Vehicular air conditioning system

• US 9,573,437 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2011
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Osaka, Tadashi, Matsushima, Hiroaki, Sekiya, Sachio, Uchida, Riichi, Akiyama, Yuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Russell, Devon
• Application Number:
  US13/982,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20130299129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00021 Air flow details of HVAC devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0005 the air being firstly cooled and subsequently heated or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00907 where the flow direction of the refrigerant changes and an evaporator becomes condenser
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32281 comprising a single secondary circuit, e.g. at evaporator or condenser side
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00178 comprising an air passage from the HVAC box to the exterior of the cabin
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit

Abstract

A vehicular air conditioning system for saving energy includes: a first indoor cooling heat exchanger for suctioning in and cooling the air within or outside a vehicle; an indoor air conditioning heat exchanger installed on the downstream cooling heat exchanger for regulating the temperature of the applicable air, a refrigeration cycle connected to the applicable indoor air conditioning heat exchanger, a heating element mounted in the vehicle, and a circuit for the machine coolant circulating between the applicable heating element and the applicable first indoor cooling heat exchanger, and in which the air flow path for air flowing into the indoor air conditioning heat exchanger is structured by merging a flow path passing through the first indoor cooling heat exchanger to a flow path not passing through the first indoor cooling heat exchanger, and is also configured to allow switching to either of the two flow paths.

Claims

1. A vehicular air conditioning system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

an outdoor air intake port located on the outside of the vehicle;

an air dispensing port located inside of the vehicle;

a first air flow path fluidically coupling the outdoor air intake port to the air dispensing port;

a first indoor cooling heat exchanger located in the first air flow path;

a second air flow path fluidically coupling the outdoor air intake port and the air dispensing port, wherein the second air flow path does not include the first indoor cooling heat exchanger;

an indoor air conditioning heat exchanger located in the first air flow path and the second air flow path and located adjacent to the air dispensing port;

a second indoor cooling heat exchanger located in the first air flow path and the second air flow path between the indoor air conditioning heat exchanger and the air dispensing port;

a refrigeration cycle connected to the indoor air conditioning heat exchanger that includes a refrigerant coolant circuit;

an intermediate heat exchanger connected to the coolant circuit;

a machine coolant circuit that selectively transfers heat from a heat-generating device mounted in the vehicle to the first indoor cooling heat exchanger, the second indoor coolin heat exchanger, and the intermediate heat exchanger; and

one or more switching dampers that selectively block the first air flow path and the second air flow path.

2. The vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the first air flow path can be switched to release air that passed through the first indoor cooling heat exchanger to outside the vehicle.

3. The vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle control device, wherein the vehicle control device;

determines a state of the vehicle, and

controls the one or more switching dampers based upon the state of the vehicle.