Air conditioner for vehicle

• US 20100281901A1
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawase, Yasuhiro, Ozaki, Yukikatsu, Inagaki, Mitsuo
• Application Number:
  US12/799,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281901A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/238.7
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00885 Controlling the flow of heating or cooling liquid, e.g. valves or pumps B60H1/00899 takes precedence; constructions of valves B60H1/00485
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/20 using an intermediate heat-transferring medium
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32284 comprising two or more secondary circuits, e.g. at evaporator and condenser side
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00949 comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/047 Water-cooled condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/005 using primary and secondary systems

Abstract

In an air conditioner for a vehicle, in a heating operation for heating a vehicle compartment, when heating capacity is obtained by flowing a coolant through an inside of an indoor heat exchanger, the coolant flows directly in the inside of the indoor heat exchanger to heat air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment. In contrast, when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger, the coolant flows through a first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and a refrigerant in a heat pump cycle circulates so that heat of the coolant is absorbed by the refrigerant in the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, and the air is heated in the indoor heat exchanger by using heat of the refrigerant that has absorbed the heat of the coolant.

Claims

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:

a coolant circuit configured such that a coolant for cooling an engine for driving the vehicle circulates therein, the coolant circuit being connected to the engine;

a heat pump cycle configured to condition air in a vehicle compartment by controlling a state of a refrigerant circulating therein, the heat pump cycle including

a compressor configured to draw and discharge the refrigerant,

a high-pressure side heat exchanger configured to cool the refrigerant discharged from the compressor,

a first decompression device configured to decompress the refrigerant flowing out of the high-pressure side heat exchanger, and

a first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, through which the coolant in the coolant circuit and the refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression device are capable of flowing, configured such that heat is exchanged between the decompressed refrigerant and the coolant so that heat of the coolant is-absorbed by the refrigerant; and

a heater located in the vehicle compartment to heat the air by using heat of at least one of the coolant and the refrigerant, wherein

the coolant circuit and the heat pump cycle are configured to provide an indoor heat exchanger, the indoor heat exchanger being configured such that heat is exchanged between air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment via an outside thereof and the refrigerant or the coolant flowing through an inside thereof,

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the coolant flows directly in the inside of the indoor heat exchanger to heat the air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment when heating capacity is obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in a heating operation for heating the vehicle compartment, and

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the coolant flows through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle circulates, the heat of the coolant is absorbed by the refrigerant in the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, and the air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment is heated in the indoor heat exchanger by using heat of the refrigerant that has absorbed the heat of the coolant when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the high-pressure side heat exchanger is a second water-refrigerant heat exchanger, through which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the coolant flowing through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger are capable of flowing, configured such that heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and the coolant so that the heat of the refrigerant is absorbed by the coolant,

the coolant circuit includes first to fourth coolant circuits,

a radiator that radiates the heat of the coolant to outside is arranged in the first coolant circuit and the coolant circulates through the radiator and the engine in the first coolant circuit,

the coolant circulates through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the engine in the second coolant circuit,

the coolant circulates through the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the third coolant circuit,

the coolant circulates through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the engine, the inside of the indoor heat exchanger and the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger in the fourth coolant circuit,

the heat pump cycle is configured such that circulating of the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle is stopped and the coolant circulates in the fourth coolant circuit when the heating capacity is obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation, and

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant circulates in the heat pump cycle and the coolant circulates in the second coolant circuit and the third coolant circuit when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising:

an outdoor heat exchanger configured such that the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump cycle flows through an inside thereof and heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and outdoor air; and

a blower fan configured to blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein

the outdoor heat exchanger is arranged in parallel with the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger such that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into at least one of the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger,

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle flows into the outdoor heat exchanger, the blower fan is operated to blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, heat of the outdoor air is absorbed by the refrigerant and the air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment is heated in the indoor heat exchanger by using the heat of the refrigerant that has absorbed the heat of the outdoor air when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger, and when a coolant temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature in the heating operation, and

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the coolant flows through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle flows into the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger, and when the coolant temperature is increased to equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature in the heating operation.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising:

an outdoor heat exchanger configured such that the refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression device flows through an inside thereof and heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and outdoor air; and

a blower fan configured to blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle circulates, the blower fan is operated to blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger and the coolant flows into the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising:

a gas injection port in the compressor, the gas injection port being configured such that a gas-phase refrigerant is introduced thereto;

a gas-liquid separator configured to separate a gas-phase and a liquid-phase of the refrigerant heat-exchanged with the coolant in the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger;

a gas injection pipe configured to introduce the gas-phase refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator to the gas injection port;

a second decompression device configured to decompress the liquid-phase refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator;

an outdoor heat exchanger configured such that the refrigerant decompressed by the second decompression device flows through an inside thereof and heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and outdoor air; and

a blower fan configured to blow the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising:

an exhaust-heat recovery device configured such that a heat exchange medium thereof recovers heat of exhaust gas from the engine; and

an exhaust-heat heat exchanger configured such that heat is exchanged between the heat exchange medium and the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump cycle, wherein

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle circulates, the heat of the coolant is absorbed by the refrigerant in the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, and the heat of the exhaust gas is absorbed by the refrigerant in the exhaust-heat heat exchanger when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising:

an exhaust-heat recovery device configured such that a heat exchange medium thereof recovers heat of exhaust gas from the engine; and

an exhaust-heat heat exchanger configured such that heat is exchanged between the heat exchange medium and the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump cycle, wherein

the exhaust-heat heat exchanger is arranged in parallel with the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger such that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into at least one of the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the exhaust-heat heat exchanger,

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle flows into the exhaust-heat heat exchanger, the heat of the exhaust gas is absorbed by the refrigerant, and the air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment is heated in the indoor heat exchanger by using the heat of the refrigerant that has absorbed the heat of the exhaust gas when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger, and when a coolant temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature in the heating operation, and

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the coolant flows through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the refrigerant in the heat _pump cycle flows into the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger, and when the coolant temperature is increased to equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature in the heating operation.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the high-pressure side heat exchanger is a radiator that radiates the heat of the refrigerant to the air to be supplied to the vehicle compartment,

the coolant circuit includes first to third coolant circuits,

a radiator that radiates the heat of the coolant to outside is arranged in the first coolant circuit and the coolant circulates through the radiator and the engine in the first coolant circuit,

the coolant circulates through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the engine in the second coolant circuit,

the coolant circulates through the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the engine and the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the third coolant circuit,

the heat pump cycle is configured such that circulating of the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle is stopped, and the coolant circulates in the third coolant circuit when the heating capacity is obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation, and

the heat pump cycle is configured such that the refrigerant circulates in the heat pump cycle and the coolant circulates in the second coolant circuit when the heating capacity is not obtained by flowing the coolant through the inside of the indoor heat exchanger in the heating operation.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein

the radiator as the high-pressure side heat exchanger is arranged downstream of an air flow of the, indoor heat exchanger in the third coolant circuit.