JP7501260B2 - vehicle - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to vehicles.

In an electric vehicle, the motor is cooled by circulating cooling water through the motor, which is the power source of the electric vehicle. Therefore, an electric vehicle is equipped with a radiator for cooling the motor's cooling water. On the other hand, when comparing an electric vehicle with an engine vehicle, the amount of heat generated by the motor, which is the power source of the electric vehicle, is less than the amount of heat generated by the engine, which is the power source of the engine vehicle. Therefore, the amount of air to be supplied to the radiator for cooling the motor's cooling water is less than the amount of air to be supplied to the radiator for cooling the engine's cooling water. Therefore, in a conventional electric vehicle, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, the opening degree of the grill opening for introducing air in front of the vehicle to the radiator may be set smaller than the opening degree of the grill opening of an engine vehicle. Specifically, in the vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the grill opening is formed so as to face only the lower half of the radiator. In this vehicle, a duct is formed to guide the air introduced from the grill opening to the radiator. The duct is formed so that its flow path cross-sectional area gradually expands from the grill opening toward the radiator. By making the grill opening smaller, as in the vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle can be improved, making it possible to extend the vehicle's cruising range, etc.

DE 10 2018 214 105 A1

However, in the duct described in Patent Document 1, the pressure in the vertical direction is likely to be higher in the parts farther from the grill opening than in the parts closer to the grill opening. As a result, the volume of air flowing through the parts of the radiator farther from the grill opening is less than the volume of air flowing through the parts closer to the grill opening. This variation in the distribution of air volume is undesirable because it reduces the heat exchange efficiency of the radiator.

This disclosure has been made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle that can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

The vehicle that solves the above problem includes a heat exchanger (5, 6, 10, 11) that exchanges heat with air introduced from a grill opening (2), an opening/closing device (8) that can change the volume of air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening and closing an opening/closing part (51), and a control part (82) that controls the opening/closing device. The opening area of the grill opening is smaller than the frontal projection area of the heat exchanger. The opening/closing device has, as the opening/closing part, a first opening/closing part (512) that opens and closes a first portion (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing part (511) that opens and closes a second portion (A11, A12) of the opening/closing device that is farther from the grill opening than the first portion. The heat exchanger includes an outdoor heat exchanger (10) having a radiator (11) for exchanging heat between air and a coolant for cooling a first heating element of the vehicle, a first heat exchange section (10A) for exchanging heat between air and a refrigerant circulating in a heat pump device (30), and a second heat exchange section (10B) for exchanging heat between air and a coolant for cooling a second heating element different from the first heating element. In the outdoor heat exchanger, the first heat exchange section is disposed opposite a first portion of the opening/closing device, and the second heat exchange section is disposed opposite a second portion of the opening/closing device. The control section operates the first opening/closing section and the second opening/closing section so that the opening degree of the first portion is smaller than the opening degree of the second portion , and when cooling of the second heating element is not required, sets the first opening/closing section to an open state and sets the second opening/closing section to a closed state .
Another vehicle that solves the above problem includes a heat exchanger (5, 6, 10, 11) that exchanges heat with air introduced from a grill opening (2), an opening/closing device (8) that can change the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening and closing an opening/closing part (51), and a control part (82) that controls the opening/closing device. The opening area of the grill opening is smaller than the front projection area of the heat exchanger. The opening/closing device has, as the opening/closing part, a first opening/closing part (512) that opens and closes a first part (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing part (511) that opens and closes a second part (A11, A12) of the opening/closing device that is farther from the grill opening than the first part. The heat exchanger has an outdoor heat exchanger (6) that exchanges heat between a refrigerant circulating in a heat pump device (30) and air. The control unit operates the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first unit is smaller than the opening degree of the second unit, and when the outdoor heat exchanger in the heat pump device is operating as a heat sink that absorbs heat of the air into the refrigerant, alternately switches between a first state in which the first opening/closing unit is set to a closed state and the second opening/closing unit is set to an open state, and a second state in which the first opening/closing unit is set to an open state and the second opening/closing unit is set to a closed state.

In this configuration, the opening degree of the first portion of the opening/closing device is smaller than the opening degree of the second portion, so that air flows more easily through the second portion of the opening/closing device than through the first portion. This makes it possible to change the air pressure in the portion of the heat exchanger that is located near the grill opening in a higher direction, while changing the air pressure in the portion that is located farther from the grill opening in a lower direction. By partially changing the air pressure by varying the opening degree of the opening/closing device in this way, it is possible to reduce the bias in air pressure caused by the position of the grill opening. As a result, it is possible to reduce the variation in the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger, thereby making it possible to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

Note that the symbols in parentheses in the above means and claims are examples showing the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below.

The vehicle disclosed herein makes it possible to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cooling circuit and the heat pump device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the shutter device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the vehicle of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed by the thermal system ECU of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to the second embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing schematic configurations of vehicles according to the third and fourth embodiments. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic front structure of the radiator according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to the sixth embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated description will be omitted.
First Embodiment
The vehicle C shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called electric vehicle that runs using a motor as a power source. A grill opening 2 is provided in front of a body 1 of the vehicle C. The grill opening 2 is provided to supply air in front of the vehicle body 1 to a radiator 5 and an exterior heat exchanger 6. The air introduced from the grill opening 2 is supplied to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 through an air guide duct 4. The radiator 5 is a component of a cooling circuit for cooling a power unit of the vehicle C, and dissipates heat from the cooling water by exchanging heat between the cooling water circulating in the cooling circuit and the air introduced from the grill opening 2. The power unit includes a motor that is a power source of the vehicle C, as well as a battery and an inverter device for driving the motor. The exterior heat exchanger 6 is a component of a heat pump device provided in an air conditioning device mounted on the vehicle C, and operates as a condenser or a heat absorber by exchanging heat between the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device and the air introduced from the grill opening 2. The radiator 5 is disposed in front of the exterior heat exchanger 6. A blower 7 is provided downstream in the air flow direction of the exterior heat exchanger 6. The blower 7 is provided to supply air to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6, for example, when the vehicle C is stopped. In this embodiment, the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 correspond to the heat exchanger.

A shutter device 8 is disposed facing the radiator 5 in front of the vehicle. The shutter device 8 is configured to be switchable between an open state in which air introduced from the grill opening 2 can flow to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6, and a closed state in which air flow to these is blocked. The shutter device 8 improves the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C by closing the state when the vehicle C is traveling at high speed, for example. In this embodiment, the shutter device 8 corresponds to an opening and closing device.

Next, a schematic configuration of a cooling circuit in which the radiator 5 is used and a heat pump device in which the exterior heat exchanger 6 is used will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling circuit 20 includes a radiator 5, a pump 21, and a heating element 22. In the cooling circuit 20, a coolant circulates through these elements. The radiator 5 cools the coolant by exchanging heat between the coolant flowing inside the radiator 5 and the air flowing outside the radiator 5. The pump 21 sucks in the coolant cooled by the radiator 5 and discharges it to the heating element 22. The coolant circulates through the cooling circuit 20 by driving the pump 21. The pump 21 is an electric pump that is driven based on the supply of electric power. The heating element 22 includes a motor 220, an inverter device 221, a battery 222, and the like that constitute a power unit of the vehicle C. The inverter device 221 converts DC power charged in the battery 222 into AC power and supplies it to the motor 220, and also converts AC power generated by the regenerative operation of the motor 220 into DC power and charges the battery 222. Cooling water discharged from the pump 21 flows through the motor 220, the inverter device 221, and the battery 222. This cooling water absorbs heat from the motor 220, etc., thereby cooling them. The cooling water, whose temperature has increased by absorbing the heat from the motor 220, etc., is supplied to the radiator 5 and is cooled again.

The heat pump device 30 is a component of the air conditioning device 40 of the vehicle C. The heat pump device 30 is provided with an exterior heat exchanger 6, a water-cooled condenser 31, and an evaporator 32. In the heat pump device 30, a refrigerant circulates through these elements. The heat pump device 30 achieves cooling and heating of the vehicle interior by changing the refrigerant flow state when the air conditioning device 40 is operating in a cooling mode and when the air conditioning device 40 is operating in a heating mode.

Specifically, when the air conditioner 40 is operating in cooling mode, the heat pump device 30 circulates the refrigerant through the exterior heat exchanger 6 and the evaporator 32. At this time, the exterior heat exchanger 6 operates as a condenser. That is, the exterior heat exchanger 6 cools the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside it and the air flowing outside it. The high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant generated by cooling in the exterior heat exchanger 6 is reduced in pressure through a pressure reducing valve provided in the heat pump device 30, transitioning to a low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant, and then supplied to the evaporator 32. The evaporator 32 cools the air in the air conditioning duct 41 by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside it and the air flowing through the air conditioning duct 41 of the air conditioner 40. The air is blown into the vehicle cabin through the air conditioning duct 41 to cool the vehicle cabin. In the evaporator 32, the low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant transitions to a low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant through heat exchange with the air. This low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant is compressed by a pump provided in the heat pump device 30, transitioning to a high-temperature, high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant, and is then supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 where it is cooled again.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner 40 is operating in the heating mode, the heat pump device 30 circulates the refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and the water-cooled condenser 31. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat absorber. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 6 heats the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside it and the air flowing outside it. The low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant generated by heating by the outdoor heat exchanger 6 transitions to a high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant through a pump provided in the heat pump device 30, and is then supplied to the water-cooled condenser 31. The water-cooled condenser 31 heats the coolant by exchanging heat between the high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant supplied from the heat pump device 30 and the coolant flowing through the coolant circuit 42 of the air conditioner 40. In addition to the water-cooled condenser 31, the coolant circuit 42 is provided with a heater core 43 of the air conditioner 40 and a pump 44. The pump 44 circulates the coolant in the coolant circuit 42. The heater core 43 heats the air flowing through the air conditioning duct 41 by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing inside the heater core 43 and the air flowing through the air conditioning duct 41. This air is blown into the vehicle cabin through the air conditioning duct 41 to heat the vehicle cabin. In the water-cooled condenser 31, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas phase refrigerant transitions to a high-pressure liquid phase refrigerant through heat exchange with the cooling water. This high-pressure liquid phase refrigerant transitions to a low-pressure liquid phase refrigerant by being reduced in pressure through a pressure reducing valve provided in the heat pump device 30, and is then supplied to the exterior heat exchanger 6 where it is heated again.

Next, the schematic configuration of the shutter device 8 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the shutter device 8 includes a frame 50 , a plurality of blades 51 , and a motor 52 .
The frame 50 has a frame main body 500 formed in a rectangular frame shape, and vertical frame reinforcing parts 501 and horizontal frame reinforcing parts 502 arranged in a cross shape inside the frame main body 500. Air introduced from the grill opening 2 shown in Figure 1 flows in the space inside the frame main body 500 in the direction indicated by arrow Y.

Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction X of the frame main body 500 will also be referred to as the left-right direction, and the lateral direction Z of the frame main body 500 will also be referred to as the up-down direction. In addition, the direction indicated by the arrow Y perpendicular to both the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z will also be referred to as the "air flow direction Y."
The vertical frame reinforcement parts 501 are provided to reinforce the frame main body part 500. The horizontal frame reinforcement parts 502 are provided to reinforce the frame main body part 500 and to hold the blade 51. The vertical frame reinforcement parts 501 and the horizontal frame reinforcement parts 502 divide the space inside the frame main body part 500 into four opening areas A11 to A14.

In the following, of the four opening areas A11 to A14, the two opening areas A11 and A12 located above the horizontal frame reinforcement section 502 are referred to as the "upper opening areas A11 and A12," and the two opening areas A13 and A14 located below the horizontal frame reinforcement section 502 are referred to as the "lower opening areas A13 and A14."

As shown in FIG. 1, approximately the lower half of the lower opening areas A13 and A14 is positioned to face the grill opening 2. The opening area of the grill opening 2 is smaller than the frontal projection area of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6. In this embodiment, the lower opening areas A13 and A14 correspond to the first portion. The upper opening areas A11 and A12 correspond to the second portion that is farther from the grill opening 2 than the first portion.

The upper part 5a of the radiator 5 and the upper part 6a of the exterior heat exchanger 6 are arranged to face the upper opening areas A11, A12 of the shutter device 8. The lower part 5b, which is the part of the radiator 5 excluding the upper part 5a, and the lower part 6b, which is the part of the exterior heat exchanger 6 excluding the upper part 6a, are arranged to face the lower opening areas A13, A14 of the shutter device 8. Note that the two-dot chain line drawn on the radiator 5 in FIG. 1 indicates the boundary between the upper part 5a and the lower part 5b of the radiator 5. Similarly, the two-dot chain line drawn on the exterior heat exchanger 6 indicates the boundary between the upper part 6a and the lower part 6b of the exterior heat exchanger 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blades 51 are arranged in the four opening regions A11 to A14 of the frame 50. In the four opening regions A11 to A14, the blades 51 are arranged so that their longitudinal direction is in the vertical direction Z, and are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction X. Hereinafter, for convenience, the blades 51 arranged in the upper opening regions A11 and A12 of the frame main body 500 are referred to as "upper blades 511," and the blades 51 arranged in the lower opening regions A13 and A14 are referred to as "lower blades 512." In this embodiment, the blades 51 correspond to the opening/closing section, the lower blades 512 correspond to the first opening/closing section, and the upper blades 511 correspond to the second opening/closing section.

The motor 52 is fixed to one end of the upper surface of the frame main body 500 by a screw or the like. The motor 52 rotates the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 by applying a rotational force to the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 via a link mechanism (not shown). The shutter device 8 of this embodiment is capable of independently controlling the opening degree of each of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512.

In this shutter device 8, when the upper blades 511 and the lower blades 512 are open, a gap is formed between the upper blades 511 and between the lower blades 512, and air introduced from the grill opening 2 is supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through the gaps. On the other hand, when the upper blades 511 and the lower blades 512 are closed, the gaps between the blades 511 and 512 are closed, and the supply of air to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is blocked. In addition, by independently controlling the opening degree of each of the upper blades 511 and the lower blades 512, it is possible to individually adjust the amount of air supplied to the upper part 5a and the lower part 5b of the radiator 5 shown in FIG. 1, and the amount of air supplied to the upper part 6a and the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.

Next, the electrical configuration of the vehicle C will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle C is provided with various sensors 60 for detecting the running state, the state of the cooling circuit 20, the state of the heat pump device 30, the environmental state inside and outside the vehicle C, and the like. The sensors 60 include an outside air temperature sensor 61, a vehicle speed sensor 62, a refrigerant pressure sensor 63, a water temperature sensor 64, an inside air temperature sensor 65, an outside air temperature sensor 66, and the like. The outside air temperature sensor 61 detects the temperature of the outside air that is the air outside the vehicle C. The vehicle speed sensor 62 detects the vehicle speed that is the running speed of the vehicle C. The refrigerant pressure sensor 63 detects the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the exterior heat exchanger 6 in the heat pump device 30. The water temperature sensor 64 detects the temperature of the cooling water flowing out from the heating element 22 in the cooling circuit 20. The inside air temperature sensor 65 detects the inside air temperature that is the temperature inside the vehicle C. Each of the sensors 61 to 65 outputs a signal according to the detected physical quantity.

The vehicle C is provided with a start switch 70 that is operated when starting the vehicle C, and an operation unit 71 for operating the air conditioning device 40. The operation unit 71 includes an A/C switch 710 that is operated when cooling or dehumidifying the vehicle interior.
The vehicle C is further provided with a powertrain ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 80, an air conditioning ECU 81, and a thermal system ECU 82. The ECUs 80 to 82 are mainly configured with a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The ECUs 80 to 82 execute various controls by executing programs pre-stored in the ROM. The ECUs 80 to 82 are capable of exchanging various information with each other by utilizing a network communication Nc such as a CAN provided in the vehicle C.

The powertrain ECU 80 is a part that performs overall control of the running state of the vehicle C. For example, when the powertrain ECU 80 detects that the start switch 70 has been turned on, it sets a target output torque of the motor 220 based on the accelerator position detected by the accelerator position sensor for the period from then until the start switch 70 is turned off. The powertrain ECU 80 then sets a target current flow rate of the motor 220 based on the target output torque, and drives the inverter device 221 so that the actual current flow rate of the motor 220 follows the target current flow rate. The powertrain ECU 80 controls the running state of the vehicle C through such current flow control of the motor 220.

The air conditioning ECU 81 is a part that controls the air conditioning device 40. For example, the air conditioning ECU 81 receives output signals from the interior air temperature sensor 65 and the operation unit 71. When the A/C switch 710 is turned on, the air conditioning ECU 81 operates the heat pump device 30 shown in FIG. 2 in cooling mode to cool or dehumidify the interior of the vehicle. On the other hand, when the interior air temperature detected by the interior air temperature sensor 65 is equal to or lower than a predetermined heating temperature judgment value, the air conditioning ECU 81 operates the heat pump device 30 shown in FIG. 2 in heating mode to heat the interior of the vehicle. The heating temperature judgment value is a preset temperature, for example, set to "15°C".

The heat system ECU 82 is a part that controls the volume of air supplied to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 mainly by driving the shutter device 8 to open and close. Specifically, the heat system ECU 82 takes in the output signals of the various sensors 60, the start switch 70, and the operation unit 71. The heat system ECU 82 detects various state quantities based on the output signals of the sensors 60, and detects the operation states of the start switch 70 and the operation unit 71 based on the output signals of the start switch 70 and the operation unit 71. The heat system ECU 82 sets the target opening degrees of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the shutter device 8 individually based on the various state quantities detected by the sensors 60 and the operation states of the start switch 70 and the operation unit 71, and then drives the motor 52 of the shutter device 8 so that the opening degrees of the blades 511 and 512 become the target opening degrees. Thus, in this embodiment, the heat system ECU 82 corresponds to a control unit that controls the shutter device 8.

Next, the drive control of the shutter device 8 executed by the thermal system ECU 82 will be specifically described.
The thermal system ECU 82 repeatedly executes the process shown in Fig. 5 at a predetermined cycle. When starting the process shown in Fig. 5, the thermal system ECU 82 sets the positions of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the shutter device 8 to their initial positions. The initial positions are, for example, positions corresponding to a fully closed state.

As shown in FIG. 5, the heat system ECU 82 first determines whether the start switch 70 has been turned on in step S10. If the start switch 70 has not been turned on, the heat system ECU 82 makes a negative determination in step S10 and temporarily ends the process shown in FIG. 5.

When the start switch 70 is turned on, the thermal system ECU 82 makes a positive determination in the processing of step S10, and in the processing of the subsequent step S11, determines whether or not it is necessary to supply air to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6. For example, the thermal system ECU 82 determines that it is not necessary to supply air to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 based on the fact that both of the conditions shown in (a1) and (a2) below are satisfied.

(a1) A case in which the A/C switch 710 is not turned on and the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 65 is higher than the heating temperature judgment value. In other words, a case in which it is not necessary to operate the heat pump unit 30 in either the cooling mode or the heating mode.
(a2) When the temperature of the cooling water detected by the water temperature sensor 64 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature judgment value, that is, when there is no need to cool the heating element 22. The temperature judgment value is preset to a value that makes it possible to judge whether or not the heating element 22 should be cooled.

Regarding (a2), for example, if a water temperature sensor 64 is provided for each of the motor 220, inverter device 221, and battery 222 included in the heating element 22, a temperature judgment value may be set individually for each cooling water temperature. In this case, the temperature judgment value for the cooling water temperature of the motor 220 is set to, for example, "65°C," and the temperature judgment value for the cooling water temperature of the battery 222 is set to, for example, "40°C."

When both of the above conditions (a1) and (a2) are satisfied, the thermal system ECU 82 determines that it is not necessary to supply air to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6, and makes a negative determination in the process of step S11. In this case, the thermal system ECU 82 executes a full closure control in the process of step S12 to fully close the upper opening areas A11, A12 and the lower opening areas A13, A14 of the shutter device 8. Specifically, the thermal system ECU 82 drives the motor 52 so that both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are fully closed. This blocks the introduction of air through the grill opening 2, thereby improving the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C. This improves the electric power consumption of the vehicle C.

On the other hand, when at least one of the above conditions (a1) and (a2) is not satisfied, the heat system ECU 82 judges that it is necessary to supply air to at least one of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6. For example, when the condition (a1) is not satisfied, there are two cases: the A/C switch 710 is not turned on, and the interior air temperature detected by the interior air temperature sensor 65 is equal to or lower than the heating temperature judgment value. In the former case, the heat pump device 30 needs to be operated in the cooling mode, so air needs to be supplied to the exterior heat exchanger 6. In the latter case, the heat pump device 30 needs to be operated in the heating mode, so air needs to be supplied to the exterior heat exchanger 6. Furthermore, when the condition (a2) is not satisfied, that is, when the temperature of the cooling water of the heating element 22 exceeds the predetermined temperature judgment value, it is necessary to drive the cooling circuit 20 to cool the heating element 22, so air needs to be supplied to the radiator 5.

When the heat system ECU 82 determines that at least one of the above conditions (a1) and (a2) is not satisfied and that it is necessary to supply air to at least one of the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, it makes a positive determination in the process of step S11, and executes the opening adjustment control to adjust the opening degree of each of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the shutter device 8 as the process of the following step S13. Specifically, the heat system ECU 82 drives the motor 52 so that both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 are in an open state, and the opening degree of the upper blade 511 is smaller than the opening degree of the lower blade 512 as shown in FIG. 1. By opening both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512, air can be supplied to the radiator 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and it becomes possible to drive the cooling circuit 20 and the heat pump device 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the heat system ECU 82 executes the process of step S12 or step S13, it determines whether the start switch 70 has been turned off as the process of step S14. If the start switch 70 has not been turned off, the heat system ECU 82 makes a negative determination in the process of step S14 and returns to the process of step S11. On the other hand, if the heat system ECU 82 makes a positive determination in the process of step S14, i.e., if the start switch 70 has been turned off, it displaces the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 to their initial positions as the process of step S15, and then temporarily ends the process shown in FIG. 5.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects (1) to (5) can be obtained.
(1) The opening degree of the lower blade 512 is smaller than that of the upper blade 511, so that air flows more easily through the upper opening areas A11 and A12 of the shutter device 8 than through the lower opening areas A13 and A14 of the shutter device 8. Therefore, the air pressure in the lower parts 5b and 6b of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 can be changed in a higher direction, while the air pressure in the upper parts 5a and 6a of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 can be changed in a lower direction. In this way, the air pressure is partially changed by the bias in the opening degree of the shutter device 8, so that the bias in the air pressure caused by the position of the grill opening 2 can be reduced. As a result, the variation in the amount of air supplied to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 can be reduced, so that the heat exchange efficiency of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 can be improved.

(2) The shutter device 8 includes a single motor 52 that operates the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512. This configuration reduces the number of parts compared to a configuration in which a motor for operating the upper blade 511 and a motor for operating the lower blade 512 are provided separately.

(3) The shutter device 8 is disposed in the air flow direction immediately before the radiator 5. According to this configuration, the shutter device 8 can be installed by utilizing the space provided in front of the radiator 5.
1, the width H11 of the grill opening 2 in the vertical direction Z of the vehicle C is shorter than the width H12 of the lower opening areas A13, A14 of the shutter device 8 in the vertical direction Z of the vehicle C. If the width of the grill opening 2 is set short as in this configuration, the amount of air taken into the air guide duct 4 can be reduced, thereby improving the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle C.

(5) When the start switch 70 of the vehicle C is turned off, the thermal system ECU 82 displaces the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 to their initial positions. With this configuration, the positions of the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 can be corrected each time the start switch 70 is turned off.

(6) The thermal system ECU 82 controls the opening degree of each of the upper blades 511 and the lower blades 512 according to the respective operating states of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6. This configuration makes it possible to realize a more appropriate air flow according to the respective operating states of the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6.

Second Embodiment
Next, a vehicle C according to a second embodiment will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the vehicle C according to the first embodiment.
One of the operating conditions of the heat pump device 30 is when the heat pump device 30 operates in a heating mode in an environment where the outside air temperature is low. In such a condition, if water that has entered through the grill opening 2 adheres to the shutter device 8, the adhered water may freeze, preventing the blades 511, 512 of the shutter device 8 from opening and closing. In such a case, if an abnormality is detected in the shutter device 8 due to the blades 511, 512 being unable to open and close, an indicator of the vehicle C may light up, confusing the driver.

On the other hand, in the shutter device 8, the lower blade 512 arranged near the grill opening 2 is easily exposed to water, whereas the upper blade 511 arranged away from the grill opening 2 is not easily exposed to water. Considering this, in an environment where adhering water may freeze, if the lower blade 512 is kept closed while only the upper blade 511 is opened and closed, air can be supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 through the upper opening areas A11 and A12 even if the lower blade 512 freezes due to exposure to water. Therefore, the heat pump device 30 can be operated in heating mode. Specifically, the heat system ECU 82 controls the shutter device 8 as follows.

The heat system ECU 82 of this embodiment acquires information on the operating state of the heat pump device 30 from the air conditioning ECU 81. In the process of step S13 shown in FIG. 5, the heat system ECU 82 judges whether the heat pump device 30 is operating in the heating mode and whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 61 is equal to or lower than the freezing judgment temperature. The freezing judgment temperature is a temperature judgment value for judging whether the outside air temperature is at a temperature at which water may freeze when the water adheres to the shutter device 8, and is preset to, for example, "5 [°C]". When the heat system ECU 82 judges that the heat pump device 30 is operating in the heating mode and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 61 is equal to or lower than the freezing judgment temperature, the heat system ECU 82 drives the motor 52 so that the upper blade 511 is in the open state and the lower blade 512 is in the closed state as shown in FIG. 6.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following action and effect described in (7) can be further obtained.
(7) According to the configuration of the vehicle C of this embodiment, even in an environment where the shutter device 8 is likely to freeze due to being wet, the heat pump device 30 can be operated in the heating mode. Therefore, the heating of the vehicle interior can be continued, ensuring comfort in the vehicle interior.

Third Embodiment
Next, a vehicle C according to a third embodiment will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the vehicle C according to the first embodiment.
The outdoor heat exchanger 6 is usually configured with a plurality of tubes and tanks connected to both ends of the tubes. In the outdoor heat exchanger 6, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant flowing inside each tube and the air flowing outside each tube. In the outdoor heat exchanger 6 configured as described above, if frost adheres to the surface of the tube, the heat transfer area for the air is substantially reduced, and the heat exchange efficiency may be significantly reduced. Therefore, some heat pump devices 30 operate in a so-called defrosting mode, which melts frost when it adheres to the surface of the tube of the outdoor heat exchanger 6. In the defrosting mode, for example, the refrigerant is circulated through the outdoor heat exchanger 6 while the supply of air to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is blocked. This allows the frost adhering to the surface of the tube to be melted by the heat of the refrigerant.

On the other hand, in order to cut off the supply of air to the exterior heat exchanger 6 in the defrost mode, both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the shutter device 8 can be closed. However, if both of these blades 511 and 512 are closed, air cannot be supplied to the exterior heat exchanger 6, and therefore the heat pump device 30 cannot be operated in the heating mode. In other words, the interior of the vehicle cannot be heated, which may reduce the comfort of the interior of the vehicle.

Therefore, in the processing of step S13 shown in FIG. 5, the heat system ECU 82 of this embodiment acquires information on the operating state of the heat pump device 30 from the air conditioning ECU 81, and if it determines that the heat pump device 30 is operating in the defrost mode, it alternately executes the controls shown in (b1) and (b2) below at a predetermined time interval.

(b1) As shown in FIG. 7A, the motor 52 is driven so that the upper blade 511 is in an open state and the lower blade 512 is in a closed state.
(b2) As shown in FIG. 7(B), the motor 52 is driven so that the upper blade 511 is in a closed state and the lower blade 512 is in an open state.

As a result, in the vehicle C, a first state corresponding to (b1) and a second state corresponding to (b2) are alternately switched.
According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects described in (8) can be obtained.

(8) When the above control (b1) is executed, air is supplied to the upper part 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, so that part can be used as a heat absorber. Also, air is not supplied to the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, so that frost can be melted by the heat of the refrigerant in that part. That is, the upper part 6a functions as a heat absorption area, and the lower part 6b functions as a defrosting area. On the other hand, when the above control (b2) is executed, air is supplied to the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, so that that part can be used as a heat absorber. Also, air is not supplied to the upper part 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, so that frost can be melted by the heat of the refrigerant in that part. That is, the upper part 6a functions as a defrosting area, and the lower part 6b functions as a heat absorption area. According to this configuration, frost adhering to both the upper part 6a and the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be removed, so that a decrease in the performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 due to the adhesion of frost can be avoided. In addition, the exterior heat exchanger 6 can be used continuously as a heat absorber, making it possible to continuously heat the vehicle interior.

Fourth Embodiment
Next, a vehicle C according to a fourth embodiment will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the vehicle C according to the third embodiment.
When the heat pump device 30 is operated in the defrosting mode, water generated by melting frost accumulates on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6. If this water freezes, the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 may be significantly reduced, or frost cracking may occur in the outdoor heat exchanger 6. For this reason, it is desirable to remove as much water as possible that accumulates on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 6.

Therefore, the heat system ECU 82 of this embodiment further executes a drainage mode to remove water from the surface of the exterior heat exchanger 6 after the heat pump unit 30 operates in the defrost mode.
Specifically, the heat system ECU 82 alternately executes the above controls (b1) and (b2) at a predetermined time interval as the drainage mode. As a result, for example, when the above control (b1) is switched to the above control (b2), the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 switches from a state in which no air flows to a state in which air flows. Therefore, the volume of air flowing through the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be changed suddenly. This sudden change in the volume of air blows off the water accumulated in the lower part 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6. In addition, when the above control (b2) is switched to the above control (b1), the water accumulated in the upper part 6a of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is blown off. As a result, the water accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 can be removed.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects described in (9) can be obtained.
(9) After the heat pump unit 30 operates in the defrost mode, the heat system ECU 82 executes a drainage mode that rapidly changes the volume of air passing through the upper portion 6a and the lower portion 6b of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, thereby removing water that has accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6. This makes it possible to remove water that has accumulated in the outdoor heat exchanger 6 by executing the defrost mode, thereby making it possible to avoid a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 6, freezing cracks, and the like.

Fifth Embodiment
Next, a vehicle C according to the fifth embodiment will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the vehicle C according to the first embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 8, in the vehicle C of this embodiment, the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 are thermally connected via the outer fins 9. That is, heat exchange is possible between the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9. As a result, for example, when the exterior heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat absorber, the waste heat of the radiator 5 can be transferred to the exterior heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, so that the thermal efficiency of the vehicle C as a whole can be improved. As a result, the electric power consumption of the vehicle C can be improved.

On the other hand, when transferring the waste heat of the radiator 5 to the exterior heat exchanger 6, it is effective to close both the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512 of the shutter device 8. This prevents the radiator 5 from being cooled by air, making it possible to transfer the waste heat of the radiator 5 to the exterior heat exchanger 6 efficiently. However, there is a possibility that the heating demand of the air conditioner 40 cannot be met simply by transferring the waste heat of the radiator 5 to the exterior heat exchanger 6 in this way.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the radiator 5 is configured so that the coolant flows in a U-shape from its lower portion 5b to its upper portion 5a. In this case, the heat of the radiator 5 is transferred to the exterior heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, and as a result, the temperature of the coolant flowing inside the radiator 5 decreases the further downstream. That is, the temperature of the upper portion 5a of the radiator 5 is lower than the temperature of the lower portion 5b of the radiator 5. Therefore, while the exterior heat exchanger 6 can absorb the necessary amount of heat from the lower portion 5b of the radiator 5, it may not be able to absorb the necessary amount of heat from the upper portion 5a of the radiator 5. If the heat absorption amount of the exterior heat exchanger 6 as a whole is insufficient, the air blown into the vehicle cabin cannot be sufficiently heated by the air conditioning device 40, so that the vehicle cabin is not properly heated, and the comfort of the vehicle cabin may be impaired.

In this embodiment, when the amount of heat absorption by the exterior heat exchanger 6 is insufficient by simply transferring the heat of the radiator 5 to the exterior heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, the thermal system ECU 82 drives the motor 52 so that the upper blades 511 are in an open state and the lower blades 512 are in a closed state, as shown in FIG. 8. This allows the exterior heat exchanger 6 to absorb the waste heat of the radiator 5 via the outer fins 9 at its lower part 6b, while absorbing the insufficient amount of heat from the air at its upper part 6a. As a result, the exterior heat exchanger 6 can ensure the required amount of heat absorption as a whole.

According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects described in (10) can be obtained.
(10) When the exterior heat exchanger 6 operates as a heat sink that absorbs heat from the radiator 5 into the refrigerant via the outer fins 9, the thermal system ECU 82 sets the upper blades 511 to an open state and the lower blades 512 to a closed state. This configuration can ensure a more accurate amount of heat absorption by the exterior heat exchanger 6, so that the vehicle interior is appropriately heated. This ensures comfort in the vehicle interior.

Sixth Embodiment
Next, a vehicle C according to the sixth embodiment will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the vehicle C according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 10, a vehicle C of this embodiment is equipped with a multifunction heat exchanger 10 instead of the radiator 5 , and is equipped with a radiator 11 instead of the exterior heat exchanger 6 .

The multi-function heat exchanger 10 has a first heat exchange section 10A at its lower part and a second heat exchange section 10B at its upper part. The first heat exchange section 10A is used as the outdoor heat exchanger 6 of the heat pump device 30 described above. The first heat exchange section 10A is arranged opposite the lower opening areas A13 and A14 of the shutter device 8. Cooling water for cooling the battery 222 flows inside the second heat exchange section 10B. The second heat exchange section 10B cools the cooling water by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing inside and the air flowing outside. The second heat exchange section 10B is arranged opposite the upper opening areas A11 and A12 of the shutter device 8.

Cooling water flows inside the radiator 11 to cool the motor 220. The radiator 11 cools the cooling water by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing inside and the air flowing outside. The upper part 11a of the radiator 11 is disposed so as to face the upper opening areas A11 and A12 of the shutter device 8. The lower part 11b of the radiator 11 is disposed so as to face the lower opening areas A13 and A14.

In this manner, in the vehicle C of this embodiment, a cooling circuit for cooling the motor 220 and a cooling circuit for cooling the battery 222 are provided independently. The radiator 11 is capable of cooling coolant that is hotter than the second heat exchanger 10B. In this embodiment, the motor 220 corresponds to the first heating element, and the battery 222 corresponds to the second heating element.

When cooling of the battery 222 is not required, the thermal system ECU 82 drives the motor 52 so that the upper blades 511 are in a closed state and the lower blades 512 are in an open state, as shown in FIG. 10. This causes the air introduced from the grill opening 2 to flow only through the first heat exchange section 10A of the multifunction heat exchanger 10, so that the amount of air flowing through the first heat exchange section 10A can be increased compared to when air flows through both the first heat exchange section 10A and the second heat exchange section 10B.

In addition, when the heat pump unit 30 is stopped, the heat system ECU 82 may drive the motor 52 so that the upper blades 511 are in an open state and the lower blades 512 are in a closed state.
According to the vehicle C of the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects described in (11) can be obtained.

(11) When cooling of the battery 222 is not required, the thermal system ECU 82 sets the lower blade 512 to an open state and sets the upper blade 511 to a closed state. With this configuration, air is not supplied to the first heat exchange section 10A of the multifunction heat exchanger 10, which does not require heat exchange with air, and the amount of air supplied to the second heat exchange section 10B of the multifunction heat exchanger 10 can be increased accordingly. Therefore, for example, when the first heat exchange section 10A is used as a condenser in the heat pump device 30, the refrigerant flowing through the first heat exchange section 10A can be more accurately cooled, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the first heat exchange section 10A, etc.

<Other embodiments>
The above embodiment can also be implemented in the following manner.
The configuration of the vehicle C of the fifth embodiment, that is, the configuration in which the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6 are thermally coupled via the outer fins 9, may be applied to the vehicle C of the third embodiment. With this configuration, when executing the defrosting mode for removing frost adhering to the surface of the exterior heat exchanger 6, the heat pump device 30 can use a method of using heat transferred from the radiator 5 to the exterior heat exchanger 6 via the outer fins 9, instead of a method of using the heat of the refrigerant circulating inside the exterior heat exchanger 6.

The shutter device 8 is not limited to having two opening/closing parts such as the upper blade 511 and the lower blade 512, and may have three or more opening/closing parts.
The shutter device 8 may be disposed between the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6, or immediately after the exterior heat exchanger 6 in the air flow direction.

- The vehicle C of the first to fifth embodiments uses a shutter device 8 disposed in front of the radiator 5 as an opening/closing device that changes the volume of air supplied to the radiator 5 and the exterior heat exchanger 6. Alternatively, a shutter mechanism having the same or similar function as the shutter device 8 may be provided on the fan shroud of the blower 7. In this case, the shutter mechanism provided on the blower 7 corresponds to the opening/closing device. The same applies to the vehicle C of the sixth embodiment.

The vehicle C does not need to be provided with the air guide duct 4 .
The thermal system ECU 82 and the control method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. The thermal system ECU 82 and the control method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor including one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. The thermal system ECU 82 and the control method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor including one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by the computer. The dedicated hardware logic circuit and the hardware logic circuit may be realized by a digital circuit including a plurality of logic circuits, or an analog circuit.

- The configurations of each embodiment are not limited to electric vehicles, but can also be applied to hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. For example, the configurations of the second to fourth embodiments and the sixth embodiment can be applied to hybrid vehicles. Furthermore, the configurations of the first to fourth embodiments and the sixth embodiment can be applied to plug-in hybrid vehicles.

- This disclosure is not limited to the specific examples above. Design modifications to the specific examples above made by a person skilled in the art are also included within the scope of this disclosure as long as they have the features of this disclosure. The elements of each of the specific examples described above, as well as their arrangement, conditions, shapes, etc., are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of each of the specific examples described above can be combined in different ways as appropriate, as long as no technical contradictions arise.

A11, A12: Upper opening region (second region)
A13, A14: Lower opening region (first portion)
C: Vehicle 2: Grill opening 5, 11: Radiator (heat exchanger)
6: Outdoor heat exchanger 8: Shutter device (opening/closing device)
10: Multifunctional heat exchanger 10A: First heat exchange section 10B: Second heat exchange section 30: Heat pump device 51: Blade (opening/closing section)
52: Motor 82: Thermal system ECU (control unit)
511: Upper blade (second opening/closing part)
512: Lower blade (first opening/closing part)

Claims (6)

a heat exchanger (5, 6, 10, 11) for exchanging heat with air introduced through a grill opening (2);
an opening/closing device (8) capable of changing the volume of air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening and closing an opening/closing part (51);
A control unit (82) that controls the opening and closing device,
The opening area of the grill opening is smaller than the frontal projection area of the heat exchanger,
The opening/closing device has, as the opening/closing part, a first opening/closing part (512) that opens and closes a first portion (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing part (511) that opens and closes a second portion (A11, A12) of the opening/closing device that is farther from the grill opening than the first portion,
The heat exchanger includes:
a radiator (11) for performing heat exchange between air and a cooling water for cooling a first heating element of a vehicle;
an outdoor heat exchanger (10) having a first heat exchange section (10A) that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant circulating in a heat pump device (30) and air, and a second heat exchange section (10B) that performs heat exchange between a cooling water that cools a second heating element different from the first heating element and air,
In the outdoor heat exchanger, the first heat exchange unit is disposed opposite the first portion of the opening/closing device, and the second heat exchange unit is disposed opposite the second portion of the opening/closing device,
The control unit is
operating the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first portion is smaller than the opening degree of the second portion;
When cooling of the second heating element is not required, the first opening/closing unit is set to an open state, and the second opening/closing unit is set to a closed state. a heat exchanger (5, 6, 10, 11) for exchanging heat with air introduced through a grill opening (2);
an opening/closing device (8) capable of changing the volume of air supplied to the heat exchanger by opening and closing an opening/closing part (51);
A control unit (82) that controls the opening and closing device,
The opening area of the grill opening is smaller than the frontal projection area of the heat exchanger,
The opening/closing device has, as the opening/closing part, a first opening/closing part (512) that opens and closes a first portion (A13, A14) of the opening/closing device, and a second opening/closing part (511) that opens and closes a second portion (A11, A12) of the opening/closing device that is farther from the grill opening than the first portion,
The heat exchanger includes an outdoor heat exchanger (6) that exchanges heat between a refrigerant circulating in the heat pump device (30) and air,
The control unit is
operating the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit so that the opening degree of the first portion is smaller than the opening degree of the second portion;
When the outdoor heat exchanger in the heat pump device operates as a heat sink that absorbs heat of air into a refrigerant, the vehicle alternates between a first state in which the first opening/closing unit is set to a closed state and the second opening/closing unit is set to an open state, and a second state in which the first opening/closing unit is set to an open state and the second opening/closing unit is set to a closed state. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening and closing device is disposed immediately before or immediately after the heat exchanger in an air flow direction. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a width of the grill opening in a vertical direction of the vehicle is shorter than a width of the first portion in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit displaces the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit to initial positions when a starter switch of the vehicle is turned off. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opening/closing device further includes a motor (52) that operates the first opening/closing unit and the second opening/closing unit.

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