Air conditioner for vehicle

• US 20110048671A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kakehashi, Nobuharu, Nishikawa, Michio
• Granted Patent: US 9,511,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/42
• 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 1/00921 where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3213 for increasing the efficiency in a vehicle heat pump

Abstract

In an air conditioner for a vehicle with an equipment controlled in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, a first heater is disposed to heat air to be blown into a vehicle compartment by using a coolant of the equipment as a heat source, and a second heater is adapted as an auxiliary heater to further heat the air heated by the first heater. A heating capacity of the first heater is controlled such that a temperature of the equipment is approached to a predetermined temperature when the thermal fluid after passing through the first heater returns the equipment, and a heating capacity of the second heater is controlled such that a temperature of air to be blown into the vehicle compartment becomes a desired temperature.

Claims

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle with an equipment that is mounted to the vehicle to be controlled in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, the air conditioner comprising:

a first heater disposed in a thermal fluid circulation circuit in which a thermal fluid heated by exhaust heat of the equipment circulates, and configured to heat air to be blown into a vehicle compartment by using the thermal fluid as a heat source;

a second heater adapted as an auxiliary heater to further heat the air heated by the first heater;

a first heating capacity control means for controlling a heating capacity of the first heater; and

a second heating capacity control means for controlling a heating capacity of the second heater, wherein

the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater such that a temperature of the equipment is approached to a predetermined temperature when the thermal fluid after passing through the first heater returns the equipment, and

the second heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the second heater such that temperature of air to be blown into the vehicle compartment becomes a desired temperature.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the thermal fluid is used as the temperature of the equipment.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising

a heating capacity changing portion configured to change the heating capacity of the first heater, wherein

the first heating capacity control means controls operation of the heating capacity changing portion, so as to control the heating capacity of the first heater.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein

the first heater is a heating heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the thermal fluid flowing therein and air passing therethrough, and

the heating capacity changing portion changes a flow amount of the thermal fluid flowing through the heating heat exchanger, so as to change the heating capacity of the first heater.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the heating capacity changing portion is a flow adjustment valve that adjusts the flow amount of the thermal fluid flowing through the heating heat exchanger.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the heating capacity changing portion is configured by a bypass passage through which the thermal fluid flows while bypassing the heating heat exchanger, and an adjustment valve adjusting an open degree of the bypass passage.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the first heating capacity control means increases the flow amount of the thermal fluid flowing through the heating heat exchanger in accordance with an increase of the temperature of the thermal fluid before being heat exchanged with the air in the heating heat exchanger.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein

the first heater is a heating heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the thermal fluid flowing therein and air passing therethrough, and

the heating capacity changing portion changes a flow amount of air passing through the heating heat exchanger, so as to change the heating capacity of the first heater.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the heating capacity changing portion changes a ratio between the flow amount of air passing through the heating heat exchanger and a flow amount of air bypassing the heating heat exchanger, so as to change the flow amount of air passing through the heating heat exchanger.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the thermal fluid is a coolant for cooling the equipment mounted to the vehicle.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is set to be equal to or higher than a necessary temperature required for a heating control of the equipment mounted to the vehicle.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

when a vehicle speed is, lower than a predetermined speed, the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater to increase the temperature of the equipment, as compared with a case where the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined speed.

14. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the second heater is a refrigerant radiator in which a refrigerant discharged from a compressor of a refrigerant cycle radiates heat to air, and

the second heating capacity control means controls a discharge capacity of the compressor, so as to control the heating capacity of the refrigerant radiator.

15. The air conditioner according to claim 14, wherein

the compressor is an electrical compressor that is operated when being supplied with electrical power.

16. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the second heating capacity control means increases the heating capacity of the second heater before the first heating capacity control means reduces the heating capacity of the first heater.

17. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the equipment mounted to the vehicle is an internal combustion engine that outputs a drive force for traveling the vehicle.

18. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the equipment mounted to the vehicle is a fuel cell which outputs an electrical power to a motor for traveling the vehicle.

19. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater such that the temperature of the equipment is approached to the predetermined temperature within a temperature range equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature.

20. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater such that the temperature of the equipment is approached to the predetermined temperature within a temperature range equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature.

2. An air conditioner for a vehicle with an equipment that is mounted to the vehicle to be controlled in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, the air conditioner comprising:

a first heater disposed in a thermal fluid circulation circuit in which a thermal fluid heated by exhaust heat of the equipment circulates, and configured to heat air to be blown into a vehicle compartment by using the thermal fluid as a heat source;

a second heater adapted as an auxiliary heater to further heat the air heated by the first heater;

a first heating capacity control means for controlling a heating capacity of the first heater; and

a second heating capacity control means for controlling a heating capacity of the second heater, wherein

the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater such that a temperature of the equipment becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature when the thermal fluid after passing through the first heater returns the equipment, and

the second heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the second heater such that temperature of air to be blown into the vehicle compartment becomes a desired temperature.

21. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein a temperature of the thermal fluid is used as the temperature of the equipment.

22. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined temperature is set to be equal to or higher than a necessary temperature required for a heating control of the equipment mounted to the vehicle.

23. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein

when a vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined speed, the first heating capacity control means controls the heating capacity of the first heater to increase the temperature of the equipment, as compared with a case where the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined speed.

24. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein

the second heating capacity control means increases the heating capacity of the second heater before the first heating capacity control means reduces the heating capacity of the first heater.