Air conditioner system of a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9855834-B2
Application number	US-201615141995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle having an integrated function of assisting an engine and compressing a refrigerant includes a motor unit and a compression unit coupled within a housing, and a first clutch unit coupled to a rotation shaft of the motor unit or a rotation shaft of the compression unit and that connects or releases a driving force of an engine and a driving force of the motor unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
an engine;
a housing having a motor receiving space and a compressor receiving space therein;
a motor located in the motor receiving space;
a compressor located in the compressor receiving space and coupled to a rotation shaft of the motor, the compressor being configured to compress a refrigerant using at least one of a driving force of the engine and a driving force of the motor; and
a first clutch coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor or a rotation shaft of the compressor, the first clutch being configured to connect and release a driving force of the engine and a driving force of the motor;
wherein the housing comprises:
a first refrigerant inlet port to introduce a refrigerant into the motor receiving space;
a first refrigerant discharge port to discharge a refrigerant from the motor receiving space;
a second refrigerant inlet port to introduce a refrigerant to the compressor receiving space from the motor receiving space; and
a second refrigerant discharge port to discharge a refrigerant from the compressor receiving space;
a condenser to condense a refrigerant compressed in the compressor;
an expansion valve to expand a refrigerant condensed in the condenser;
an evaporator to evaporate a refrigerant expanded from the expansion valve;
a first refrigerant pipe connecting the first refrigerant discharge port and the evaporator;
a second refrigerant pipe connecting the second refrigerant discharge port and the condenser; and
a third refrigerant pipe connecting the first refrigerant inlet port and the evaporator.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first clutch comprises:
a clutch shaft protruding outside of the housing and coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor or the rotation shaft of the compressor;
a clutch pulley rotatably coupled to the clutch shaft and connected to a flywheel of the engine; and
a clutch plate provided in the clutch shaft to connect or release the clutch shaft and the clutch pulley.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , further comprising:
a first magnet located at the clutch plate; and
a second magnet located at the clutch pulley at a location corresponding to the first magnet,
wherein one of the first magnet and the second magnet is a permanent magnet, and an other one of the first magnet and the second magnet is an electromagnet.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first valve to open and close the first refrigerant pipe; and
a second valve to open and close the second refrigerant pipe.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , further comprising:
a battery to supply a current to drive the motor and to receive a current generated by the motor; and
a controller configured to control the motor, the first clutch, the first valve, and the second valve.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to not transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine,
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery, and
close the first valve and open the second valve,
if an air conditioner ON signal is input, when the engine is in a stop state.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine,
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery, and
open the first valve and close the second valve,
if an engine starting signal is input, when an air conditioner ON signal is input.

8. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine,
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery, and
close the first valve and open the second valve,
if an air conditioner ON signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine is smaller than a maximum RPM of the motor.

9. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine,
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery, and
open the first valve and close the second valve,
if an air conditioner OFF signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present RPM of the engine is smaller than a maximum RPM of the motor.

10. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the engine to the motor,
control the motor to charge the battery by generating a current by a driving force of the engine, and
close the first valve and open the second valve,
if an air conditioner ON signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present RPM of the engine is a maximum RPM or more of the motor and when a charge amount of the battery is a reference value or more.

11. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the engine to the motor,
control the motor to charge the battery by generating a current by a driving force of the engine, and
open the first valve and close the second valve,
if an air conditioner OFF signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present RPM of the engine is a maximum RPM or more of the motor and when a charge amount of the battery is a reference value or less.

12. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to not transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine,
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery, and
close the first valve and open the second valve,
if an air conditioner ON signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present RPM of the engine is a maximum RPM or more of the motor and when a charge amount of the battery is a reference value or more.

13. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the first clutch to transfer a driving force of the engine to the motor,
control the motor to charge the battery by generating a current by a driving force of the engine, and
close the first valve and open the second valve,
if an air conditioner ON signal is input, when the engine is operating in a state in which a present RPM of the engine is a maximum RPM or more of the motor and when a charge amount of the battery is a first setting value or less; and
control the first clutch to not transfer a driving force of the motor to the engine, and
control the motor to be driven by a current supplied from the battery,
if a charge amount of the battery reaches a second setting value larger than the first setting value.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a pump located in the third refrigerant pipe to pump a refrigerant from the evaporator to the motor receiving space.

15. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a second clutch located between the motor and the compressor to connect and release the rotation shaft of the motor and the rotation shaft of the compressor.

16. An integrated driving device, comprising:
a housing having a motor receiving space and a compressor receiving space therein;
a motor located in the motor receiving space;
a compressor located in the compressor receiving space and coupled to a rotation shaft of the motor; and
a clutch coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor or a rotation shaft of the compressor, the clutch being configured to connec

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Junggu
• Han Seungdo
• Park Ikseo
• Park Junghyun

Classifications

• B60Y2300/60

  Control of electric machines, e.g. problems related to electric motors or generators · CPC title

• F02N11/003

  said electric motor being also used as a drive for auxiliaries, e.g. for driving transmission pumps or fuel pumps during engine stop · CPC title

• F25B27/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy (F25B30/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H2001/3266

  related to the operation of the vehicle · CPC title

• Y10S903/952

  Housing details · CPC title