature detector configured to detect or estimate the temperature of the air flowing downstream from the radiator in the air flow passage; and
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Assignees

• Sanden Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Kenichi
• Takei Hidenori

Classifications

• F25B2700/1931

  Discharge pressures · CPC title

• B60H2001/325

  of the refrigerant at a compressing unit · CPC title

• F25B5/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity (with cascade operation F25B7/00) · CPC title

• F25B6/02

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• B60H1/00392

  for electric vehicles having only electric drive means · CPC title