Vehicular Air Conditioning System

• US 20120037352A1
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: OSAKA, Tadashi, MATSUSHIMA, Hiroaki, SEKIYA, Sachio, IMANISHI, Yuto
• Granted Patent: US 8,973,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00021 Air flow details of HVAC devices
• 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 1/00907 where the flow direction of the refrigerant changes and an evaporator becomes condenser
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00178 comprising an air passage from the HVAC box to the exterior of the cabin
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00928 comprising a secondary circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00935 comprising four way valves for controlling the fluid direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00949 comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator
• 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 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• 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 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• 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 50/52 : characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 : by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 : by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A vehicular air conditioning system capable of suppressing the power consumption of a refrigerating cycle is disclosed. The vehicular air conditioning system comprises a refrigerating cycle circuit comprising a compressor, an outside heat exchanger and an inside air conditioning heat exchanger annularly connected in order, and a device cooling circuit comprising a heating unit, an inside cooling heat exchanger, an intermediate heat exchanger and a pump being annularly connected, the intermediate heat exchanger being constructed such that one end of a piping of the cooling medium for air conditioning is connected to a liquid piping, the liquid piping providing connection between the outside heat exchanger and the inside air conditioning heat exchanger, and an opposite end of the piping of the cooling medium for air conditioning is connected to a suction port of the compressor.

Claims

1. A vehicular air conditioning system comprising:

a refrigerating cycle circuit, the refrigerating cycle circuit comprising a compressor for compressing a cooling medium for air conditioning, an outside heat exchanger for heat exchange between the cooling medium for air conditioning and outside air, and an inside air conditioning heat exchanger for heat exchange with air to be blown off to the interior of a vehicle room, the compressor, the outside heat exchanger and the inside air conditioning heat exchanger being annularly connected in order; and

a device cooling circuit, the device cooling circuit comprising a heating unit, an inside cooling heat exchanger for heat exchange with air to be blown off to the interior of the vehicle room, an intermediate heat exchanger for heat exchange between a device cooling medium for cooling the heating unit and the cooling medium for air conditioning present in the refrigerating cycle circuit, and a pump for circulating the device cooling medium, the heating unit, the inside cooling heat exchanger, the intermediate heat exchanger, and the pump being annularly connected,

the intermediate heat exchanger being constructed such that one end of a piping of the cooling medium for air conditioning is connected to a liquid piping, the liquid piping providing connection between the outside heat exchanger and the inside air conditioning heat exchanger, and an opposite end of the piping of the cooling medium for air conditioning is connected to a suction port of the compressor.

2. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and the intermediate heat exchanger are each provided, in a piping route of the cooling medium for air conditioning connected to the liquid piping, with flow rate control means for air conditioning to make variable the flow rate of the cooling medium for air conditioning flowing to each of the heat exchangers and flow rate control means for cooling.

3. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein outside flow rate control means for making variable the flow rate of the cooling medium for air conditioning is disposed in a piping route of the cooling medium for air conditioning, the piping route providing connection between the outside heat exchanger and the liquid piping.

4. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the outside heat exchanger, the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and the intermediate heat exchanger are connected in an arbitrarily switchable manner to a discharge port or the suction port of the compressor through first flow path switching means and second flow path switching means.

5. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the case where the air to be blown off to the interior of the vehicle room passes through the inside cooling heat exchanger after passing through the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and the case where the air to be blown off to the interior of the vehicle room passes through the inside air conditioning heat exchanger after passing through the inside cooling heat exchanger can be switched from one to the other.

6. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the case where the air passing through the inside cooling heat exchanger blows off to the interior of the vehicle room and the case where said air blows off to the exterior of the vehicle can be switched from one to the other.

7. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the device cooling circuit includes a main circuit with the device cooling medium flowing in the inside cooling heat exchanger, a bypass circuit with the device cooling medium flowing while bypassing the inside cooling heat exchanger, and flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate of the device cooling medium flowing in both the main circuit and the bypass circuit.

8. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein, in device cooling for cooling the heating unit, the case where the device cooling medium circulating through the device cooling circuit is cooled by only the inside cooling heat exchanger and the case where the device cooling medium is cooled by both the inside cooling heat exchanger and the intermediate heat exchanger are switched from one to the other by controlling the degree of opening of the flow rate control means for cooling.

9. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein in other cases than heating the interior of the vehicle room, the air passing through the inside cooling heat exchanger is blown off to the exterior of the vehicle room.

10. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 7, wherein in case of cooling the interior of the vehicle room the device cooling medium in the device cooling circuit is allowed to flow not through the main circuit but through the bypass circuit.

11. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein in a room cooling operation, a room heating operation, a room heating and device cooling operation, and a defrosting operation, the air to be blown off to the interior of the vehicle room passes through the inside air conditioning heat exchanger after passing through the inside cooling heat exchanger.

12. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein in a dehumidifying operation and a room heating and dehumidifying operation, the air to be blown off to the interior of the room passes through the inside cooling heat exchanger after passing through the inside air conditioning heat exchanger.

13. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein in a device heating operation for heating the heating unit, the intermediate heat exchanger is used as a condenser and the degree of opening of the outside flow rate control means is controlled to control the temperature of the device cooling medium circulating through the device cooling circuit.

14. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 5, further comprising an in-vehicle unit, the in-vehicle unit comprising a first inside cooling heat exchanger and a second inside cooling heat exchanger, the inside air conditioning heat exchanger, an inside fan for sucking in air, first and second switching dampers for switching the flow of air, and third and fourth flow path switching means for switching the flow of the device cooling medium to the first and second inside cooling heat exchangers.

15. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 14, wherein, in the in-vehicle unit, the first and second inside cooling heat exchangers are disposed on upstream side and downstream side respectively of the inside air conditioning heat exchanger, and the first and second switching dampers are disposed between the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and the first inside cooling heat exchanger.

16. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle unit includes first and second air suction ports for sucking in air and first and second air discharge ports for blowing off air, the first and second air suction ports being adapted to suck inside air or outside air, the first air discharge port being adapted to blow off air to the interior of the room, and the second air discharge port being adapted to blow off air to the exterior of the room.

17. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein the first switching damper can adjust the amount of air to be sucked in from the second air suction port, and the air sucked in from the second air suction port passes through the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and the second inside cooling heat exchanger without passing through the first inside cooling heat exchanger and blows off from the first air discharge port.

18. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein the second switching damper makes switching whether the air sucked in from the first air suction port is to be blown off from the second air discharge port or from the first air discharge port, after passing through the first inside cooling heat exchanger.

19. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein in a dehumidifying operation and a room heating and dehumidifying operation, the air sucked in from the first air suction port is heat-exchanged in the inside air conditioning heat exchanger, thereafter is heat-exchanged in the second inside cooling heat exchanger and is blown off from the first air discharge port.

20. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein in a room cooling operation, a room heating operation, a room heating and device cooling operation, a device heating operation and a defrosting operation, the air sucked in from the first air suction port is heat-exchanged in the first inside cooling heat exchanger, thereafter is heat-exchanged in the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and is blown off from the first air discharge port.

21. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 16, wherein in a device cooling operation and a room cooling and device cooling operation, the air sucked in from the first suction port is heat-exchanged in the first inside cooling heat exchanger and is thereafter blown off from the second air discharge port, while the air sucked in from the second air suction port is heat-exchanged in the inside air conditioning heat exchanger and is thereafter blown off from the first air discharge port.

22. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising an air conditioning control unit, the air conditioning control unit inputting vehicle operation information such as vehicle speed information and accelerator opening information, as well as running plan information, and controlling the vehicular air conditioning system on the basis of those information and the temperature of the heating unit and the temperature of the interior of the vehicle room.

23. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 4, wherein the air conditioning control unit is integral with the whole or a part of an air conditioning apparatus, the air conditioning apparatus comprising the compressor, the flow rate control means, the flow path switching means, the pump, an outside fan and an inside fan.

24. A vehicular air conditioning system according to claim 22, wherein the air conditioning control unit is integral with at least one of a vehicle control unit for controlling the entire vehicle, a braking drive control unit for controlling braking drive, and a battery control unit for controlling battery power.