JP2022068466A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner having an outside air heat exchanger and capable of suppressing reduction in heat exchange performance of the outside air heat exchanger caused by refreezing of moisture generated through defrosting.SOLUTION: A vehicle air conditioner 1 comprises: a compressor 11; a heating unit 30; an outside air heat exchanger 25X; and a control device 70. The control device 70 includes a defrosting execution unit 70a, a draining period setting unit 70b, and an operation control unit 70e. The defrosting execution unit 70a executes a defrosting operation for melting frost stuck to a low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by heat from a heat source. The draining period setting unit 70b sets a draining period for draining moisture generated through melting of the frost by the defrosting operation from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by using gravity acting on the moisture. The operation control unit 70e resumes an air-conditioning operation accompanied by heat suction from outside air at the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 with the lapse of the draining period set by the draining period setting unit 70b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner having an outside air heat exchanger.

Conventionally, there is an air conditioner that absorbs heat from the outside air with an outside air heat exchanger (for example, an LT radiator) during a heating operation. As a technique related to such an air conditioner, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. The vehicle air conditioner of Patent Document 1 is configured to defrost an outside air heat exchanger that has frosted due to heat absorption from low temperature outside air during heating operation.

Japanese Patent No. 6399060

Here, in the technique of Patent Document 1, when defrosting the outside air heat exchanger, the heat generated by a heat source such as a water cooling condenser is transferred to the outside air heat exchanger via the cooling water. As a result, in Patent Document 1, the heat generated by the heat source can be used to melt the frost that has formed on the outside air heat exchanger.

At this time, the moisture generated by the melting of the frost remains on the surface of the outside air heat exchanger unless any measures are taken. In an environment where the outside air is cold, if the heating operation is performed with the moisture remaining on the surface of the outside air heat exchanger, the remaining moisture is re-frozen due to the heat absorption by the outside air heat exchanger.

In addition, if moisture remains on the surface of the outside air heat exchanger during the defrosting operation, the amount of ice generated by refreezing will accumulate by repeating the defrosting operation and the heating operation, so that the outside air heat will be accumulated. It is expected that the heat exchange performance of the exchanger will be cumulatively reduced. The deterioration of the heat exchange performance of the outside air heat exchanger becomes a factor of lowering the heating performance in the air conditioner, and it becomes necessary to increase the energy consumption in order to maintain the heating performance.

In view of the above points, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner having an outside air heat exchanger capable of suppressing deterioration of the heat exchange performance of the outside air heat exchanger due to refreezing of water generated by defrosting. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a compressor (11), a heating unit (30), an outside air heat exchange unit (25X), and a control unit (70). Have. The compressor compresses and discharges the refrigerant. The heating unit has a heat exchanger (12) for heating, and uses a high-pressure refrigerant as a heat source to heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space. The heating heat exchanger condenses the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor during the heating operation for heating the air-conditioned space. The outside air heat exchanger has an outside air heat exchanger (19, 43) that absorbs heat from the outside air during the heating operation.

The control unit includes a defrosting execution unit (70a), a drainage period setting unit (70b), and an operation control unit (70e). The defrosting execution unit executes a defrosting operation in which the frost adhering to the outside air heat exchanger is melted by the heat from the heat source. The drainage period setting unit sets the drainage period for draining the moisture generated by the melting of the frost due to the defrosting operation from the surface of the outside air heat exchanger by utilizing the gravity acting on the moisture. When the drainage period set by the drainage period setting unit has elapsed, the operation control unit restarts the air conditioning operation accompanied by endothermic heat from the outside air in the outside air heat exchanger.

According to the air conditioner, when the frost adhering to the outside air heat exchanger is melted by the defrosting operation, a drainage period is provided, so the water is drained from the surface of the outside air heat exchanger using gravity. can do. In addition, since the air conditioning operation with heat absorption from the outside air is restarted after the drainage period has elapsed, it is possible to prevent the thawed water from refreezing on the surface of the outside air heat exchanger, and the outside air heat exchanger can be prevented from refreezing. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of heat exchange performance.

The reference numerals in parentheses of each means described in this column and the scope of claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later.

It is an overall block diagram of the air conditioner for vehicles which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the heat exchange part for outside air in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the room air-conditioning unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric control part of the air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the defrost control program in the air conditioner for a vehicle. It is explanatory drawing about the reference drainage rate in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing about setting of the drainage period in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing about the operation from the defrosting operation to the resumption of an air conditioning operation in a normal time. It is explanatory drawing about the operation from the defrosting operation to the restart of the air conditioning operation when the drainage period is interrupted. It is an overall block diagram of the air conditioner for vehicles which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals may be given to the parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiments, and duplicate description may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, other embodiments described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Not only the combination of the parts that clearly indicate that the combination is possible in each embodiment, but also the partial combination of the embodiments even if the combination is not specified if there is no problem in the combination. Is also possible.

(First Embodiment)
The first embodiment in the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In the first embodiment, the air conditioner according to the present disclosure is applied to the vehicle air conditioner 1 of an electric vehicle in which a driving force for vehicle travel is obtained from a travel electric motor. The vehicle air-conditioning device 1 performs air-conditioning in the vehicle interior, which is an air-conditioning target space, and temperature adjustment of the battery B in an electric vehicle.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 can switch between a cooling mode, a heating mode, and a dehumidifying heating mode as an air conditioning operation mode for air conditioning the interior of the vehicle. The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the blown air blown into the vehicle interior is cooled and blown out into the vehicle interior. The heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air is heated and blown into the vehicle interior. The dehumidifying / heating mode is an operation mode in which the dehumidifying / heating of the vehicle interior is performed by reheating the cooled and dehumidified blown air and blowing it into the vehicle interior.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can switch whether or not the battery B is cooled regardless of the state of the air conditioner operation mode. Therefore, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be defined by the combination of the state of the air conditioner operation mode and the presence / absence of cooling of the battery B. Therefore, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 includes seven operation modes: a cooling mode, a heating mode, a dehumidifying / heating mode, a single cooling mode, a cooling / cooling mode, a cooling / heating mode, and a cooling / dehumidifying / heating mode.

The single cooling mode is an operation mode in which the battery B is cooled without air-conditioning the interior of the vehicle. The cooling / cooling mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is cooled and the battery B is cooled. The cooling / heating mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is heated and the battery B is cooled. The cooling / dehumidifying / heating mode is an operation mode in which the battery B is cooled while dehumidifying and heating the vehicle interior.

The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the vehicle air conditioner 1 employs an HFC-based refrigerant (specifically, R134a) as a refrigerant, and a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. Consists of. Refrigerant oil for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed in the refrigerant. As the refrigerating machine oil, PAG oil (polyalkylene glycol oil) having compatibility with a liquid phase refrigerant is adopted. Some of the refrigerating machine oil circulates in the cycle together with the refrigerant.

Next, a specific configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment includes a refrigerating cycle device 10, a heating unit 30, a low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, an indoor air conditioner unit 60, and a control device 70.

First, each component device constituting the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The refrigeration cycle device 10 is a steam compression type refrigeration cycle device. First, the compressor 11 sucks in the refrigerant, compresses it, and discharges it in the refrigeration cycle device 10. The compressor 11 is arranged in the vehicle bonnet.

The compressor 11 is an electric compressor that rotationally drives a fixed-capacity compression mechanism having a fixed discharge capacity by an electric motor. The number of revolutions (that is, the refrigerant discharge capacity) of the compressor 11 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70 described later.

The inlet side of the refrigerant passage 12a in the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 dissipates the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to the high-temperature side heat medium circulating in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 31 of the heating unit 30 to heat the high-temperature side heat medium. It is a heat exchanger.

The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 has a refrigerant passage 12a through which the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is circulated, and a heat medium passage 12b through which the high temperature side heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 is circulated. The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is made of the same type of metal (aluminum alloy in the first embodiment) having excellent heat transfer properties, and each component is integrated by brazing.

As a result, the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 12a and the high-temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 12b can exchange heat with each other. The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is an example of a condenser that dissipates heat contained in a high-pressure refrigerant, and constitutes a part of a heating unit 30 described later. That is, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 corresponds to an example of a heating heat exchanger.

A first connection portion 13a of a three-way joint structure is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage 12a of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the first connection portion 13a, one of the three inflow outlets is a refrigerant inlet, and the remaining two are refrigerant outlets. That is, the first connection portion 13a is a branch portion for branching the flow of the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12.

The refrigerant inlet side of the air-conditioning evaporator 15 is connected to one of the refrigerant outlets of the first connection portion 13a via the first expansion valve 14a. The refrigerant inlet side of the chiller 16 is connected to the other refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant branch portion via the second expansion valve 14b.

The first expansion valve 14a is a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from one of the refrigerant outlets of the first connecting portion 13a, at least in the operation mode for cooling the blown air. The first expansion valve 14a is an electric variable throttle mechanism, and has a valve body and an electric actuator. The first expansion valve 14a is configured by a so-called electric expansion valve.

The valve body of the first expansion valve 14a is configured so that the passage opening (in other words, the throttle opening) of the refrigerant passage can be changed. The electric actuator has a stepping motor that changes the throttle opening of the valve body. The operation of the first expansion valve 14a is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

Further, the first expansion valve 14a is composed of a variable throttle mechanism having a fully open function of fully opening the refrigerant passage when the throttle opening is fully opened and a fully closed function of closing the refrigerant passage when the throttle opening is fully closed. Has been done. That is, the first expansion valve 14a can prevent the refrigerant from exerting the depressurizing action by fully opening the refrigerant passage.

The first expansion valve 14a can block the inflow of the refrigerant into the air-conditioning evaporator 15 by closing the refrigerant passage. That is, the first expansion valve 14a has both a function as a pressure reducing unit for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit for switching the refrigerant circuit. Further, the first expansion valve 14a can adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the air-conditioning evaporator 15 by adjusting the throttle opening with respect to the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the first expansion valve 14a corresponds to an example of the flow rate adjusting unit for air conditioning.

The refrigerant inlet side of the air conditioning evaporator 15 is connected to the outlet of the first expansion valve 14a. As shown in FIG. 3, the air-conditioning evaporator 15 is arranged in the casing 61 of the indoor air-conditioning unit 60. The air-conditioning evaporator 15 exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve 14a and the blown air to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant at least in the operation mode for cooling the blown air, and cools the blown air. It is a vessel.

As shown in FIG. 1, a second expansion valve 14b is connected to the other refrigerant outlet in the first connection portion 13a. The second expansion valve 14b is a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the other refrigerant outlet of the first connecting portion 13a at least in the heating mode.

Like the first expansion valve 14a, the second expansion valve 14b is an electric variable throttle mechanism, and has a valve body and an electric actuator. That is, the second expansion valve 14b is composed of a so-called electric expansion valve, and has a fully open function and a fully closed function.

That is, the second expansion valve 14b can prevent the refrigerant from exerting the depressurizing action by fully opening the refrigerant passage. Further, the second expansion valve 14b can block the inflow of the refrigerant to the chiller 16 by closing the refrigerant passage. That is, the second expansion valve 14b has both a function as a pressure reducing unit for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant and a function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit for switching the refrigerant circuit. The second expansion valve 14b is an example of a cooling flow rate adjusting unit.

The refrigerant inlet side of the chiller 16 is connected to the outlet of the second expansion valve 14b. The chiller 16 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second expansion valve 14b and the low-temperature side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

The chiller 16 has a refrigerant passage 16a for circulating a low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by a second expansion valve 14b, and a heat medium passage 16b for circulating a low-temperature side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40. .. Therefore, the chiller 16 is an evaporator that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant and absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium by heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 16a and the low-temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 16b. That is, the chiller 16 corresponds to an example of a cooling evaporator, and the second expansion valve 14b corresponds to an example of a cooling pressure reducing unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, one refrigerant inlet side of the second connecting portion 13b is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the air-conditioning evaporator 15. Further, the other refrigerant inlet side of the second connecting portion 13b is connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the chiller 16. Here, the second connection portion 13b has a three-way joint structure similar to that of the first connection portion 13a, and two of the three inflow outlets are used as the refrigerant inlet and the remaining one is used as the refrigerant outlet.

Therefore, the second connection portion 13b is a confluence portion that merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning evaporator 15 and the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the chiller 16. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the second connection portion 13b.

Next, the heating unit 30 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The heating unit 30 is configured to heat the blown air supplied to the air-conditioned space by using the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 10 as a heat source.

The heating unit 30 according to the first embodiment is configured by a high temperature side heat medium circuit 31. The high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 is a heat medium circuit that circulates the high temperature side heat medium, and as the high temperature side heat medium, a solution containing ethylene glycol, an antifreeze solution, or the like can be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the heat medium passage 12b of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side pump 32, the heater core 33, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, an electric heater 36 and the like are arranged.

As described above, in the heat medium passage 12b of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side heat medium is heated by heat exchange with the high pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 12a. That is, the high temperature side heat medium is heated by using the heat pumped up by the refrigeration cycle device 10.

The discharge port of the high temperature side pump 32 is connected to the inlet side of the heat medium passage 12b of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The high temperature side pump 32 is a heat medium pump that pumps in order to circulate the high temperature side heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31. The high temperature side pump 32 is an electric pump whose rotation speed (that is, pumping capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 70.

The inflow port of the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 is connected to the outlet side of the heat medium passage 12b of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 is composed of an electric three-way flow rate adjusting valve having three inflow ports.

An electric heater 36 is connected to one outlet of the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35. The electric heater 36 generates heat by being supplied with electric power, and heats the high temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage of the electric heater 36. The electric heater 36 corresponds to an example of a heat source device.

As the electric heater 36, for example, a PTC heater having a PTC element (that is, a positive characteristic thermistor) can be used. The electric heater 36 can arbitrarily adjust the amount of heat for heating the high temperature side heat medium by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

The inflow port of the heater core 33 is connected to the outlet side of the heat medium passage in the electric heater 36. The heater core 33 is a heat exchanger that heats the blown air by exchanging heat between the high temperature side heat medium heated by the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the like and the blown air that has passed through the air conditioning evaporator 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the heater core 33 is arranged in the casing 61 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60.

The inlet of the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 is connected to the other outlet of the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35. The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 constitutes a part of the composite heat exchanger 25 described later. The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 exchanges heat between the high temperature side heat medium heated by the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the like and the outside air OA blown by the outside air fan 19a, and exchanges heat with the high temperature side heat medium. Heat is dissipated to the outside air OA. The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 constitutes the outside air heat exchange unit 25X, which will be described later.

The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 is arranged on the front side in the vehicle bonnet. With the operation of the outside air fan 19a described above, the outside air OA flows from the front side of the vehicle to the rear side and passes through the heat exchange portion of the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34. Further, when the vehicle is traveling, the traveling wind can be applied to the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 from the front side to the rear of the vehicle.

The high temperature side confluence portion of the three-way joint structure is connected to the outlet of the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the outlet of the heater core 33. In the high temperature side merging portion, one of the three inflow outlets in the three-way joint structure is used as the outflow port, and the remaining two are used as the inflow port. Therefore, the high temperature side merging portion can join the flow of the high temperature side heat medium that has passed through the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the flow of the high temperature side heat medium that has passed through the heater core 33. A suction port of the high temperature side pump 32 is connected to the outlet at the high temperature side confluence.

As described above, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 of the first embodiment, regarding the flow of the high temperature side heat medium passing through the heat medium passage 12b of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the heater core 33 and the electric heater 36 are connected in parallel. Then, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 has a flow rate of the high temperature side heat medium flowing into the heater core 33 side and a flow rate of the high temperature side heat medium flowing into the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34. The flow rate ratio can be adjusted continuously.

That is, by controlling the operation of the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the amount of heat of the high temperature side heat medium radiated to the outside air OA by the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the high temperature radiated to the blown air by the heater core 33. The amount of heat of the side heat medium can be adjusted.

Subsequently, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is a heat medium circuit that circulates the low temperature side heat medium. As the low temperature side heat medium, the same fluid as the high temperature side heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 can be adopted.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 includes the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16, the low temperature side pump 41, the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the low temperature side flow control valve 44, and the equipment side heat medium circuit 50. Etc. are arranged. The discharge port side of the low temperature side pump 41 is connected to the inflow port of the heat medium passage 16b in the chiller 16.

The low temperature side pump 41 is a heat medium pump that pumps the low temperature side heat medium to the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16 in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The basic configuration of the low temperature side pump 41 is the same as that of the high temperature side pump 32.

A low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 is connected to the outlet of the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16. The low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 is composed of an electric three-way flow rate adjusting valve having three inflow ports. As shown in FIG. 1, one inflow port of the low temperature side flow control valve 44 is connected to the inlet side of the heat medium passage 42a of the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment, and the other flow of the low temperature side flow control valve 44 is connected. The inlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is connected to the inlet.

Therefore, the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 describes the flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium passing through the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and the heat for equipment with respect to the flow of the low temperature side heat medium passing through the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16. The flow rate ratio with the flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium passing through the exchange portion 42 can be continuously adjusted. That is, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 can switch the flow of the low temperature side heat medium by controlling the operation of the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44.

Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the heat generated by the battery B is absorbed by the low temperature side heat medium by passing the low temperature side heat medium through the heat medium passage 42a of the equipment heat exchange unit 42 to exchange heat. The temperature of the battery B is adjusted. That is, the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment is connected so as to be coolable by the low temperature side heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and is configured to maintain the temperature of the battery B within a predetermined temperature range. ing.

As shown in FIG. 4, the battery B supplies electric power to various electric devices of the vehicle, and for example, a rechargeable and dischargeable secondary battery (in this embodiment, a lithium ion battery) is adopted. Battery B generates heat during charging and discharging. The battery B is a so-called assembled battery formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells and electrically connecting these battery cells in series or in parallel. The output of this type of battery B tends to decrease at low temperatures, and deterioration tends to progress at high temperatures.

Therefore, the temperature of the battery B needs to be maintained within an appropriate temperature range (for example, 10 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower) in which the charge / discharge capacity of the battery B can be fully utilized. Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the temperature of the battery B is appropriately adjusted by controlling the flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium and the like.

The low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low temperature side heat medium discharged from the low temperature side pump 41 and the outside air OA blown by the outside air fan 19a. The low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is connected in parallel with the device heat exchange unit 42 with respect to the flow of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16 in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

Further, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is arranged on the front side in the drive device room. Therefore, when the vehicle is running, the running wind can be applied to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is integrally formed with the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the like, and is one of the composite heat exchanger 25 and the outside air heat exchange unit 25X. Make up the part.

A merging portion of a three-way joint structure is connected to the outlet side of the heat medium passage 42a in the heat exchange section 42 for equipment and the outlet side of the heat medium of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. In the merging portion, two of the three inflow / outlets in the three-way joint structure are used as the inflow port, and the remaining one is used as the outflow port. The suction port side of the low temperature side pump 41 is connected to the outlet at the confluence.

Therefore, the merging section merges the flow of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out from the equipment heat exchange section 42 with the flow of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out from the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 to the low temperature side pump 41. Can be guided.

In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 configured in this way, the flow of the low temperature side heat medium can be switched by controlling the operation of the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44. For example, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side so as to communicate the inflow outlet on the chiller 16 side and the inflow outlet on the equipment heat exchange unit 42 side and block the inflow outlet on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 side. The flow control valve 44 can be controlled. In this case, the flow of the low temperature side heat medium is switched so that the entire amount of the low temperature side heat medium that has passed through the chiller 16 passes through the heat medium passage 42a of the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment.

According to this aspect, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 16 can be supplied to the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment, so that the battery B can be cooled. In other words, the waste heat of the battery B absorbed by the cooling of the battery B can be absorbed by the low pressure refrigerant of the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10 by heat exchange in the chiller 16.

Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side so as to communicate the inflow outlet on the chiller 16 side and the inflow outlet on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 side and block the inflow outlet on the equipment heat exchange unit 42 side. The flow control valve 44 can be controlled. In this case, the flow of the low temperature side heat medium is switched so that the entire amount of the low temperature side heat medium that has passed through the chiller 16 passes through the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

According to this aspect, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 16 can be supplied to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that if the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium is lower than the outside temperature, the outside air OA It can absorb heat. Thereby, the outside air OA can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air.

That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can cool the battery B and adjust the temperature by using the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. Further, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can use the outside air OA as a heat source by using the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

Further, a device-side heat medium circuit 50 is connected to the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The device-side heat medium circuit 50 is a heat medium circuit for adjusting the temperature of the heat-generating device mounted on the electric vehicle and utilizing the heat generated in the heat-generating device. As the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit, the same heat medium as the above-mentioned high-temperature side heat medium circuit 31, low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40, etc. can be adopted.

The device-side heat medium circuit 50 is configured by connecting the heat-generating device 51, the device-side pump 53, and the device-side three-way valve 54 in an annular shape by the device-side heat medium flow path. One end of the heat medium flow path on the equipment side is connected to the heat medium flow path connecting the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 and the heat medium inlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The other end of the heat medium flow path on the device side is connected to the heat medium flow path connecting the heat medium outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and the confluence portion of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

In the device-side heat medium circuit 50, a heat-generating device 51, a device bypass flow path 52, a device-side pump 53, and a device-side three-way valve 54 are arranged in the device-side heat medium flow path. One of the inflow outlets of the equipment-side three-way valve 54 is connected to the equipment-side heat medium flow path extending from between the low-temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 and the heat medium inlet side of the low-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

The device-side three-way valve 54 is composed of an electric three-way flow rate regulating valve having three inflow ports. The outlet side of the heat medium passage in the heating device 51 is connected to another inflow port of the device-side three-way valve 54. On the other hand, the device bypass flow path 52 is connected to yet another inflow port of the device-side three-way valve 54.

The heat-generating device 51 is composed of in-vehicle devices mounted on an electric vehicle that generate heat incidentally when the vehicle is operated for the purpose of traveling or the like. The heat generating device 51 corresponds to an example of a heat source device. In other words, the heat generating device 51 is a device in which heat is generated by an operation having a purpose different from that of heat generation, and it is difficult to control the amount of heat generated.

Therefore, the heat generating device 51 is not a heating device such as an electric heater 36 that operates for the purpose of heat generation and generates an arbitrary amount of heat. As the heat generating device 51, an inverter and a motor generator are adopted. The heat medium passage of the heat generating device 51 is formed so that the respective constituent devices can be cooled by circulating the heat medium.

The inverter is a power conversion unit that converts a direct current into an alternating current. The motor generator outputs the driving force for traveling by being supplied with electric power, and also generates regenerative electric power at the time of deceleration or the like.

It is also possible to adopt a transaxle device as the heat generating device 51. The transaxle device is a device that integrates the transmission and the final gear / differential gear (diff gear).

The discharge port side of the device side pump 53 is connected to the inlet side of the heat medium passage of the heat generating device 51. The equipment-side pump 53 pumps the heat medium of the equipment-side heat medium flow path to the inlet side of the heat medium passage in the heat-generating device 51. The basic configuration of the equipment-side pump 53 is the same as that of the high-temperature side pump 32 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the equipment bypass flow path 52 is connected to yet another inflow port in the equipment side three-way valve 54. The other end of the equipment bypass flow path 52 is connected to the equipment side heat medium flow path extending from the outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Therefore, the equipment bypass flow path 52 is connected in parallel to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 with respect to the flow of the heat medium passing through the heat generating equipment 51 and the equipment side pump 53.

As a result, the device-side heat medium circuit 50 can switch the flow of the heat medium in the device-side heat medium circuit 50 by controlling the operation of the device-side three-way valve 54. Therefore, in the device-side heat medium circuit 50, the flow of the heat medium flowing out from the heat-generating device 51 and the device-side three-way valve 54 is circulated through the device bypass flow path 52, and the waste heat of the heat-generating device 51 is circulated through the device-side heat medium. Heat can be stored in the heat medium of the circuit 50.

Subsequently, the configuration of the outside air heat exchange unit 25X in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The outside air heat exchange unit 25X includes a composite heat exchanger 25 and a shutter device 55. The composite heat exchanger 25 is configured by thermally connecting the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. ..

As described above, the composite heat exchanger 25 is arranged on the front side in the drive unit room. The low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is arranged on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31. In other words, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is arranged on the upstream side of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 with respect to the flow of the outside air OA.

Further, in the composite heat exchanger 25, an outside air fan 19a is arranged so as to blow outside air OA to the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The outside air fan 19a is an electric blower whose rotation speed (that is, blowing capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 70, and corresponds to an example of an outside air blower.

That is, since the outside air fan 19a can adjust the wind speed (air volume) of the outside air with respect to the composite heat exchanger 25, it is a device to be controlled by the inflow adjustment control unit 70f, which will be described later. The composite heat exchanger 25 can exchange heat with the outside air OA blown by the outside air fan 19a and the outside air OA blown by the traveling of the electric vehicle.

The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 have a so-called tank and tube type heat exchanger structure. The tank-and-tube type high-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 has a plurality of tubes 34t for circulating the high-temperature side heat medium and a tank for distributing or assembling the high-temperature side heat medium for circulating the plurality of tubes 34t. are doing.

The high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 connects a high temperature side heat medium flowing through tubes 34t laminated and arranged at intervals in a certain direction and air flowing through an air passage formed between adjacent tubes 34t. It has a structure that allows heat exchange.

Further, the tank-and-tube type low-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is a tank or the like for distributing or assembling a plurality of tubes 43t for circulating a low-temperature side heat medium and a low-temperature side heat medium for circulating a plurality of tubes 43t. have.

The low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 connects a low temperature side heat medium flowing through tubes 43t laminated and arranged at intervals in a certain direction, and air flowing through an air passage formed between adjacent tubes 43t. It has a structure that allows heat exchange.

As shown in FIG. 2, heat is exchanged between the air passage formed between the tubes 34t in the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the air passage formed between the tubes 43t in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The fins 25f are arranged. The heat exchange fin 25f is composed of one thin plate-shaped metal member. The heat exchange fins 25f promote heat exchange between the high temperature side heat medium and the outside air OA in the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and exchange heat between the low temperature side heat medium and the outside air OA in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. It is a member to promote.

In the composite heat exchanger 25, a plurality of heat exchange fins 25f are brazed to both the tube 34t of the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the tube 43t of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. That is, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 are thermally connected by a plurality of heat exchange fins 25f. As a result, in the composite heat exchanger 25, the high temperature side heat medium on the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 side and the low temperature side heat medium on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 side are connected to each other via the heat exchange fins 25f. Allows heat transfer between.

As shown in FIG. 2, a shutter device 55 is arranged on the front side of the vehicle of the composite heat exchanger 25. The shutter device 55 is configured by rotatably arranging a plurality of blades in the opening of the frame-shaped frame. The plurality of blades rotate in conjunction with each other by the operation of an electric actuator (not shown) to adjust the opening area at the opening of the frame.

As a result, the shutter device 55 can adjust the flow rate of the outside air OA passing through the composite heat exchanger 25, and can adjust the heat exchange capacity of the composite heat exchanger 25. Therefore, the shutter device 55 is a device to be controlled by the inflow adjustment control unit 70f, which will be described later.

Next, the indoor air-conditioning unit 60 constituting the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The indoor air-conditioning unit 60 is a unit for blowing out blown air whose temperature has been adjusted by the refrigerating cycle device 10 to an appropriate place in the vehicle interior in the vehicle air-conditioning device 1. The indoor air conditioning unit 60 is arranged inside the instrument panel (that is, the instrument panel) at the front of the vehicle interior.

The indoor air conditioning unit 60 is configured to accommodate a blower 62, an air conditioning evaporator 15, a heater core 33, and the like in an air passage formed inside a casing 61 forming the outer shell thereof. The casing 61 forms an air passage for the blown air to be blown into the vehicle interior. The casing 61 is made of a resin (specifically, polypropylene) having a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

As shown in FIG. 3, an inside / outside air switching device 63 is arranged on the most upstream side of the blown air flow of the casing 61. The inside / outside air switching device 63 switches and introduces the inside air (vehicle interior air) and the outside air (vehicle interior outside air) into the casing 61.

The inside / outside air switching device 63 continuously adjusts the opening areas of the inside air introduction port for introducing the inside air into the casing 61 and the outside air introduction port for introducing the outside air by the inside / outside air switching door, and adjusts the introduction air volume of the inside air and the outside air. Change the introduction ratio with the introduction air volume. The inside / outside air switching door is driven by an electric actuator for the inside / outside air switching door. The operation of this electric actuator is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

A blower 62 is arranged on the downstream side of the blower air flow of the inside / outside air switching device 63. The blower 62 is composed of an electric blower that drives a centrifugal multi-blade fan with an electric motor. The blower 62 blows the air sucked through the inside / outside air switching device 63 toward the vehicle interior. The rotation speed (that is, the blowing capacity) of the blower 62 is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

On the downstream side of the blower air flow of the blower 62, the air conditioner evaporator 15 and the heater core 33 are arranged in this order with respect to the blower air flow. That is, the air-conditioning evaporator 15 is arranged on the upstream side of the blown air flow with respect to the heater core 33. Therefore, in the indoor air-conditioning unit 60 of the vehicle air-conditioning device 1, at least a part of the blown air that has passed through the air-conditioning evaporator 15 can be heated by the heater core 33.

Further, a cold air bypass passage 65 is formed in the casing 61. The cold air bypass passage 65 is an air passage that allows the blown air that has passed through the air conditioning evaporator 15 to bypass the heater core 33 and flow to the downstream side.

The air mix door 64 is arranged on the downstream side of the blast air flow of the air-conditioning evaporator 15 and on the upstream side of the blast air flow of the heater core 33. The air mix door 64 adjusts the air volume ratio between the air volume passing through the heater core 33 and the air volume passing through the cold air bypass passage 65 in the air blown air after passing through the air conditioning evaporator 15.

The air mix door 64 is driven by an electric actuator for driving the air mix door. The operation of this electric actuator is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

A mixing space is provided on the downstream side of the blown air flow of the heater core 33. In the mixing space, the blown air heated by the heater core 33 and the blown air that has passed through the cold air bypass passage 65 and has not been heated by the heater core 33 are mixed.

Further, an opening hole for blowing out the blown air (air-conditioned air) mixed in the mixed space into the vehicle interior is arranged at the most downstream portion of the blown air flow of the casing 61. As the opening hole, a face opening hole, a foot opening hole, and a defroster opening hole (none of which are shown) are provided.

The face opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioned air toward the upper body of the occupant in the vehicle interior. The foot opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioned air toward the feet of the occupant. The defroster opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioned air toward the inner side surface of the window glass on the front surface of the vehicle.

These face opening holes, foot opening holes, and defroster opening holes are the face outlets, foot outlets, and defroster outlets (none of which are shown) provided in the vehicle interior via ducts forming air passages, respectively. )It is connected to the.

Therefore, the temperature of the conditioned air mixed in the mixing space is adjusted by adjusting the air volume ratio between the air volume passing through the heater core 33 and the air volume passing through the cold air bypass passage 65 by the air mix door 64. As a result, the temperature of the blown air (air-conditioned air) blown from each outlet into the vehicle interior is also adjusted.

A face door, a foot door, and a defroster door (none of which are shown) are arranged on the upstream side of the blast air flow of the face opening hole, the foot opening hole, and the defroster opening hole, respectively. The face door adjusts the opening area of the face opening hole. The foot door adjusts the opening area of the foot opening hole. The defroster door adjusts the opening area of the defroster opening hole.

These face doors, foot doors, and defroster doors constitute an outlet mode switching device that switches the outlet from which the conditioned air is blown out. The face door, foot door, and defroster door are connected to an electric actuator for driving the outlet mode door via a link mechanism and the like, and are rotated in conjunction with each other. The operation of this electric actuator is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

Next, the control system of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 70 includes a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and peripheral circuits thereof.

Then, the control device 70 performs various calculations and processes based on the control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of various controlled target devices connected to the output side thereof. Therefore, the control device 70 corresponds to an example of the control unit.

The equipment to be controlled includes a compressor 11, a first expansion valve 14a, a second expansion valve 14b, an outside air fan 19a, a high temperature side pump 32, a high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, an electric heater 36, a low temperature side pump 41, and a low temperature side flow rate. A regulating valve 44 is included. Further, the controlled device includes a heat generating device 51, a device-side pump 53, a device-side three-way valve 54, a shutter device 55, a blower 62, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, a control sensor group for controlling the operation of the controlled device is connected to the input side of the control device 70. The control sensor group includes an inside air temperature sensor 72a, an outside air temperature sensor 72b, a solar radiation sensor 72c, a high pressure sensor 72d, an evaporator temperature sensor 72e, and a confluence pressure sensor 72f.

The internal air temperature sensor 72a is an internal air temperature detection unit that detects the vehicle interior temperature (internal air temperature) Tr. The outside air temperature sensor 72b is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature (outside air temperature) Tam. The solar radiation sensor 72c is a solar radiation amount detection unit that detects the solar radiation amount As irradiated to the vehicle interior. The high-pressure sensor 72d is a refrigerant pressure detecting unit that detects the high-pressure refrigerant pressure Pd of the refrigerant flow path from the discharge port side of the compressor 11 to the inlet side of the first expansion valve 14a or the second expansion valve 14b.

The evaporator temperature sensor 72e is an evaporator temperature detection unit that detects the refrigerant evaporation temperature (evaporator temperature) Tefin in the air-conditioning evaporator 15. The confluence pressure sensor 72f is a refrigerant pressure detection unit that detects the refrigerant pressure in the second connection portion 13b of the refrigeration cycle device 10. The confluence pressure indicates the refrigerant pressure on the low pressure side of the refrigeration cycle device 10.

Further, the control sensor group includes a battery temperature sensor 73a, a blown air temperature sensor 73b, and a suction air temperature sensor 73c. The battery temperature sensor 73a is a battery temperature detecting unit that detects the battery temperature TBA, which is the temperature of the battery B.

The battery temperature sensor 73a has a plurality of temperature detection units, and detects temperatures at a plurality of locations in the battery B. Therefore, the control device 70 can also detect the temperature difference of each part of the battery B. Further, as the battery temperature TBA, the average value of the detected values in the plurality of temperature detecting units is adopted.

The blown air temperature sensor 73b is a blown air temperature detecting unit that detects the blown air temperature TAV blown into the vehicle interior. The suction air temperature sensor 73c is a suction air temperature detection unit that detects the suction air temperature, which is the temperature of the blown air flowing into the air conditioning evaporator 15. The suction air temperature sensor 73c is arranged inside the casing 61 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60 on the upstream side of the blown air flow with respect to the air conditioning evaporator 15.

Then, on the input side of the control device 70, a plurality of heats are used to detect the temperature of the heat medium in each heat medium circuit of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50. A medium temperature sensor is connected. The plurality of heat medium temperature sensors include a first heat medium temperature sensor 74a to a fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e.

The first heat medium temperature sensor 74a is arranged at the outlet portion in the heat medium passage of the electric heater 36, and detects the temperature of the high temperature side heat medium flowing out from the electric heater 36. The second heat medium temperature sensor 74b is arranged at the outlet portion of the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and detects the temperature of the high temperature side heat medium that has passed through the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34. The third heat medium temperature sensor 74c is arranged at the inlet portion of the heater core 33, and detects the temperature of the high temperature side heat medium flowing into the heater core 33.

The fourth heat medium temperature sensor 74d is arranged at the outlet portion of the heat medium passage 16b of the chiller 16 and detects the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out of the chiller 16. The fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e is arranged at the outlet portion of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and detects the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium flowing out from the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The detection signals of these control sensor groups are input to the control device 70.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 refers to the detection results of the first heat medium temperature sensor 74a to the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e, and refers to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 of the heating unit 30. The flow of the heat medium in the heat medium circuit 50 on the device side is switched. Thereby, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can manage the heat in the vehicle by using the high temperature side heat medium and the low temperature side heat medium.

Further, an operation panel 71 arranged near the instrument panel in the front part of the vehicle interior is connected to the input side of the control device 70. A plurality of operation switches are arranged on the operation panel 71. Therefore, operation signals from the plurality of operation switches are input to the control device 70. Various operation switches on the operation panel 71 include an auto switch, an air conditioner switch, an air volume setting switch, a temperature setting switch, and the like.

The auto switch is operated when setting or canceling the automatic control operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1. The air conditioner switch is operated when the air conditioner evaporator 15 requests that the blown air be cooled. The air conditioner switch is configured to switch whether or not the blown air is cooled by the input operation. The air volume setting switch is operated when manually setting the air volume of the blower 62. Then, the temperature setting switch is operated when setting the target temperature Tset in the vehicle interior.

In the control device 70, a control unit that controls various control target devices connected to the output side thereof is integrally configured, but a configuration (hardware and software) that controls the operation of each control target device is provided. It constitutes a control unit that controls the operation of each controlled device. For example, among the control devices 70, the configuration for executing the defrosting operation of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 that has frosted due to the heating of the vehicle interior constitutes the defrosting execution unit 70a.

Then, in the control device 70, the configuration for setting the length of the drainage period for draining the moisture adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 due to the defrosting operation by using gravity is the drainage period setting. It constitutes a part 70b. Further, among the control devices 70, the configuration for estimating the amount of water adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 based on the amount of heat required during the defrosting operation constitutes the water amount estimation unit 70c. ..

Further, in the control device 70, the drainage rate at which moisture is drained from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is estimated in the drainage period based on the frost formation amount of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and the like. Consists of the drainage rate estimation unit 70d. Then, among the control devices 70, the configuration for returning to the air conditioning operation before shifting to the defrosting operation after the defrosting operation and the drainage period ends constitutes the operation control unit 70e. Further, among the control devices 70, the configuration for adjusting the inflow amount of the outside air OA to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 during the defrosting operation and the drainage period constitutes the inflow adjustment control unit 70f.

Subsequently, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, the operation mode can be appropriately switched from the plurality of operation modes. These operation modes are switched by executing a control program stored in advance in the control device 70.

More specifically, in the control program, the target blowing temperature TAO of the blown air to be blown into the vehicle interior is calculated based on the detection signal detected by the sensor group for air conditioning control and the operation signal output from the operation panel 71. do.

Specifically, the target blowout temperature TAO is calculated by the following mathematical formula F1.
TAO = Kset x Tset-Kr x Tr-Kam x Tam-Ks x As + C ... (F1)
In addition, Tset is the target temperature in the vehicle interior (vehicle interior set temperature) set by the temperature setting switch, Tr is the internal temperature detected by the internal air temperature sensor 72a, Tam is the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72b, and As. Is the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 72c. Kset, Kr, Kam, and Ks are control gains, and C is a correction constant.

Then, in the control program, when the target outlet temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined cooling reference temperature α with the air conditioner switch of the operation panel 71 turned on, the air conditioning operation mode is switched to the cooling mode. ..

Further, in the control program, when the target outlet temperature TAO is equal to or higher than the cooling reference temperature α with the air conditioner switch of the operation panel 71 turned on, the air conditioning operation mode is switched to the dehumidifying / heating mode. Further, when the target outlet temperature TAO is equal to or higher than the cooling reference temperature α when the air conditioner switch is not turned on, the air conditioning operation mode is switched to the heating mode.

(A) Cooling mode The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the blown air is cooled by the air-conditioning evaporator 15 and blown into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery B using the refrigerating cycle device 10. In the cooling mode, the control device 70 opens the first expansion valve 14a with a predetermined throttle opening and fully closes the second expansion valve 14b.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the cooling mode, a circulation circuit of the refrigerant flowing in the order of the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the first expansion valve 14a, the air conditioning evaporator 15, and the compressor 11 is configured. ..

Then, in this cycle configuration, the control device 70 controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side so as to be suitable for the cooling mode according to the detection result of the control sensor group and the like. Specifically, the control device 70 controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, the throttle opening degree of the first expansion valve 14a, the ventilation capacity of the blower 62, the opening degree of the air mix door 64, and the like.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the cooling mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32 and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 so as to be in a state suitable for the cooling mode. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows in order and circulates.

In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the cooling mode, since the low pressure refrigerant does not flow into the chiller 16, it is possible to stop the circulation of the low temperature side heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. ..

Therefore, in the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 in the cooling mode, the vehicle interior can be cooled by blowing out the blown air cooled by the air-conditioning evaporator 15 into the vehicle interior.

(B) Heating mode The heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air is heated by the heater core 33 and blown into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery B using the refrigerating cycle device 10. In the heating mode, the control device 70 closes the first expansion valve 14a fully and opens the second expansion valve 14b with a predetermined throttle opening. Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the heating mode, a refrigerant circulation circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the second expansion valve 14b, the chiller 16, and the compressor 11 is configured. ..

In this cycle configuration, the control device 70 controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side so as to be suitable for the heating mode according to the detection result of the control sensor group and the like. Specifically, the control device 70 includes the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, the throttle opening of the second expansion valve 14b, the ventilation capacity of the outside air fan 19a, the opening of the shutter device 55, the ventilation capacity of the blower 62, and the air mix. It controls the opening degree of the door 64 and the like.

Then, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the heating mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, and the electric heater 36 so as to be in a state suitable for the heating mode. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows and circulates.

Further, regarding the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating mode, the control device 70 controls the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 so that the circulation path of the low temperature side heat medium is in a state suitable for the heating mode. do. As a result, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side heat medium circulates in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 16, the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the low temperature side pump 41.

Then, regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the heating mode, the control device 70 controls the device-side pump 53 and the device-side three-way valve 54 so that the circulation path of the heat medium is in a state suitable for the heating mode. As a result, the heat medium of the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 circulates in the order of the equipment side pump 53, the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 54, the equipment bypass flow path 52, and the equipment side pump 53.

According to this aspect, the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be stored in the heat medium circulating in the device side heat medium circuit 50, and the heat source for defrosting the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Can be used as. Regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50, it is also possible to stop the operation of the device-side pump 53 to stop the circulation of the heat medium in the device-side heat medium circuit 50.

In the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the heating mode, the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is pumped up by the refrigeration cycle device 10 and passed through the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31. Therefore, the heating operation used for heating the blown air can be performed.

(C) Dehumidifying / heating mode In the dehumidifying / heating mode, the blown air cooled by the air-conditioning evaporator 15 is heated by the heater core 33 and blown into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery B using the refrigerating cycle device 10. It is an operation mode. In the dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b at predetermined throttle openings, respectively.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the first expansion valve 14a, the air conditioning evaporator 15, and the compressor 11. At the same time, the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the second expansion valve 14b, the chiller 16, and the compressor 11. That is, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, a refrigerant circulation circuit in which the air-conditioning evaporator 15 and the chiller 16 are connected in parallel to the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is configured. Will be done.

In this cycle configuration, the control device 70 controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side so as to be suitable for the dehumidifying / heating mode according to the detection result of the control sensor group and the like. Specifically, the control device 70 includes the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, the throttle opening of the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b, the ventilation capacity of the outside air fan 19a, the opening of the shutter device 55, and the blower 62. It controls the ventilation capacity of the air mix door 64, the opening degree of the air mix door 64, and the like.

Then, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, and the electric heater 36 so as to be in a state suitable for the dehumidifying / heating mode. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows and circulates.

Further, regarding the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 controls the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 so as to be in a state suitable for the dehumidifying / heating mode. As a result, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side heat medium circulates in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 16, the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the low temperature side pump 41. Regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 controls the device-side pump 53 and the device-side three-way valve 54 so that the circulation path of the heat medium is in a state suitable for the dehumidifying / heating mode. As a result, the heat medium of the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 circulates in the order of the equipment side pump 53, the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 54, the equipment bypass flow path 52, and the equipment side pump 53.

According to this aspect, the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be stored in the heat medium circulating in the device side heat medium circuit 50, and the heat source for defrosting the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Can be used as. Regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50, it is also possible to stop the operation of the device-side pump 53 to stop the circulation of the heat medium in the device-side heat medium circuit 50.

As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the dehumidifying / heating mode draws the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 by the refrigerating cycle device 10, and cools the blown air to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31. It is possible to realize dehumidifying heating that heats through.

The operation mode in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment is determined by a combination of an air conditioner operation mode and an operation mode indicating the presence or absence of cooling of the battery B. Specifically, in the control program, the presence or absence of cooling of the battery B is switched according to the battery temperature TBA. Specifically, when the battery temperature TBA becomes equal to or higher than the reference battery temperature KTBA, a battery cooling request is output and the mode is switched to the operation mode in which the battery B is cooled.

For example, when the battery temperature TBA becomes equal to or higher than the reference battery temperature KTBA in a state where the vehicle interior is not air-conditioned, the operation mode of the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 is set to the battery B without performing the vehicle interior air conditioning. It can be switched to the single cooling mode to cool.

If the battery temperature TBA is equal to or higher than the standard battery temperature KTBA while the vehicle interior is being air-conditioned, the battery B is installed while the vehicle interior air conditioning (that is, heating, cooling, dehumidifying and heating) is continued. It can be switched to the cooling operation mode.

Therefore, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a cooling mode, a heating mode, a dehumidifying / heating mode, a single cooling mode, a cooling / cooling mode, a cooling / heating mode, and a cooling / dehumidifying / heating mode. Here, the single cooling mode will be described.

(D) Single cooling mode The single cooling mode is an operation mode in which the battery B is cooled by using the refrigerating cycle device 10 without performing the air conditioning operation in the vehicle interior. In this independent cooling mode, the control device 70 closes the first expansion valve 14a fully and opens the second expansion valve 14b with a predetermined throttle opening.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the single cooling mode, a refrigerant circulation circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the second expansion valve 14b, the chiller 16, and the compressor 11 is configured. To.

In this cycle configuration, the control device 70 controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side so as to be suitable for the single cooling mode according to the detection result of the control sensor group and the like. Specifically, the control device 70 controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, the throttle opening degree of the second expansion valve 14b, the opening degree of the air mix door 64, and the like.

Further, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the single cooling mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32 and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 so as to be in a state suitable for the single cooling mode. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows in order and circulates.

Then, for the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the single cooling mode, the control device 70 controls the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 so as to be in a state suitable for the single cooling mode. As a result, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side heat medium flows and circulates in this order in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 16, the low temperature side flow control valve 44, the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment, and the low temperature side pump 41.

As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the single cooling mode can distribute the low-temperature side heat medium cooled by heat exchange with the low-pressure refrigerant in the chiller 16 to the heat medium passage 42a of the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment. Therefore, the battery B can be cooled by using the refrigeration cycle device 10.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can draw up the heat absorbed by the chiller 16 in the refrigeration cycle device 10 and dissipate it to the high temperature side heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 by the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12. can. Further, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can dissipate the heat of the high temperature side heat medium to the outside air OA by the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34.

The cooling / cooling mode is realized by combining the above-mentioned cooling mode and the independent cooling mode, and the cooling / heating mode is realized by combining the heating mode and the independent cooling mode. The cooling / dehumidifying / heating mode is realized by combining the dehumidifying / heating mode and the independent cooling mode.

When the independent cooling mode is combined with each air conditioning operation mode, the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the second expansion valve 14b, the chiller 16, and the compressor 11 are used as the refrigerant circulation circuit of the refrigeration cycle device 10. Combined to include pathways that circulate in order. Further, as the circulation path of the low temperature side heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the circulation path in which the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 16, the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44, the heat exchange section for equipment 42, and the low temperature side pump 41 flow in this order is used. Combined to include.

When the vehicle air conditioner 1 configured as described above is operated in an operation mode (for example, a heating mode or a dehumidifying heating mode) in which heat is absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the outside air OA Depending on the state, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 may frost. For example, when the outside air OA is absorbed from the outside air OA to the low temperature side heat medium by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 in a state where the outside air OA is low temperature and high humidity, it is caused by the moisture contained in the outside air OA and the like. The surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is frosted.

When the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is frosted, the heat exchange capacity between the low temperature side heat medium and the outside air OA in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 decreases, and the amount of heat absorbed from the outside air OA decreases. Resulting in. When air conditioning is performed using the heat absorbed from the outside air OA as a heat source, if the amount of heat absorbed by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 decreases, the air conditioning performance is affected and the comfort in the vehicle interior is reduced.

In view of this point, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is defrosted to melt the frost adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. If the moisture generated by the melting of the frost is not properly treated, when the air conditioning operation is restarted after the defrosting operation, the moisture adhering to the surface is re-frozen, and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 It reduces the amount of heat absorption.

In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, the control device 70 appropriately performs post-treatment related to the defrosting operation of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and in order to suppress the refreezing of water, FIG. 5 shows. Execute the indicated control program. The control program shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the ROM of the control device 70, and is appropriately read and executed.

First, in step S1, an operation mode is selected based on the detection signal of the sensor group for air conditioning control and the operation signal from the operation panel 71, and the air conditioning operation based on the selected operation mode is executed. As a result, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, any one of the cooling mode, the heating mode, the dehumidifying and heating mode, the cooling and cooling mode, the cooling and heating mode, and the cooling and dehumidifying and heating mode is executed.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, which is an endothermic target for the outside air OA, is frosted. In other words, it is determined whether or not the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 needs to be defrosted. As described above, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 functions as an endothermic device that absorbs heat from the outside air OA when executing the heating mode, the dehumidifying heating mode, the cooling heating mode, and the cooling dehumidifying / heating mode.

In the present embodiment, when the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium on the outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 detected by the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e is equal to or lower than a predetermined frost formation reference temperature. It is determined that the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is frosted. If it is determined that the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is frosted, the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is not frosted, the process is returned to step S1 and the air conditioning operation is continued in the current operation mode.

When the process proceeds to step S3, the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is executed. The control device 70 when executing step S3 corresponds to an example of the defrosting execution unit 70a. During the defrosting operation, the control device 70 first stops the operation of the compressor 11. As a result, the circulation of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 10 is stopped, so that the progress of frost formation in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be suppressed.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the defrosting operation, the control device 70 heats the electric heater 36 to heat the high temperature side heat medium. Further, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32 and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 so as to have a circulation path suitable for the defrosting operation.

As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 of the defrosting operation, the high temperature side heat medium is the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow control valve 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side. It flows in the order of the pump 32 and circulates. At the same time, the high temperature side heat medium flows and circulates in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and the high temperature side pump 32.

As a result, the high temperature side heat medium heated by the electric heater 36 flows through the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, so that the electric heater 36 is passed through the heat exchange fins 25f of the composite heat exchanger 25. The heat can be transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. That is, the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be melted and defrosted by using the electric heater 36 as a heat source.

Then, regarding the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the defrosting operation, the control device 70 controls the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44 so as to be suitable for the defrosting operation. Specifically, the control device 70 stops the operation of the low temperature side pump 41, communicates the inflow outlet on the chiller 16 side with the inflow outlet on the equipment heat exchange unit 42 side, and communicates the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The low temperature side flow control valve 44 is controlled so as to close the inflow port on the side.

Further, regarding the equipment-side heat medium circuit 50 in the defrosting operation, the control device 70 controls the equipment-side pump 53 and the equipment-side three-way valve 54 so as to be suitable for the defrosting operation. Specifically, the control device 70 operates the pump 53 on the equipment side and communicates the inflow outlet on the heat generating equipment 51 side with the inflow outlet on the outside air heat exchanger 43 side on the low temperature side to communicate the inflow on the equipment bypass flow path 52 side. The device-side three-way valve 54 is controlled so as to close the outlet.

As a result, in the device-side heat medium circuit 50, the heat medium flows and circulates in the order of the device-side pump 53, the heat-generating device 51, the device-side three-way valve 54, the low-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the device-side pump 53. As a result, the heat medium heated by the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 flows into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. can. That is, the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be melted and defrosted by using the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 as a heat source.

Further, in the defrosting operation, the control device 70 controls the blowing mode of the outside air fan 19a and the opening degree of the shutter device 55 so as to be suitable for the defrosting operation. Specifically, the control device 70 stops the operation of the outside air fan 19a and lowers the opening degree of the shutter device 55 to bring it into a closed state.

In other words, the control device 70 controls the outside air fan 19a and the shutter device 55 so that the inflow amount of the outside air OA to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is minimized. The control device in this case corresponds to an example of the inflow adjustment control unit 70f. As a result, the heat is less likely to be taken away by the outside air OA, so that the heat applied to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be efficiently used for melting the frost.

At the start of the defrosting operation, the control device 70 counts the number of clocks of the CPUs constituting the control device 70 to measure the time required for the defrosting operation.

When the process proceeds to step S4, it is determined by the defrosting operation in step S3 whether or not the defrosting of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is completed. Here, the completion of defrosting in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 means a state in which all the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is melted. Defrosting may be completed when most of the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is melted.

Specifically, in step S4, the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium at the outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 detected by the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e is equal to or higher than the predetermined defrosting completion reference temperature. In this case, it is determined that the defrosting of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is completed. The defrosting completion reference temperature indicates the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium on the outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 in a state where all the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is melted.

If it is determined that the defrosting of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is completed, the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, when it is determined that the defrosting of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is not completed, the process is returned to step S3 to continue the defrosting of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

In step 5, along with the defrosting operation, a drainage period for draining the moisture adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is set by using gravity. The length of the drainage period is determined so that the total required power corresponding to the amount of energy consumed when the air conditioning operation is restarted after the defrosting operation and the drainage period is minimized. The control device 70 that executes step S5 corresponds to an example of the drainage period setting unit 70b. The specific contents regarding the setting of the drainage period will be described later with reference to the drawings.

When the process proceeds to step S6, the drainage period is started. At this time, the control device 70 stops the operation of the pump 53 on the equipment side from the state of the defrosting operation, and communicates the inflow outlet on the heat generating equipment 51 side with the inflow outlet on the equipment bypass flow path 52 side, so that the outside air on the low temperature side is used. The device-side three-way valve 54 is controlled so as to block the inflow port on the heat exchanger 43 side.

The state of the refrigeration cycle device 10 and the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 during the drainage period is the same as the state of the defrosting operation described above. Therefore, the refrigerating cycle device 10 during the drainage period is in a state where the circulation of the refrigerant is stopped. Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 during the drainage period, the electric heater 36 generates heat with a predetermined calorific value. At the start of the drainage period, the control device 70 counts the number of clocks of the CPU and measures the elapsed time from the start of the drainage period.

Further, the control device 70 controls the operation of the outside air fan 19a and the shutter device 55 according to the environment surrounding the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Even if the inflow of the outside air OA into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is allowed, if the water can be drained by the blown outside air OA without refreezing the water, the outside air fan 19a is operated and the outside air fan 19a is operated. Increase the opening of the shutter device 55.

For example, the amount of air blown by the outside air fan 19a and the opening degree of the shutter device 55 depend on the temperature of the outside air OA detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72b, the amount of water adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the like. Be controlled. When the outside air temperature is higher than 0 ° C., it is considered unlikely that the adhering water will refreeze even if the opening degree of the shutter device 55 is increased to increase the amount of air blown by the outside air fan 19a. Further, it is considered that the adhering water can be drained more quickly because the blown outside air OA acts on the adhering water in addition to gravity.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the drainage speed Vd at which moisture is drained from the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is higher than the predetermined reference drainage speed KVd. The drainage speed Vd is estimated by the drainage speed estimation unit 70d by an empirical formula, such as the amount of frost on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 at the start of the defrosting operation.

Specifically, the drainage speed estimation unit 70d has the frost formation amount of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 at the start of the defrosting operation, the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72b, and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. It is calculated based on an experimental formula using the air volume of the outside air OA flowing into the air.

Further, the reference drainage speed KVd means an index for evaluating the magnitude of the influence of the drainage of the moisture adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 from the viewpoint of reducing the required total power. There is.

Here, a method for determining the reference drainage rate KVd will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the drainage speed in the drainage period with respect to the period setting power Pcd, which is the power consumption of the vehicle air conditioner 1 when the air conditioning operation is continuously performed for a predetermined period after the defrosting operation and the drainage period have elapsed. It is a graph which shows the influence which Vd has.

As described above, since the electric heater 36 generates heat during the defrosting operation and the drainage period, the faster the drainage speed Vd and the shorter the drainage period, the smaller the power consumed by the electric heater 36. In other words, the slower the drainage speed Vd, the longer the drainage period, and the larger the power consumed by the electric heater 36.

Further, as the drainage speed Vd is faster and the drainage period is shorter, the air conditioning operation using the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 in which the heat exchange capacity is restored is performed. Therefore, the effect of power reduction during air-conditioning operation can be greatly received.

From these, as shown in FIG. 6, the power Pcd at the time of setting the period shows a large value as the drainage speed Vd is slower, and tends to be smaller as the drainage speed Vd is faster. The reference drainage speed KVd is defined as the drainage speed Vd at the time when the reference drainage speed KVd becomes equal to or less than the non-drainage power KPc.

When the drainage speed Vd is larger than the reference drainage speed KVd in step S7, it is considered that the required total power can be reduced by setting the drainage period as compared with the case where the drainage period is not provided. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S8 to advance the drainage period.

On the other hand, when the drainage speed Vd is equal to or less than the reference drainage speed KVd, the power consumption of the electric heater 36 consumed during the drainage period becomes the heat exchange capacity of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 with the drainage during the drainage period. It is greater than the effect of power reduction caused by recovery.

Therefore, when the drainage speed Vd is equal to or less than the reference drainage speed KVd, the drainage period ends at that point and the treatment is returned to step S1. After that, the air conditioning operation that was performed before the defrosting operation is restored. As a result, the length of the drainage period can be appropriately adjusted according to the situation, and both the suppression of wasteful power consumption and the prevention of refreezing of water after the defrosting operation can be achieved at the same time.

In step S8, it is determined whether or not the drainage period set in step S5 has elapsed. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the drainage period has elapsed based on the number of CPU clocks started in step S6. If the drainage period has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the drainage period has not elapsed, the treatment is returned to step S7, and the treatment is waited until the drainage period has elapsed.

When the process proceeds to step S9, since the defrosting operation and the drainage period have elapsed, the air conditioning operation restart process for returning to the air conditioning operation before shifting to the defrosting operation is executed. Specifically, the control device 70 restarts the operation of the compressor 11 with respect to the refrigeration cycle device 10. Further, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the control device 70 stops the energization of the electric heater 36. That is, the control device 70 that executes step S9 corresponds to an example of the operation control unit 70e.

Further, in the air conditioning operation restart process, the control device 70 controls the outside air fan 19a and the shutter device 55 so as to be in a state suitable for restarting the air conditioning operation. Specifically, the control device 70 operates the outside air fan 19a to restart the ventilation of the outside air OA to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

Further, the control device 70 returns the opening degree of the shutter device 55 to the state before shifting to the defrosting operation, and allows the inflow of the outside air OA into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Therefore, the control device 70 that performs this control corresponds to an example of the inflow adjustment control unit 70f. When the air conditioning operation restart processing is completed, the processing is returned to step S1 to restart the air conditioning operation before shifting to the defrosting operation.

Here, the setting of the drainage period in step S5 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In step S5, the drainage period is set so that the total required power is minimized as described above. The required total power is the defrosting power, which is the power required to operate the electric heater 36 during the defrosting operation and drainage period, and the post-restart air conditioning power required when the air conditioning operation is restarted after the defrosting operation and drainage period. It is calculated by adding up the power.

As described above, during the defrosting operation and the drainage period, the power required for the heat generation of the electric heater 36 is consumed as the power of the vehicle air conditioner 1, and the compressor 11 and the like are stopped. No power is consumed in the application. Therefore, the power for defrosting is the electric heater 36.
The defrosting power is obtained by multiplying the power consumption of the electric heater 36 per unit time by the sum of the defrosting operation period and the drainage period.

The power for air conditioning after resumption is the power required when the defrosting operation and the air conditioning operation after the drainage period has elapsed and are continuously performed for a predetermined period. The power for air conditioning after resumption is calculated by multiplying the power consumption of the compressor 11 per unit time in the air conditioning operation after resumption, the efficiency deterioration coefficient Ce, and the operating time of the compressor 11 in the air conditioning operation after resumption.

Here, the efficiency deterioration coefficient Ce indicates the degree of decrease in the endothermic capacity of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and is a coefficient that changes according to the amount of water adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Is. As shown in FIG. 7, the efficiency deterioration coefficient Ce is determined so that the larger the integrated heater integrated power Pht, which is the integrated power consumption of the electric heater 36 during the drainage period, the smaller the value.

As described above, the water content estimation unit 70c uses the amount of frost formed on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by the air conditioning operation before the defrosting operation and the total amount of energy input to melt the frost during the defrosting operation. Then, the amount of water adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 at the time of transition to the drainage period is estimated. Specifically, the water content estimation unit 70c calculates the total energy input for melting the frost based on the power consumption of the electric heater 36 during the defrosting operation. When calculating the total energy amount, it is possible to consider the heat dissipation loss due to the wind speed or the like.

Then, the water content estimation unit 70c is the total amount of frost melted during the defrosting operation by dividing the calculated total energy amount by the heat of fusion of ice per unit weight (for example, about 334 kj / kg). The amount of water can be estimated.

In this way, the efficiency deterioration coefficient Ce is determined using the water content estimated by the water content estimation unit 70c. As the amount of water adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 increases, the endothermic capacity of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 decreases, so that the efficiency deterioration coefficient Ce is set to a large value.

The drainage period setting unit 70b has the drainage characteristics of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 so that the required total power is minimized based on the formula for obtaining the required total power from the sum of the defrosting power and the post-restart air conditioning power. Set the drainage period according to. As a result, the endothermic capacity of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be restored in a manner in which waste of power consumption is suppressed, and the efficiency of air conditioning operation after resumption can be improved.

The defrosting operation, the drainage period, and the air-conditioning operation after resumption of the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 configured in this way will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, in step S2, when the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is frosted and it is determined that the defrosting operation is necessary, the defrosting operation is started. As shown in FIG. 8, since the frost Wf adheres to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 at the start of the defrosting operation, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is the lowest. It will be in a state of being.

When the execution of the defrosting operation is started in step S3, the power supply to the electric heater 36 is started, and the heat generated by the electric heater 36 is transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. As a result, as the defrosting operation continues, the frost Wf adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 melts and becomes water Wl as a liquid.

As the defrosting operation progresses, the amount of frost Wf decreases and the amount of water Wl increases on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Further, on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the frost Wf melts to become water Wl, so that the heat exchange efficiency in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 gradually recovers.

When all the frost Wf adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 has melted to become moisture Wl, the defrosting operation is terminated based on the determination process in step S4. Then, in step S5, the drainage period is set so that the total required power is minimized.

When the drainage period is started in step S6, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped with the electric heater 36 generating heat. During the drainage period, gravity acts on the moisture Wl adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that the water drops from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and is drained.

As a result, the moisture Wl adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 gradually decreases, and the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 also recovers as the moisture Wl decreases. I will do it.

In the case shown in FIG. 8, the drainage period is continued until all the moisture Wl adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is drained. Therefore, at the end of the drainage period, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is restored to 100%. Further, since a constant electric power is supplied to the electric heater 36 during the defrosting operation and the drainage period, the longer the defrosting operation and the drainage period, the higher the heater consumption power Ph.

After the drainage period has elapsed, in step S8, the air conditioning operation is restarted in the operation mode before the defrosting operation. Since the heat exchange performance of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 has recovered to 100% with the lapse of the drainage period, it is possible to operate the compressor 11 and the like in the most efficient state in the air conditioning operation after restarting. can. In this case, the power consumption of the compressor 11 related to the air conditioning operation after resumption is referred to as the compressor power consumption Pc.

As shown in FIG. 8, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, by providing a drainage period after the completion of the defrosting operation, the moisture Wl generated by the melting of the frost Wf is transferred to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by gravity. Can be drained from. As a result, all the moisture Wl can be drained from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by elapse of the drainage period, so that the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is restored to 100%. Can be made to.

In addition, when the air conditioning operation is restarted after the end of the drainage period, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is restored to 100%, so that the air conditioning operation after the restart should be executed in the most efficient state. It is possible to keep the power consumption in the air conditioning operation after restarting low.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 suppresses the refreezing of water Wl on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 through the defrosting operation, the drainage period, and the air conditioning operation after resumption, and heat exchange of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of performance.

Next, regarding the defrosting operation, the drainage period, and the air conditioning operation after restarting the vehicle air conditioner 1, the case where the drainage period is terminated before the drainage in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is completed is referred to FIG. I will explain.

Since the state before the start of the defrosting operation is the same as the example shown in FIG. 8, the description thereof will be omitted again. Further, in the compressor consumption power Pc in the air conditioning operation after resumption in FIG. 9, the compressor consumption power Pc in the case of FIG. 8 is shown by a broken line.

Also in this case, when the execution of the defrosting operation is started in step S3, the power supply to the electric heater 36 is started, and the heat generated by the electric heater 36 is transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. As the defrosting operation progresses, the frost Wf melts to become water Wl on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that the heat exchange efficiency in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 gradually recovers. ..

When all the frost Wf adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 has melted to become moisture Wl, the defrosting operation is terminated based on the determination process in step S4. Then, in step S5, the drainage period is set so that the total required power is minimized.

When the drainage period is started in step S6, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped with the electric heater 36 generating heat. During the drainage period, gravity acts on the moisture Wl adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that the water drops from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and is drained.

As a result, the moisture Wl adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 gradually decreases, and the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 also recovers as the moisture Wl decreases. I will do it.

Here, in the case shown in FIG. 9, a case where it is determined that the drainage speed Vd estimated by the drainage speed estimation unit 70d is equal to or less than the reference drainage speed KVd will be described. As mentioned above, when the drainage speed Vd is less than the standard drainage speed KVd, the drainage speed due to gravity is too slow and the drainage period becomes long, so the drainage period is terminated rather than continuing the drainage period. It means that the total required power becomes smaller when the air conditioning operation is restarted.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the drainage speed Vd becomes equal to or lower than the reference drainage speed KVd, the drainage period ends and the air conditioning operation is restarted. In this case, at the end of the drainage period, moisture Wl remains on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 does not recover to 100%, and shows a value lower than 100% depending on the amount of remaining water Wl.

Even in this case, a constant electric power is supplied to the electric heater 36 during the defrosting operation and the drainage period. In the case shown in FIG. 9, since the drainage period is shorter than in the case of FIG. 8 described above, the heater consumption power Ph is also smaller than that in the case of FIG.

When the drainage period is terminated in the middle and the air conditioning operation is restarted by the determination process in step S7, it is assumed that the remaining water Wl may be re-frozen to become ice Wi with the restart of the air conditioning operation. To. Further, since the moisture Wl remains on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, heat is absorbed from the outside air OA, so that the frost Wf derived from the water contained in the outside air OA adheres in addition to the remaining moisture. Is possible. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 decreases from a value lower than 100% at the time of restarting the air conditioning operation with the execution of the air conditioning operation.

Further, at the time of restarting the air conditioning operation in this case, the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 has not recovered to 100%, so that the outside air OA cannot be sufficiently used as a heat source during the air conditioning operation. .. That is, the compressor consumption power Pc in this case requires more power than the compressor consumption power Pc in the case of FIG. 8 shown by the broken line.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the drainage period is terminated in the middle by the determination process of step S7, the heater consumption power Ph in the defrosting operation and the drainage period is smaller than that in the case of FIG. Become. Then, the compressor consumption power Pc in the air conditioning operation after resumption is larger than that in the case of FIG. In this way, when the drainage period ends in the middle due to the determination process in step S7, the heater consumption power Ph and the compressor consumption power Pc fluctuate, so the total required power in this case should be adjusted to be as small as possible. Can be done.

As shown in FIG. 9, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, by providing a drainage period after the completion of the defrosting operation, the moisture Wl generated by the melting of the frost Wf is transferred to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by gravity. Can be drained from. As a result, the moisture Wl can be drained from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by allowing the drainage period to elapse, so that the heat exchange efficiency of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be restored.

Further, when the drainage period is terminated in the middle and the air conditioning operation is restarted by the determination process of S7, the required total power can be reduced as compared with the case where the drainage period is continuously extended. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 suppresses the refreezing of water Wl on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 as much as possible through the defrosting operation, the drainage period, and the air conditioning operation after resumption, and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of heat exchange performance.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, as an operation mode, the blown air is heated by using the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 as a heat source. It is possible to realize a heating mode that blows air into the vehicle interior.

Further, when the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is defrosted by the heat absorption from the outside air OA in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the vehicle air conditioner 1 executes the defrosting operation to heat the electric heater 36. Etc. can be used to melt the attached frost.

Then, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, when the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is melted by the defrosting operation in step S3, a drainage period is provided in step S6, and gravity is used. Therefore, water can be drained from the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43.

Further, in steps S7 to S9, after the drainage period has passed, the air conditioning operation accompanied by endothermic heat from the outside air OA is restarted, so that the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 has a small amount of water generated by melting. Heat is absorbed from the outside air OA. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can prevent the thawed water from refreezing on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and suppresses deterioration of the heat exchange performance of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. can do.

Then, before starting the drainage period, the drainage period is set in step S5. In step S5, the drainage period is determined so that the total required power obtained by adding the power for defrosting and the power for air conditioning after resumption is minimized.

As a result, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, regarding the setting of the drainage period in step S5, the total required power required through the defrosting operation, the drainage period, and the air conditioning operation after restart is set to the minimum. , It is possible to efficiently prevent the refreezing of the thawed water. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can efficiently suppress the deterioration of the heat exchange performance of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and improve the efficiency of the air conditioning operation after restarting.

Further, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, when the drainage speed Vd becomes equal to or less than the reference drainage speed KVd in step S7, the drainage period is terminated and the air conditioning operation is restarted in the operation mode before the defrosting operation. Let me. Here, the slower the drainage rate, the longer it takes to complete the drainage of the moisture adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. Therefore, it is expected that the power consumption of the electric heater 36 during the drainage period will be more than necessary, which will be a factor to increase the required total power.

In this regard, when the drainage speed Vd becomes equal to or less than the reference drainage speed KVd in step S7, the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 can increase the required total power as much as possible in order to end the drainage period and restart the air-conditioning operation. It can be suppressed and the refreezing of the thawed water can be efficiently prevented.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner 1 stops the operation of the outside air fan 19a and closes the shutter device 55 during the defrosting operation and drainage period of step S3, so that the outside air OA flows into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. To limit.

By limiting the inflow of outside air OA into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, it is possible to prevent the heat transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 from being taken away by the outside air OA during the defrosting operation and the drainage period. Can be done. In other words, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can effectively utilize the heat transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 by reducing the influence of the inflow of outside air OA during the defrosting operation and the drainage period. ..

Further, the vehicle air conditioner 1 allows the outside air fan 19a to operate during the drainage period when the moisture adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is in a state where drainage can be promoted. At the same time, the shutter device 55 is controlled to be in an open state.

In this case, since the inflow of outside air into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is allowed during the drainage period, the moisture adhering to the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is caused by the outside air fan 19a in addition to gravity. The flow of blown air acts. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can shorten the drainage period and reduce the total required power by allowing the inflow of outside air.

Further, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, when setting the drainage period in step S5, the amount of heat input to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 during the defrosting operation and the time required for the defrosting operation are used on the low temperature side. The amount of water adhering to the outside air heat exchanger 43 is estimated. Since the vehicle air conditioner 1 sets the drainage period according to the estimated water content, it is possible to appropriately set the drainage period according to the adhesion state of water in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. ..

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment different from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is different from that in the first embodiment. Since the configurations of the heating unit 30, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the like constituting the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted again.

As shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment includes a refrigeration cycle device 10, a high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, a low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, a device side heat medium circuit 50, and an indoor air conditioner unit 60. Etc. are provided.

The refrigerating cycle device 10 according to the second embodiment has a function of cooling the blown air blown into the vehicle interior in order to air-condition the vehicle interior, and heats the high-temperature side heat medium circulating in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 31. Fulfill the function of Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 functions to cool the low temperature side heat medium circulating in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in order to cool the battery B.

Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 is configured to be able to switch, for example, a refrigerant circuit in a cooling mode, a refrigerant circuit in a dehumidifying / heating mode, a refrigerant circuit in a heating mode, and the like. Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 can switch between an operation mode in which the battery B is cooled and an operation mode in which the battery B is not cooled in each operation mode for air conditioning.

As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a compressor 11, a heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, a heating expansion valve 14c, a cooling expansion valve 14d, and a cooling expansion valve 14e. A composite heat exchanger 25, an air conditioning evaporator 15, a chiller 16 and the like are connected.

The compressor 11 sucks in the refrigerant in the refrigerating cycle device 10, compresses it, and discharges it. As the compressor 11 according to the second embodiment, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be adopted. The inlet side of the refrigerant passage 12a of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11.

The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 has a refrigerant passage 12a and a heat medium passage 12b, as in the first embodiment. The heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 can heat the high temperature side heat medium by exchanging heat between the high pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 12a and the high temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 12b.

The inlet side of the first connection portion 13a of the three-way joint structure having three inflow outlets communicating with each other is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage 12a of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12. Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 includes a second connection portion 13b to a sixth connection portion 13f, as will be described later. The basic configuration of these second connection portions 13b to sixth connection portion 13f is the same as that of the first connection portion 13a.

The inlet side of the heating expansion valve 14c is connected to one of the outlets of the first connection portion 13a. One inlet side of the second connecting portion 13b is connected to the other outlet of the first connecting portion 13a via the refrigerant bypass passage 22a. A dehumidifying on-off valve 17a is arranged in the refrigerant bypass passage 22a.

The dehumidifying on-off valve 17a is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the refrigerant bypass passage 22a that connects the other outlet side of the first connection portion 13a and the one inlet side of the second connection portion 13b. Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 includes a heating on-off valve 17b, as will be described later. The basic configuration of the heating on-off valve 17b is the same as that of the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a.

The dehumidifying on-off valve 17a and the heating on-off valve 17b can switch the refrigerant circuit of each operation mode by opening and closing the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a and the heating on-off valve 17b are refrigerant circuit switching units for switching the refrigerant circuit of the cycle. The operation of the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a and the heating on-off valve 17b is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

The heating expansion valve 14c reduces the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant passage 12a of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 at least in the operation mode of heating the vehicle interior, and the flow rate (mass flow rate) of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side. ) Is a decompression unit for heating. The heating expansion valve 14c has the same configuration as the first expansion valve 14a and the like in the first embodiment.

Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 includes a cooling expansion valve 14d and a cooling expansion valve 14e, as will be described later. The basic configuration of the cooling expansion valve 14d and the cooling expansion valve 14e is the same as that of the heating expansion valve 14c.

The heating expansion valve 14c, the cooling expansion valve 14d, and the cooling expansion valve 14e have a fully open function and a fully closed function, respectively. Therefore, the heating expansion valve 14c, the cooling expansion valve 14d, and the cooling expansion valve 14e also have a function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is connected to the outlet of the heating expansion valve 14c. The outdoor heat exchanger 19 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out from the heating expansion valve 14c and the outside air blown from the outside air fan 19a. The outdoor heat exchanger 19 is arranged on the front side in the drive unit room. Therefore, when the vehicle is running, the running wind can be applied to the outdoor heat exchanger 19. The outdoor heat exchanger 19 corresponds to an example of an outside air heat exchanger.

The outdoor heat exchanger 19 functions as a radiator that dissipates heat from the high-pressure refrigerant in the cooling mode or the like. Further, in the heating mode or the like, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 functions as an evaporator that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the heating expansion valve 14c. The outside air fan 19a of the second embodiment is arranged so as to blow outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 19.

The inlet side of the third connecting portion 13c is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 19. One inflow port side of the fourth connection portion 13d is connected to one outflow port of the third connection portion 13c via a heating passage 22b. A heating on-off valve 17b for opening and closing the refrigerant passage is arranged in the heating passage 22b.

The other inlet side of the second connecting portion 13b is connected to the other outlet of the third connecting portion 13c. A check valve 18 is arranged in the refrigerant passage connecting the other outlet side of the third connecting portion 13c and the other inlet side of the second connecting portion 13b. The check valve 18 allows the refrigerant to flow from the third connection portion 13c side to the second connection portion 13b side, and prohibits the refrigerant from flowing from the second connection portion 13b side to the third connection portion 13c side.

The inlet side of the fifth connecting portion 13e is connected to the outlet of the second connecting portion 13b. The inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 14d is connected to one of the outlets of the fifth connection portion 13e. The inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 14e is connected to the other outlet of the fifth connection portion 13e.

The cooling expansion valve 14d is a cooling pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that has passed through the fifth connection portion 13e and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out to the downstream side at least in the operation mode for cooling the vehicle interior.

The refrigerant inlet side of the air conditioning evaporator 15 is connected to the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 14d. The air-conditioning evaporator 15 exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 14d and the blown air blown from the blower 62 to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant, thereby causing the low-pressure refrigerant to exert a heat absorbing action. Cool the blown air.

The cooling expansion valve 14e is a cooling pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that has passed through the fifth connection portion 13e and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out to the downstream side at least in the operation mode for cooling the battery B.

The inlet side of the refrigerant passage 16a of the chiller 16 is connected to the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 14e. The chiller 16 has a refrigerant passage 16a for circulating a low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by a cooling expansion valve 14e, and a heat medium passage 16b for circulating a low-temperature side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40. ..

The chiller 16 is an evaporator that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage 16a and the low-temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 16b to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant and exert a heat absorbing action. The other inlet side of the sixth connecting portion 13f is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage 16a of the chiller 16.

The inlet side of the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 20 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the air-conditioning evaporator 15. The evaporation pressure adjusting valve 20 functions to maintain the refrigerant evaporation pressure in the air conditioning evaporator 15 at a predetermined reference pressure or higher in order to suppress the frost formation of the air conditioning evaporator 15. The evaporation pressure adjusting valve 20 is composed of a mechanical variable throttle mechanism that increases the valve opening degree as the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the air-conditioning evaporator 15 rises.

As a result, the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 20 maintains the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the air-conditioning evaporator 15 at a frost formation suppression temperature (1 ° C. in the present embodiment) that can suppress frost formation in the air-conditioning evaporator 15. ing. One inflow port side of the sixth connecting portion 13f is connected to the outlet of the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 20. The other inlet side of the fourth connecting portion 13d is connected to the outlet of the sixth connecting portion 13f.

The inlet side of the accumulator 21 is connected to the outlet of the fourth connecting portion 13d. The accumulator 21 is a gas-liquid separator that separates the air-liquid of the refrigerant that has flowed into the inside and stores the surplus liquid-phase refrigerant in the cycle. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the gas phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 21.

As is clear from the above description, the fifth connection portion 13e functions as a branch portion for branching the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the composite heat exchanger 25. Further, the sixth connection portion 13f is a merging portion that merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the air-conditioning evaporator 15 and the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the chiller 16 and causes them to flow out to the suction side of the compressor 11.

The air-conditioning evaporator 15 and the chiller 16 are connected in parallel to each other with respect to the refrigerant flow. Further, the refrigerant bypass passage 22a guides the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant passage of the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12 to the upstream side of the branch portion. The heating passage 22b guides the refrigerant flowing out of the composite heat exchanger 25 to the suction port side of the compressor 11.

As described above, the heating unit 30 according to the second embodiment is composed of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side pump 32, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side outside air heat exchange. It has a vessel 34, a high temperature side flow control valve 35, an electric heater 36, and the like.

Further, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 according to the second embodiment has the low temperature side pump 41, the heat exchange unit 42 for equipment, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44, as in the first embodiment. It has a heat medium circuit 50 on the device side. The device-side heat medium circuit 50 according to the second embodiment includes a heat-generating device 51, a device bypass flow path 52, a device-side pump 53, a device-side three-way valve 54, and the like. Therefore, the control device 70 can perform the same control as that of the first embodiment with respect to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50 according to the second embodiment.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner according to the second embodiment will be described. The vehicle air-conditioning device 1 is configured so that the refrigerant circuit can be switched in order to air-condition the interior of the vehicle and cool the battery B.

Specifically, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be switched to a heating mode refrigerant circuit, a cooling mode refrigerant circuit, a dehumidifying heating mode refrigerant circuit, and the like in order to air-condition the interior of the vehicle. These operation modes are switched by executing an air conditioning control program stored in the control device 70 in advance.

The air conditioning control program is executed when the auto switch of the operation panel 71 is turned on (ON). In the air conditioning control program, the operation mode is switched based on the detection signals of various control sensors and the operation signals of the operation panel.

In the second embodiment, the first heating mode can be mentioned as one of the operation modes for heating the blown air by using the outside air OA as a heat source. In the first heating mode, heat is absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 arranged in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and pumped up in the refrigeration cycle to heat the blown air on the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 side. Use for. In other words, the first heating mode has the same configuration as the heating mode in the first embodiment.

Specifically, in the first heating mode, the control device 70 fully closes the heating expansion valve 14c and the cooling expansion valve 14d, and puts the cooling expansion valve 14e in a throttled state. Further, the control device 70 opens the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a and closes the heating on-off valve 17b.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the first heating mode, the refrigerant is the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a, the cooling expansion valve 14e, the chiller 16, the accumulator 21, and the compressor 11. It flows in the order of and circulates.

Further, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the first heating mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, and the electric heater 36 so as to be in a state suitable for the first heating mode. do. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows and circulates.

Further, regarding the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the first heating mode, the control device 70 adjusts the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side flow rate so that the circulation path of the low temperature side heat medium is in a state suitable for the first heating mode. Controls the valve 44. As a result, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the low temperature side heat medium circulates in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 16, the low temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 44, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the low temperature side pump 41.

Then, regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the first heating mode, the control device 70 sets the device-side pump 53 and the device-side three-way valve 54 so that the circulation path of the heat medium is in a state suitable for the first heating mode. Control. As a result, the heat medium of the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 circulates in the order of the equipment side pump 53, the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 54, the equipment bypass flow path 52, and the equipment side pump 53.

As described above, according to the first heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is pumped up by the refrigeration cycle device 10 and is pumped into the vehicle interior. It can be used as a heat source to heat the blown air blown to.

Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the second heating mode can be executed as one of the operation modes for heating the blown air by using the outside air OA as a heat source. In the second heating mode, heat is absorbed from the outside air OA by the outdoor heat exchanger 19 and used for heating the blown air on the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 side.

Specifically, in the second heating mode, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 14c in the throttle state and the cooling expansion valve 14d and the cooling expansion valve 14e in the fully closed state. Further, the control device 70 opens the heating on-off valve 17b and closes the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the first heating mode, the refrigerants are the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 14c, the outdoor heat exchanger 19, the heating on-off valve 17b, the accumulator 21, and so on. It flows in the order of the compressor 11 and circulates.

Further, regarding the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 in the second heating mode, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, and the electric heater 36 so as to be in a state suitable for the second heating mode. do. As a result, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the high temperature side heat medium is in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side pump 32. It flows and circulates.

Then, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 according to the second heating mode, the refrigerant does not circulate through the cooling expansion valve 14e and the chiller 16. Therefore, regarding the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the second heating mode, the control device 70 stops the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 so that the circulation of the low temperature side heat medium is stopped.

Regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the second heating mode, the control device 70 controls the device-side pump 53 and the device-side three-way valve 54 so that the circulation path of the heat medium is in a state suitable for the second heating mode. .. As a result, the heat medium of the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 circulates in the order of the equipment side pump 53, the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 54, the equipment bypass flow path 52, and the equipment side pump 53.

As described above, according to the second heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is a heat source for heating the blown air blown into the vehicle interior. Can be used as.

As described above, in the first heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1, the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 absorbs heat from the outside air, and the heat absorbed from the outside air is used for heating the interior of the vehicle. On the other hand, in the second heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 absorbs heat from the outside air, and the heat absorbed from the outside air is used for heating the interior of the vehicle.

Therefore, in the first heating mode when the outside air is low temperature and high humidity, frost is formed on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 of the composite heat exchanger 25, and the heat exchange performance in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is generated. Will be reduced. On the other hand, in the second heating mode when the outside air is low temperature and high humidity, frost is formed on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 19, which deteriorates the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 19.

Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 and the defrosting operation for the outdoor heat exchanger 19 are performed. First, the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 will be described.

In the case of the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the control device 70 first stops the operation of the compressor 11. As a result, the circulation of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 10 is stopped, so that the progress of frost formation in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be suppressed.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the control device 70 heats the electric heater 36 to heat the high temperature side heat medium. Then, the control device 70 controls the high temperature side pump 32 and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 so as to have a circulation path suitable for the defrosting operation.

As a result, in the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the high temperature side heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 is the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, and the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve. It flows and circulates in the order of 35, the electric heater 36, the heater core 33, and the high temperature side pump 32. At the same time, the high temperature side heat medium flows and circulates in the order of the high temperature side pump 32, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, and the high temperature side pump 32.

As a result, the high temperature side heat medium heated by the electric heater 36 flows through the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34, so that the electric heater 36 is passed through the heat exchange fins 25f of the composite heat exchanger 25. The heat can be transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. That is, the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be melted and defrosted by using the electric heater 36 as a heat source.

Then, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the control device 70 has the low temperature side pump 41 and the low temperature side so as to be in a mode suitable for this defrosting operation. The flow control valve 44 is controlled. Specifically, the control device 70 stops the operation of the low temperature side pump 41, communicates the inflow outlet on the chiller 16 side with the inflow outlet on the equipment heat exchange unit 42 side, and communicates the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. The low temperature side flow control valve 44 is controlled so as to close the inflow port on the side.

Further, regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 for the defrosting operation for the low-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the control device 70 operates the device-side pump 53. At the same time, the control device 70 communicates the inflow port on the heat generating device 51 side with the inflow port on the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and closes the inflow port on the device bypass flow path 52 side. To control.

As a result, in the device-side heat medium circuit 50, the heat medium flows and circulates in the order of the device-side pump 53, the heat-generating device 51, the device-side three-way valve 54, the low-temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the device-side pump 53. As a result, the heat medium heated by the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 flows into the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, so that the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be transferred to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. can. That is, the frost adhering to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be melted and defrosted by using the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 as a heat source.

Further, in the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the control device 70 stops the operation of the outside air fan 19a, lowers the opening degree of the shutter device 55, and closes the temperature. The amount of outside air OA flowing into the side outside air heat exchanger 43 is controlled to be minimized. As a result, the heat is less likely to be taken away by the outside air OA, so that the heat applied to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be efficiently used for melting the frost.

That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment is the first by executing the same contents as the control program shown in FIG. 5 regarding the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43. It has the same effect as the embodiment.

Next, the defrosting operation for the outdoor heat exchanger 19 will be described. As the defrosting operation for the outdoor heat exchanger 19, the hot gas defrosting mode is adopted in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment. The hot gas defrosting mode is an operation mode in which defrosting is performed by raising the temperature of the gas phase refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 19 by the compression work of the compressor 11 or the like.

In the hot gas defrosting mode, the control device 70 closes the dehumidifying on-off valve 17a and opens the heating on-off valve 17b. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 14c in a throttled state and closes the cooling expansion valve 14d and the cooling expansion valve 14e in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the hot gas defrosting mode, the refrigerants are the compressor 11, the heat medium refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 14c, the outdoor heat exchanger 19, the heating on-off valve 17b, and the like. The accumulator 21 and the compressor 11 flow in this order and circulate.

Further, in the hot gas defrosting mode, the control device 70 keeps both the low temperature side pump 41 and the high temperature side pump 32 stopped. Further, even in the hot gas defrosting mode, the control device 70 stops the operation of the outside air fan 19a, lowers the opening degree of the shutter device 55, and puts it in a closed state, so that the outside air with respect to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is obtained. Control so that the inflow of OA is minimized.

Therefore, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 19 with almost no heat dissipation. Therefore, the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant applied by the compression work of the compressor 11 can be transferred to the outdoor heat exchanger 19, and the outdoor heat exchanger 19 can be defrosted.

In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, even when the hot gas defrosting operation targeting the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is completed, drainage is performed as in the case of targeting the low temperature side outdoor air heat exchanger 43. Set the period.

As a result, the water melted by the hot gas defrosting is drained from the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 by gravity, so that it adheres to the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 after the defrosting operation and the drainage period have elapsed. It can be in a state of low water content.

Even when the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is targeted, after the defrosting operation and the drainage period have elapsed, the air conditioning operation accompanied by endothermic heat from the outside air OA is restarted, so that the water generated by melting is small. , The heat is absorbed from the outside air OA in the outdoor heat exchanger 19. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment can prevent the thawed water from refreezing on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 19, and the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is deteriorated. Can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, even if the configuration of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is different, the operation obtained from the same configuration and operation as the above-described embodiment. The effect can be obtained in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

Further, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, even when the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is defrosted, a drainage period is provided after the defrosting operation is completed, and the air conditioning operation is performed after the drainage period has elapsed. Resume. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 can also prevent the refreezing of the thawed water due to the defrosting, and the heat exchange of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 can be prevented. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of performance.

(Other embodiments)
Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, during the defrosting operation for the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped and the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 is set to 0. It is not limited to this aspect. If the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 when defrosting the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is lower than that during the air conditioning operation, the compressor 11 may be operated during the defrosting operation. It is possible. With such a configuration, the controllability of the compressor 11 can be improved.

(2) Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 are thermally joined by the heat exchange fins 25f to form a composite. The mold heat exchanger 25 was configured, but is not limited to this aspect. For example, the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 can be configured as independent outside air heat exchangers. In this case, as a method of transferring heat from the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 to the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, the air flowing between the high temperature side outside air heat exchanger 34 and the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is used. May be.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, when setting the drainage period in step S5, the drainage period is set so that the total required power including the power for defrosting and the power for air conditioning after resumption is minimized. It is not limited to this aspect. The length of the drainage period can be set to a length predetermined by the design point of the vehicle air conditioner 1, an experiment, or the like.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, in the determination process of step S2 or step S4, the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium on the outlet side of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43 is detected by the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 74e. Although it has been used, it is not limited to this aspect. For example, a thermistor may be arranged on the surface of the low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 43, and the determination process may be performed using the thermistor.

(5) Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the electric heater 36 is configured to be turned off when the air conditioning operation is restarted after the elapse of the drainage period. It is not limited to the embodiment. It is also possible to control the output of the electric heater 36 to gradually decrease with the passage of time when the air conditioning operation is restarted. This makes it possible to improve the controllability of the blowout temperature in the air conditioning operation after restarting.

(6) In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50 of the above-described embodiment, the high temperature side flow rate adjusting valve 35 or the like is configured to switch the circulation path of the heat medium. A three-way flow rate control valve has been adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 31 or the like, various configurations can be adopted as long as the circulation path of the heat medium can be switched. For example, a plurality of shut valves or the like may be combined, or two three-way flow rates may be used. A five-way valve that integrates the functions of the control valve may be adopted.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the heat medium of the heat medium circuit has been described, but the heat medium is not limited to this. For example, dimethylpolysiloxane, a solution containing nanofluid or the like, an antifreeze solution or the like can be adopted as a heat medium.

1 Air conditioner for vehicles 10 Refrigeration cycle device 11 Compressor 12 Heat medium Refrigerant heat exchanger 30 Heating unit 43 Low temperature side outside air heat exchanger 70 Control device 70a Defrost execution unit 70b Drainage period setting unit 70e Operation control unit

Claims (6)

A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant,
It has a heating heat exchanger (12) that condenses the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor during the heating operation to heat the air-conditioned space, and blows air blown to the air-conditioned space using the high-pressure refrigerant as a heat source. The heating unit (30) to be heated and
An outside air heat exchanger (25X) having an outside air heat exchanger (19, 43) that absorbs heat from the outside air during the heating operation.
It has a control unit (70) and
The control unit
A defrosting execution unit (70a) that executes a defrosting operation that melts the frost adhering to the outside air heat exchanger by the heat from the heat source, and
A drainage period setting unit (70b) that sets a drainage period for draining the moisture generated by the melting of frost due to the defrosting operation from the surface of the outside air heat exchanger by utilizing the gravity acting on the moisture.
An air conditioner having an operation control unit (70e) for resuming an air conditioning operation accompanied by endothermic heat from the outside air in the outside air heat exchanger when the drainage period set by the drainage period setting unit has elapsed. The drainage period setting unit (70b) is used for the defrosting power required for the defrosting operation and the operation of the heat source device (36) which is the heat source during the drainage period, and the air conditioning when the operation is restarted after the defrosting operation. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the drainage period is set so that the total required power, which is the sum of the power required for operation, is the smallest. The drainage period setting unit (70b) determines the drainage period when the drainage speed (Vd) from the surface of the outside air heat exchanger using gravity becomes slower than the predetermined reference drainage speed (KVd). The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air conditioner is terminated. The control unit (70) limits the inflow of the outside air to the outside air heat exchanger in order to prevent the water from refreezing due to heat exchange with the outside air during the defrosting operation and the drainage period. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which has an adjustment control unit (70f). It has an outside air blower (19a) that blows the outside air to the outside air heat exchanger.
The inflow adjustment control unit (70f) is the outside air by the outside air blower during the drainage period when the state of the moisture adhering to the outside air heat exchanger is in a state where drainage can be promoted during the drainage period. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the outside air is allowed to flow into the heat exchanger. The drainage period setting unit (70b) uses the amount of heat input to the outside air heat exchanger during the defrosting operation and the time required for the defrosting operation to determine the amount of water adhering to the outside air heat exchanger. Has a water content estimation unit (70c) for estimating
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drainage period is set according to the water content estimated by the water content estimation unit.

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