US20050051295A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents
Air conditioner Download PDFInfo
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- US20050051295A1 US20050051295A1 US10/736,876 US73687603A US2005051295A1 US 20050051295 A1 US20050051295 A1 US 20050051295A1 US 73687603 A US73687603 A US 73687603A US 2005051295 A1 US2005051295 A1 US 2005051295A1
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- Prior art keywords
- refrigerant
- compressor
- pressure
- heat exchanger
- valve
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60H—ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES
- B60H1/00—Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices
- B60H1/00642—Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices
- B60H1/00978—Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
- F25B49/005—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices of safety devices
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2309/00—Gas cycle refrigeration machines
- F25B2309/06—Compression machines, plants or systems characterised by the refrigerant being carbon dioxide
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
- F25B41/20—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves
- F25B41/22—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves between evaporator and compressor
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
- F25B9/002—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point characterised by the refrigerant
- F25B9/008—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point characterised by the refrigerant the refrigerant being carbon dioxide
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an air conditioner and a refrigerant path switching valve for an air conditioner.
- a refrigerant leak occurs in an indoor heat exchanger for effecting heat exchange with air which is blown into a compartment, in an air conditioner utilizing a vapor compression type refrigerator, people in the compartment may take in a considerable amount of the leaked refrigerant.
- a flammable gas such as a propane gas, carbon dioxide, or the like
- the human body may be adversely affected.
- One measure against a refrigerant leak is to provide an electromagnetic valve on the refrigerant inlet side of an indoor heat exchanger in order to minimize a refrigerant leak by closing the electromagnetic valve when the refrigerant leak is detected by a refrigerant sensor arranged in a compartment, but this measure requires an electromagnetic valve and a control circuit for controlling the electromagnetic valve, therefore, there is the possibility that the manufacturing cost of an air conditioner will be raised considerably.
- the present invention has been developed with the above-mentioned problem being taken into account, and the first object is to provide a new air conditioner different from a conventional one and the second object is to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of an inexpensive means.
- an air conditioner comprises: a compressor ( 10 ) for sucking and compressing a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger ( 20 ) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air; a pressure-reducing means ( 30 ) for reducing the pressure of and expanding a high pressure refrigerant; an indoor heat exchanger ( 40 ) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and air which is blown into a compartment; an inlet side switching valve ( 71 a, 71 b, 72 , 73 , 71 e, 71 g ) for opening and closing a refrigerant path on the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor heat exchanger ( 40 ); and an outlet side switching valve ( 71 c, 71 d, 74 , 75 , 71 f, 71 h ) for opening and closing a refrigerant path on the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat
- An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that both the switching valves ( 71 a, 71 b, 72 , 73 , 71 e, 71 g, 71 c, 71 d, 74 , 75 , 71 f, 71 h ) open the refrigerant paths ( 72 , 74 ) by the use of the suction pressure of the compressor ( 10 ).
- An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the inlet side switching valve ( 71 a, 71 b, 72 , 73 , 71 e, 71 g ) and the outlet side switching valve ( 71 c, 71 d, 74 , 75 , 71 f, 71 h ) are formed integrally.
- An air conditioner comprising a compressor ( 10 ) for sucking and compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger ( 20 ) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air, a pressure-reducing means ( 30 ) for reducing the pressure of and expanding a high pressure refrigerant, and an indoor heat exchanger ( 40 ) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and air which is blown into a compartment; wherein a switching valve for opening and closing refrigerant paths on a refrigerant inlet side and a refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger ( 40 ); wherein the switching valve comprises: valve elements ( 73 , 75 ) for opening and closing the refrigerant paths ( 72 , 74 ); elastic means ( 76 , 77 ) for exerting an elastic force on the valve elements ( 73 , 75 ) in a direction to close the refrigerant paths; and a valve body ( 71 ) making up, together
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve element of a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment.
- a compressor 10 receives the driving force from an engine, which serves as a traveling drive source, via an electromagnetic clutch 11 and sucks and compresses a refrigerant, and a radiator 20 is an outdoor heat exchanger for cooling a refrigerant by effecting heat exchange between outdoor air and the high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 .
- An expansion valve 30 is a pressure-reducing means for reducing the pressure of, and expanding, a high pressure refrigerant and the expansion valve 30 controls the pressure of the refrigerant on the high pressure side, that is, an opening degree of a throttle based on the temperature of the high pressure side refrigerant (the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the radiator 20 in the present embodiment) in order to maintain a high coefficient of performance of a vapor compression type refrigerator.
- the required cooling performance is ensured by raising the pressure of the high pressure refrigerant to more than the critical pressure of the refrigerant, and when the air-conditioning load is small, for example in spring or autumn, the pressure of the high pressure refrigerant is kept below the critical pressure of the refrigerant.
- An evaporator 40 is an indoor heat exchanger which is contained in an air-conditioning casing 80 mounted inside a vehicle compartment and cools air which is blown into the compartment by effecting heat exchange between the air which is blown into the compartment and the low pressure refrigerant whose pressure is reduced by the expansion valve 30 to evaporate the liquid phase refrigerant.
- An accumulator 50 is a gas-liquid separator which separates the refrigerant, which flows out from the evaporator 40 , into the liquid phase refrigerant and the gas phase refrigerant and stores the excess refrigerant as a liquid phase refrigerant and, at the same time, supplies the gas phase refrigerant to the suction side of the compressor 10 .
- An internal heat exchanger 60 is a heat exchanger which effects heat exchange between the high pressure refrigerant before its pressure is reduced by the expansion valve 30 and the low pressure refrigerant to be sucked by the compressor 10 .
- a safety valve 70 is a refrigerant path switching valve of a mechanical type which brings the evaporator 40 into a hermetically closed state by closing the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 when the compressor 10 is at rest.
- the safety valve 70 will be described in detail later.
- An air blower 81 is an air blowing means for sending a current of air for air conditioning into a compartment, and on the upstream side of the current of air from the air blower 81 , an indoor/outdoor air switching device which switches between one case where indoor air is guided into the air blower 81 and the other case where outdoor air is guided into the air blower 81 is provided.
- a refrigerant leak sensor 91 which detects a refrigerant is provided, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 90 stops the compressor 10 by shutting off the current to the electromagnetic clutch 11 when the refrigerant leak sensor 91 detects a refrigerant.
- ECU electronice control unit
- the refrigerant leak sensor 91 and the ECU 90 directly detect carbon dioxide in air and judge that the refrigerant has leaked out when the concentration of carbon dioxide exceeds a fixed concentration.
- FIG. 2A shows a state in which the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 are closed
- FIG. 2B shows a state in which the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 are open.
- a first inflow port 71 a to be connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the expansion valve 30 , a first outflow port 71 b to be connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator 40 , a second inflow port 71 c to be connected to the refrigerant outflow side of the evaporator 40 , and a second outflow port 71 d to be connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the accumulator 50 are formed.
- valve body 71 it is preferable to make the valve body 71 of a material such as a resin whose coefficient of thermal conductivity is low, but when a resin cannot provide the required strength, the valve body 71 may be made of metal.
- a refrigerant path 72 which connects the first inflow port 71 a and the first outflow port 71 b is provided with a first valve element 73 which opens and closes the refrigerant path 72 and a refrigerant path 74 which connects the second inflow port 71 c and the second outflow port 71 d is provided with a second valve element 75 which opens and closes the refrigerant path 74 .
- the first valve element 73 is column-shaped and has a conically tapered portion 73 a formed on the end face in the axial direction
- the second valve element 75 is prism-shaped and has a conically tapered portion 75 a formed on the end face in the axial direction (refer to FIG. 3 ).
- valve body 71 a first cylinder portion 71 e in which the first valve element 73 is contained slidably and a second cylinder portion 71 f in which the second valve element 75 is contained slidably are formed, and both the cylinder portions 71 e and 71 f have a column-shaped space whose cross section is a circle.
- a first coil spring 76 which exerts an elastic force on the first valve element 73 in the direction to close the refrigerant path 72 , is contained and, similarly, in the space in the second cylinder portion 71 f opposite to the tapered portion 75 a, a second coil spring 77 , which exerts an elastic force on the second valve element 75 in the direction to close the refrigerant path 74 , is contained.
- a first cap 76 a which adjusts the initial load of the first coil spring 76 , is a screw lid to block the first cylinder portion 71 e
- a second cap 77 a which adjusts the initial load of the second coil spring 77 , is a screw lid to block the second cylinder portion 71 f.
- the first inflow port 71 a, the first outflow port 71 b, the refrigerant path 72 , the first valve element 73 , the first cylinder portion 71 e, the first back pressure chamber 71 g, and the like make up the inlet side switching valve set forth in claims
- the second inflow port 71 c, the second outflow port 71 d, the refrigerant path 74 , the second valve element 75 , the second cylinder portion 71 f, the second back pressure chamber 71 h and the like make up the outlet side switching valve set forth in claims.
- the refrigerant flows between the second valve element 75 and the second cylinder portion 71 f.
- the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 open and the refrigerant circulates in order of the compressor 10 to the radiator 20 to the internal heat exchanger 60 to the expansion valve 30 to the evaporator 40 to the accumulator 50 to the internal heat exchanger 60 to the compressor 10 . Therefore, the refrigerant, which has cooled the air which is blown into the compartment in the evaporator 40 , dissipates the heat, which it has received, into outdoor air from the radiator 20 .
- the compressor 10 When the start switch of the air conditioner is cut off, or when the refrigerant leak sensor 91 detects a refrigerant in a state in which the start switch of the air conditioner is turned on, the compressor 10 is stopped by shutting off the current to the electromagnetic clutch 11 and the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 are closed.
- the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 are closed mechanically by the first coil spring 76 and the second coil spring 77 , therefore, it is possible to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of a less expensive means than the means described in “2. Description of the Related Art.”
- the present invention is not limited to this, but a flammable gas, such as a propane gas, may be used as a refrigerant. In this case, it is not necessary to raise the high pressure side refrigerant pressure to over the critical pressure.
- the pressure-reducing means in the above-mentioned embodiment simply reduces the pressure of the refrigerant
- the present invention is not limited to this, but the pressure reducing means may be, for example, an expansion machine, which reduces the pressure of refrigerant under a constant enthalpy, or a nozzle of an ejector.
- the safety valve 70 is opened by utilizing the suction pressure of the compressor 10 in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the safety valve 70 may be opened by utilizing the discharge pressure of the compressor 10 .
- the inlet side switching valve for opening and closing the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 40 and the outlet side switching valve for opening and closing the refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator 40 are formed integrally in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and each switching valve may be separately formed.
- the internal heat exchanger 60 is comprised in the above-mentioned embodiment, the internal heat exchanger 60 may be eliminated.
- the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, a dedicated port 71 k which guides the suction pressure of the compressor 10 into the second back pressure chamber 71 h may be provided, as shown in FIG. 4 .
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a refrigerant path switching valve for an air conditioner.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- If a refrigerant leak occurs in an indoor heat exchanger for effecting heat exchange with air which is blown into a compartment, in an air conditioner utilizing a vapor compression type refrigerator, people in the compartment may take in a considerable amount of the leaked refrigerant. Particularly, when a flammable gas such as a propane gas, carbon dioxide, or the like, is used as a refrigerant, the human body may be adversely affected.
- One measure against a refrigerant leak is to provide an electromagnetic valve on the refrigerant inlet side of an indoor heat exchanger in order to minimize a refrigerant leak by closing the electromagnetic valve when the refrigerant leak is detected by a refrigerant sensor arranged in a compartment, but this measure requires an electromagnetic valve and a control circuit for controlling the electromagnetic valve, therefore, there is the possibility that the manufacturing cost of an air conditioner will be raised considerably.
- The present invention has been developed with the above-mentioned problem being taken into account, and the first object is to provide a new air conditioner different from a conventional one and the second object is to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of an inexpensive means.
- In order to attain the above-mentioned objects, an air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a compressor (10) for sucking and compressing a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger (20) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air; a pressure-reducing means (30) for reducing the pressure of and expanding a high pressure refrigerant; an indoor heat exchanger (40) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and air which is blown into a compartment; an inlet side switching valve (71 a, 71 b, 72, 73, 71 e, 71 g) for opening and closing a refrigerant path on the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40); and an outlet side switching valve (71 c, 71 d, 74, 75, 71 f, 71 h) for opening and closing a refrigerant path on the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40); wherein both the switching valves (71 a, 71 b, 72, 73, 71 e, 71 g, 71 c, 71 d, 74, 75, 71 f, 71 h) open the refrigerant paths (72, 74) by the use of the pressure produced by the compressor (10) and close the refrigerant paths (72, 74) by the use of the elastic force of elastic means (76, 77) when the compressor (10) comes to a stop.
- Due to this, it is possible to obtain a new air conditioner different from a conventional one and, at the same time, to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of a less expensive means than the means described in “2. Description of the Related Art”, because the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40) are closed mechanically.
- While the compressor (10) is at rest, as the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40) are closed, it is possible to prevent without fail the inside of a compartment from being filled with a large amount of refrigerant even if a refrigerant leak occurs when power is not supplied for a long period.
- An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that both the switching valves (71 a, 71 b, 72, 73, 71 e, 71 g, 71 c, 71 d, 74, 75, 71 f, 71 h) open the refrigerant paths (72, 74) by the use of the suction pressure of the compressor (10).
- An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the inlet side switching valve (71 a, 71 b, 72, 73, 71 e, 71 g) and the outlet side switching valve (71 c, 71 d, 74, 75, 71 f, 71 h) are formed integrally.
- An air conditioner according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprising a compressor (10) for sucking and compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger (20) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air, a pressure-reducing means (30) for reducing the pressure of and expanding a high pressure refrigerant, and an indoor heat exchanger (40) for effecting heat exchange between a refrigerant and air which is blown into a compartment; wherein a switching valve for opening and closing refrigerant paths on a refrigerant inlet side and a refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40); wherein the switching valve comprises: valve elements (73, 75) for opening and closing the refrigerant paths (72, 74); elastic means (76, 77) for exerting an elastic force on the valve elements (73, 75) in a direction to close the refrigerant paths; and a valve body (71) making up, together with the valve elements (73, 75), back pressure chambers (71 g, 71 h) communicating with the suction side of the compressor (10); and wherein the refrigerant paths (72, 74) are constituted so as to open when the valve elements (73, 75) are displaced in such a direction to reduce the volume of the back pressure chambers (71 g, 71 h).
- Due to this, it is possible to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of a less expensive means than the means described in “2. Description of the Related Art”, because the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40) are closed mechanically.
- While the compressor (10) is at rest, as the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger (40) are closed, it is possible to prevent without fail the inside of a compartment from being filled with a large amount of refrigerant even if a refrigerant leak occurs when power is not supplied for a long period.
- Symbols, within the brackets, following each means are an example relationship of correspondence with the concrete means in the embodiments to be described later.
- The present invention may be more fully understood from the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings.
- In the drawings:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve element of a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a safety valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. - In the present embodiment, an air conditioner according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle air conditioner, and
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to the present embodiment. - A
compressor 10 receives the driving force from an engine, which serves as a traveling drive source, via anelectromagnetic clutch 11 and sucks and compresses a refrigerant, and aradiator 20 is an outdoor heat exchanger for cooling a refrigerant by effecting heat exchange between outdoor air and the high pressure refrigerant discharged from thecompressor 10. - An
expansion valve 30 is a pressure-reducing means for reducing the pressure of, and expanding, a high pressure refrigerant and theexpansion valve 30 controls the pressure of the refrigerant on the high pressure side, that is, an opening degree of a throttle based on the temperature of the high pressure side refrigerant (the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of theradiator 20 in the present embodiment) in order to maintain a high coefficient of performance of a vapor compression type refrigerator. - As carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant in the present embodiment, when the air-conditioning load is large, for example in summer, the required cooling performance is ensured by raising the pressure of the high pressure refrigerant to more than the critical pressure of the refrigerant, and when the air-conditioning load is small, for example in spring or autumn, the pressure of the high pressure refrigerant is kept below the critical pressure of the refrigerant.
- An
evaporator 40 is an indoor heat exchanger which is contained in an air-conditioning casing 80 mounted inside a vehicle compartment and cools air which is blown into the compartment by effecting heat exchange between the air which is blown into the compartment and the low pressure refrigerant whose pressure is reduced by theexpansion valve 30 to evaporate the liquid phase refrigerant. - An
accumulator 50 is a gas-liquid separator which separates the refrigerant, which flows out from theevaporator 40, into the liquid phase refrigerant and the gas phase refrigerant and stores the excess refrigerant as a liquid phase refrigerant and, at the same time, supplies the gas phase refrigerant to the suction side of thecompressor 10. Aninternal heat exchanger 60 is a heat exchanger which effects heat exchange between the high pressure refrigerant before its pressure is reduced by theexpansion valve 30 and the low pressure refrigerant to be sucked by thecompressor 10. - A
safety valve 70 is a refrigerant path switching valve of a mechanical type which brings theevaporator 40 into a hermetically closed state by closing the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 when thecompressor 10 is at rest. Thesafety valve 70 will be described in detail later. - An
air blower 81 is an air blowing means for sending a current of air for air conditioning into a compartment, and on the upstream side of the current of air from theair blower 81, an indoor/outdoor air switching device which switches between one case where indoor air is guided into theair blower 81 and the other case where outdoor air is guided into theair blower 81 is provided. - Moreover, in the vicinity of the
evaporator 40 within theair conditioning casing 80, arefrigerant leak sensor 91 which detects a refrigerant is provided, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 90 stops thecompressor 10 by shutting off the current to theelectromagnetic clutch 11 when therefrigerant leak sensor 91 detects a refrigerant. - By the way, as carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant in the present embodiment, the
refrigerant leak sensor 91 and the ECU 90 directly detect carbon dioxide in air and judge that the refrigerant has leaked out when the concentration of carbon dioxide exceeds a fixed concentration. - Next, the
safety valve 70 is described below. -
FIG. 2A shows a state in which the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are closed, andFIG. 2B shows a state in which the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are open. - In a
valve body 71, afirst inflow port 71 a to be connected to the refrigerant outlet side of theexpansion valve 30, afirst outflow port 71 b to be connected to the refrigerant inlet side of theevaporator 40, asecond inflow port 71 c to be connected to the refrigerant outflow side of theevaporator 40, and asecond outflow port 71 d to be connected to the refrigerant inlet side of theaccumulator 50 are formed. - It is preferable to make the
valve body 71 of a material such as a resin whose coefficient of thermal conductivity is low, but when a resin cannot provide the required strength, thevalve body 71 may be made of metal. - A
refrigerant path 72 which connects thefirst inflow port 71 a and thefirst outflow port 71 b is provided with afirst valve element 73 which opens and closes therefrigerant path 72 and arefrigerant path 74 which connects thesecond inflow port 71 c and thesecond outflow port 71 d is provided with asecond valve element 75 which opens and closes therefrigerant path 74. - The
first valve element 73 is column-shaped and has a conicallytapered portion 73 a formed on the end face in the axial direction, and thesecond valve element 75 is prism-shaped and has a conicallytapered portion 75 a formed on the end face in the axial direction (refer toFIG. 3 ). - Moreover, in the
valve body 71, afirst cylinder portion 71 e in which thefirst valve element 73 is contained slidably and asecond cylinder portion 71 f in which thesecond valve element 75 is contained slidably are formed, and both thecylinder portions - In the space in the
first cylinder portion 71 e opposite to thetapered portion 73 a, afirst coil spring 76, which exerts an elastic force on thefirst valve element 73 in the direction to close therefrigerant path 72, is contained and, similarly, in the space in thesecond cylinder portion 71 f opposite to thetapered portion 75 a, asecond coil spring 77, which exerts an elastic force on thesecond valve element 75 in the direction to close therefrigerant path 74, is contained. - A
first cap 76 a, which adjusts the initial load of thefirst coil spring 76, is a screw lid to block thefirst cylinder portion 71 e, and asecond cap 77 a, which adjusts the initial load of thesecond coil spring 77, is a screw lid to block thesecond cylinder portion 71 f. - A second
back pressure chamber 71 h, in which thesecond coil spring 77 is contained, within thesecond cylinder portion 71 f communicates with thesecond outflow port 71 d, that is, the suction side of thecompressor 10, and a firstback pressure chamber 71 g, in which thefirst coil spring 76 is contained, within thefirst cylinder portion 71 e communicates with the secondback pressure chamber 71 h via acommunication path 71 j and, as a result, communicates with the suction side of thecompressor 10. - In the present embodiment, the
first inflow port 71 a, thefirst outflow port 71 b, therefrigerant path 72, thefirst valve element 73, thefirst cylinder portion 71 e, the firstback pressure chamber 71 g, and the like, make up the inlet side switching valve set forth in claims, and thesecond inflow port 71 c, thesecond outflow port 71 d, therefrigerant path 74, thesecond valve element 75, thesecond cylinder portion 71 f, the secondback pressure chamber 71 h and the like make up the outlet side switching valve set forth in claims. - Next, the operation of the safety valve is described below.
- When the suction pressure of the
compressor 10 is not exerted on the firstback pressure chamber 71 g and thesecond back pressure 71 h, that is, when thecompressor 10 is at rest, the refrigerant inlet side of theevaporator 40 is closed by the elastic force of thefirst coil spring 76 and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 is closed by the elastic force of thesecond coil spring 77. - When the suction pressure of the
compressor 10 is exerted on the firstback pressure chamber 71 g and the secondback pressure chamber 71 h, that is, when thecompressor 10 is in operation, the pressure in both theback pressure chambers valve elements back pressure chambers evaporator 40 open. - In the
refrigerant path 74, that is, on the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40, the refrigerant flows between thesecond valve element 75 and thesecond cylinder portion 71 f. - Next, the general operation of the air conditioner is described below.
- When the
compressor 10 is started, the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 open and the refrigerant circulates in order of thecompressor 10 to theradiator 20 to theinternal heat exchanger 60 to theexpansion valve 30 to theevaporator 40 to theaccumulator 50 to theinternal heat exchanger 60 to thecompressor 10. Therefore, the refrigerant, which has cooled the air which is blown into the compartment in theevaporator 40, dissipates the heat, which it has received, into outdoor air from theradiator 20. - When the start switch of the air conditioner is cut off, or when the
refrigerant leak sensor 91 detects a refrigerant in a state in which the start switch of the air conditioner is turned on, thecompressor 10 is stopped by shutting off the current to theelectromagnetic clutch 11 and the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are closed. - Next, the function and effect of the present embodiment are described below.
- According to the present embodiment, when the
compressor 10 is stopped, the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are closed mechanically by thefirst coil spring 76 and thesecond coil spring 77, therefore, it is possible to minimize a refrigerant leak by the use of a less expensive means than the means described in “2. Description of the Related Art.” - While the
compressor 10 is at rest, as the refrigerant inlet side and the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are closed, it is possible to prevent without fail the inside of a compartment from being filled with a large amount of refrigerant even if a refrigerant leak occurs when the ignition switch is cut off for a long period, such as when the vehicle is parked during the night, and power is not supplied to therefrigerant leak sensor 91 and theECU 90. - Although carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, but a flammable gas, such as a propane gas, may be used as a refrigerant. In this case, it is not necessary to raise the high pressure side refrigerant pressure to over the critical pressure.
- Although the pressure-reducing means in the above-mentioned embodiment simply reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, the present invention is not limited to this, but the pressure reducing means may be, for example, an expansion machine, which reduces the pressure of refrigerant under a constant enthalpy, or a nozzle of an ejector.
- Although the
safety valve 70 is opened by utilizing the suction pressure of thecompressor 10 in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and thesafety valve 70 may be opened by utilizing the discharge pressure of thecompressor 10. - Although the inlet side switching valve for opening and closing the refrigerant inlet of the
evaporator 40 and the outlet side switching valve for opening and closing the refrigerant outlet side of theevaporator 40 are formed integrally in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and each switching valve may be separately formed. - Although the
internal heat exchanger 60 is comprised in the above-mentioned embodiment, theinternal heat exchanger 60 may be eliminated. - Although the
second valve element 75 is prism-shaped and the refrigerant flows between thesecond valve element 75 and thesecond cylinder port 71 f, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, adedicated port 71 k which guides the suction pressure of thecompressor 10 into the secondback pressure chamber 71 h may be provided, as shown inFIG. 4 . - While the invention has been described by reference to specific embodiments chosen for the purposes of illustration, it should be apparent that numerous modifications could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic concept and scope of the invention.
Claims (4)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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JP2002-186034 | 2002-06-26 | ||
JP2002186034A JP4042481B2 (en) | 2002-06-26 | 2002-06-26 | Air conditioner |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US6857280B1 US6857280B1 (en) | 2005-02-22 |
US20050051295A1 true US20050051295A1 (en) | 2005-03-10 |
Family
ID=31181504
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/736,876 Expired - Lifetime US6857280B1 (en) | 2002-06-26 | 2003-12-16 | Air conditioner |
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US (1) | US6857280B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4042481B2 (en) |
Cited By (8)
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US20060021739A1 (en) * | 2004-08-02 | 2006-02-02 | Young David P | Method and system for evaluating fluid flow through a heat exchanger |
WO2007012855A1 (en) * | 2005-07-26 | 2007-02-01 | Trox Uk Limited | Apparatus for cooling systems |
US20080112128A1 (en) * | 2004-09-23 | 2008-05-15 | Trox (Uk) Limited | Cooling Methods and Apparatus |
DE102009032871A1 (en) | 2008-07-30 | 2010-02-04 | DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya-shi | Vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning passenger compartment of e.g. hybrid vehicle, has cooling medium flow restriction devices for opening passage to enable flow of cooling medium from one section to other section |
WO2018156720A1 (en) * | 2017-02-23 | 2018-08-30 | GREEN, Elda D. | Distributed climate-control systems and methods with distributed protection against refrigerant loss |
CN110023697A (en) * | 2016-11-16 | 2019-07-16 | 卢布尔雅那大学 | Heat of mixing equipment |
EP3663657A1 (en) * | 2018-12-07 | 2020-06-10 | Daikin Industries, Ltd. | Air-conditioner and air-conditioning system |
US11512867B2 (en) * | 2020-03-12 | 2022-11-29 | Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP | Refrigerant detection and control of HVAC system |
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JP5034504B2 (en) * | 2007-01-11 | 2012-09-26 | ダイキン工業株式会社 | Air conditioner |
JP4501984B2 (en) * | 2007-10-03 | 2010-07-14 | 株式会社デンソー | Ejector refrigeration cycle |
JP5642202B2 (en) * | 2011-01-26 | 2014-12-17 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Air conditioner |
KR20150002980A (en) * | 2013-06-28 | 2015-01-08 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Air Conditioner |
JP6375639B2 (en) * | 2014-02-21 | 2018-08-22 | ダイキン工業株式会社 | Air conditioner |
JP6323489B2 (en) * | 2015-08-04 | 2018-05-16 | 株式会社デンソー | Heat pump system |
KR20230090753A (en) * | 2021-12-15 | 2023-06-22 | 현대자동차주식회사 | Heat exchanger and refrigerant moudule of integrated thermal management system for vehicle including the same |
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DE102009032871A1 (en) | 2008-07-30 | 2010-02-04 | DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya-shi | Vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning passenger compartment of e.g. hybrid vehicle, has cooling medium flow restriction devices for opening passage to enable flow of cooling medium from one section to other section |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6857280B1 (en) | 2005-02-22 |
JP2004028461A (en) | 2004-01-29 |
JP4042481B2 (en) | 2008-02-06 |
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