Refrigerant circulation apparatus with controlled operation of an evporator for on-vehicle battery cooling

• US 9,895,959 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Seto, Hiroki, Tomita, Shinsaku, Suzuki, Hiroyuki, Ishii, Shigeharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Application Number:
  US14/441,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20150291008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00385 for vehicles having an electrical drive, e.g. hybrid or fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3216 for improving a change in operation duty of a compressor in a vehicle
• 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 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2513 Expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1931 Discharge pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/195 of the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2115 of a compressor or the drive means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A refrigerant circulation apparatus includes: a vehicle-interior air conditioning (2) that cools an interior of a vehicle; an on-vehicle battery cooler (3) that includes an evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling (32) that cools an on-vehicle battery mounted on the vehicle; and an electric compressor (5) that compresses and supplies a refrigerant to at least one of the vehicle-interior air conditioning (2) and the on-vehicle battery cooling (3). The apparatus also includes: a temperature sensor (41) that detects a temperature of the electric compressor (5); a pressure sensor (42) that detects a pressure of the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor (5); and a control unit (40) that restricts operation of the evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling (32) to reduce load on the electric compressor (5) based on the temperature of the electric compressor (5) and the pressure of the refrigerant.

Claims

1. A refrigerant circulation apparatus comprising:

a vehicle-interior air conditioner configured to cool an interior of a vehicle;

an on-vehicle battery cooler including an evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling configured to cool an on-vehicle battery mounted on the vehicle;

an electric compressor configured to compress and supply a refrigerant to one or both of the vehicle-interior air conditioner and the on-vehicle battery cooler;

a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of the electric compressor;

a pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor; and

a control unit configured to restrict operation of the evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling so as to reduce load on the electric compressor based on the temperature of the electric compressor and the pressure of the refrigerant.

2. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle-interior air conditioner comprises:

the evaporator for vehicle-interior air conditioning; and

an internal-external air switching unit configured to allow conditioned air to be switched to external air outside the vehicle interior or to internal air in the vehicle interior, the conditioned air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator for vehicle-interior air conditioning to be supplied into the vehicle-interior,

and

the control unit switches the internal-external air switching unit to heat-exchange the internal air in the vehicle interior with the refrigerant so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

3. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the on-vehicle battery cooler includes a blower fan configured to supply the conditioned air to the evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling,

and

the control unit decreases a rotational rate of the blower fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

4. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a condenser configured to cool the refrigerant by heat-exchanging the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor with the external air outside the vehicle interior; and

a condenser fan configured to introduce the external air outside the vehicle interior into the condenser,

wherein

the control unit increases a rotational rate of the condenser fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

5. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

6. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

7. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a condenser configured to cool the refrigerant by heat-exchanging the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor with the external air outside the vehicle interior; and

a condenser fan configured to introduce the external air outside the vehicle interior into the condenser,

wherein

the control unit increases a rotational rate of the condenser fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

8. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

9. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

10. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the on-vehicle battery cooler includes a blower fan configured to supply the conditioned air to the evaporator for on-vehicle battery cooling,

and

the control unit decreases a rotational rate of the blower fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

11. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a condenser configured to cool the refrigerant by heat-exchanging the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor with the external air outside the vehicle interior; and

a condenser fan configured to introduce the external air outside the vehicle interior into the condenser,

wherein

the control unit increases a rotational rate of the condenser fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

12. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

13. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

14. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a condenser configured to cool the refrigerant by heat-exchanging the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor with the external air outside the vehicle interior; and

a condenser fan configured to introduce the external air outside the vehicle interior into the condenser,

wherein

the control unit increases a rotational rate of the condenser fan so as to reduce the load on the electric compressor.

15. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.

16. The refrigerant circulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electric compressor comprises:

an electric motor configured to operate a compressor to compress the refrigerant; and

electronic equipment for control so disposed adjacent to the electric motor as to control the operation of the electric motor,

and

the temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the electronic equipment for control.