REFRIGERATION CYCLE DEVICE

• US 20150295285A1
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Masayuki, Yamanaka, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,786,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00899 Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204
• 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 1/3228 characterised by refrigerant circuit configurations
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2507 : Flow-diverting valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1931 : Discharge pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/195 : of the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21152 : at the discharge side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21163 : of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21175 : of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/39 : Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 : for compression type machines, plants or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/00 : Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity with cascade operation F25B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/00 : Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 : Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

In an operation mode for heating battery air, a refrigerant passage switching portion switches over to a first refrigerant passage in which a refrigerant including gas refrigerant flowing out of an interior condenser flows into an auxiliary heat exchanger through a first pipe having a relatively large passage cross-sectional area and a liquid refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to an inlet of an exterior heat exchanger through a second pipe having a relatively small passage cross-sectional area. Meanwhile, in an operation mode for cooling the battery air, the refrigerant passage switching portion switches over to a second refrigerant passage in which a liquid refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger flows into the auxiliary heat exchanger through the second pipe and a gas refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to a suction port of a compressor through the first pipe.

Claims

1. A refrigeration cycle device comprising:

a compressor compressing and discharging a refrigerant;

an exterior heat exchanger exchanging heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and outside air, and causing the refrigerant to flow to a suction port of the compressor;

a utilization-side heat exchanger exchanging heat between one of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger and a first temperature regulation target;

an auxiliary heat exchanger exchanging heat between a refrigerant and a second temperature regulation target;

a first pipe communicating with the auxiliary heat exchanger, and having a larger passage cross-sectional area than a predetermined value;

a second pipe communicating with the auxiliary heat exchanger, and having a smaller passage cross-sectional area than that of the first pipe; and

a refrigerant passage switching portion switching a refrigerant passage of the refrigerant circulated in a cycle,

wherein the refrigerant passage switching portion is configured at least to switch (i) a first refrigerant passage, in which a refrigerant in a range reaching an inlet of the exterior heat exchanger from a discharge port of the compressor flows into the auxiliary heat exchanger through the first pipe and a refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to the inlet of the exterior heat exchanger through the second pipe, and (ii) a second refrigerant passage, in which a refrigerant in a range reaching the suction port of the compressor from an outlet of the exterior heat exchanger flows into the auxiliary heat exchanger through the second pipe and a refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to the suction port of the compressor through the first pipe.

2. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, further comprising

a radiating heat exchanger that is provided as the utilization-side heat exchanger, to radiate heat by exchanging heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the first temperature regulation target and to cause the refrigerant to flow to the inlet of the exterior heat exchanger, wherein

when the first refrigerant passage is switched, a refrigerant in a range reaching the inlet of the exterior heat exchanger from an outlet of the radiating heat exchanger flows into the auxiliary heat exchanger through the first pipe and a refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to the inlet of the exterior heat exchanger through the second pipe.

3. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, wherein

the auxiliary heat exchanger has a refrigerant inlet through which a refrigerant is introduced and a refrigerant outlet through which a refrigerant is discharged,

the refrigerant passage switching portion has a communication state switching portion that switches (i) a first communication state, in which the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the first pipe and the refrigerant outlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the second pipe, and (ii) a second communication state in which the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the second pipe and the refrigerant outlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the first pipe, and

the communication state switching portion allows the first communication state when the first refrigerant passage is switched, and allows the second communication state when the second refrigerant passage is switched, the refrigeration cycle device further comprising

a pressure reducer arranged between the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger and the communication state switching portion to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger.

4. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a first pressure reducer arranged between the auxiliary heat exchanger and the first pipe to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the auxiliary heat exchanger; and

a second pressure reducer arranged between the auxiliary heat exchanger and the second pipe to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the auxiliary heat exchanger.

5. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 2, wherein

the auxiliary heat exchanger has a refrigerant inlet through which a refrigerant is introduced and a refrigerant outlet through which a refrigerant is discharged,

the refrigerant passage switching portion has a communication state switching portion that switches (i) a first communication state, in which the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the first pipe and the refrigerant outlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the second pipe, and (ii) a second communication state in which the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the second pipe and the refrigerant outlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger communicates with the first pipe, and

the communication state switching portion allows the first communication state when the first refrigerant passage is switched, and allows the second communication state when the second refrigerant passage is switched, the refrigeration cycle device further comprising

a pressure reducer arranged between the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger and the communication state switching portion to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet of the auxiliary heat exchanger.