Air conditioning system for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908383-B2
Application number	US-201314029150-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2013
Priority date	Sep 17, 2012
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to an air conditioning system for conditioning the air of a passenger space of a motor vehicle, the system including a refrigerant circuit with a compressor, a first heat exchanger for the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the environment and a second heat exchanger for supplying heat from the refrigerant to the air supply to be conditioned for the passenger space. The refrigerant circuit further includes, in the flow direction of the refrigerant after the compressor, a valve arrangement. The valve arrangement comprises a branch, a first valve arranged between the branch and the second heat exchanger, and a second valve arranged between the branch and the first heat exchanger. The first valve is designed with a normally open (NO) valve characteristic and the second valve with a normally closed (NC) valve characteristic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system for a vehicle comprising:
a refrigerant circuit configured for operating in at least a heating mode and cooling mode comprising:
a compressor;
a first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor and configured for heat exchange between a refrigerant and an environment;
a second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger in fluid communication with the compressor and configured for supplying heat to an air supply to be conditioned for the vehicle;
a first branch disposed downstream of the compressor with respect to a flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit;
a first valve disposed intermediate the first branch and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the compressor and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger;
a second valve disposed intermediate the first branch and the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and in fluid communication with the compressor and the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger;
a receiver and a first expansion valve in fluid communication with the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger;
an evaporator in fluid communication with the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger, wherein the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger is disposed intermediate the second valve of the refrigerant circuit and the receiver, the receiver is disposed intermediate the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and the first expansion valve, the evaporator is disposed intermediate the first expansion valve and the compressor, and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger is disposed intermediate the first valve of the refrigerant circuit and the evaporator; and
an inner heat exchanger disposed intermediate the first branch and the evaporator with respect to the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant flows through the inner heat exchanger in a first mode and the refrigerant bypasses the inner heat exchanger in a second mode; and

a motor cooling circuit in heat transfer communication with the refrigerant circuit, wherein the motor cooling circuit further comprises:
a first flow path of a coolant, the first flow path having a motor in fluid communication with a first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger; and
a second flow path of the coolant, the second flow path having a second motor cooling circuit heat exchanger in fluid communication with the motor, wherein the first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the refrigerant circuit and a coolant circuit valve controls a flow of the coolant through each of the first flow path and the second flow path of the coolant, and wherein the first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger is disposed in a secondary flow path of the refrigerant circuit, the secondary flow path extending from a second branch disposed intermediate the receiver and the first expansion valve of the refrigerant circuit to an opening disposed intermediate the compressor and the evaporator, wherein the secondary flow path bypasses the inner heat exchanger.

2. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary flow path includes a second expansion valve disposed intermediate the second branch and the first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant circuit further includes a second expansion valve disposed intermediate the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and the receiver.

4. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the evaporator is disposed in a section of the refrigerant circuit extending from a third branch disposed intermediate the first expansion valve and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger to the opening, the section including an evaporator valve disposed intermediate the third branch and the evaporator, the evaporator valve having a normally open characteristic.

5. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first valve and the second valve of the refrigerant circuit are configured as a 2-2-way valve.

6. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant circuit further includes a tertiary flow path having a third valve, the tertiary flow path extending from a first point disposed intermediate the second valve and the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger to a second point disposed upstream of an inlet of the compressor.

7. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein a cutoff valve is disposed intermediate the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and the inner heat exchanger.

8. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the first valve of the refrigerant circuit has a normally open characteristic and the second valve of the refrigerant circuit has a normally closed characteristic.

9. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger has a depth in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm and the second motor cooling circuit heat exchanger has a depth in the range of 30 mm to 55 mm.

10. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the first refrigerant circuit heat exchanger is disposed in a front area of the vehicle, the first valve of the refrigerant circuit and the second valve of the refrigerant circuit are disposed in a wheel case area of the vehicle, and the second refrigerant circuit heat exchanger and the first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger are disposed in an air conditioning apparatus.

11. The air conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the first motor cooling circuit heat exchanger is disposed in a radiator area.

Assignees

• Visteon Global Tech Inc
• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Heyl Peter
• Schroeder Dirk
• Hammer Hans
• Bodewig Joerg

Classifications

• F01P2060/08

  Cabin heater · CPC title

• B60H1/00507 Primary

  Details, e.g. mounting arrangements, desaeration devices (B60H1/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00907 Primary

  where the flow direction of the refrigerant changes and an evaporator becomes condenser · CPC title

• B60H1/00978

  Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods · CPC title

• B60H2001/00957

  comprising locations with heat exchange within the refrigerant circuit itself, e.g. cross-, counter-, or parallel heat exchange · CPC title