Distribution Unit For A Refrigerating Fluid Circulating Inside An Air Conditioning Loop And An Air Conditioning Loop Comprising Such A Distribution Unit

• US 20110146942A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: NICOLAS, Bertrand, WITTMANN, Klaus, YAHIA, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/968,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20110146942A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/42
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/047 Water-cooled condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2511 Evaporator distribution valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 40/00 Subcoolers, desuperheaters or superheaters
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/20 Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves expansion valves F25B41/31
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/24 Arrangement of shut-off valves for disconnecting a part of the refrigerant cycle, e.g. an outdoor part
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 43/006 Accumulators

Abstract

The invention relates to a distribution unit (22) that is able to manage the circulation of a cooling fluid FR in an A/C loop (4). The distribution unit (22) comprises nine inlets E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅, E₆, E₇, E₈, E₉ of the cooling fluid FR inside the distribution unit (22) and four outlets S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄ of the cooling fluid FR outside the distribution unit (22). Each outlet S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄ is linked with at least two inlets E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅, E₆, E₇, E₈, E₉.

Claims

1. A distribution unit (22) able to manage the circulation of a refrigerating fluid FR within an air conditioning loop (4), the distribution unit (22) comprising a plurality of inlets E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅, E₆, E₇, E₈, E₉ for refrigerating fluid FR into the distribution unit (22), and a plurality of outlets S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄ for refrigerating fluid FR out of the distribution unit (22), characterised in that each outlet S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄ is in fluid connection with at least two inlets E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅, E₆, E₇, E₈, E₉.

2. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 1, characterised in that the distribution unit (22) comprises nine inlets E₁, E₂, E₃, E₄, E₅, E₆, E₇, E₈, E₉ and four outlets S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄.

3. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 1, characterised in that a first outlet S₁ is in fluid connection with a first inlet E₁ and a second inlet E₂.

4. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 3, characterised in that the first outlet S₁ is in fluid connection with the first inlet E₁ by a first channel C₁, which is provided with a first pressure reduction member D₁.

5. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 4, characterised in that the first pressure reduction member D₁ is an electronically controlled pressure reduction device.

6. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 4, characterised in that the first channel C₁ is equipped with a first valve V′

₁.

7. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 3, characterised in that the first outlet S₁ is in fluid connection with the second inlet E₂ by a second channel C₂, which is provided with a first shutter V₁.

8. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 3, characterised in that the first outlet S₁, the first inlet E₁, the second inlet E₂, the first channel C₁, the second channel C₂, the first shutter V₁, the first valve V′

₁ and the first pressure reduction member D₁ constitute a first subassembly SE₁.

9. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 1, characterised in that a second outlet S₂ is in fluid connection with a third inlet E₃ and a fourth inlet E₄.

10. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 9, characterised in that the second outlet S₂ is in fluid connection with the third inlet E₃ by a third channel C₃, which is provided with a second pressure reduction member D₂.

11. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 10, characterised in that the second pressure reduction member D₂ is an electronically controlled pressure reduction device.

12. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 10, characterised in that the third channel C₃ is equipped with a second valve V′

₂.

13. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 9, characterised in that the second outlet S₂ is in fluid connection with the fourth inlet E₄ by a fourth channel C₄, which is provided with a second shutter V₂.

14. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 9, characterised in that the second outlet S₂, the third inlet E₃, the fourth inlet E₄, the third channel C₃, the fourth channel C₄, the second valve V′

₂, the second shutter V₂ and the second pressure reduction member D₂ constitute a second subassembly SE₂.

15. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 1, characterised in that a third outlet S₃ is in fluid connection with a fifth inlet E₅, a sixth inlet E₆ and a seventh inlet E₇.

16. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 15, characterised in that the third outlet S₃ is in fluid connection with the fifth inlet E₅ by a fifth channel C₅, which is provided with a third shutter V₃.

17. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 15, characterised in that the third outlet S₃ is in fluid connection with the sixth inlet E₆ by a sixth channel C₆, which is provided with a fourth shutter V₄.

18. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 15, characterised in that the third outlet S₃ is in fluid connection with the seventh inlet E₇ by a seventh channel (C₇), which is provided with a fifth shutter V₅.

19. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 15, characterised in that the third outlet S₃, the fifth inlet E₅, the sixth inlet E₆, the seventh inlet E₇, the fifth channel C₅, the sixth channel C₆, the seventh channel C₇, the third shutter V₃, the fourth shutter V₄ and the fifth shutter V₅ constitute a third subassembly SE₃.

20. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 1, characterised in that a fourth outlet S₄ is in fluid connection with an eighth inlet E₈ and a ninth inlet E₉.

21. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 20, characterised in that the fourth outlet S₄ is in fluid connection with the eighth inlet E₈ by an eighth channel C₈, which is provided with a sixth shutter V₆.

22. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 20, characterised in that the fourth outlet S₄ is in fluid connection with the ninth inlet E₉ by a ninth channel C₉ which is provided with a third pressure reduction member D₃.

23. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 22, characterised in that the third pressure reduction member D₃ is an electronically controlled pressure reduction device.

24. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 22, characterised in that the ninth channel C₉ is equipped with a third valve V′

₃.

25. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 24, characterised in that a seventh shutter V₇ is disposed in parallel to the third pressure reduction member D₃ and the third valve V′

₃.

26. A distribution unit (22) according to claim 20, characterised in that the fourth outlet S₄, the eighth inlet E₈, the ninth inlet E₉, the eighth channel C₈, the ninth channel C₉, the sixth shutter V₆, the seventh shutter V₇, the third valve V′

₃ and the third pressure reduction member D₃ constitute a fourth subassembly SE₄.

28. An air conditioning loop (4) comprising a distribution unit (22) according to claim 1.

29. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 28, characterised in that the air conditioning loop (4) further comprises a refrigerating fluid/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger (13), a refrigerating fluid/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger (14), a refrigerating fluid/ambient air heat exchanger (17), an internal heat exchanger (19), a compressor (15) and an accumulator (16).

30. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/ambient air heat exchanger (17) comprises a discharge orifice (23) for refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the seventh inlet E₇ and the eighth inlet E₈.

31. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/ambient air heat exchanger (17) comprises an inlet orifice (24) for refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the first outlet S₁.

32. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger (14) comprises an outlet orifice (25) for refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the sixth inlet E₆ and the ninth inlet E₉.

33. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger (14) comprises an inlet orifice (26) for refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the second outlet S₂.

34. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the internal heat exchanger (19) comprises a high-pressure outlet (27) that is in fluid connection with the first inlet E₁ and the third inlet E₃.

35. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the internal heat exchanger (19) comprises a high-pressure inlet (28) that is in fluid connection with the third outlet S₃.

36. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the internal heat exchanger (19) comprises a low-pressure outlet (29) that is in fluid connection with an inlet for admitting refrigerating fluid FR within the compressor (15).

37. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the internal heat exchanger (19) comprises a low-pressure inlet (30) that is in fluid connection with an outlet discharging refrigerating fluid FR out of the accumulator (16).

38. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the accumulator (16) comprises an inlet orifice (31) for refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the outlet S₄.

39. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger (13) comprises a reception opening (38) for the refrigerating fluid FR that is in fluid connection with the compressor (15).

40. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 29, characterised in that the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger (13) comprises an opening (39) for discharging refrigerating fluid FR to the second inlet E₂, the fourth inlet E₄ and the fifth inlet E₅.

41. An air conditioning loop (4) according to claim 30, characterised in that the air conditioning loop (4) comprises at least any one of five three-way valves (33, 34, 35, 36, 37), including:

a first three-way valve (33) that is interposed between the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger (13), the fifth inlet E₅, the fourth inlet E₄ and the second inlet E₂,

a second three-way valve (34) that is interposed between the first three-way valve (33), the fourth inlet E₄ and the second inlet E₂,

a third three-way valve (35) that is interposed between the orifice (23) for discharging refrigerating fluid FR out of the refrigerating fluid/ambient air heat exchanger (17), the seventh inlet E₇ and the eighth inlet E₈,

a fourth three-way valve (36) that is interposed between the orifice (25) discharging refrigerating fluid FR out of the refrigerating fluid/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger (14), the sixth inlet E₆ and the ninth inlet E₉,

a fifth three-way valve (37) that is interposed between the high-pressure outlet (27) discharging refrigerating fluid FR out of the internal heat exchanger (19), the first inlet E₁ and the third inlet E₃.

27. (canceled)