JPH0596939A - Automotive air-conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To discharge dehumidified air from an air heat exchanger outside of a passenger compartment with preventing the water from freezing during heating by a heat pump, and to prevent the heating capability from lowering. CONSTITUTION:A dehumidified water discharge device 10 incorporating a heating element is disposed between the lower part of an air heat-exchanger 2 outside of a vehicle compartment and a vehicle part 90 such as an under cover. Heat is applied to the dehumidified water discharge part of the air heat- exchanger 2 by the dehumidified water discharge device 10 incorporating the heating element 11, and accordingly, dehumidified water can be discharged from the air heat-exchanger 2 outside of the vehicle compartment without freezing during heating by the heat pump, and during dehumidification in a heat pump heating mode.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner for air conditioning the interior of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automobile air conditioner, for example, has a compressor 1 for compressing a refrigerant driven by an engine (not shown) as shown in FIG. The outdoor air heat exchanger 2 and the air blower 3 for the vehicle outdoor air heat exchanger
After radiating heat to the air outside the vehicle compartment to condense and liquefy the refrigerant, the refrigerant is guided to the vehicle interior air heat exchanger 5 via the expansion valve 4,
Here, the air in the vehicle interior is cooled and dehumidified by the air blower 6 for the vehicle interior air heat exchanger to evaporate and perform a cooling operation. In addition, the heating action was performed by utilizing the engine water temperature.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-90430 discloses a vehicle air conditioner in which air conditioning is performed by heat pump cooling and heating.

The heat pump cooling and heating apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-90430 has the same cooling function as that described above, but the heating function is as shown in FIG. As described above, the four-way switching valve 7 is used downstream of the compressor 1 to reverse the refrigerant flow path, and the vehicle interior air heat exchanger 5 radiates heat to outside air inside the vehicle compartment to condense and liquefy the refrigerant, and then expand the refrigerant. Heat pump heating is performed in which the air outside the vehicle compartment is guided to the outside air heat exchanger 2 via the valve 4, and the refrigerant absorbs and evaporates while cooling and dehumidifying the air outside the vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows the state in which the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 is attached. In FIG. 4, 8 is a dehumidifying water for the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2, and 9 is a vehicle part such as an undercover.

In the heat pump heating mode, the temperature of the refrigerant inside the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 becomes low, so that dehumidified water 8 from the air frosts and freezes on the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2. When frosting and icing occur, heat exchange of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 becomes impossible. Therefore, in order to remove frosting and icing of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2, for example, in a home room air conditioner, the four-way switching valve 7 is Switching is performed as in the cooling mode, the outdoor air heat exchanger is set to a high temperature, and the defrosting operation is performed.

[0007]

In FIG. 4, during the defrosting operation in the heat pump heating mode, the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 discharges the dehumidified water 8 while cooling and dehumidifying the air outside the vehicle compartment.
However, when the vehicle exterior temperature is low, such as in winter, the dehumidified water 8 in the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 is not removed even when the defrosting operation is performed.
Only the deicing can be performed, and the lower part of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 and the vehicle part 9 remain frozen. If ice forms between the lower part of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 and the vehicle parts 9, the dehumidified water 8
And the dehumidified water 8 is frozen to the outside air heat exchanger 2 and only the defrosting operation is performed, and the heat pump heating becomes almost impossible.

The above has been a problem in using the heat pump heating in the air conditioner for automobiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to discharge dehumidified water from a vehicle exterior air heat exchanger without freezing during heating of a heat pump.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, an automotive air conditioner according to the present invention has a dehumidified water discharge device having a heating element built-in in the dehumidified water discharge portion of an outside air heat exchanger for a vehicle. ..

[0011]

By applying heat to the dehumidified water discharge part of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger, the dehumidified water of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger can be discharged without icing when the heat pump is heated.

[0012]

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

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a front portion of a vehicle provided with an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a dehumidified water discharge device 10 incorporating a heating element 11 of the present invention is arranged in the dehumidified water discharge portion between the lower portion of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 and a vehicle part 9 such as an undercover. .. As described above, by applying heat with the dehumidified water discharge device 10 having the heating element 11 built in the dehumidified water discharge part of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2, during heat pump heating and during heat pump heating mode defrosting operation, It is possible to discharge the dehumidified water 10 of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 without freezing.

FIG. 2 is a refrigeration circuit diagram of an automobile air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

During the heating mode operation, the compressor 1 for compressing the refrigerant, the heat generating element 11 and the vehicle interior air heat exchanger 5 by the high temperature side refrigerant pipe arranged between the four-way switching valve 7 on the high pressure and high temperature side. After radiating heat to condense and liquefy the refrigerant, the refrigerant is led to the outside air heat exchanger 2 via the expansion valve 4, where the air outside the passenger compartment is cooled and dehumidified while absorbing heat and evaporating.
We perform heat pump heating.

During the heating mode defrosting operation and the cooling mode operation, the four-way switching valve 7 switches the refrigerant flow path,
Refrigerant flows in the reverse order to the above, and heat is dissipated in the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger 2 and the dehumidified water discharge device 10, and the vehicle interior air heat exchanger 5
Is absorbing heat.

The shape of the high temperature side pipe arranged in the dehumidified water discharge device 10 does not matter. Further, at the time of cooling, the switching valve may be bypassed so that the refrigerant does not flow to the heating element 11 formed by the high temperature side pipe built in the dehumidified water discharge device 10.

Further, although the heating element 11 has been described using the refrigerant pipe on the high temperature side, other heating elements such as an electric heater and a hot water hose through which hot radiator water is passed may be used.

[0020]

With the above structure, the present invention makes it possible to discharge dehumidified water from the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger without icing during heating of the heat pump, and prevent icing from proceeding to the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle front portion provided with an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a refrigeration circuit diagram of an automobile air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a refrigeration circuit diagram of a conventional example during cooling, and FIG. 3B is a main part refrigeration circuit diagram of a conventional example during heating.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of dehumidified water of a conventional automobile air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Compressor 2 Outside-air heat exchanger 3 Blower for outside-air heat exchanger 4 Expansion valve 5 Inside-air heat exchanger 6 Inside-air heat exchanger blower 7 4-way switching valve 8 Dehumidifying water 9 Vehicle parts 10 Dehumidification Water discharge device 11 Heating element

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A compressor, an outside air heat exchanger, an outside air heat exchanger blower, an expansion valve, an inside air heat exchanger, an inside air heat exchanger blower, and a four-way switching valve. A heat pump air conditioner and a dehumidified water discharge device arranged in the dehumidified water discharge part of the vehicle exterior air heat exchanger, and an air conditioner for an automobile having a heating element arranged in the dehumidified water discharge device.