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US20200292218A1 - Refrigeration cycle device - Google Patents

Refrigeration cycle device Download PDF

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Publication number
US20200292218A1
US20200292218A1 US16/892,001 US202016892001A US2020292218A1 US 20200292218 A1 US20200292218 A1 US 20200292218A1 US 202016892001 A US202016892001 A US 202016892001A US 2020292218 A1 US2020292218 A1 US 2020292218A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
refrigerant
evaporator
air
passage
refrigerant passage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US16/892,001
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English (en)
Inventor
Yuji Kawazoe
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Denso Corp
Original Assignee
Denso Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
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Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION reassignment DENSO CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KAWAZOE, YUJI
Publication of US20200292218A1 publication Critical patent/US20200292218A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B5/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity
    • F25B5/04—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity arranged in series
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
    • B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
    • B60H1/00642—Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices
    • B60H1/00814—Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation
    • B60H1/00878—Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation the components being temperature regulating devices
    • B60H1/00899—Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
    • B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
    • B60H1/32—Cooling devices
    • B60H1/3204—Cooling devices using compression
    • B60H1/3229—Cooling devices using compression characterised by constructional features, e.g. housings, mountings, conversion systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B1/00—Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle
    • F25B1/06—Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle with compressor of jet type, e.g. using liquid under pressure
    • F25B1/08—Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle with compressor of jet type, e.g. using liquid under pressure using vapour under pressure
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B39/00—Evaporators; Condensers
    • F25B39/02—Evaporators
    • F25B39/028—Evaporators having distributing means
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
    • F25B41/20—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
    • F25B41/20—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves
    • F25B41/24—Arrangement of shut-off valves for disconnecting a part of the refrigerant cycle, e.g. an outdoor part
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B45/00—Arrangements for charging or discharging refrigerant
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B5/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity
    • F25B5/02—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity arranged in parallel
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
    • B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
    • B60H1/32—Cooling devices
    • B60H1/3204—Cooling devices using compression
    • B60H1/3225—Cooling devices using compression characterised by safety arrangements, e.g. compressor anti-seizure means or by signalling devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
    • B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
    • B60H1/00642—Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices
    • B60H1/00814—Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation
    • B60H1/00878—Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation the components being temperature regulating devices
    • B60H2001/00949—Control systems or circuits characterised by their output, for controlling particular components of the heating, cooling or ventilating installation the components being temperature regulating devices comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2339/00—Details of evaporators; Details of condensers
    • F25B2339/02—Details of evaporators
    • F25B2339/024—Evaporators with refrigerant in a vessel in which is situated a heat exchanger
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2339/00—Details of evaporators; Details of condensers
    • F25B2339/04—Details of condensers
    • F25B2339/047—Water-cooled condensers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2500/00—Problems to be solved
    • F25B2500/06—Damage
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2500/00—Problems to be solved
    • F25B2500/07—Exceeding a certain pressure value in a refrigeration component or cycle
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2600/00—Control issues
    • F25B2600/21—Refrigerant outlet evaporator temperature
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2600/00—Control issues
    • F25B2600/25—Control of valves
    • F25B2600/2519—On-off valves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F25B49/02—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for compression type machines, plants or systems
    • F25B49/022—Compressor control arrangements

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle device.
  • a refrigeration cycle device includes a compressor, an outside evaporator, an inside evaporator, and an evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is configured to adjust an evaporating pressure of a refrigerant in the inside evaporator as a value equal to or higher than a frost restriction pressure to restrict a frost from generating on the inside evaporator.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is configured to adjust an opening degree of the valve with a mechanical means.
  • a refrigeration cycle device includes a compressor, a heater, an inside evaporator, an outside evaporator, a first refrigerant passage, a first decompressor, a second refrigerant passage, a second decompressor, an evaporating pressure adjusting valve, a third refrigerant passage, an opening-closing member, a charging port, and a pressure change buffer.
  • the compressor compresses and discharges a refrigerant.
  • the heater heats a heat-exchange target fluid using the refrigerant, as a heat source, discharged from the compressor.
  • the outside evaporator exchanges heat between an outside air and the refrigerant flowing out of the heater.
  • the inside evaporator exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator and the heat-exchange target fluid.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the heater is guided toward an inlet of the outside evaporator through the first refrigerant passage.
  • the first decompressor is disposed in the first refrigerant passage and configured to vary an opening area of the first refrigerant passage.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator flows through the inside evaporator toward a suction inlet of the compressor through the second refrigerant passage.
  • the second decompressor is disposed in the second refrigerant passage between the outside evaporator and the inside evaporator and configured to vary an opening area of the second refrigerant passage.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is disposed in the second refrigerant passage at a position downstream of the inside evaporator and configured to adjust an evaporating pressure of the refrigerant in the inside evaporator.
  • the third refrigerant passage has an end fluidly connected to a portion of the second refrigerant passage between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve and the compressor.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator is guided toward the suction inlet of the compressor through the third refrigerant passage.
  • the charging port through which the refrigerant is supplied is disposed in the second refrigerant passage at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the pressure change buffer is disposed in the second refrigerant passage between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve and the charging port and defines a buffer space to restrict an inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied through the charging port
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram of an air conditioner including a refrigeration cycle device according to a first embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram of an air conditioner including a refrigeration cycle device according to a second embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram of an air conditioner including a refrigeration cycle device according to a third embodiment.
  • a refrigeration cycle device includes a compressor, an outside evaporator, an inside evaporator, and an evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is configured to adjust an evaporating pressure of a refrigerant in the inside evaporator as a value equal to or higher than a frost restriction pressure to restrict a frost from generating on the inside evaporator.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is configured to adjust an opening degree of the valve with a mechanical means.
  • the refrigeration cycle device includes a high-pressure charging port at a position downstream of the compressor to supply the refrigerant before shipping the cycle device.
  • the refrigeration cycle device includes a low-pressure charging port at a downstream of a low-pressure evaporator to supply the refrigerant after shipping the cycle device.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve of the refrigeration cycle device varies the opening degree of the valve according to a pressure difference between the refrigerant upstream of the valve and the refrigerant downstream of the valve.
  • a pressure difference between the refrigerant upstream of the valve and the refrigerant downstream of the valve When the pressure of the refrigerant downstream of the valve exceeds the pressure of the refrigerant upstream of the valve and thus a counter pressure is applied to the evaporating pressure adjusting valve, a durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve may be impaired.
  • the low-pressure charging port is typically disposed at a position upstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • a refrigeration cycle device includes a compressor, a heater, an inside evaporator, an outside evaporator, a first refrigerant passage, a first decompressor, a second refrigerant passage, a second decompressor, an evaporating pressure adjusting valve, a third refrigerant passage, an opening-closing member, a charging port, and a pressure change buffer.
  • the compressor compresses and discharges a refrigerant.
  • the heater heats a heat-exchange target fluid using the refrigerant, as a heat source, discharged from the compressor.
  • the outside evaporator exchanges heat between an outside air and the refrigerant flowing out of the heater.
  • the inside evaporator exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator and the heat-exchange target fluid.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the heater is guided toward an inlet of the outside evaporator through the first refrigerant passage.
  • the first decompressor is disposed in the first refrigerant passage and configured to vary an opening area of the first refrigerant passage.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator flows through the inside evaporator toward a suction inlet of the compressor through the second refrigerant passage.
  • the second decompressor is disposed in the second refrigerant passage between the outside evaporator and the inside evaporator and configured to vary an opening area of the second refrigerant passage.
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is disposed in the second refrigerant passage at a position downstream of the inside evaporator and configured to adjust an evaporating pressure of the refrigerant in the inside evaporator.
  • the third refrigerant passage has an end fluidly connected to a portion of the second refrigerant passage between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve and the compressor.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator is guided toward the suction inlet of the compressor through the third refrigerant passage.
  • the charging port through which the refrigerant is supplied is disposed in the second refrigerant passage at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the pressure change buffer is disposed in the second refrigerant passage between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve and the charging port and defines a buffer space to restrict an inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied through the charging port
  • the pressure change buffer can restrict the inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage, in which the evaporating pressure adjusting valve is disposed, from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied to the refrigeration cycle device through the charging port.
  • a pressure change at an outlet side of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve can be suppressed.
  • a durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve can be restricted from deteriorating even though the charging port is disposed at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the air conditioner 1 includes the refrigeration cycle device 10 , a heater 25 , and an inside air-conditioning unit 30 .
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 is applied to the air conditioner 1 mounted in an electric vehicle that obtains a driving force from an electric motor for driving.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the air conditioner 1 cools and heats a ventilation air conveyed to a vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space.
  • a heat-exchange target fluid in this embodiment is the ventilation air.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 is configured to switch the refrigerant circuit between a heating mode, a cooling mode, a serial dehumidification heating mode, and a parallel dehumidification heating mode.
  • the heating mode of the air conditioner 1 is an operating mode in which a ventilation air is heated and conveyed to the vehicle cabin that is the air-conditioning target space.
  • the serial dehumidification heating mode and the parallel dehumidification heating mode are operating modes in which the ventilation air having been cooled and dehumidified is heated and conveyed into the vehicle cabin that is the air-conditioning target space.
  • the cooling mode is an operating mode in which the ventilation air is cooled and conveyed to the vehicle cabin that is the air-conditioning target space.
  • a flow of a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit of the heating mode is indicated by black arrows and a flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit of the parallel dehumidification heating mode is indicated by arrows with diagonal hatching.
  • a flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit of the serial dehumidification heating mode and the cooling mode are indicated by white arrows.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 uses a hydrofluorocarbon type refrigerant (i.e., HFC type refrigerant and specifically, R134a) as a refrigerant and constitutes a vapor compression type subcritical refrigerant cycle in which a pressure of a high pressure side refrigerant Pd does not exceed a critical pressure of the refrigerant.
  • a hydrofluoroolefin type refrigerant i.e., HFO type refrigerant
  • R1234yf may be used as the refrigerant.
  • the refrigerant contains a refrigerant oil to lubricate a compressor 11 and a part of the refrigerant oil circulates through the cycle together with the refrigerant.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 includes the compressor 11 , a condenser 12 , a first decompression valve 15 a (a first decompressor), a second decompression valve 15 b (a second decompressor), an outside evaporator 16 , a non-return valve 17 , an inside evaporator 18 , an evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , an accumulator 20 (a pressure change buffer), a first opening-closing valve 21 (an opening-closing member), a second opening-closing valve 22 , a low-pressure charging port 23 , and a high-pressure charging port 24 .
  • a first decompression valve 15 a a first decompressor
  • a second decompression valve 15 b a second decompressor
  • an outside evaporator 16 a non-return valve 17
  • an inside evaporator 18 an evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19
  • an accumulator 20 a pressure change buffer
  • the compressor 11 sucks, compresses, and discharges the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 10 .
  • the compressor 11 is disposed in an engine compartment of the vehicle.
  • the compressor 11 is configured as an electric compressor in which a fixed-displacement type compression mechanism is driven by an electric motor.
  • the fixed-displacement type compression mechanism has a fixed discharging capacity and may apply various types of compression mechanisms such as a scroll type compression mechanism and a vane type compression mechanism.
  • the operation of the electric motor such as a rotational speed is controlled by control signals outputted from an air conditioning controller.
  • the electric motor may be an alternate current motor or direct current motor.
  • the air conditioning controller controls the rotational speed of the electric motor to alter a refrigerant discharging capacity of the compression mechanism.
  • a discharge outlet of the compressor 11 is fluidly connected to a refrigerant inlet of the condenser 12 .
  • the condenser 12 is a heat exchanger for heating a cooling water through heat exchange between the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the cooling water flowing through the heater 25 that is a heat-exchange target fluid.
  • the high-pressure refrigerant is condensed when a heat of the high-pressure refrigerant is released to the cooling water.
  • the heater 25 includes the condenser 12 , a cooling water circulating circuit 26 , a heater core 27 , and a cooling water pump 28 .
  • the heater 25 heats the ventilation air that is a heat-exchange target fluid using the high-pressure refrigerant, as a heat source, discharged from the compressor 11 .
  • the cooling water flowing through the cooling water circulating circuit 26 may be a liquid including at least ethylene glycol, dimethylpolysiloxane, or nano-fluid, or the cooling water may be an antifreeze.
  • the cooling water circulating circuit 26 is an annular passage through which the cooling water circulates between the condenser 12 and the heater core 27 .
  • the condenser 12 , the heater core 27 , and the cooling water pump 28 are arranged in this order in the cooling water circulating circuit 26 .
  • the cooling water pump 28 circulates the cooling water through the cooling water circulating circuit 26 by drawing and discharging the cooling water toward the condenser 12 .
  • the cooling water pump 28 is an electric pump and corresponds to a flow adjuster for the cooling water that adjusts a flow rate of the cooling water circulating through the cooling water circulating circuit 26 .
  • the heater core 27 is disposed in a casing 31 , as will be described later.
  • the heater core 27 heats the ventilation air through heat exchange between the cooling water heated at the condenser 12 and the ventilation air that is a heat-exchange target fluid.
  • the condenser 12 heats the ventilation air through the heater core 27 .
  • a refrigerant outlet of the condenser 12 is fluidly connected to one of three openings of a first three-way joint 13 a.
  • Such three-way joint may be formed by joining multiple pipes or by defining multiple refrigerant passages at a metal block or a resin block.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 further includes second to fourth three-way joints 13 b to 13 d as described later. Basic structures of the second to fourth three-way joints 13 b to 13 d are similar to that of the first three-way joint 13 a.
  • Each of these three-way joints serves as a branching portion or joining portion.
  • the first three-way joint 13 a in the parallel dehumidification heating mode uses one of the three openings as an inlet and the other two of the three openings as outlets. Accordingly, the first three-way joint 13 a in the parallel dehumidification heating mode serves as a branching portion that divides a flow of the refrigerant flowing from the one inlet into two flows toward the two outlets.
  • the fourth three-way joint 13 d in the parallel dehumidification heating mode uses two of the three openings as inlets and the other one of the three openings as an outlet. Accordingly, the fourth three-way joint 13 d in the parallel dehumidification heating mode serves as a joining portion that joins refrigerants flowing into the fourth three-way joint 13 d through the two inlets and discharges the joined refrigerant through the one outlet.
  • Another opening of the three openings of the first three-way joint 13 a is fluidly connected to a first refrigerant passage 14 a.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 is guided toward a refrigerant inlet of the outside evaporator 16 through the first refrigerant passage 14 a.
  • the other opening of the three openings of the first three-way joint 13 a is fluidly connected to a fourth refrigerant passage 14 d, and the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 is guided toward an inlet of the second decompression valve 15 b (specifically, one of openings of the third three-way joint 13 c ) through the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d.
  • the second decompression valve 15 b is disposed in a second refrigerant passage 14 b as described later.
  • the first decompression valve 15 a is disposed in the first refrigerant passage 14 a.
  • the first decompression valve 15 a can vary an opening area of the first refrigerant passage 14 a and corresponds to the first decompressor that decompresses the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 at least in the heating mode.
  • the first decompression valve 15 a is a variable throttle mechanism including a valve body configured to vary a throttle degree and an electric actuator including a stepper motor configured to control the throttle degree of the valve body.
  • the first decompression valve 15 a is configured as a variable throttle mechanism with a full opening function in which the first decompression valve 15 a serves as a refrigerant passage without decompressing the refrigerant by fully opening the valve body.
  • An operation of the first decompression valve 15 a is controlled by control signals (control pulse) outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • An outlet of the first decompression valve 15 a is fluidly connected to the refrigerant inlet of the outside evaporator 16 .
  • the outside evaporator 16 exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the first decompression valve 15 a (i.e., out of the condenser 12 ) and an outside air blown by a blowing fan (not shown).
  • the outside evaporator 16 is disposed at a vehicle front side of the engine compartment.
  • the blowing fan is an electric blower whose rotational speed (i.e., a blower performance) is controlled by a control voltage outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • a refrigerant outlet of the outside evaporator 16 is fluidly connected to the second refrigerant passage 14 b.
  • the second refrigerant passage 14 b is a passage through which the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 flows through the inside evaporator 18 and is guided toward a suction inlet of the compressor 11 .
  • the second three-way joint 13 b, the non-return valve 17 , the third three-way joint 13 c, the second decompression valve 15 b, the inside evaporator 18 , the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , the fourth three-way joint 13 d, the accumulator 20 , and the low-pressure charging port 23 are disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b in this order along a flow direction of the refrigerant.
  • An end of the second refrigerant passage 14 b is fluidly connected to the suction inlet of the compressor 11 .
  • An opening of the second three-way joint 13 b is fluidly connected to the third refrigerant passage 14 c through which the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 is guided toward an inlet of the accumulator 20 , as will be described later (specifically, the refrigerant is guided to one of the openings of the fourth three-way joint 13 d ).
  • the third three-way joint 13 c is fluidly connected to the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d as described above.
  • the non-return valve 17 allows the refrigerant to flow only from the second three-way joint 13 b (i.e., from the outside evaporator 16 ) toward the inside evaporator 18 .
  • the second decompression valve 15 b is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the outside evaporator 16 and the inside evaporator 18 .
  • the second decompression valve 15 b is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the third three-way joint 13 c and the inside evaporator 18 .
  • the second decompression valve 15 b is configured to vary an opening area of the second refrigerant passage 14 b and corresponds to the second decompressor that decompresses the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 into the inside evaporator 18 .
  • a basic structure of the second decompression valve 15 b is the same as that of the first decompression valve 15 a.
  • the second decompression valve 15 b in this embodiment is configured as a variable throttle mechanism with a full-closing function in which the second refrigerant passage 14 b is completely closed when a throttle of the valve is fully closed.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in this embodiment can switch the refrigeration circuit by controlling the second decompression valve 15 b to close the second refrigerant passage 14 b.
  • the second decompression valve 15 b serves not only as a refrigerant decompressor but also as a refrigerant circuit switching device to switch a refrigerant circuit of the refrigerant circulating through the cycle.
  • the inside evaporator 18 serves as a heat exchanger for cooling that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the second decompression valve 15 b (i.e., out of the outside evaporator 16 ) and the ventilation air (i.e., a heat-exchange target fluid) before passing through the heater core 27 .
  • the inside evaporator 18 cools the ventilation air by an endothermic action of evaporating the refrigerant decompressed by the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the inside evaporator 18 is disposed at a position upstream of the heater core 27 in a flow direction of the ventilation air in the casing 31 of the inside air-conditioning unit 30 .
  • the refrigerant passage 14 b is fluidly connected, at a position downstream of the inside evaporator 18 in the flow direction of the refrigerant, to an inlet of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 .
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 adjusts an evaporating pressure Pe of the refrigerant in the inside evaporator 18 to be equal to or greater than a frost restricting pressure Ape so as to restrict a frost from generating on the inside evaporator 18 .
  • the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 adjusts an evaporating temperature Te of the refrigerant in the inside evaporator 18 to be equal to or greater than a frost restricting temperature Ate.
  • R134a is used as a refrigerant and the frost restricting temperature Ate is set to have a value slightly higher than 0° C. Accordingly, the frost restricting pressure APe is set to have a value slightly higher than 0.293 MPa that is a saturated pressure of R134a at 0° C.
  • the second refrigerant passage 14 b at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is fluidly connected to the fourth three-way joint 13 d.
  • the fourth three-way joint 13 d is fluidly connected to the third refrigerant passage 14 c as described above. That is, the third refrigerant passage 14 c has an end connected to the fourth three-way joint 13 d that is a joining portion disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the compressor 11 .
  • the other opening of the fourth three-way joint 13 d is fluidly connected to an inlet of the accumulator 20 . That is, the accumulator 20 is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 . In this embodiment, the accumulator 20 is disposed at a position downstream of the fourth three-way joint 13 d that is the joining portion of the third refrigerant passage 14 c and the second refrigerant passage 14 b.
  • the accumulator 20 defines a buffer space 20 a therein.
  • the accumulator 20 is a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant flowing therein into a gas-phase and a liquid-phase and reserves an excess amount of the refrigerant in the cycle in the buffer space 20 a.
  • the buffer space 20 a of the accumulator 20 serves as a reservoir to reserve the excess amount of the refrigerant in the cycle.
  • the buffer space 20 a of the accumulator 20 increases the capacity of a passage between the low-pressure charging port 23 and the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 as compared when the buffer space 20 a is not formed.
  • the buffer space 20 a of the accumulator 20 serves as a pressure change buffer to restrict an inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the accumulator 20 has a gas-phase refrigerant outlet fluidly connected to the suction inlet of the compressor 11 . Accordingly, the accumulator 20 restricts the compressor 11 from sucking the liquid-phase refrigerant and prevents a liquid compression in the compressor 11 .
  • the first opening-closing valve 21 is disposed in the third refrigerant passage 14 c that fluidly connects the second three-way joint 13 b and the fourth three-way joint 13 d.
  • the first opening-closing valve 21 is an electromagnetic valve as a refrigerant circuit switching device that switches a refrigerant circuit, through which the refrigerant circulates, by selectively opening and closing the third refrigerant passage 14 c.
  • the first opening-closing valve 21 is an opening-closing member whose operation is controlled by control signals outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • the second opening-closing valve 22 is disposed in the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d that fluidly connects the first three-way joint 13 a and the third three-way joint 13 c.
  • the second opening-closing valve 22 is an electromagnetic valve as a refrigerant circuit switching device that switches a refrigerant circuit, through which the refrigerant circulates, by selectively opening and closing the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d.
  • a basic structure of the second opening-closing valve 22 is the same as that of the first opening-closing valve 21 .
  • the low-pressure charging port 23 is located in the second refrigerant passage 14 b at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 . In this embodiment, the low-pressure charging port 23 is located in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the accumulator 20 and the compressor 11 . The low-pressure charging port 23 is used to supply the refrigerant into the refrigeration cycle device 10 while operating the compressor 11 after the vehicle (i.e., the refrigeration cycle device 10 ) is shipped.
  • the high-pressure charging port 24 is located in the first refrigerant passage 14 a at a position downstream of the condenser 12 .
  • the high-pressure charging port 24 is located in the first refrigerant passage 14 a between the first three-way joint 13 a and the first decompression valve 15 a.
  • the high-pressure charging port 24 is used to supply the refrigerant into the refrigerant cycle device 10 before the vehicle (i.e., the refrigeration cycle device 10 ) is shipped.
  • the inside air-conditioning unit 30 conveys the ventilation air temperature-adjusted by the refrigeration cycle device 10 into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space.
  • the inside air-conditioning unit 30 is disposed in an instrument panel that defines the most front side of the vehicle cabin.
  • the inside air conditioning unit 30 includes a blower 32 , the inside evaporator 18 , and the heater core 27 in the casing 31 constituting an outer frame thereof.
  • the casing 31 is an air passage forming portion that defines a passage of the ventilation air conveyed to the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space.
  • the casing 31 is made of resin such as polypropylene having a certain degree of an elasticity and great strength.
  • An inside outside air switching device 33 is located at the most upstream side in the casing in the flow of the ventilation air. The inside outside air switching device 33 , as an inside outside switching portion, switches air introduced into the casing between an inside air (i.e., air inside the air-conditioning target space) and an outside air (i.e., air outside the air-conditioning target space).
  • the blower 32 is located at a position downstream of the inside outside air switching device 33 in the flow direction of the ventilation air.
  • the blower 32 blows an air drawn through the inside outside air switching device 33 toward the air-conditioning target space.
  • the blower 32 is an electric blower that drives a centrifugal multi blades fan (i.e., sirocco fan) by an electric motor.
  • the rotational speed (i.e., a flow rate) of the blower 32 is controlled by a control voltage outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • the inside evaporator 18 is disposed in the air passage defined by the casing 31 at a position downstream of the blower 32 in the flow direction of the ventilation air.
  • a space downstream of the inside evaporator 18 in the air passage defined by the casing 31 is divided into two spaces so that an inside condenser passage 35 and a cooling air bypass passage 36 are formed in parallel with each other.
  • the heater core 27 is disposed in the inside condenser passage 35 . That is, the inside condenser passage 35 is a passage through which the ventilation air flows to exchange its heat with the refrigerant at the heater core 27 .
  • the inside evaporator 18 and the heater core 27 are arranged in this order in the flow direction of the ventilation air. In other words, the inside evaporator 18 is located upstream of the heater core 27 in the flow direction of the ventilation air.
  • the cooling air bypass passage 36 is a passage through which the ventilation air that has passed through the inside evaporator 18 flows while bypassing the heater core 27 .
  • An air mix door 34 is disposed at a position downstream of the inside evaporator 18 and upstream of the heater core 27 in the flow direction of the ventilation air.
  • the air mix door 34 is a flow ratio adjuster that adjusts an amount of the ventilation air passing through the heater core 27 that has passed through the inside evaporator 18 based on control signals outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • a mixing passage 37 is defined in the casing 31 at a position downstream of the inside condenser passage 35 and the cooling air bypass passage 36 .
  • the ventilation air heated at the heater core 27 is mixed with the ventilation air flowing through the cooling air bypass passage 36 without being heated at the heater core 27 in the mixing passage 37 .
  • Multiple openings are defined at the most downstream side of the casing 31 in the flow direction of the ventilation air.
  • the ventilation air i.e., conditioned air
  • the ventilation air mixed at the mixing passage 37 is conveyed toward the vehicle cabin through the multiple openings.
  • the air mix door 34 adjusts the ratio of an amount of air passing through the heater core 27 and an amount of air flowing through the cooling air bypass passage 36 , and therefore a temperature of the conditioned air mixed in the mixing passage 37 is adjusted. As a result, a temperature of the conditioned air conveyed into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space is adjusted.
  • the air mix door 34 serves as a temperature adjuster that adjusts a temperature of the conditioned air blown into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space.
  • the air mix door 34 is driven by an electric actuator for the air mix door 34 .
  • the operation of the electric actuator is controlled by control signals outputted from the air conditioning controller.
  • the air mix door 34 causes the ventilation air to flow through the inside evaporator 18 and the heater core 27 in this order during the heating mode, the serial dehumidification heating mode, and the parallel dehumidification heating mode.
  • the air mix door 34 causes the ventilation air to flow through the inside evaporator 18 and bypass the heater core 27 during the cooling mode.
  • the air mix door 34 serves as an air passage switching device.
  • the air conditioner 1 in this embodiment can switch the operating mode between the heating mode, the cooling mode, the serial dehumidification heating mode, and the parallel dehumidification heating mode. These operating modes are selectively switched by executing air-conditioning control programs stored in the air conditioning controller in advance.
  • the air conditioning controller opens the first opening-closing valve 21 , closes the second opening-closing valve 22 , controls the first decompression valve 15 a to serve as a decompressor by reducing a throttle of the first decompression valve 15 a, and fully closes the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 constitutes the vapor compression type refrigeration cycle through which the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the first decompression valve 15 a, the outside evaporator 16 , the first opening-closing valve 21 , the accumulator 20 , and the compressor 11 again in this order.
  • the air conditioning controller appropriately controls operations of air conditioning devices connected to an output portion of the air conditioning controller.
  • the air conditioning controller determines control signals outputted to the electric actuator for the air mix door 34 such that the air mix door 34 completely closes the cooling air bypass passage 36 . That is, the control signals are determined such that all of the ventilation air that has passed through the inside evaporator 18 flows through the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed.
  • the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the condenser 12 .
  • the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 12 exchanges heat with the cooling water flowing through the cooling water circulating circuit 26 and releases the heat.
  • the cooling water flowing through the cooling water circulating circuit 26 is heated.
  • the ventilation air that has been blown by the blower 32 and passed through the inside evaporator 18 is heated at the heater core 27 because the air mix door 34 opens the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 flows through the first three-way joint 13 a toward the first refrigerant passage 14 a because the second opening-closing valve 22 is closed.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant passage 14 a is decompressed to be a low-pressure refrigerant by the first decompression valve 15 a.
  • the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression valve 15 a flows into the outside evaporator 16 and absorbs heat from an outside air blown by the blowing fan.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 flows through the second three-way joint 13 b toward the third refrigerant passage 14 c because the first opening-closing valve 21 is opened and the second decompression valve 15 b is completely closed.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the third refrigerant passage 14 c flows through the fourth three-way joint 13 d into the accumulator 20 and is separated into a gas-phase and a liquid-phase.
  • the gas-phase refrigerant separated in the accumulator 20 is sucked by the compressor 11 through the suction inlet and compressed again by the compressor 11 .
  • the ventilation air heated at the heater core 27 through the condenser 12 is blown into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space to perform an air-heating in the vehicle cabin.
  • the air conditioning controller closes the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 , fully opens the first decompression valve 15 a, and reduces the throttle of the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 constitutes a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle through which the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the first decompression valve 15 a, the outside evaporator 16 , the non-return valve 17 , the second decompression valve 15 b, the inside evaporator 18 , the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , the accumulator 20 , and the compressor 11 again in this order.
  • the air conditioning controller appropriately controls the air conditioning devices connected to the output portion of the air conditioning controller.
  • the control signals outputted to the electric actuator for the air mix door 34 from the air conditioning controller are set such that the air mix door 34 fully opens the cooling air bypass passage 36 .
  • all amount of the ventilation air that has passed through the inside evaporator 18 flows through the cooling air bypass passage 36 .
  • the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the condenser 12 .
  • the air mix door 34 completely closes the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed, thus the cooling water flowing through the heater core 27 rarely exchanges heat with the ventilation air and flows out of the heater core 27 .
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 flows through the first three-way joint 13 a toward the first refrigerant passage 14 a because the second opening-closing valve 22 is closed.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant passage 14 a flows into the first decompression valve 15 a.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 is not decompressed by the first decompression valve 15 a and flows into the outside evaporator 16 because the first decompression valve 15 a is fully opened.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the outside evaporator 16 releases heat to the outside air blown by the blowing fan at the outside evaporator 16 .
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 flows through the second three-way valve 13 b toward the second refrigerant passage 14 b because the first opening-closing valve 21 is closed.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the second refrigerant passage 14 b is decompressed to be a low-pressure refrigerant by the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second decompression valve 15 b flows into the inside evaporator 18 and evaporates by absorbing heat from the ventilation air blown by the blower 32 .
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the inside evaporator 18 flows through the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 into the accumulator 20 and is separated into a gas-phase and a liquid-phase in the accumulator 20 .
  • the gas-phase refrigerant separated at the accumulator 20 is sucked by the compressor 11 through the suction inlet and compressed by the compressor 11 again.
  • the ventilation air cooled at the inside evaporator 18 is blown into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space, thereby performing an air-cooling in the vehicle cabin.
  • the air conditioning controller closes the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 and reduces throttles of the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the air conditioning controller displaces the air mix door 34 such that the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed is fully opened and the cooling air bypass passage 36 is fully closed.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the serial dehumidification heating mode constitutes a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle, as shown by white arrows in FIG. 1 , in which the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the first decompression valve 15 a, the outside evaporator 16 , the non-return valve 17 , the second decompression valve 15 b, the inside evaporator 18 , the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , the accumulator 20 , and the compressor 11 again in this order. That is, the outside evaporator 16 and the inside evaporator 18 is serially connected in the flow direction of the refrigerant.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the serial dehumidification heating mode constitutes a refrigeration cycle in which the condenser 12 serves as a radiator and the inside evaporator 18 serves as an evaporator.
  • the outside evaporator 16 serves as a radiator.
  • the saturated temperature of the refrigerant in the outside evaporator 16 is lower than the outside temperature Tam, the outside evaporator 16 serves as an evaporator.
  • the air conditioning controller appropriately controls operations of the air conditioning devices connected to the output portion of the air conditioning controller.
  • the control signals outputted to the electric actuator for the air mix door 34 from the air conditioning controller are set such that the air mix door 34 completely closes the cooling air bypass passage 36 as with in the heating mode. That is, the control signals are determined such that all amount of the air having passed through the inside evaporator 18 flows through the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed.
  • the ventilation air cooled and dehumidified at the inside evaporator 18 is heated at the heater core 27 and blown into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space.
  • air in the vehicle cabin is dehumidified and heated.
  • a heating capacity of the heater core 27 for the ventilation air can be adjusted by adjusting the throttle degrees of the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the air conditioning controller opens the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 and reduces the throttles of the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the refrigeration cycle device in the parallel dehumidification heating mode constitutes a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the first decompression valve 15 a, the outside evaporator 16 , the first opening-closing valve 21 , the accumulator 20 , and the compressor 11 , and the refrigerant also circulates through the compressor 11 , the condenser 12 , the second opening-closing valve 22 , the second decompression valve 15 b, the inside evaporator 18 , the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , the accumulator 20 , and the compressor 11 in this order.
  • the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 is separated into two flows at the first three-way joint 13 a.
  • One of the two flows of the refrigerant flows through the first decompression valve 15 a, the outside evaporator 16 , and the compressor 11 in this order, and the other one of the two flows of the refrigerant flows through the second decompression valve 15 b, the inside evaporator 18 , the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , and the compressor in this order.
  • the air conditioning controller appropriately controls operations of the air conditioning devices connected to the output portion of the air conditioning controller.
  • the control signals outputted to the electric actuator for the air mix door 34 from the air conditioning controller are set such that the air mix door 34 fully closes the cooling air bypass passage 36 as with in the heating mode. That is, the control signals are determined such that the all amount of the ventilation air having passed through the inside evaporator 18 flows through the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed.
  • the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the condenser 12 .
  • the refrigerant flowing in the condenser 12 exchanges heat with and releases heat to the cooling water.
  • the ventilation air that has been blown by the blower 32 and passed through the inside evaporator 18 is heated by the cooling water heated by the refregerant similarly to the heating mode because the air mix door 34 opens the air passage in which the heater core 27 is disposed. As a result, the ventilation air is heated.
  • the second opening-closing valve 22 is opened, thus the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 is separated into the two flows at the first three-way joint 13 a.
  • One of the two flows of the refrigerant separated at the first three-way joint 13 a flows through the first refrigerant passage 14 a.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant passage 14 a is decompressed to be a low-pressure refrigerant at the first decompression valve 15 a.
  • the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression valve 15 a flows into the outside evaporator 16 and absorbs heat from an outside air blown by the blowing fan.
  • the other one of the two flows of the refrigerant separated at the first three-way joint 13 a flows through the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the fourth refrigerant passage 14 d is restricted from flowing back toward the outside evaporator 16 by the non-return valve 17 and flows through the second opening-closing valve 22 and the third three-way joint 13 c into the second decompression valve 15 b.
  • the refrigerant flowing through the second decompression valve 15 b is decompressed to be a low-pressure refrigerant.
  • the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second decompression valve 15 b flows into the inside evaporator 18 and evaporates by absorbing heat from the ventilation air blown by the blower 32 . As a result, the ventilation air is cooled.
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the inside evaporator 18 is decompressed by the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 to have a value substantially equal to the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 .
  • the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 flows through the fourth three-way joint 13 d and merges with the refrigerant flowing out of the outside evaporator 16 .
  • the refrigerant merging at the fourth three-way joint 13 d flows into the accumulator 20 and is separated into a gas-phase and a liquid-phase.
  • the gas-phase refrigerant separated at the accumulator 20 is sucked by the compressor 11 through the suction inlet and compressed again by the compressor 11 .
  • the ventilation air cooled and dehumidified at the inside evaporator 18 is heated at the heater core 27 and blown into the vehicle cabin that is an air-conditioning target space. As a result, air in the vehicle cabin is dehumidified and heated.
  • the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in the outside evaporator 16 can be lowered than the evaporating temperature in the inside evaporator 18 . Accordingly, a temperature difference between the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in the outside evaporator 16 and the outside air can be increased, thereby increasing an amount of air absorbed by the refrigerant at the outside evaporator 16 .
  • the heating capacity of the heater core 27 for the ventilation air can be increased compared to a refrigeration cycle device in which the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in the outside evaporator 16 is similar to the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in the inside evaporator 18 .
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in this embodiment can perform a comfortable air-heating in the vehicle cabin by selectively switching the operating mode between the heating mode, the cooling mode, the serial dehumidification heating mode, and the parallel dehumidification heating mode.
  • the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b are fully opened.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 is vacuumed through the high-pressure charging port 24 and the low-pressure charging port 23 while opening the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 .
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 is vacuumed to remove air in the refrigeration cycle device 10 . If air is remained in the refrigeration cycle device 10 , water vapor in the air would freeze in the refrigeration cycle device 10 , which prevents the refrigerant from circulating through the refrigeration cycle device 10 .
  • the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b are fully opened.
  • the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the high-pressure charging port 24 while opening the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 .
  • the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b are fully opened.
  • the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 while opening the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 and operating the compressor 11 .
  • the accumulator 20 is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the accumulator 20 which is a pressure change buffer, restricts an inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the accumulator 20 defines the buffer space 20 a, thereby restricting the inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 and the second refrigerant passage 14 b.
  • the reason why the rapid change in the inner pressure is avoided is that the air in the buffer space 20 a is compressed.
  • the low-pressure charging port 23 is disposed at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 , a durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is restricted from being impaired.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in this embodiment can improve a flexibility of positions at which the charging port is mounted without impairing the durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve.
  • the buffer space 20 a is defined by the accumulator 20 that is a reservoir to reserve an excess amount of the refrigerant.
  • the buffer space 20 a of the accumulator 20 that has been already installed as a reservoir in the refrigeration cycle device 10 is used as a pressure change buffer, thus an additional pressure change buffer is not needed. Therefore, a cost and a size of the refrigeration cycle device 10 are not increased.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 that keeps the durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 can be provided even though the low-pressure charging port 23 is located at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 .
  • a refrigeration cycle device 10 in a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 mainly at points different from the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the first embodiment.
  • a muffler 51 is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the muffler 51 is disposed in the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the accumulator 20 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the muffler 51 defines a buffer space 51 a that reduces a pressure pulsation generated when the compressor 11 discharges the refrigerant.
  • the buffer space 51 a also serves as a pressure change buffer that restricts the inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b from changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the second refrigerant passage 14 b through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the buffer space 51 a of the muffler 51 increases the capacity of a passage through which the refrigerant flows between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • air in the buffer space 51 a is compressed when the refrigerant is supplied into the second refrigerant passage 14 b through the low-pressure charging port 23 , thereby further restricting the inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b from rapidly increasing.
  • the pressure of the second refrigerant passage 14 b at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is further restricted from changing.
  • the buffer space 51 a is configured with the muffler 51 that reduces the pressure pulsation generated when the compressor 11 discharges the refrigerant.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 including the muffler 51 does not need an additional member as a pressure change buffer.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 can keep the durability of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 without increasing a cost and a size of the refrigeration cycle device 10 even though the low-pressure charging port 23 is disposed at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 .
  • the pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is further restricted from changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • a refrigeration cycle device 10 in a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 mainly at different points from the first embodiment.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the third embodiment includes a buffer space 52 , as a pressure change buffer, defined in a portion of the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the buffer space 52 is defined in a portion of the second refrigerant passage 14 b between the accumulator 20 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the buffer space 52 is defined by repeatedly bending a pipe.
  • the buffer space 52 increases a length of a passage through which the refrigerant flows between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 and increases the capacity of the passage through which the refrigerant flows.
  • the buffer space 52 may be defined by branching multiple pipes and joining these multiple pipes to increase the capacity of the passage through which the refrigerant flows.
  • the buffer space 52 increases the capacity of the passage through which the refrigerant flows between the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 and the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • air in the buffer space 52 is compressed.
  • the inner pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b is further restricted from rapidly changing.
  • a pressure in the second refrigerant passage 14 b downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is further restricted from changing.
  • the buffer space 52 is defined by the pipe. Accordingly, a structure to restrict a pressure at the outlet side of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 from changing can be achieved at a low cost.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be variously modified in a range without departing from a gist of the present disclosure.
  • the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the present disclosure is applied to the vehicle, but the refrigeration cycle device 10 is not limited to a device for a vehicle and may be applied to a stationary refrigeration cycle device.
  • the compressor 11 is an electric compressor, but not limited to this.
  • the compressor 11 may be an engine driven compressor that is driven by a rotational driving force transmitted by the engine through a pulley and a belt.
  • the air conditioner may be configured by combining the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the second embodiment and the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the third embodiment.
  • the low-pressure charging port 23 may include a throttle such as an orifice to further restrict a pressure at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 from changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • a throttle such as an orifice to further restrict a pressure at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 from changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • a method to supply the refrigerant into the refrigeration cycle device 10 after the air conditioner 1 (i.e., the refrigeration cycle device 10 ) is shipped out is not limited to the method described above. Hereinafter, another method will be described.
  • a predetermined amount of the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the high-pressure charging port 24 while fully opening the first decompression valve 15 a and the second decompression valve 15 b and opening the first opening-closing valve 21 and the second opening-closing valve 22 .
  • the refrigerant is further supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 while completely closing the high-pressure charging port 24 and operating the compressor 11 .
  • the refrigerant is further supplied through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • a pressure at the outlet side of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is further restricted from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the low-pressure charging port 23 .
  • the predetermined amount of the refrigerant supplied into the refrigeration cycle device 10 through the high-pressure charging port 24 is predetermined such that the pressure at a position downstream of the evaporating pressure adjusting valve 19 is restricted from rapidly changing when the refrigerant is supplied into the second refrigerant passage 14 b through the low-pressure charging port 23 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Air-Conditioning For Vehicles (AREA)
US16/892,001 2017-12-05 2020-06-03 Refrigeration cycle device Abandoned US20200292218A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

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JP2017-233196 2017-12-05
JP2017233196A JP2019100644A (ja) 2017-12-05 2017-12-05 冷凍サイクル装置
PCT/JP2018/041810 WO2019111637A1 (fr) 2017-12-05 2018-11-12 Dispositif à cycle frigorifique

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PCT/JP2018/041810 Continuation WO2019111637A1 (fr) 2017-12-05 2018-11-12 Dispositif à cycle frigorifique

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US20200292218A1 true US20200292218A1 (en) 2020-09-17

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JP (1) JP2019100644A (fr)
CN (1) CN111433538B (fr)
DE (1) DE112018006208T5 (fr)
WO (1) WO2019111637A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11499759B2 (en) * 2018-03-09 2022-11-15 Marelli Cabin Comfort Japan Corporation Air-conditioning device

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2021204914A1 (fr) * 2020-04-08 2021-10-14 Valeo Systemes Thermiques Systeme de conditionnement thermique pour vehicule automobile
WO2021204915A1 (fr) * 2020-04-08 2021-10-14 Valeo Systemes Thermiques Systeme de conditionnement thermique pour vehicule automobile

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH03279015A (ja) * 1990-03-28 1991-12-10 Hitachi Ltd 自動車用空調装置
JP2006266636A (ja) * 2005-03-25 2006-10-05 Daikin Ind Ltd 冷凍装置
CN105150796B (zh) * 2011-03-03 2018-01-16 三电控股株式会社 车辆用空气调节装置
JP5929372B2 (ja) * 2011-04-04 2016-06-08 株式会社デンソー 冷凍サイクル装置
JP5821756B2 (ja) * 2011-04-21 2015-11-24 株式会社デンソー 冷凍サイクル装置
JP6070418B2 (ja) * 2013-05-29 2017-02-01 株式会社デンソー ヒートポンプサイクル
JP6011484B2 (ja) * 2013-07-31 2016-10-19 株式会社デンソー エジェクタ
JP6295676B2 (ja) * 2014-01-21 2018-03-20 株式会社デンソー ヒートポンプサイクル
JP2016090201A (ja) * 2014-11-11 2016-05-23 株式会社デンソー 冷凍サイクル装置
JP6432339B2 (ja) * 2014-12-25 2018-12-05 株式会社デンソー 冷凍サイクル装置

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11499759B2 (en) * 2018-03-09 2022-11-15 Marelli Cabin Comfort Japan Corporation Air-conditioning device

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CN111433538A (zh) 2020-07-17
DE112018006208T5 (de) 2020-09-03
WO2019111637A1 (fr) 2019-06-13
JP2019100644A (ja) 2019-06-24
CN111433538B (zh) 2021-09-17

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