JPH0948235A - Air-conditioning and heating equipment for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption at the start time in cold weather by providing a heating means at a compressor of an air-conditioning and heating equipment that leads refrigerant, discharged from a compressor, into a condensor outside of a cabin at the time of air-conditioning and into a condenser in the cabin at the time of heating. SOLUTION: A compressor 6 is provided with a combustion type heater 50 for producing hot water so as to serve as a heating means for heating the compressor 6, hot water piping 51 piped in the state of surrounding the compressor 6 so as to lead hot water heated by the combustion tape heater 50, and a pump 52 for circulating hot water. The compressor 6 is a motor-driven closed type compressor and is enclosed in a container 55 with the inside covered with heat insulating material 53. The hot water piping 51 is disposed to surround the compressor 6, or hot water is filled in the container 55 and circulated by the pipeline and the pump.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling and heating system for electric vehicles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an electric vehicle uses an electric motor as a driving source, and therefore lacks a heating heat source as compared with a conventional engine-equipped vehicle that uses high-temperature engine cooling water.
Therefore, as a conventional air conditioning system for electric vehicles,
The interior of the vehicle is heated by a so-called heat pump cycle, which is a cycle operation using a refrigerant for heating.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of such a conventional air conditioning system for an electric vehicle. This device has a duct 2 for sending the air taken in by the blower device 1 toward the passenger compartment, and serves as a heat exchanger in the duct 2 in order from the upstream side and an evaporator 3 and a sub-function which mainly works during heating operation. A condenser 4 is provided, and a main condenser 5 that mainly operates during cooling operation is provided outside the duct 2. The refrigeration cycle is configured by connecting the compressor 6, the main condenser 5, the sub condenser 4, the liquid tank 7, the expansion valve 8 and the evaporator 3 with a pipe, and sealing the refrigerant therein. Further, in order to switch the condensers 4 and 5 that function during the heating operation and the cooling operation, a three-way valve 9 and a check valve 10 for switching the flow of the refrigerant are provided at the inlet and outlet of the main condenser 5. Here, between the evaporator 3 and the compressor 6,
An accumulator 11 for storing the liquid refrigerant and returning the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 6 is provided. On the back surface of the main condenser 5, a condenser fan device 12 for supplying air for heat exchange to the main condenser 5 is provided.
Are arranged.

During the cooling operation, the three-way valve 9 guides the refrigerant to the main condenser 5 side, and the compressor 6, the main condenser 5, the sub condenser 4, the liquid tank 7,
The refrigerant flows in the order of the expansion valve 8 and the evaporator 3. In this process, the evaporator 3 evaporates the liquid refrigerant by heat exchange and cools the intake air, thereby cooling the passenger compartment. The main condenser 5 releases the heat taken by the evaporator 3 by the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 6 to a high pressure to the outside by heat exchange with the air to cool the gaseous refrigerant and condense it into liquid.

On the other hand, during the heating operation, the three-way valve 9 causes the refrigerant to bypass the main condenser 5. That is, without using the main condenser 5, the compressor 6,
Refrigerant flows in the order of the sub-condenser 4, the liquid tank 7, the expansion valve 8, and the evaporator 3. In this process, the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 and bypassing the main condenser 5 by the three-way valve 9 is condensed and liquefied by the sub condenser 4 to radiate heat. As a result, the evaporator 3
The air cooled by is heated and blown out into the passenger compartment, thereby heating the passenger compartment. At that time, the evaporator 3 cools the air to dehumidify, so that dehumidifying and heating is finally realized. It should be noted that the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle compartment depends on the temperature of the air mix door 13 disposed upstream of the sub-condenser 4.
It is performed by adjusting the opening degree of.

In such a cooling and heating system for an electric vehicle, as described above, the electric vehicle itself does not have a heat source (engine) unlike an engine-equipped vehicle, so that when the outside air temperature is low, the surroundings of the compressor are Although it is covered with heat insulating material, not only the compressor but also the refrigerant and oil are completely cooled. Therefore, the temperature range that can be used as a heat pump during heating is at most outside temperature -5 to 0 ° C.
It is a degree.

However, even in the case of an electric vehicle, it is necessary to ensure comfortable heating of the passenger compartment under all temperature conditions on the assumption that it will be used in cold regions. In this respect, in a vehicle equipped with an engine, since heating can be performed by a heater unit using high-temperature engine cooling water, sufficient heating of the passenger compartment can be performed even when the outside air temperature is -5 ° C or lower.

Therefore, in the conventional cooling and heating apparatus for an electric vehicle, it is conceivable to provide an electric heater as an auxiliary heat source or a combustion type heater in addition to this heat pump cycle. In the first place, the electric power of the battery, which is the energy source of the electric vehicle, is used, and there is a problem that the energy that can be used to power the electric vehicle runs out quickly. Further, in the case of using the combustion heater, it is necessary to provide a radiator in addition to the heat pump cycle described above in order to release the heat, which causes a problem that the structure inside the duct becomes complicated.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-258467 discloses an air conditioner which heats an accumulator in a heat pump cycle by a heat source. When the accumulator is heated in this way, the compressor itself is in a cold state. Even if only the refrigerant is warmed up, it takes some time for the oil in the compressor to warm up. Further, the viscosity of the cold oil at the time of starting the compressor is also high, and the extra power is used to increase the power consumption of the traveling battery.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention provides a cooling and heating apparatus for an electric vehicle, which can reduce power consumption of a battery when the compressor is started in cold weather and can perform sufficient heating during heating operation. That is.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a compressor, a condenser outside a vehicle, a condenser inside a vehicle, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, which are sequentially connected by pipes, and a refrigerant is introduced into and discharged from the condenser outside the vehicle. A refrigerant flow path switching means for switching the flow of the refrigerant, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the vehicle exterior condenser by the refrigerant flow path switching means during the cooling operation, and the refrigerant flow path switching means during the heating operation. In the cooling and heating apparatus for an electric vehicle that bypasses the condenser outside the vehicle and is introduced into the condenser inside the vehicle, a heating unit for heating the compressor is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the heating and cooling device for the automobile is operated in advance when the heating operation is started,
It is further characterized by further comprising control means for controlling the compressor so as to start it.

Further, in the present invention, the control means is
It is characterized in that it has a timer for counting a fixed time after the operation of the heating means, and the timer starts the compressor after the timer measures the fixed time.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. Members having the same functions as those of the conventional one described with reference to FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is partially omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of an electric vehicle cooling / heating apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram around a compressor.

In this air conditioning system for an electric vehicle, a blower device 1 for taking in air in order from the upstream side, an evaporator 3, and a sub-condenser 4 which mainly works during heating operation are arranged in a duct 2 in the same manner as in the prior art. In addition, the main condenser 5, which mainly works during the cooling operation, is arranged outside the duct 2. The refrigeration cycle consists of the compressor 6,
The main condenser 5, the sub condenser 4, the liquid tank 7, the expansion valve 8, and the evaporator 3 are connected by piping, and a refrigerant is enclosed therein. Further, in order to switch the condensers 4 and 5 that function during the heating operation and the cooling operation, a three-way valve 9 and a check valve 10 for switching the flow of the refrigerant are provided at the inlet and outlet of the main condenser 5. Further, an accumulator 11 for storing the liquid refrigerant and returning the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 6 is provided between the evaporator 3 and the compressor 6. Further, a condenser fan device 12 for supplying air for heat exchange is arranged on the back surface of the main condenser 5.

As a heating means for heating the compressor 6, a combustion type heater 50 for producing hot water, and hot water heated by the combustion type heater 50 are introduced so as to surround the compressor 6. Hot water pipe 51 and pump 5 for circulating this hot water
2 and are provided.

The compressor 6 is an electric hermetic compressor, and a container 55 whose inside is covered with a heat insulating material 53.
It is housed in. In this embodiment, the hot water pipe 51 surrounds the compressor 6 to warm the compressor 6. However, in addition to this, the container containing the compressor is filled with hot water, and the hot water is piped and pumped. It may be circulated.

The control device 60 controls the three-way valve 9 and operates the combustion heater 50 and the pump 52 during heating operation to circulate hot water and warm the compressor 6. At this time, the combustion heater 50 is operated, and at the same time, the timer 61 starts timing, and the compressor 6 is controlled to start after a lapse of a predetermined time.

The controller 60 also controls the start and stop of the blower 1 and the condenser fan 12, and controls the opening degree of the air mix door.

During the cooling operation, the three-way valve 9 guides the refrigerant to the main condenser 5 side, and the compressor 6, the main condenser 5, the sub condenser 4, the liquid tank 7,
The refrigerant flows in the order of the expansion valve 8 and the evaporator 3. In this process, the evaporator 3 evaporates the liquid refrigerant by heat exchange and cools the intake air, thereby cooling the passenger compartment. The main condenser 5 releases the heat taken by the evaporator 3 by the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 6 to a high pressure to the outside by heat exchange with the air to cool the gaseous refrigerant and condense it into liquid.

On the other hand, during the heating operation, first, the combustion heater 50 and the pump 52 are operated to operate the compressor 6
Is warmed up, and after a lapse of a certain time by the timer 61, that is,
After the compressor 6 has warmed up, the compressor 6 is started. Then, the three-way valve 9 is switched so that the flow of the refrigerant bypasses the main condenser 5. That is, without using the main condenser 5, the compressor 6, the sub condenser 4, the liquid tank 7, the expansion valve 8,
Refrigerant is caused to flow in the order of the evaporator 3. In this process, the combustion heater 50 serves as an auxiliary heat source during the heating operation, and the refrigerant passing through the compressor 6 absorbs the heat and projects from the compressor 6 because the compressor 6 is warmed. Then, the gaseous refrigerant that bypassed the main condenser 5 by the three-way valve 9 is condensed and liquefied by the sub condenser 4 to radiate heat. As a result, the air cooled by the evaporator 3 is heated by the sub-condenser 4 and blown out into the vehicle interior, thereby heating the vehicle interior. At that time, the evaporator 3 cools the air to dehumidify, so that dehumidifying and heating is finally realized. The temperature of the air blown into the vehicle compartment is adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 13 arranged upstream of the sub-condenser 4.

The operation of this electric vehicle cooling and heating apparatus during the heating operation will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

First, when the start of heating operation is detected (S
1) Reset the timer 61 in the controller 60 (S
2). Subsequently, the combustion heater 50 is operated and the pump 52 is also operated to circulate the hot water warmed by the heater to warm the compressor 6. At this time, at the same time, the timer 61 is operated to start time counting (S3).

Then, it is judged whether or not the timer 61 has timed a predetermined fixed time (S4), and when the timer time is completed, the compressor 6 is started (S5). Then, the normal heating operation is performed (S6).

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the heating operation is started, the compressor is warmed by the hot water warmed by the combustion heater before the compressor is started, so that the viscosity of the oil at the time of starting the compressor can be reduced during cold weather. Further, during heating operation, the combustion type heater serves as an auxiliary heat source to warm the refrigerant during the heating operation, so that sufficient heating of the passenger compartment is possible. If the combustion heater has a sufficient margin for heating, a radiator for the vehicle interior may be provided in the duct to guide hot water from the compressor to this radiator, as in the conventional case.

As another embodiment, when the present invention is applied to an auto air conditioner or the like, a normal auto air conditioner includes an outside air temperature sensor for detecting the temperature outside the vehicle and an inside air for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle. Since the temperature sensor and the like are provided, the combustion heater may be operated only when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor is a predetermined temperature or lower, for example, 0 ° C. or lower. As a result, at the start of heating operation, or even during operation,
If the outside air temperature is not so low, energy saving operation can be performed without operating the combustion heater.

As yet another embodiment, a temperature sensor may be provided in the container accommodating the compressor to detect that the compressor has a constant temperature after the operation of the combustion heater. As a result, the temperature around the compressor is detected more accurately, and if this temperature is below a certain temperature, the combustion heater is activated, and if it is above a certain temperature, the combustion heater is stopped. To do.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By heating the compressor with the heating means, the refrigerant and oil inside the compressor are warmed during cold weather, and the heat added by this heating means serves as an auxiliary heat source to warm the refrigerant that passes through the compressor. It is possible to make up for the shortage and perform good heating even when the outside air temperature is low. Therefore, when the auxiliary heat source is provided as in the conventional case, it is not necessary to provide a radiator for radiating the auxiliary heat source, and the structure inside the duct for guiding the air into the vehicle interior is not complicated.

Further, according to the present invention, the combustion heater is first operated to sufficiently warm the refrigerant and oil in the compressor and then the compressor is started. It reduces power consumption and power consumption of the battery for driving.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an air conditioner for an electric vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram around a compressor of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device during the heating operation of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional cooling and heating apparatus for an electric vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 ... Evaporator, 4 ... Sub condenser, 5 ... Main condenser, 6 ... Compressor, 50 ... Combustion heater, 51 ... Hot water pipe, 52 ... Pump, 60 ... Control device, 61 ... Timer.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A compressor (6), a vehicle exterior condenser (5), a vehicle interior condenser (4), an expansion valve (8), and an evaporator (3) are sequentially connected by piping to connect the vehicle exterior condenser (5). Refrigerant flow path switching means (9, 10) for switching the flow of the refrigerant is provided at the inlet and outlet, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (6) is cooled by the refrigerant flow path switching means (9, 10) during cooling operation. The condenser (5) is introduced into the outside-cabin condenser (5) and is operated by the refrigerant flow path switching means (9, 10) during the heating operation.
In a cooling and heating apparatus for an electric vehicle, which bypasses air and is introduced into the vehicle interior condenser (4), heating means (50, 5) for heating the compressor (6).
1, 52) is provided. 2. A control means (60) for controlling the heating and cooling device for an automobile to activate the heating means (50, 51, 52) first and then activate the compressor at the start of heating operation. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The control means has a clocking means for clocking a fixed time after the heating means operates, and the clocking means starts the compressor after the clocking for a fixed time. Air conditioning system for automobiles.