JP2008155705A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle capable of attaining enhancement of heating performance by directly heating air fed into a cabin by storing a third heat exchanger of a cooling water circulation circuit in an air blower duct. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner for the vehicle is provided with a duct 1; an air blower 2; a coolant compressor 31; a first heat exchanger 35 installed in the duct 1 and heating the air by condensation heat of the coolant delivered from the coolant compressor 31; a coolant circulation circuit having a second heat exchanger 37 arranged in an upstream side of the first heat exchanger 35 and cooling the air by evaporation heat of the coolant flowing-in from the first heat exchanger 35; and a cooling water circulation circuit having the third heat exchanger 46 arranged in the upstream side of the second heat exchanger 37 in the duct 1 and heating the air by heat release of cooling water heated by a strong electric system part including at least an inverter 42 or a motor 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner, and more particularly to a vehicle air conditioner suitable for use in heating a passenger compartment of an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle.

Conventionally, in an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and the like, the vehicle interior cannot be heated using the waste heat of general engine coolant, and therefore, the vehicle interior is heated using a combustion heater.
Moreover, the technique which heat-exchanges the cooling water heated with high electrical components, such as an inverter and a motor, and the refrigerant | coolant of a refrigerant circulation circuit and improves heating performance is known (refer patent document 1, 2).
JP 05-270252 A JP 07-329544 A

However, in the conventional invention, when a combustion heater is used, there is a problem in that power consumption increases and a heavy burden is imposed on the vehicle battery.
Further, when heat is exchanged between the cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit and the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation circuit, a certain degree of effect is obtained, but there is a problem that the heat exchange rate is poor.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to accommodate the cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit and the passenger compartment by housing the heat exchanger of the cooling water circulation circuit in the air duct. It is to provide a vehicle air conditioner capable of improving the heating performance by directly heating the air to the air to be sent to the vehicle and directly heating the air.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a duct for sending air toward the passenger compartment, a blower for blowing air into the passenger compartment in the duct, a refrigerant compressor for compressing and discharging the refrigerant, and the duct A first heat exchanger that is installed inside and heats the air by the heat of condensation of the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor, disposed on the wind of the first heat exchanger, and the first heat A refrigerant circulation circuit having a second heat exchanger that cools the air by the evaporation heat of the refrigerant flowing in from the exchanger; and disposed on the windward side of the second heat exchanger in the duct, and at least an inverter or a motor A cooling water circulation circuit having a third heat exchanger that heats the air by radiating heat of the cooling water heated by the strong electrical system component is provided.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, a duct for sending air toward the passenger compartment, a blower for blowing air into the passenger compartment in the duct, and a refrigerant compressor for compressing and discharging the refrigerant A first heat exchanger that is installed in the duct and heats the air by the heat of condensation of the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor, and is arranged on the wind of the first heat exchanger, and A refrigerant circulation circuit having a second heat exchanger for cooling air by evaporative heat of the refrigerant flowing in from the first heat exchanger; and disposed on the windward side of the second heat exchanger in the duct, and at least an inverter Or in order to provide the cooling water circulation circuit which has the 3rd heat exchanger which heats the air by the radiation of the cooling water heated by the strong electric system parts including the motor, the heat exchanger of the cooling water circulation circuit is accommodated in the air duct. More, it is possible to improve the heating performance by the air sent to the cooling water and the passenger compartment of the cooling water circulation circuit by heat exchange to heat the air directly.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Example 1 will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle air conditioner during heating of the vehicle interior according to the first embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle air conditioner when air conditioning in the vehicle interior of the first embodiment is stopped. .

First, the overall configuration will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment, a vehicle interior air conditioner such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle performs air conditioning, and a duct 1 for sending air toward the vehicle interior. In this duct 1, a blower 2 that blows air into the passenger compartment, a refrigerant circulation circuit 3 in which an air-conditioning system refrigerant (HFC134a, CO _2, etc.) circulates, and a cooling water (pure water, etc.) for high-power components circulates. A cooling water circulation circuit 4 is provided.

  Inside the duct 1 is formed an air passage 14 for sending air introduced from an outside air inlet or an outside air inlet outside the figure to a differential outlet 11, a face outlet 12, and a foot outlet 13 which are outlets to the vehicle interior. Has been.

In addition, the vicinity of the third heat exchanger 46, which will be described later, in the duct 1 is divided into a first passage R1 and a second passage R2 by the partition portion 15, and doors D1, D2 are provided on the windward and leeward side of the partition portion 15. (Corresponding to the adjustment mechanism in the claims) is provided, and a door D3 (corresponding to the adjustment mechanism in the claims) is provided along the first passage R1, and these are provided so as to be rotatable in accordance with the locus indicated by the alternate long and short dash line. It has been.
Further, when the door D1 is opened on the first communication path R1 side and the doors D2 and D3 are disposed at positions indicated by broken lines, the communication communicated with the first communication path R1 and the outside of the vehicle (outside). The passage R3 communicates.

  Further, the vicinity of the second heat exchanger 37, which will be described later, in the duct 1 is divided into a fourth passage R4 and a fifth passage R5 by the partition portion 16, and a door D4 (in the claims) is provided on the windward side of the partition portion 16. (Corresponding to an adjusting mechanism) is provided so as to be rotatable in accordance with a locus indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  The blower 2 is installed on the windward side in the duct 1, and the blower housed in the casing is rotationally driven by a blower motor, so that the air introduced from the outside air inlet or the outside air inlet not shown is sucked. Then, the air is sent to the vehicle interior side.

  The refrigerant circuit 3 includes a refrigerant compressor 31, a three-way valve 32, a vehicle exterior heat exchanger 33, a receiver tank 34, a first heat exchanger 35, an expansion valve 36, and a second heat exchanger 37. The accumulator 38 is configured to be connected in a substantially ring shape by the connection pipes 3a to 3g.

  The connecting pipe 3a is provided with a bypass pipe 3h that bypasses the vehicle exterior heat exchanger 32 and the receiver tank 34 from the three-way valve 32 and is connected to the connecting pipe 3c, and the connecting pipe 3c leads to the receiver tank 34. A check valve 39 is provided to prevent the reverse flow of the refrigerant.

  The refrigerant compressor 31 is a so-called electric compressor, and compresses the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3g and discharges it to the connection pipe 3a in a high-temperature and high-pressure state. Yes.

  The three-way valve 32 opens a flow path to the bypass pipe 3h side during heating, and opens a flow path from the connection pipe 3a to the vehicle exterior heat exchanger 33 side during cooling.

  The vehicle exterior heat exchanger 33 is a so-called condenser that is installed in the front part of the vehicle and to which an electric fan is attached. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the interior from the connection pipe 3a is used as vehicle traveling wind or After being condensed by exchanging heat with the forced air of the fan, it is discharged to the connecting pipe 3b.

  The receiver tank 34 is a so-called gas-liquid separator, which separates the refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3b into liquid refrigerant and gas refrigerant and discharges only the liquid refrigerant to the connection pipe 3c.

  The first heat exchanger 35 has substantially the same structure as the vehicle exterior heat exchanger 33 and is installed in the duct 1, and also heats the gas refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3 c during heating with air. While the air is heated, the gas refrigerant is condensed at the same time, while at the time of cooling, the liquid refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3c is heat-exchanged with the air in the duct 1 to heat (reheat) the air and at the same time After being supercooled, it is discharged to the connecting pipe 3d.

  The expansion valve 36 is a fixed throttle such as a capillary tube, for example, and decompresses the refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3d to discharge the gas-liquid two-layer refrigerant to the connection pipe 3e.

  The second heat exchanger 37 is a so-called evaporator installed on the windward side of the first heat exchanger 35 in the duct 1, and cools the air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3 e and the air. -After dehumidifying and evaporating the refrigerant, it is discharged to the connecting pipe 3f.

  The accumulator 38 separates the refrigerant flowing into the inside from the connection pipe 3f into a liquid refrigerant and a gas refrigerant and discharges only the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant to the connection pipe 3f.

  The cooling water circulation circuit 4 is a state in which a water pump 41, an inverter 42, a motor 43, a three-way valve 44, a heat accumulator 45, and a third heat exchanger 46 are connected in a substantially ring shape by the connection pipes 4a to 4e. It consists of

  The connecting pipe 4c is provided with a bypass pipe 4f that bypasses the heat accumulator 45 from the three-way valve 44 and is connected to the connecting pipe 4d, and the connecting pipe 4d prevents backflow of cooling water to the heat accumulator 45. A check valve 47 is provided.

  The water pump 41 is a so-called electric circulation pump, and discharges the cooling water flowing into the connection pipe 4a from the connection pipe 4e.

  The inverter 42 is composed of a heating element such as a transistor housed in a metal casing, and the cooling water and the heating element that have flowed into the water jacket attached to the casing via the connection pipe 4a are heated. By exchanging, the heating element is cooled, and at the same time, the cooling water is heated and then discharged to the connecting pipe 4b.

  The motor 43 is a motor 43 for running the vehicle, and heat exchange between the cooling water flowing into the water jacket attached to the metal casing through the connection pipe 4b and the heat generating component in the casing. The cooling water is heated at the same time as the motor 43 is cooled, and then discharged to the connecting pipe 4c.

  The heat accumulator 45 is a so-called heat insulator in which a metal casing is filled with a heat accumulating material, and discharges it to the connecting pipe 4d while keeping the cooling water flowing into the inside from the connecting pipe 4c.

  The third heat exchanger 46 is installed on the windward side of the second heat exchanger 37 in the duct 1 and has a structure similar to that of a general radiator. Heat is exchanged between the water and air, and the air is heated and at the same time the cooling water is cooled and then discharged to the connecting pipe 4e.

Next, the operation will be described.
First, the heating of the passenger compartment in the air conditioner of Embodiment 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the vehicle interior is heated, the three-way valve 32 is opened to the bypass pipe 3 h side, so that the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 3 is the refrigerant compressor 31, the three-way valve 32, the first heat exchanger 35, The expansion valve 36, the second heat exchanger 37, and the accumulator 38 are circulated in this order.

  Further, when the three-way valve 44 is opened to the heat accumulator 45 side, the cooling water in the coolant circulation circuit 4 is supplied in the order of the water pump 41, the inverter 42, the motor 43, the three-way valve 44, the heat accumulator 45, and the third heat exchanger 46. It circulates to.

Furthermore, the doors D1 to D3 in the duct 1 are rotated so as to close the second passage R2 and the third passage R3, so that the air from the blower 2 to the vehicle interior side in the duct 1 (illustrated by broken arrows) The total amount goes to the third heat exchanger 46 in the first passage R1.
At this time, the air passing through the third heat exchanger 46 and the high-temperature cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit 4 exchange heat, thereby heating the air and simultaneously cooling the cooling water to cool the inverter 42 and the motor 43. Is done.

Next, the air that has passed through the third heat exchanger 46 goes to the second heat exchanger 37.
At this time, the air passing through the second heat exchanger 37 and the low-temperature refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 3 exchange heat, whereby the air is cooled and dehumidified, and at the same time, the refrigerant is evaporated.

Next, the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger 37 branches into the air that goes to the first heat exchanger 35 in the fourth passage R4 and the air that goes to the fifth passage R5, and then mixes immediately before the outlets 11 to 13 Then, in a state adjusted to a desired temperature, it is sent into the vehicle compartment via the predetermined outlets 11 to 13, thereby heating the vehicle compartment.
At this time, the air passing through the first heat exchanger 35 and the high-temperature refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation circuit 3 exchange heat, whereby the air is heated and the refrigerant is condensed at the same time.

  Accordingly, the air from the blower 2 toward the vehicle interior side is cooled and dehumidified by the second heat exchanger 37 and then heated by the first heat exchanger 35 and sent to the vehicle interior as dry air. The same effect as the cooling dehumidifier can be obtained.

  The mixing ratio of the air in the fourth passage R4 and the fifth passage R5 is always controlled by adjusting the rotation of the door D4. However, the door D4 is almost adjusted to rotate toward the fifth passage R5 during heating. It becomes. Of course, the temperature of the air can also be adjusted by rotating the doors D1 to D3.

  In the first embodiment, the three-way valve 44 is opened to the heat accumulator 45 side for the purpose of promptly warming the cooling water using the high-temperature cooling water stored in the heat accumulator 45 in advance. However, when the cooling water thereafter circulates and rises to a predetermined temperature, the three-way valve 44 may be opened to the bypass pipe 4f side.

  Therefore, in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, during the heating of the passenger compartment, the air is directly heated with the high-temperature cooling water of the third heat exchanger 46 of the cooling water circulation circuit 4 to be efficiently warmed, and thereafter Heating performance can be greatly improved by cooling and dehumidifying with the second heat exchanger 37 and further reheating with the first heat exchanger 35.

  Moreover, since the 2nd heat exchanger 37 is arrange | positioned on the wind of the 1st heat exchanger 35, it can function as a cooling type dehumidifier and can dehumidify air favorably.

  In addition, since the third heat exchanger 46 is arranged on the windward side of the second heat exchanger 37, high-temperature air can be passed through the second heat exchanger 37 to increase the pressure of the refrigerant and promote evaporation. The heat exchange performance of the refrigerant circuit 3 can be improved.

  Furthermore, the high temperature cooling water can be stably supplied to the third heat exchanger 46 using the cooling water kept in the heat accumulator 45, and the desired heating performance can be improved.

Next, a description will be given of the cooling of the passenger compartment in the air conditioner of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle interior is cooled, the three-way valve 32 opens to the vehicle exterior heat exchanger 33 side, so that the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation circuit 3 becomes the refrigerant compressor 31, the three-way valve 32, the vehicle exterior heat exchange. It circulates in order of the unit 33, the receiver tank 34, the first heat exchanger 35, the expansion valve 36, the second heat exchanger 37, and the accumulator 38.

  Further, when the three-way valve 44 opens to the bypass pipe 4f side, the cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit 4 circulates in the order of the water pump 41, the inverter 42, the motor 43, and the third heat exchanger 46.

Further, the doors D1 to D3 in the duct 1 are rotated so that the first passage R1 and the third passage R3 communicate with each other and the second passage R2 communicates with the vehicle interior side. 2 (illustrated by broken line arrows) from 2 to the vehicle interior side first branches into the first passage R1 and the second passage R2, and the air flowing into the first passage R1 passes through the third heat exchanger 46. After that, the air that has been discharged to the outside of the vehicle (outside) through the third passage R3 is directed to the second heat exchanger 37 while flowing into the second passage.
At this time, in the first passage R1, the air passing through the third heat exchanger 46 and the high-temperature cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit 4 are heat-exchanged so that the air is heated and the cooling water is simultaneously cooled. Thus, the inverter 42 and the motor 43 are cooled.

  On the other hand, the air flowing into the second passage passes through the second heat exchanger 37. At this time, the air passing through the second heat exchanger 37 and the low-temperature refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 3 exchange heat. The refrigerant is evaporated simultaneously with cooling and dehumidification.

Next, the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger 37 branches into the air that goes to the first heat exchanger 35 in the fourth passage R4 and the air that goes to the fifth passage R5, and then mixes immediately before the outlets 11 to 13 In a state adjusted to a desired temperature, it is sent to the vehicle interior via predetermined outlets 11 to 13, whereby the vehicle interior can be cooled.
At this time, the air passing through the first heat exchanger 35 and the somewhat low-temperature refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation circuit 3 exchange heat, whereby the air is heated and dehumidified, and at the same time, the refrigerant is supercooled.

  Accordingly, the air from the blower 2 toward the vehicle interior side is cooled and dehumidified by the second heat exchanger 37 and then heated by the first heat exchanger 35 and sent to the vehicle interior as dry air. The same effect as the cooling dehumidifier can be obtained.

  The mixing ratio of the air in the fourth passage R4 and the fifth passage R5 is always performed by adjusting the rotation of the door D4. However, during the cooling, the door D4 is almost adjusted to rotate toward the fourth passage R4. Become. Further, the temperature of the air can be adjusted by rotating the doors D1 to D3.

  In the first embodiment, since it is not necessary to use the cooling water for the heat accumulator 45 for the purpose of increasing the temperature of the cooling water, the three-way valve 44 is opened to the bypass pipe 4f side. Thereafter, if the temperature of the cooling water rises to a predetermined temperature, the three-way valve 44 may be opened to the heat accumulator 45 for the purpose of storing the cooling water in the heat accumulator 45.

  Therefore, in the air conditioner of the first embodiment, the air in the duct 1 is directly heated by the third heat exchanger 46 of the cooling water circulation circuit 4 during the cooling of the passenger compartment, and then the outside of the vehicle via the third passage R3. Since it is discharged to the outside, it is possible to prevent the cooling performance from deteriorating while realizing cooling of the inverter 42 and the motor 43.

Next, the case where the air conditioning in the vehicle interior is stopped will be described.
When stopping the air conditioning in the passenger compartment, as shown in FIG. 4, the compressor is stopped and the refrigerant circulation in the refrigerant circulation circuit 3 is stopped.

  Further, when the three-way valve 44 opens to the bypass pipe 4f side, the cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit 4 circulates in the order of the water pump 41, the inverter 42, the motor 43, and the third heat exchanger 46.

  Further, the door D1 in the duct 1 rotates so as to close the second passage R2, and the doors D2, D3 rotate so as to communicate the first passage R1 and the third passage R3.

  As a result, after the entire amount of air (indicated by broken line arrows) from the blower 2 toward the vehicle interior in the duct 1 flows into the first passage R1 and passes through the third heat exchanger 46, the third passage R3 It is discharged to the outside (outside) through the vehicle.

  At this time, in the first passage R1, the air passing through the third heat exchanger 46 and the high-temperature cooling water in the cooling water circulation circuit 4 are heat-exchanged so that the air is heated and the cooling water is simultaneously cooled. Thus, the inverter 42 and the motor 43 are cooled.

Next, the effect will be described.
As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment, the duct 1 for sending air toward the passenger compartment, the blower 2 for blowing air into the passenger compartment in the duct 1, and the refrigerant A first compressor 35 that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger 35 that is installed in the duct 1 and heats the air by the heat of condensation of the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor 31, and a first heat exchange A refrigerant circulation circuit having a second heat exchanger 37 that is arranged on the windward side of the cooler 35 and that cools the air by the evaporation heat of the refrigerant flowing in from the first heat exchanger 35, and the second heat exchange in the duct 1. In order to provide a cooling water circulation circuit having a third heat exchanger 46 that is arranged on the wind of the vessel 37 and heats the air by heat radiation of the cooling water heated by at least the high-power components including the inverter 42 or the motor 43, cooling By housing the third heat exchanger 46 of the circulation circuit 4 in the blower duct 1, the cooling water of the cooling water circulation circuit 4 and the air sent to the passenger compartment are directly heat-exchanged to directly heat the air. Can be improved.

  Moreover, since the doors D1 to D4 capable of adjusting the temperature of the air are provided in the duct 1, the temperature of the air sent into the passenger compartment can be easily adjusted, which is preferable.

  In addition, since the heat accumulator 45 is provided in the cooling water circulation circuit, even if the high-power components are immediately after the start-up or the like, even if the cooling water is at a low temperature, circulating the cooling water preliminarily kept in the heat accumulator 45 causes the third heat exchanger 46 to circulate. High-temperature cooling water can be supplied, and desired heating performance can be realized.

  Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide the 3rd heat exchanger 46 of the cooling water circulation circuit 4 in a vehicle front part, the freedom degree of the design layout of a vehicle front part can be expanded.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.
For example, the present invention may be applied not only to electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, but also to hybrid vehicles and general engine vehicles.
Further, the high-power components are not limited to inverters and motors, and other various heat sources may be applied.

  In addition, when the amount of heat released from the first heat exchanger 35 is sufficiently large during cooling, the three-way valve 32 may be opened toward the bypass pipe 3h.

  In addition to the first heat exchanger 35 and the third heat exchanger 46, an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the air temperature by adjusting the amount of air exchanged with the second heat exchanger 37 may be provided. .

It is a block diagram of the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles of Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the action | operation of the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles at the time of the heating of the vehicle interior of a present Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the action | operation of the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles at the time of the air_conditioning | cooling of the vehicle interior of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the action | operation of the air conditioning apparatus for vehicles at the time of the stop of the air conditioning of the vehicle interior of a present Example 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

D1, D2, D3, D4 Door R1 First passage R2 Second passage R3 Third passage R4 Fourth passage R5 Fifth passage 1 Duct 11 Differential outlet 12 Face outlet 13 Foot outlet 14 Air passage 15 Partition 16 Partition Part 2 Blower 3 Refrigerant circulation circuit 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g Connection pipe 3h Bypass pipe 31 Refrigerant compressor 32 Three-way valve 33 Outside heat exchanger 34 Receiver tank 35 First heat exchanger 36 Expansion valve 37 Second heat exchanger 38 Accumulator 39 Check valve 4 Cooling water circulation circuit 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e Connection pipe 4f Bypass pipe 41 Water pump 42 Inverter 43 Motor 44 Three-way valve 45 Heat accumulator 46 Third heat exchanger 47 Check valve

Claims (3)

A duct for sending air into the passenger compartment,
A blower for blowing air into the vehicle compartment in the duct;
A refrigerant compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant; a first heat exchanger that is installed in the duct and that heats the air by the heat of condensation of the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor; and the first heat exchange A refrigerant circulation circuit having a second heat exchanger that is arranged on the wind of the vessel and that cools the air by the evaporation heat of the refrigerant flowing in from the first heat exchanger;
Cooling water circulation having a third heat exchanger that is arranged on the windward side of the second heat exchanger in the duct and heats the air by radiating the cooling water heated by a high-power system component including at least an inverter or a motor. A vehicle air conditioner comprising a circuit. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1,
An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle, wherein an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the temperature of air is provided in the duct. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2,
A vehicle air conditioner comprising a heat accumulator in the cooling water circulation circuit.

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