JP2001206039A - Automatic air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve air conditioning/heating capacity. SOLUTION: In an air conditioning duct 61 of an air conditioning unit 60 feeding air-conditioned air into the interior of a vehicle, first and second heat exchangers 63, 64 are arranged in series. A heating medium cooled in a refrigerating unit 70 is fed to the first heat exchanger 63 via a first heating medium supply tube 65, while a heating medium heated in a heating source 80 is fed to the second heat exchanger 64 via a second heating medium supply tube 66. The first and second heating medium supply tubes communicate with each other via a communication tube 67, and flow regulating valves 68, 69 are arranged in the communication tube 67 and the second heating medium supply tube 66 individually. To the first and second heat exchangers 63, 64, the cooled heating medium and the heated heating medium are fed at a mixture ratio of 0-100 individually.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a vehicle air conditioner for cooling and heating and dehumidifying the interior of a vehicle, when the vehicle interior temperature desired by an occupant is set, the vehicle interior temperature is automatically adjusted by automatically adjusting a blowing mode, a blowing temperature, a blowing air volume and the like. A vehicular auto air conditioner has been developed which controls the air conditioner to keep the air temperature constant. 2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle automatic air conditioner generally includes an air conditioner unit mounted in a vehicle compartment and a refrigeration unit arranged in an engine room and supplying a low-temperature refrigerant to an evaporator of the air conditioner unit.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an air conditioner unit. The air conditioner unit 1 is an example of a unit installed in a general passenger car, and includes an inside / outside air box 10, a blower unit 20,
It is composed of a cooler unit 30 and a heater unit 40. Hereinafter, the air conditioner unit 1 will be briefly described in the order of air flow.

The air to be introduced into the air conditioner unit 1 is switched between opening and closing of the inside / outside air switching damper in the inside / outside air box 10 to provide either the outside air (air outside the vehicle compartment) a or the inside air (air inside the vehicle compartment) b. One is selected. The external air a or the internal air b to be introduced is sucked by the blower fan 21 provided in the blower unit 20 or as a traveling wind of the vehicle, passes through the air-conditioning duct 25 and is installed on the downstream side of the blower fan 21. It is sent to an evaporator 31 in 30. The evaporator 31 is supplied with a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant from a refrigerant system during a cooling operation, and can perform cooling and dehumidification by exchanging heat with introduced air passing through the evaporator 31.

[0005] A heater unit 40 is provided downstream of the evaporator 31, and a heater core 42 is provided inside the heater unit 40. During the heating operation, high-temperature engine cooling water is introduced into the heater core 42, and heat can be exchanged with air introduced through the heater core 42 to perform heating. Further, the flow rate of the introduced air passing through the heater core 42 can be adjusted by the opening degree of the air mix damper 43. As a result, the introduced air is adjusted to a desired temperature in the heater unit 40, or the dampers 44a, 44a,
By interlocking with the opening and closing operations of 45a and 46a, so-called head cold foot heat of blowing warm air to the feet at the same time as blowing cold air that does not pass through the heater core 42 to the occupant's head becomes possible. Reference numeral 44 denotes a defroster outlet, 45 denotes a face outlet, and 46 denotes a foot outlet.

[0006] The above-mentioned defroster outlet 44 is provided with hot air and dehumidified air so as to directly hit the inner surface of the windshield or the like in order to remove defrost on the windshield before traveling in winter and to remove fogging of the windshield during rainy weather. This air-conditioning operation mode is called “defroster blowing mode”. In addition, face outlet 4
Reference numeral 5 mainly blows cold air toward the upper body of the occupant during the cooling operation in summer. Such an air-conditioning operation mode is called a "face blowing mode" or a "vent blowing mode". The foot outlet 46 blows out warm air to the feet of the occupant mainly during the cooling operation in winter, and such an operation mode is called a “foot outlet mode”. Furthermore, it is mainly used in the middle period of spring and autumn, and the face outlet 45 and the foot outlet 4
There is also an air-conditioning operation mode called a “bi-level blowing mode” in which air-conditioned air is blown out from both of the air outlets 6 and 6. Is common.

[0007]

A conventional vehicle air conditioner has the following problems. Only the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator 31 from the refrigeration unit, and only the high-temperature engine cooling water is supplied to the heater core 42. That is, the two heat exchangers 31 and 42 are clearly separated for cooling and heating, respectively, and the maximum cooling capacity is determined by the area and the heat exchange rate of the evaporator 31, and the maximum heating capacity is determined by the area of the heater core 42. And the heat exchange rate. Since the evaporator 31 and the heater core 42 are incorporated in a certain limited arrangement space, a large-capacity one cannot be arranged, which is a major obstacle to improving the cooling capacity and the heating capacity. Had become.

The air conditioner unit 1 includes, in addition to the evaporator 31 and the heater core 42, an air mixing damper 43 for adjusting a flow rate of introduced air passing through the heating core 42, and an opening and closing operation of the air mixing damper 43. Since a drive system is indispensable and various kinds of members are arranged as described above, it has been difficult to respond to a demand for a more compact apparatus.

The refrigeration unit is disposed in the engine room, and the cooler unit 30 is disposed in the vehicle interior. The refrigeration unit and the cooler unit must be connected by refrigerant pipes. Inevitable. As the refrigerant pipe becomes longer, the charge amount of the refrigerant enclosed therein is inevitably increased, and it has been desired to reduce the refrigerant charge amount by some method.

[0010] The compressor, which is a component of the refrigeration unit, is rotated by receiving a driving force from the engine via a belt and a clutch. Therefore, the rotation speed of the compressor depends on the engine rotation speed. . This means that the cooling capacity is affected by the engine speed. For example, during idling, the cooling capacity cannot be avoided.

Since an evaporator that generates a flow sound due to the expansion of the CFC refrigerant is disposed in the vehicle interior, this is a noise source in the vehicle interior, and is a major obstacle in lowering the noise level in the vehicle interior. Was.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle capable of improving the cooling / heating capacity. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle automatic air conditioner that can reduce the size of the entire device and reduce the amount of charge of the refrigerant. further,
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle automatic air conditioner capable of exerting a cooling capacity irrespective of an engine speed and capable of reasonably reducing a noise level in a vehicle cabin.

[0013]

As means for solving the above problems, a vehicle auto air conditioner having the following configuration is employed.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of heat exchangers are disposed in an air processing passage of an air conditioner unit for sending air that has been air-conditioned to a vehicle interior, and one side of the plurality of heat exchangers. The heat medium cooled by the refrigeration unit is supplied through the first heat medium supply pipe, and the heat medium heated by the heat source is supplied to the second heat medium supply pipe on the other side of the plurality of heat exchangers. The first heat medium supply pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe are connected to each other through a communication pipe, and the plurality of heat exchangers are provided with the cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium. The heating medium is supplied at an arbitrary mixing ratio. In the above-mentioned automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, all of the plurality of heat exchangers arranged in the air processing passage can be used for cooling and for heating, respectively. Further, some of the plurality of heat exchangers can be used for cooling, and other heat exchangers can be used for heating. Of course, it is possible to cope with the bi-level blowing mode in the intermediate period.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein a flow control valve is interposed in each of the communication pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe. In the above-mentioned vehicle auto air conditioner, some of the plurality of heat exchangers are refrigerated by appropriately adjusting the opening of the flow control valve interposed between the communication pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe. Only the heat medium cooled by the unit is supplied and used for cooling or dehumidification, and the remaining heat exchangers are
The cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium can be supplied at an arbitrary mixing ratio and used for adjusting the temperature of the blown air.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the refrigeration unit includes a compressor, a condenser,
An expansion valve and an evaporator are connected to each other so as to form a refrigerant circulation path, and the evaporator is incorporated in a heat medium tank for storing the heat medium. In the above-described vehicle air conditioner, the temperature of the heat medium stored in the heat medium tank can be reduced by independently operating the refrigeration unit regardless of the operation of the air conditioner unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the heating source is an engine cooling unit for cooling an engine. In the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioner, the waste heat of the engine originally discarded can be effectively used for heating for air conditioning, thereby contributing to energy saving.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the compressor is driven by an electric motor capable of controlling the number of revolutions. In the above vehicle auto air conditioner, the power supply of the compressor is
By using a generator or a battery attached to the engine, the compressor can be driven independently of the engine.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic air conditioner for a vehicle, wherein the air conditioner unit is arranged at a front portion of the vehicle, and the refrigeration unit is arranged at a rear portion of the vehicle. According to the vehicular auto air conditioner, the heat medium cooled by the refrigeration unit arranged at the rear of the vehicle is guided to the heat exchanger of the air conditioner unit through the first heat medium supply pipe. The desired cooling and heating can be performed through the above.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a vehicular auto air conditioner according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the entire configuration of the vehicle auto air conditioner. The vehicle auto air conditioner 50 is provided with an air conditioner unit 6 for sending air that has been air-conditioned to the vehicle interior.
0, a refrigeration unit 70 for supplying a cooled heat medium to the heat exchanger of the air conditioner unit 60, and a heating source 8 for supplying a heated heat medium to the heat exchanger of the air conditioner unit 60
0.

The air conditioner unit 60 is provided with a blower fan 62 and a first heat exchange unit in order from the upstream side to a location serving as an air conditioning duct 61 for sending air that has been air-conditioned into the vehicle interior, as described in the above-mentioned prior art. Unit 63, second heat exchanger 6
4 are arranged in series. Then, either the outside air or the inside air is introduced into the inside / outside air box (not shown here), and the introduced air is sucked by the blower fan 62 and then sent under pressure to flow in the air conditioning duct 61 to the downstream side. When the pressure-fed air passes through the first and second heat exchangers 63 and 64, these heat exchangers 63, 64
Heat exchange with a cooled heat medium (for example, brine such as glycol brine is used) or a heated heat medium (the same kind of brine is used) flowing through the inside of the chamber 64 for cooling / heating or dehumidification processing And supplied to the passenger compartment.

One of the first and second heat exchangers 63 and 64, in this embodiment, the first heat exchanger 63, 64 disposed on the upstream side.
The heat medium cooled by the refrigeration unit 70 is supplied to the heat exchanger 63 through the first heat medium supply pipe 65, and is disposed on the other side of the heat exchanger, that is, on the downstream side in this embodiment. The heat medium heated by the heating source 80 is supplied to the second heat exchanger 64 through the second heat medium supply pipe 66. The first heat medium supply pipe 65 and the second heat medium supply pipe 66 are connected to each other via a communication pipe 67, and the communication pipe 67 is provided with a flow control valve 68. The second heat medium supply pipe 66 is also provided with a flow control valve 69. The valve opening degrees of the flow rate control valves 68 and 69 are controlled by a controller (not shown) in accordance with the temperature of the heat medium flowing into the first heat exchanger 63 or the second heat exchanger 64 and the heat exchanger 63 , 64 are adjusted by the temperature of the blown air.

The refrigeration unit 70 includes a compressor 7
1, condenser 72, expansion valve 73 and evaporator 74
Are connected to each other so as to form a refrigerant circulation path 75, and an evaporator 74 is incorporated in a heat medium tank 76 for storing a heat medium, and is schematically configured. In the refrigeration unit 70, for example, R134a or the like is used as a refrigerant, and a known reverse Carnot cycle is performed through the refrigerant.
The heat medium such as the brine stored in the heat medium tank 76 is cooled to an appropriate temperature. Then, the heat medium in the heat medium tank 76 cooled to an appropriate temperature is sent to the first heat medium supply pipe 65 by a pump 77 whose output can be adjusted. In addition, a check valve 78 is interposed on the discharge side of the pump 77, and the first and second heat exchangers 6 are provided.
A heat medium is supplied from a pump 77 and a heat medium tank 76 from the sides 3 and 64.
So that it does not flow backwards.

The compressor 71 is not driven by being directly connected to the drive system of the engine, but is driven by an electric motor whose rotation speed can be controlled. The rotation speed of the compressor 71 is controlled by a controller (not shown) by feeding back the temperature of the heat medium stored in the heat medium tank 76.

The heating source 80 is, in this embodiment,
An engine cooling unit for cooling the engine is used. That is, the heating source 80 is
Heating medium pump that pumps the heating medium returned from
A cooling water pump) 82, a cylinder jacket 81 connected to the discharge side of the heat medium pump 82, and a mixing ratio of the heat medium after passing through the cylinder jacket 81 and the heat medium after passing through the radiator 84. It is composed of a flow control valve 83. In the heating source 80, heated engine cooling water or the like that has passed through the radiator 84, the cylinder jacket 81, and the like is used as a heating heat medium and is supplied to the second heat medium supply pipe 66. The air conditioner unit 60 is disposed at the front of the vehicle, specifically, at the lower front side in the vehicle compartment, and the refrigeration unit is disposed at the rear of the vehicle, specifically, for example, below a rear seat.

Here, a passage of a heat medium (engine cooling water) from the heating source 80 to the air conditioner unit 60,
Further, the inside of the communication pipe 67, the first heat medium supply pipe 65, the first heat exchanger 63, etc., connected to this passage is filled with a heat medium such as engine cooling water to a full volume so that air accumulation does not occur. Have been. In this way, the heating medium is filled until the air pool does not occur, even if the flow rate of the heating medium flowing through the second heat exchanger 64 changes due to a change in the heater load. Therefore, even if the amount diverted to the radiator 84 changes, there is no excess or deficiency in the system for storing the heat medium. If the filling amount of the heating medium is small, bubbles may be mixed in and the heating medium may not flow.

Next, the operation of the vehicular auto air conditioner having the above configuration will be described. When maximum cooling performance is required in summer or the like, the flow control valve 69 provided in the second heat medium supply pipe 66 is fully closed, and the flow control valve 68 provided in the communication pipe 67 is fully opened. Thereby, the heat medium tank 7
When the heat medium stored in the cooling unit 6 and cooled by the refrigeration unit is pumped to the first heat medium supply pipe 65 by the pump 77, the cooled heat medium is supplied to the first heat exchanger 63. It is supplied to both of the second heat exchangers 64. That is, the first and second heat exchangers 63 and 6 arranged in series
4, only the cooled heat medium is supplied, and the heat exchangers 63 and 64 are both used for air cooling. Therefore, the maximum cooling capacity is dramatically improved.

On the other hand, when the maximum heating performance is required in winter or the like, both the flow control valve 69 provided in the second heat medium supply pipe 66 and the flow control valve 68 provided in the communication pipe 67 are fully opened. The pump 77 is stopped. Thereby, the supply of the cooled heat medium stored in the heat medium tank 76 is cut off, and only the heat medium heated by the heating source 80 is passed through the second heat medium supply pipe 66 to the first and second heat medium. The two heat exchangers 63 and 64 are supplied. That is, only the heated heat medium is supplied to the first and second heat exchangers 63 and 64 arranged in series, and these heat exchangers 6
3 and 64 are both used for heating air. For this reason, the maximum heating capacity is dramatically improved.

In the middle period, etc., the flow control valve 6
The opening degrees of the valves 8 and 69 are appropriately adjusted by a controller (not shown), and are controlled so that the air blown out from the air conditioner unit 60 falls within a set temperature range.
At this time, the cooled heat medium is supplied to the first heat medium supply pipe 65 by the pump 77 being driven, and the heated heat medium is supplied to the second heat medium supply pipe 66 from the heating source 80. . Then, the cooled heat medium is supplied to the first heat exchanger 63, and the cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium are mixed and supplied at an appropriate ratio to the second heat exchanger 64. .

Specifically, only the cooled heat medium is supplied to the first heat exchanger 63, and the surface temperature of the first heat exchanger 63 is maintained at about 0 ° C. During the power saving operation, the surface temperature of the first heat exchanger 63 is controlled to be lower by a predetermined temperature α than the dew point temperature of the inlet air temperature flowing into the first heat exchanger 63. That is, the temperature can be reduced to a temperature at which dehumidification is possible. The temperature control of the first heat exchanger 63 is performed by adjusting the output of the pump 77. The surface temperature of the second heat exchanger 64 is adjusted in advance by adjusting the valve openings of the flow rate regulating valves 68 and 69, so that the temperature of the blown air after passing through the second heat exchanger is preset. The temperature is determined by mixing and supplying the cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium at an appropriate ratio so that the temperature is within the specified temperature range.

As described above, the first and second heat exchangers 63,
64 can be used both for cooling and for heating, and as another use mode, the first heat exchanger 63 is used for cooling and dehumidification, and the second heat exchanger is used for adjusting the outlet air temperature. Can be used for heating.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and can be appropriately changed as needed without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, two heat exchangers are arranged in series. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The heat exchangers may be provided in parallel, and three or more heat exchangers may be provided as desired. It may be provided in a form.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. According to the vehicular auto air conditioner according to the first aspect, all of the plurality of heat exchangers arranged in the air processing passage can be used for cooling and for heating. Therefore, the cooling capacity in summer and the cooling capacity in winter can be used. The heating capacity can be dramatically improved. In addition, some of the plurality of heat exchangers can be used for cooling, and other heat exchangers can be used for heating, so that an intermediate bi-level blowing mode can be supported.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of heat exchangers are arranged by appropriately adjusting the opening of the flow control valves interposed in the communication pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe. Some of the heat exchangers are used only for cooling or dehumidification by supplying only the heat medium cooled by the refrigeration unit, and the remaining heat exchangers are cooled and heated at an arbitrary mixing ratio. However, it can be used for adjusting the temperature of the blown air. In addition, since the temperature of the blown air can be adjusted by changing the mixing ratio of the thus-cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium, the air-mixing damper and the air-mixing damper as described in the conventional example can be provided in the air processing passage. There is no need to provide a drive system for opening and closing the air-misc damper, and the entire device can be made compact without difficulty.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the heat medium stored in the heat medium tank is reduced by independently operating the refrigeration unit regardless of the operation of the air conditioner unit. be able to. In this case, cold storage is possible by cooling the heat medium to the pre-freezing temperature. In addition, the refrigeration unit can be integrally disposed, whereby the refrigerant piping can be shortened, and thus the refrigerant charge amount can be reduced.

According to the vehicle auto air conditioner according to the fourth aspect, the waste heat of the engine originally discarded can be effectively used for heating for air conditioning, thereby contributing to energy saving.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the power supply for the compressor is obtained from a generator or a battery attached to the engine, so that the compressor can be driven independently of the engine. For this reason, the cooling capacity can be exhibited regardless of the engine speed. For example, the cooling capacity can be sufficiently exhibited even during idling.

According to the vehicular auto air conditioner of the sixth aspect, a flow noise is generated due to the expansion of the CFC refrigerant.
Since the evaporator as a noise source is arranged outside the vehicle compartment, the noise level in the vehicle compartment can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle auto air conditioner device.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an air conditioner unit of a conventional vehicle air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 50 auto air conditioner for vehicle 60 air conditioner unit, 61 air conditioning duct (air processing passage) 63 first heat exchanger 64 second heat exchanger 65 first heat medium supply pipe 66 second heat medium supply pipe 67 communication Pipe 68 Flow control valve 69 Flow control valve 70 Refrigeration unit 71 Compressor 72 Capacitor 73 Expansion valve 74 Evaporator 75 Refrigerant circulation path 76 Heat medium tank 80 Heat source (engine cooling system) 81 Cylinder jacket 82 Cooling water pump 83 Flow control valve 84 Radiator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of heat exchangers are arranged in an air processing passage of an air conditioner unit for sending air that has been air-conditioned to a vehicle interior, and a heat medium cooled by a refrigerating unit is provided on one side of the plurality of heat exchangers. Is supplied through a first heat medium supply pipe, and a heat medium heated by a heat source is supplied to the other side of the plurality of heat exchangers through a second heat medium supply pipe. A supply pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe are communicated with each other via a communication pipe, and the plurality of heat exchangers are configured such that the cooled heat medium and the heated heat medium each have an arbitrary mixing ratio. An auto air conditioner for a vehicle, characterized by being supplied by a vehicle. 2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a flow control valve is interposed in each of the communication pipe and the second heat medium supply pipe. 3. The refrigeration unit is configured such that a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are connected to form a refrigerant circulation path, and the evaporator is incorporated in a heat medium tank that stores the heat medium. The vehicle auto air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The engine according to claim 1, wherein the heating source is an engine cooling unit that cools an engine.
An auto air conditioner for a vehicle according to any one of the above. 5. The vehicular auto air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the compressor is driven by an electric motor whose rotation speed can be controlled. 6. The air conditioner unit is provided at a front portion of a vehicle,
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the refrigeration units are arranged at rear portions of the vehicle.