KR20050022930A - System for cooling/heating the vehicle using the thermoelectric element couples - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A system for cooling and heating a vehicle by using a thermoelectric element is provided to speed up response while providing a pleasant environment by preventing generation of bad smell. CONSTITUTION: Pillar A heat exchanging parts(12,12a) are installed at right and left sides of a pillar A of a vehicle. Loop heat exchanging parts(14,16) are installed at the front and the rear of a loop. A pillar C heat exchanging part(18) is installed at a pillar C. Pillar B heat exchanging parts(20,22) are installed at a pillar B. An exhaust port and a suction port are formed at the pillar B to supply cool air or hot air generated from the pillar B heat exchanging parts. An air moving pipe is installed to contain one sides of the pillar B heat exchanging parts for exchanging heat between cool air or hot air and air. Springs and actuators adjust diameters of both ends of the air moving pipe. A switch input unit(40) inputs cooling, heating, and operation modes. A control unit(36) selectively supplies power to a specific heat exchanging part according to a signal of the switch input unit and operates the actuators. A power supply unit(38) supplies power.

Description

System for cooling / heating the vehicle using the thermoelectric element couples}

The present invention relates to a vehicle cooling and heating system using a thermoelectric element that is responsive than conventional vehicle cooling and heating system, occupies less space, and is eco-friendly by using no refrigerant, and has no odor. .

Conventionally, a cooling / heating system used in a vehicle uses a method of inducing a temperature change by inducing heat from outside of the heat exchanger by exchanging external air with a refrigerant or cooling water heated by engine power, and then introducing it into a room.

For example, a heating system consists of a main heater, a coolant line, an auxiliary heater, a heater unit, a blower fan, etc., and heats the coolant while passing the high temperature coolant generated from the engine to the main heater through the coolant line. The air is heated and supplied to the cabin.

On the other hand, the cooling system is composed of a compressor, a receiving dryer, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, a cooling fan, a blowing fan, and the like. The operating conditions of the cooling system are as follows. After the refrigerant is compressed at high temperature and high pressure in the compressor, it is cooled in the condenser after passing through the receiving dryer, and then the indoor air is cooled by the heat exchange through the blower fan in the indoor evaporator through the expansion valve. The refrigerant is reduced to a compressor and compressed again. At this time, the power of the compressor is the power transmitted from the crank pulley to the compressor pulley by the rotation of the engine. Compressor pulleys are equipped with magnetic clutches to transfer or shut off power depending on the temperature detected by the evaporator.

However, the conventional air conditioning and heating system has various problems that hinder the smooth running of the vehicle. Taking the first heating system as an example, there is a problem of delay until the first operating time and reduction of the second fuel economy. In other words, in the case of a vehicle, especially a diesel vehicle, it takes a long time for the engine coolant to be heated and perform a heater function normally after cold start, and for this purpose, there is a problem in that fuel consumption is increased because the auxiliary heater is operated. .

In addition, the cooling system reduces the engine output due to the consumption of the first engine power, the odor caused by corrosion of the cooling system due to moisture generated during the condensation / cooling process, and the occurrence of mold. There is a problem.

In addition, the conventional air-conditioning system is installed inside the engine room occupies a lot of space, and thus there is a problem of the possibility of malfunction due to mutual interference with other systems mounted inside the engine room.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is faster response than conventional vehicle heating and cooling system, occupies less space, environmentally friendly by not using a refrigerant, no odor generated at all is a pleasant environment It is to provide a vehicle cooling and heating system using a thermoelectric element that can be provided.

Vehicle heating and heating system using the thermoelectric element of the present invention for achieving the above object, A pillar heat exchanger is installed on the left and right sides of the pillar A of the vehicle; A loop heat exchanger installed at the front and the rear of the loop; C-pillar heat exchanger is installed on the C-pillar; A B-pillar heat exchanger installed at the B-pillar; An exhaust port / intake vent formed inside the B pillar to supply cold air or heat generated from the B pillar heat exchanger to the vehicle compartment; An air moving tube installed between the exhaust port / intake port to accommodate one side of the B-pillar heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between cold air or hot air and air; Springs and actuators for adjusting diameters of both ends of the air moving tube; A switch input unit for inputting air conditioning and an operation mode; A control unit selectively supplying power to a specific heat exchange unit according to a signal of the switch input unit and operating the actuator; And a power supply for supplying power.

Hereinafter, a vehicle cooling and heating system using the thermoelectric device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the thermoelectric element used in the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in (a) of FIG. 1, a thermoelectric element is connected to different conductors, that is, p and n type conductors 4 and 6 by using an electrode 8, and a DC power source is applied to the joule at the junction point thereof. It is a semiconductor module using Peltier effect that heat generation or absorption phenomenon occurs in addition to joule heat. In this case, it should be noted that when a direct current power is applied to the junction, the heat absorbing and heating are directed according to the direction of the current.

By using this principle, as shown in (b), a plurality of p-type and n-type conductors 4 and 6 may be arranged in a left-right manner so that the efficiency of heat generation and heat absorption can be improved. Referring back to the drawings, heat generation occurs on the substrate 2 in the direction in which the DC power supply (current) is applied, and on the substrate 2a at the opposite position. Of course, if the application direction is reversed, heat generation occurs in the substrate 2 and endothermic phenomenon occurs in the substrate 2a. The heat exchanger may increase in size to obtain sufficient exothermic or endothermic amount. The thermoelectric element is mainly composed of a material having a high heat pumping effect such as bismuth telluride as a conductor.

According to the present invention, a plurality of heat exchangers are installed in the A / B / C pillar and the roof of the conventional vehicle as shown in FIG. 2. The structure of the heat exchanger is similar to that shown in (b) of FIG. 1 and differs in size. In particular, since the loop heat exchanger 14 and 16 installed in the loop have a larger loop size than the pillars, the loop heat exchanger 14 and 16 may be larger than the remaining heat exchanger.

The A-pillar heat exchangers 12 and 12a (only one heat exchanger 12 positioned on the left side of the driver's seat is shown in the drawing) and the C-pillar heat exchanger 18 are installed at both sides of the pillar, and also the B-pillar of the vehicle. The heat exchange parts 20 and 22 are also provided in B pillars on both sides. Although only two heat exchangers 20 and 22 are shown in FIG. 2, it is clear that the number of heat exchangers can be increased to the extent that space permits.

Of the heat exchange parts 12, 12a, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 configured as described above, the heat exchange parts 12, 12a, 14, 16, and 18 are heat transfer materials attached to the surface of the vehicle body. Indirect heating and cooling). In contrast, the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 have a method of performing heat exchange by directly sucking / exhausting indoor air. On the other hand, each of the heat exchangers are controlled to enable individual cooling and heating of the front and rear seats.

3 is a partial cutaway view of the B-pillar inside the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 are installed. As shown, the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 are vertically connected to the inside of the B-pillar by electric wires to which positive (+) (-) is applied, and the exhaust holes 24 and the intake vents are respectively formed on the surfaces of the B-pillar. (26) is formed. The exhaust port 24 and the inlet port 26 serve as a moving passage of air. In fact, the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 are not visible in the vehicle interior.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, an air moving tube (28 in FIG. 4) is provided between the exhaust port 24 and the inlet port 26 to promote the movement of air. When the cooling or heating mode is activated, indoor air is introduced through the inlet port 26 and then heat exchanged in the air moving tube 28 to be discharged through the exhaust port 24.

In particular, the air moving tube 28 is configured to include only one substrate therein to prevent mixing of air due to endothermic and exothermic phenomena generated simultaneously in each of the B-pillar heat exchange parts 20 and 22. This structure is described later. As described above, even if only one substrate of the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 is changed, there is no problem in performing heat exchange for cooling and heating by changing the direction in which the current is applied.

Referring to Figures 4 to 6 the structure and operating state of the air moving tube as follows.

First, referring to FIG. 6, which is a side cross-sectional view of the air moving tube 28, it can be seen that the air moving tube 28 is installed in the longitudinal direction on the front surface of the heat exchange part 22. Air moving tube 28 has a front end (A-A) and the rear end (B-B), the front end (A-A) is the exhaust port 24 and the rear end (B-B) is connected to the inlet (26), respectively. In addition, by opening and closing the front and rear ends, respectively, to promote the movement of the air will be described later.

In addition, referring to Figure 4, the air moving tube 28 is located in front of the B-pillar heat exchange unit 22, in particular, so that most of the substrate (2a) of the heat exchange unit 22 into the inside of the air moving tube (28). It is composed.

At this time, by sealing the periphery of the substrate 2a, air is prevented from entering the inside of the air moving tube 28 from the outside through the periphery of the substrate 2a. In particular, since heat generation and endothermic phenomena occur at the same time in the heat exchange part 22, high-temperature air flows into the air moving tube 28 when operating in the cooling mode (or heating mode), thereby lowering the cooling efficiency (or heating efficiency). It is to prevent it.

The air present in the B pillar, not the air movement pipe 28, is naturally discharged to the outside, and thus it is not necessary to form a separate discharge port to the outside of the vehicle. This prevents the inflow of unnecessary air when heat generation or endothermic phenomenon occurs in the substrate 2a of the heat exchange part 22. The present invention further includes means for adjusting the diameters of both ends of the air moving tube 28 to promote the movement of the air.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, a pair of springs 30 and a pair of actuators 32 connected to the springs 30 are installed at one end of the air moving tube 28 (the front end in the drawing). FIG. 4 shows a state in which the front end part is completely opened as to adjust the diameter of the front end part A-A of the air moving tube 28.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows a pair of springs 30a and actuators 32a for adjusting the diameter of the rear end portion B-B of the air movement tube, respectively, and shows a state in which the rear end portion is closed. The pair of actuators for adjusting the diameter of the front end or the rear end are operated simultaneously. For the movement of air in the closed state, the cross section of the front end or the rear end is not completely closed and space is left.

In the case of adjusting the diameter of the front end or the rear end by using the springs 30 and 30a and the actuators 32 and 32a as described above, the air moving tube 28 uses the front end and the front by using a flexible material such as rubber. It is possible to flexibly cope with the change in the diameter of the rear end. That is, it is preferable that the air moving tube 28 has a strength such that the front end or the rear end is narrowed when the external force is applied by the actuators 32 and 32a while maintaining the circular shape when no external force is applied.

However, in the case of using a rigid material without using a flexible material, it is possible to use a closing member in the form of connecting a plurality of wings to the front and rear ends, respectively. In other words, the diameter can be adjusted using a closure member configured to expand or collapse in response to the movement of the actuator. The closing member actuated by the actuator has a maximum diameter when unfolded and a minimum diameter when folded.

5 shows a state of change in diameter of the rear end portion B-B when minimized. By changing the diameter of the front end and the rear end as described above, there is an advantage that can promote the flow rate of air.

Referring to FIG. 6 again, it is a side cross-sectional view of the air pipe | tube 28 which shows the state which changed the diameter of the front end part A-A and the rear end part B-B, respectively. As shown, the air moves at a high speed through the narrow diameter of the rear end portion B-B and heat exchanges while contacting the substrate 2a of the heat exchanger 22. The heat-exchanged air is widely spread while passing through the wide shear portion (A-A). As described above, the air movement is naturally promoted by adjusting the diameters of the front end portion A-A and the rear end portion B-B of the air movement tube 28.

However, it is possible to use the blower fan 34 to accelerate the air movement more quickly. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the blower fan 34 is installed adjacent to the side of the B-pillar heat exchanger 22, that is, the front end A-A, to force air intake. The installation of the blower fan 34 reduces the need to adjust the diameters of the front end and the rear end, but by using them simultaneously, the air moving efficiency can be further increased.

In addition, in the present invention, the rotation direction of the blowing fan 34 may be changed. This is to select the air movement direction, and to intensively supply the heat exchanged air to the seat of the passenger, such as the driver's seat or the rear seat. For example, when operating in full mode, a passenger may operate in the rear seat if the passenger is in the rear seat, and if the passenger is not riding, the air may be supplied with heat exchanged to the front seat.

A block circuit diagram of a vehicle cooling and heating system using the thermoelectric device of the present invention including the heat exchanger as described above is shown in FIG. 7.

As shown, the A-pillar heat exchangers 12 and 12a installed at the left and right sides of the A pillar of the vehicle, the loop heat exchangers 14 and 16 installed at the front and rear of the roof, and the C-pillar installed at the C pillars. The pillar heat exchange part 18, the B pillar heat exchange parts 20 and 22 installed in the B pillar, and the spring and the 1st and 2nd actuators 32 and 32a for adjusting the diameter of both ends of the air movement pipe 28 And a switch input unit 40 for inputting air conditioning and operation mode, a control unit 36 for selectively supplying power to a specific heat exchange unit according to the signal of the switch input unit 40, and operating the actuator; It includes a power supply 38 for supplying.

Although the actuators 32 and 32a are shown as one installed at the front end and the rear end, respectively, it is apparent that the actuators are actually a pair of actuators (see FIGS. 4 and 5) simultaneously operated.

An operating state of the vehicle cooling and heating system using the thermoelectric device of the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8.

The driver or passenger turns on the heating switch or cooling switch for cooling or heating the vehicle. The control unit 36 sets the polarity of the DC power applied to each heat exchange unit in accordance with the input heating or cooling mode. For example, the polarity of the DC power supply in response to heating and cooling is set to the opposite, and when the heating mode is set, heat generation is generated on the substrate of the heat exchanger facing the inside of the vehicle. However, in the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22, heat generation occurs in the substrate 2a inserted into the air moving tube 28.

As described above, when a mode is input by a user in a state in which the polarity of the applied power according to heating or cooling is set, the input user setting mode is compared and determined. Referring to FIG. 7, a setting mode by a user is input using a mode switch installed in the switch input unit 40.

When the driver's seat switch 44 is pressed and the driver's seat mode is set, a current is supplied to and operated by the left A-pillar heat exchanger 12 adjacent to the driver's seat. In addition, when the passenger seat switch 46 is pressed to set the passenger seat mode, a current is supplied to and operated by the right A-pillar heat exchanger 12a adjacent to the passenger seat. In addition, when the driver's seat and the passenger seat switch 44, 46 are pressed at the same time, the current is supplied to the loop heat exchange part 14 (loop A) in addition to the left and right A pillar heat exchange parts 12, 12a to operate.

On the other hand, when the rear seat switch 48 is pressed and the rear seat mode is set, the current is supplied to the C-pillar heat exchanger 18 installed in the C-pillar of the vehicle, and the current is supplied to the loop heat exchanger 16 (loop B). Is supplied and operated.

Further, when the full mode switch 42 is pressed and the full mode is set, the A-pillar heat exchangers 12 and 12a, the B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22, the C-pillar heat exchanger 18 and the loop heat exchanger 14, It is operated by supplying current to all of 16). This operating state is changed by the on / off of the off switch or the user setting switch.

In the present invention, it is also possible to operate the blower fan 34 when the whole mode is set to forcibly circulate air. Air circulation is accelerated by the operation of the blower fan 34, thereby increasing the cooling and heating effect. In particular, by adjusting the rotational direction of the blowing fan 34, it is possible to intensively supply cold air or heat to the front seat or the rear seat.

According to the present invention, the response is faster than the conventional vehicle air conditioning system, occupies less space, and there is no effect of using a refrigerant, which is environmentally friendly and does not generate any odor, thereby providing a comfortable environment.

1 is a schematic view showing the operation principle of the thermoelectric element and the structure of the heat exchanger,

2 is a schematic installation state diagram of a heat exchanger according to the present invention;

3 is a partial cutaway view of the B pillar portion of FIG.

Figure 4 is an end operating state when opening the air pipe installed in the pillar B,

5 is an end operation state when closing the air pipe installed in the pillar B,

6 is a side cross-sectional view of the air movement pipe installed in the pillar B,

7 is a block circuit diagram of a vehicle air conditioning system of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operating state of the vehicle air conditioning system of the present invention.

※ Explanation of symbols about main part of drawing ※

2,2a: substrate 4: p-type conductor

6: n-type conductor 8: electrode

12,12a: A-pillar heat exchanger 14,16: loop heat exchanger

18: C-pillar heat exchanger 20,22: B-pillar heat exchanger

24: exhaust port 26: intake port

28: air movement pipe 30, 30a: spring

32, 32a: Actuator 34: Blower fan

36: control unit 38: power supply unit

40: switch input 42: full mode switch

44: driver's seat switch 46: passenger seat switch

48: rear magnet switch

Claims (5)

A-pillar heat exchangers 12 and 12a installed at the left and right sides of the A pillar of the vehicle; Loop heat exchangers 14 and 16 installed at the front and rear of the roof; A C-pillar heat exchanger 18 installed at the C-pillar; B-pillar heat exchangers 20 and 22 installed on the B-pillar; Exhaust vents / intakes (24, 26) formed in the B pillars to supply cold air or heat generated from the B pillar heat exchange parts (20, 22) to the vehicle compartment; An air moving tube 28 installed between the exhaust ports / intake ports 24 and 26 to receive one side of the B-pillar heat exchanger 20 and 22 to perform heat exchange between cold air or hot air and air; Springs (30, 30a) and actuators (32, 32a) for adjusting the diameters of both ends of the air moving tube (28); A switch input unit 40 for inputting air conditioning and an operation mode; A control unit 36 selectively supplying power to a specific heat exchange unit according to the signal of the switch input unit 40 and operating the actuator; And a power supply unit (38) for supplying power. The method of claim 1, The A-pillar heat exchangers 12 and 12a, the loop heat exchangers 14 and 16, and the substrate facing the C-pillar heat exchanger 18 are in contact with the heat transfer material having high thermal conductivity and attached to the inner surface of the vehicle body. Vehicle cooling and heating system using a thermoelectric element characterized in that it is installed. The method of claim 1, A vehicle cooling and heating system using a thermoelectric element, characterized in that a blower fan (34) capable of adjusting the rotational direction is further provided inside the air moving tube (28). The method of claim 1, The switch input unit 40 switches for selecting the total mode for performing the entire heating and cooling, the driver's mode for heating and cooling only the driver's seat, the passenger's seat for cooling and heating only the passenger seat and the rear magnet mode for heating and cooling only the rear seat, respectively, Vehicle heating and heating system using a thermoelectric element comprising a 44,46,48. The method of claim 1, The air moving tube 28 is a thermoelectric element characterized in that the flexible material having a strength enough to narrow the front end and the rear end when the external force is applied by the actuator while maintaining a circular state without an external force Vehicle air conditioning system used.