Automotive air conditioning system

• US 7,520,320 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Itoh, Satoshi, Kuroda, Yasutaka, Tomatsu, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford; John K
• Application Number:
  US11/059,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20050178523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 165/202, 165/42, 165/43, 165/240, 165/241, 165/242, 237/2.A, 237/2.B, 237/12.3 B, 624/34, 624/35, 622/01, 622/386, 622/387, 621/60
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00385 for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00907 where the flow direction of the refrigerant changes and an evaporator becomes condenser
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00957 comprising locations with heat exchange within the refrigerant circuit itself, e.g. cross-, counter-, or parallel heat exchange
• 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 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/31 for starting of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/33 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An automotive air conditioning system has a primary hot water circuit 11 located on a side where a vehicle installed heat generator 10 is located and a secondary hot water circuit 13 which includes a hot water type heater core 12 for heating passenger compartment outlet air, whereby when in a heating mode, in the event that a coolant temperature TW1 of the primary hot water circuit is lower than a coolant temperature TW2 of the secondary hot water circuit 13, an opening and closing valve 26 is closed, whereas an opening and closing valve 23 is opened, so that a state is created in which the hot water circuits 11, 13 are separated from each other. On the other hand, in the event that the coolant temperature TW1 of the primary hot water circuit becomes higher than the coolant temperature TW2 of the secondary hot water circuit 13, the opening and closing valve 26 is opened, whereas the opening and closing valve 23 is closed, so that a state is created in which the hot water circuits 11, 13 are connected to each other.

Claims

1. An automotive air conditioning system comprising:

a primary hot water circuit which includes a heat generator installed in a vehicle and through which a coolant which cools the heat generator flows;

a secondary hot water circuit which includes a hot water type heater core which heats passenger compartment outlet air and in which the coolant flows through the hot water type heater core;

valve means adapted to be changed over between a cutting off state in which the valve means cut off the primary hot water circuit from the secondary hot water circuit and a connecting state in which the valve means connect the primary hot water circuit with the secondary hot water circuit;

a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger provided on a discharge side of a compressor along a refrigeration cycle (R) for heating the coolant in the secondary hot water circuit by virtue of heat dissipation from a high-pressure refrigerant on the discharge side of the compressor; and

a primary control means for controlling the valve means by comparing a coolant temperature (TW1) of the primary hot water circuit with a coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit;

wherein

the primary control means controls such that the valve means are put in the cutting off state when the coolant temperature (TW1) of the primary hot water circuit is lower than the coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit, whereas when the coolant temperature (TW1) of the primary hot water circuit becomes higher than the coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit, the valve means are put in the connecting state.

2. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the primary control means sets as a determination temperature a predetermined low temperature at which the warming up of the heat generator is necessary, whereby when the coolant temperature (TW1) of the primary hot water circuit is lower than the predetermined low temperature, the valve means are controlled to be forcibly put in the connecting state.

3. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the automotive air conditioning system includes further an inner heat exchanger which is connected to a downstream side of a refrigerant flow in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger for heating the passenger compartment outlet air by virtue of the heat dissipation from the high-pressure refrigerant when in the heating mode.

4. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the inner heat exchanger is disposed on an upstream side of the hot water type heater core in a passageway of passenger compartment outlet air, wherein

bypass passageways which bypass the hot water type heater core and door means which open and close an air passageway of the hot water type heater core and the bypass passageways are disposed in the passageway of passenger compartment outlet air, and wherein

there is provided further a secondary control means for controlling the door means by comparing an air temperature (TE) resulting after the passage through the inner heat exchanger with the coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit, whereby

when in the heating mode, the secondary control means controls such that the door means are located at positions where the door means fully close the air passageway of the hot water type heater core when the air temperature (TE) resulting after the passage through the inner heat exchanger is higher than the coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit, whereas when the coolant temperature (TW2) of the secondary hot water circuit is higher than the air temperature (TE) resulting after the passage through the inner heat exchanger, the door means are located at positions where the door means open the air passageway of the hot water type heater core.

5. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the refrigeration cycle (R) includes the heating mode, a cooling mode which allows the inner heat exchanger to function as a refrigerant heat absorber on a low pressure side thereof and a dehumidifying and heating mode which allows the in-compartment heat exchanger to function as a refrigerant heat absorber on the low pressure side thereof and in which cooling air of the inner heat exchanger is heated by the hot water type heater core in such a manner that the heating mode, the cooling mode and the dehumidifying and heating mode are changed over.

6. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, comprising an inner heat exchanger provided on the low pressure side of the refrigeration cycle (R) for cooling the passenger compartment outlet air by functioning as a refrigerant heat absorber on the low pressure side when in the cooling mode, and wherein

a low-pressure refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle (R) flows while bypassing the inner heat exchanger when in the heating mode.

7. An air conditioning system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

the inner heat exchanger is disposed on an upstream side of the hot water type heater core in a passageway of the passenger compartment outlet air, and wherein

the refrigeration cycle (R) comprises the heating mode, the cooling mode and the dehumidifying and heating mode which allows the inner heat exchanger to function as a refrigerant heat absorber on the low pressure side thereof and in which cooling air of the inner heat exchanger is heated by the hot water type heater core in such a manner that the heating mode, the cooling mode and the dehumidifying and heating mode are changed over.

8. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger is disposed on the upstream side of the hot water heater core in the secondary hot water circuit.

9. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle (R) is carbon dioxide.

10. An automotive air conditioning system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the heat generator is a fuel cell.