WO2017163659A1

WO2017163659A1 - Air conditioner for vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2017163659A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/005040
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健太朗黒田; 圭俊野田
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2016-03-25
Filing date: 2017-02-13
Publication date: 2017-09-28
Also published as: JP2017171247A

Abstract

Provided is an air conditioner for a vehicle with which it is possible to effectively use the heat of a coolant when heating a plurality of objects to be heated. This air conditioner for a vehicle is equipped with: a compressor that compresses a refrigerant; a condenser that performs heat exchange between a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant and a coolant that is emitted from an engine cooling unit; a first object to be heated that performs heat exchange between the coolant heated by heat exchange and air fed into a vehicle interior; and an evaporator that performs heat exchange between the coolant introduced into the engine cooling unit and a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant. The air conditioner is further provided with: a coolant channel for distributing the heated coolant to the first object to be heated; a coolant channel for distributing the heated coolant to a second object to be heated that is separate from the first object to be heated; an opening/closing unit that opens/closes the coolant channels; and a control unit that controls the opening/closing unit such that an inflow destination to which the heated coolant is distributed is switched from the second object to be heated to the first object to be heated at a prescribed timing.

Description

Air conditioner for vehicles

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioner.

As a conventional vehicle heating device, high-temperature engine coolant (coolant) flows into the heater core, heat is exchanged between the coolant and air, and warmed air is supplied to the vehicle interior. Therefore, many hot water heaters that heat the passenger compartment are used.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle air conditioner that is based on an existing hot water heater and has a configuration in which a coolant is heated using a heat pump.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-76837

The vehicle air conditioner according to the present disclosure has the following configuration. That is, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a condenser that exchanges heat between the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant and the coolant sent from the engine cooling unit, the coolant heated by the heat exchange, and the air sent into the passenger compartment A first heating object that exchanges heat with the evaporator, and an evaporator that exchanges heat between the coolant introduced into the engine cooling unit and the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant. And a coolant passage for flowing the heated coolant to the first heating target, and a coolant passage for flowing the heated coolant to the second heating target different from the first heating target. An opening / closing unit that opens and closes each coolant passage, and a control unit that controls the opening / closing unit so as to switch an inflow destination through which the heated coolant flows from the second heating object to the first heating object at a predetermined timing. .

According to the present disclosure, the heat of the coolant can be used effectively when heating a plurality of heating targets.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the cooling water and the refrigerant | coolant in the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this indication. It is a figure which shows the flow of the cooling water after switching. It is a figure which shows the structure of a coolant circuit roughly. It is a figure which shows the coolant circuit before switching. It is a figure which shows the coolant circuit after switching. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the vehicle air conditioner of embodiment of this indication. It is a flowchart which shows the switching process of a heating object. It is a block diagram which shows the flow of the cooling water and the refrigerant | coolant in the vehicle air conditioner which concerns on the modification 1. It is a figure which shows the flow of the cooling water after switching. It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of the coolant circuit which concerns on the modification 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the coolant circuit before switching. It is a figure which shows the coolant circuit after switching. It is a figure which shows roughly the cooling fluid circuit before the switching of the heating object which concerns on the modification 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the coolant circuit after switching.

Prior to the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, problems in the conventional vehicle air conditioner will be briefly described. The heat pump of Patent Document 1 includes a compressor that changes the temperature of the refrigerant to high temperature and pressure, and a condenser that heats the cooling liquid by performing heat exchange between the high temperature and pressure refrigerant and the cooling liquid. Thereby, the temperature of the coolant flowing into the heater core becomes higher, and the heating performance can be improved as compared with the existing one.

By the way, for example, the automatic transmission of the vehicle is provided with a torque converter that transmits the engine-side force to the transmission side via an ATF (Automatic Transmission-Fluid). ATF may be referred to as AT oil or ATF oil.

The torque converter is provided with a lock-up mechanism that directly connects the engine-side and transmission-side rotating shafts (hereinafter referred to as lock-up) according to, for example, the engine load and the transmission output shaft rotational speed.

The torque converter does not enter control such as lock-up because the viscous resistance is high when the temperature of the ATF is low. Therefore, the engine speed is controlled to increase until the temperature of the ATF rises, resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption. .

¡In order to reduce fuel consumption, it is necessary to raise the ATF temperature.

That is, in addition to the heater core, there is a heating target that needs to be raised in temperature, such as ATF.

The present disclosure is to provide a vehicle air conditioner that can effectively use the heat of the coolant when heating a plurality of heating objects.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are explanatory diagrams showing the flow of coolant and refrigerant in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the coolant circuit. In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, only the piping through which the coolant flows is shown among the piping through which the refrigerant flows and the cooling fluid piping, and the piping through which the cooling fluid does not flow is omitted. In FIG. 2A, the refrigerant circuit is omitted.

In the present embodiment, a vehicle air conditioner 1 that is mounted on a vehicle having an engine (an internal combustion engine) as a heat generating component and performs air conditioning in the passenger compartment will be described.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment operates by switching to a plurality of operation modes. For this purpose, the vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a component unit 10, a compressor (compressor) 38, an engine cooling unit 40, a heater core 44, an evaporator 48, an expansion valve 37, a check, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A. The valve 15, the ATF oil cooler 80, the opening / closing part 90, and a coolant pipe and a refrigerant pipe that connect between them. The heater core 44 and the evaporator 48 are disposed in an intake passage of an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) 70. The HVAC 70 is provided with a fan F1 through which intake air flows.

The constituent unit 10 includes an evaporator 11, a condenser 12, a first on-off valve 13, a second on-off valve 14, and an expansion valve 16. The opening / closing part 90 has opening /

closing valves

91, 92, 93.

The compressor 38 is driven by engine power or electricity, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges the refrigerant at a high temperature and high pressure. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is sent to the condenser 12. The low-pressure refrigerant is sucked from the evaporator 11 or the evaporator 48 of the constituent unit 10 into the compressor 38 via the junction pipe.

The engine cooling unit 40 has a pump and releases heat from the engine to the coolant. The pump transfers the coolant. The direction in which the coolant is transferred is indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The engine cooling unit 40 may be provided with a radiator that releases heat to the outside air.

The cooling liquid is an antifreeze liquid such as LLC (Long Life Coolant) and is a liquid for carrying heat.

The heater core 44 is a device that exchanges heat between the coolant and air, and is disposed in the intake passage of the HVAC 70 that supplies air into the passenger compartment. The heater core 44 is supplied with a heated coolant, and releases heat to the air supplied to the passenger compartment during the heating operation. The heater core 44 adjusts the amount of air supplied into the passenger compartment by the opening of the door 44a. The door 44a is opened and closed by electrical control. The heater core 44 corresponds to the first heating target of the present disclosure.

The ATF oil cooler 80 is a cooling device that appropriately maintains the temperature of the ATF accommodated in an automatic transmission (not shown). The ATF oil cooler 80 corresponds to the second heating target of the present disclosure. Here, the heating target refers to a target that is heated directly or indirectly by the heat of the coolant sent from the condenser 12.

The coolant inlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 is communicated with the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 via the condenser 12 or not. Further, the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 is communicated with the coolant inlet of the engine cooling unit 40 through a pipe.

The automatic transmission is provided with a torque converter (not shown) for transmitting the engine side force to the mission side via the ATF. The torque converter has a lockup mechanism (not shown) that directly connects the rotation shafts on the engine side and the mission side.

The evaporator 48 is a device that exchanges heat between the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant and the air, and is disposed in the intake passage of the HVAC 70. The evaporator 48 is supplied with a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant during cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, and temperature control operation to cool the air supplied to the passenger compartment.

The expansion valve 37 expands the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant and discharges the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant to the evaporator 48.

The constituent unit 10 includes an evaporator 11, a condenser 12, a first on-off valve 13, a second on-off valve 14, and an expansion valve 16.

The evaporator 11 has a passage through which a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows and a passage through which a cooling liquid flows, and performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the cooling liquid. The evaporator 11 is introduced with a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant from the expansion valve 16 in a predetermined operation mode, and heat is transferred from the coolant to the refrigerant when the refrigerant evaporates. Thereby, the evaporator 11 vaporizes the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant.

The coolant inlet of the evaporator 11 is communicated with the heater core 44 via a pipe, and the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 is communicated with the engine cooling unit 40 via a pipe. The refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 11 communicates with the expansion valve 16 via a pipe, and the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator 11 communicates with a pipe that joins the inlet of the compressor 38.

The condenser 12 has a passage through which a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows and a passage through which a cooling liquid flows, and performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the cooling liquid. A high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is sent from the compressor 38 to the condenser 12 in a predetermined operation mode, and heat is transferred from the refrigerant to the coolant when the refrigerant condenses.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, the cooling liquid inlet of the condenser 12 communicates with the engine cooling section 40 via the opening / closing section 90, and the cooling liquid delivery port of the condenser 12 passes through the opening / closing section 90. Via the heater core 44 and the ATF oil cooler 80. The refrigerant inlet of the condenser 12 communicates with the discharge port of the compressor 38 via a pipe, and the refrigerant outlet of the condenser 12 communicates with the expansion valve 16.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the coolant circuit has an evaporator 11, a condenser 12, an engine cooling unit 40, a heater core 44, an ATF oil cooler 80, an opening / closing unit 90, and a coolant pipe connecting them. .

The opening / closing part 90 has opening / closing valves 91 to 93 for opening / closing the respective coolant passages. The on-off valves 91 to 93 are, for example, three-way electromagnetic valves. Here, the coolant passage refers to a passage (pipe) that connects the two, for example, between the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the condenser 12.

The on-off valve 91 is a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44 or the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the condenser 12. When one of the coolant passages between the coolant inlet and the coolant inlet is opened, the other coolant passage is closed.

The on-off valve 92 is connected to the coolant passage between the coolant delivery port of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant introduction port of the ATF oil cooler 80 or the coolant delivery port of the engine cooling unit 40 and the condenser 12. When one of the coolant channels between the coolant inlet and the other coolant channel is opened, the other coolant channel is closed.

The on-off valve 93 is a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44, or the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the cooling of the ATF oil cooler 80. When the coolant passage between the liquid inlet and the liquid inlet is opened, the other coolant passage is closed.

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 (see FIG. 3) controls the on-off valves 91 to 93 so as to switch the coolant passage through which the coolant flows based on the ATF temperature and lockup information.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, the first on-off valve 13 and the second on-off valve 14 are valves for switching the opening and closing of the refrigerant pipe, for example, by electrical control, and are, for example, electromagnetic valves. The first on-off valve 13 opens and closes the refrigerant passage between the branch portion of the refrigerant passage on the outlet side of the condenser 12 and the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 48. The second on-off valve 14 opens and closes the refrigerant passage between the branch portion of the refrigerant passage on the outlet side of the condenser 12 and the refrigerant inlet of the expansion valve 16.

The expansion valve 16 expands the high-pressure refrigerant and discharges the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant to the evaporator 11.

The check valve 15 is provided between the compressor 38 and the evaporator 48, and prevents a reverse flow of the refrigerant in an operation mode in which the refrigerant does not flow through the refrigerant passage between the branch portion and the refrigerant inlet of the evaporator 48. It is a valve.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes an air conditioning automatic control unit 51, an HVAC control unit 71, a heat pump heating control unit 52, and a heat pump heating switch 55 as a control system configuration.

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 includes a microcomputer, an I / O (Input / Output), a program memory that stores a control program, a working memory, and the like, and the microcomputer performs automatic control of air conditioning according to the control program. .

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 receives user setting information, environment information, and drive control information.

The user setting information is information on air conditioning set by the user via, for example, an operation panel of an instrument panel. The user setting information includes, for example, A / C (Air-Conditioner) switch information for instructing the operation of the heat pump mainly for cooling or dehumidification, setting temperature information, setting air flow rate information, and the like.

Environmental information is information obtained from various sensors provided in the vehicle or the vehicle air conditioner 1. The environmental information includes, for example, ATF temperature information, outside air temperature information, vehicle interior temperature information, and door 44a opening information.

The drive control information is information for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle, and is information obtained from a control unit (not shown) that controls them. The drive control information includes, for example, lockup information indicating whether or not the torque converter is locked up, engine start information, and the like.

In addition, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 performs control for starting the compressor 38.

Further, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 sends a command (air conditioning control signal such as door control) to the HVAC control unit 71 to open / close the door 44a of the heater core 44, and open / close each door of the HVAC 70, and the fan F1. Each control such as driving is performed. The HVAC control unit 71 is configured to comprehensively control each drive unit of the HVAC 70 based on a command from the air conditioning automatic control unit 51.

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 also includes communication means capable of transmitting and receiving predetermined information to and from the heat pump heating control unit 52. This communication means may be a serial bus or CAN (Controller Area Network), or may be a communication means via a dedicated signal line.

The heat pump heating control unit 52 can be composed of a microcomputer or a sequencer. The heat pump heating control unit 52 performs opening / closing control of the first opening / closing valve 13 and the second opening / closing valve 14, and mainly performs switching control of the heat pump heating mode.

Information for determining whether or not the heat pump heating mode is necessary is input to the heat pump heating control unit 52. Specifically, this information is switch information (heat pump heating activation signal) indicating ON / OFF of the heat pump heating switch 55. The heat pump heating switch 55 is an operation switch that can be operated by the user. When the user turns on the heat pump heating switch 55 and a heat pump heating activation signal is input, the heat pump heating control unit 52 can determine that the transition to the heat pump heating mode is necessary.

The heat pump heating control unit 52 receives outside air temperature information, vehicle interior temperature information, environment information, vehicle interior temperature setting information, and the like as information for determining whether or not the heat pump heating mode is necessary. . Further, information for determining whether or not the heat pump heating mode is necessary includes state information of the vehicle air conditioner 1 such as opening information of the door 44a. In addition, it is not necessary to input all these information, and only some information may be input. Based on these pieces of information, the heat pump heating control unit 52 may detect that heat such as engine exhaust heat is insufficient for heating and determine that the transition to the heat pump heating mode is necessary. it can.

The heat pump heating control unit 52 includes communication means capable of transmitting / receiving predetermined information to / from the air conditioning automatic control unit 51. The communication line is not particularly limited, but is connected to the heat pump heating control unit 52 via a connector CN1 (corresponding to a connection unit).

In communication between the heat pump heating control unit 52 and the air conditioning automatic control unit 51, at least A / C switch information (corresponding to air conditioning switch information) is sent from the latter to the former, and a compressor activation request signal is sent from the former to the latter. Is done.

The A / C switch information is, for example, on / off information of an A / C switch provided in the operation unit of the instrument panel. The A / C switch is an operation switch that the user instructs to start the compressor 38 mainly for cooling or dehumidification.

The compressor activation request signal is a signal for requesting activation of the compressor 38. With this signal, the heat pump heating control unit 52 can activate the compressor 38 even when the A / C switch is off.

When the heat pump heating control unit 52 determines that the transition to the heat pump heating mode is necessary, the heat pump heating control unit 52 determines whether the compressor 38 is driven based on the information from the air conditioning automatic control unit 51. A request signal is sent to the air conditioning automatic control unit 51. The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 drives the compressor 38 by a compressor activation request signal even when the A / C switch is off. Furthermore, the heat pump heating control unit 52 performs opening / closing control of the first opening / closing valve 13 and the second opening / closing valve 14 to perform control for shifting to the heat pump heating mode.

The information communicated between the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 and the heat pump heating control unit 52 includes information indicating the current operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1, opening information of each door of the HVAC 70, and the like. May be.

Furthermore, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the opening / closing unit 90 so as to switch the coolant passage at a predetermined timing in the heat pump heating mode. Here, switching the coolant passage corresponds to switching the heating target. 1A and 2B show the vehicle air conditioner 1 and the coolant circuit before switching the heating object, and FIGS. 1B and 2C show the vehicle air conditioner 1 and the coolant circuit after the heating object switching, respectively. .

When the ATF temperature does not exceed a predetermined value and the torque converter is not locked up in the heat pump heating mode, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the coolant outlet and the heater core 44 of the engine cooling unit 40. The coolant passage between the coolant inlet and the coolant inlet is opened, and the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the condenser 12 is opened and closed. The valve 91 is controlled.

Further, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 closes the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the ATF oil cooler 80, and the coolant of the engine cooling unit 40 The on-off valve 92 is controlled so as to open the coolant passage between the delivery port and the coolant inlet of the condenser 12.

Furthermore, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 closes the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44 and also supplies the coolant outlet of the condenser 12. The on-off valve 93 is controlled to open the coolant passage between the ATF oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet (see FIGS. 1A and 2B).

As described above, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the on-off valves 91 to 93 so as to switch the respective coolant passages, so that the heated coolant from the condenser 12 flows to the ATF oil cooler 80. Thereby, heat exchange is performed between the coolant and the ATF, and the temperature of the ATF increases.

When the ATF temperature exceeds a predetermined value or the torque converter is locked up in the heat pump heating mode, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 is configured to supply the coolant of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant of the heater core 44. The on-off valve 91 is closed so that the coolant passage between the coolant inlet and the inlet of the engine 12 is closed and the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the condenser 12 is opened. To control.

Further, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens a coolant passage between the coolant delivery port of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant introduction port of the ATF oil cooler 80, and also supplies the coolant of the engine cooling unit 40. The on-off valve 92 is controlled so as to close the coolant passage between the delivery port and the coolant inlet of the condenser 12.

Further, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44, and also supplies the coolant outlet of the condenser 12. The on-off valve 93 is controlled so as to close the coolant passage between the ATF oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet (see FIGS. 1B and 2C).

As described above, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the on-off valves 91 to 93 so as to switch the respective coolant passages, whereby the heated coolant from the condenser 12 flows to the heater core 44. As a result, heat is exchanged between the coolant and air, and the air supplied to the passenger compartment is warmed.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 operates by being switched to several operation modes such as a heat pump heating mode, a hot water heating mode, a temperature control mode, and a cooling mode. The heat pump heating mode is a mode in which the vehicle interior is heated by operating the heat pump. The hot water heating mode is a mode in which the passenger compartment is heated without operating the heat pump. The cooling mode is a mode in which the passenger compartment is cooled by the action of the heat pump. The temperature adjustment mode is a mode in which the temperature and humidity of the air are adjusted by appropriately combining air cooling and dehumidification with a low-temperature refrigerant and air heating with a high-temperature coolant. Hereinafter, the heat pump heating mode and the cooling mode will be described as representative examples.

Hereinafter, switching of the heating target in the heat pump heating mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the heating target switching process. It is assumed that the operation mode has been shifted to the heat pump heating mode.

This process starts when the engine is started.

When the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 receives engine start information, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 switches the coolant to the coolant passage through which the coolant flows, so that the heated coolant from the condenser 12 is transferred to the ATF oil cooler 80 (second heating target). The opening / closing part 90 is controlled to flow (step S12). Thereby, heat exchange is performed between the coolant and the ATF, and the temperature of the ATF increases.

Next, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 determines whether or not the lock-up is performed, and further determines whether or not the ATF temperature K exceeds a predetermined value (step S14).

When the torque converter is not locked up and the ATF temperature K does not exceed the predetermined value (step S14: NO), the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 does not switch the respective coolant passages (step S16). . That is, the object to be heated remains the ATF oil cooler 80. As a result, the heat exchange between the coolant and the ATF is continued, and the temperature of the ATF increases.

On the other hand, when the lock-up occurs or the temperature K of the ATF exceeds a predetermined value (step S14: YES), the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 switches to the coolant passage through which the coolant flows, thereby causing the condenser 12 to switch. The opening / closing part 90 is controlled so that the heated coolant from the flow to the heater core 44 (first heating target) (step S18). That is, the heating target is switched to the heater core 44. As a result, heat is exchanged between the coolant and air, and the air sent into the passenger compartment is warmed.

After step S16 and after step S18, step S14 is executed again. That is, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 determines whether or not the lock-up is performed, and further determines whether or not the ATF temperature K exceeds a predetermined value.

Here, the operation of the heat pump heating mode after the heating target is switched to the heater core 44 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B and 2C.

In the heat pump heating mode, the first on-off valve 13 is closed and the second on-off valve 14 is switched to open in the configuration of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Further, the door 44a of the heater core 44 is opened (for example, fully opened).

In the heat pump heating mode, when the compressor 38 is further operated, the refrigerant flows in the order of the condenser 12, the expansion valve 16, and the evaporator 11, and further circulates in the above order by returning to the compressor 38.

The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 38 dissipates heat to the coolant in the condenser 12 and condenses. The condensed refrigerant is expanded by the expansion valve 16 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant, and is sent to the evaporator 11. The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant is vaporized by absorbing heat from the coolant in the evaporator 11. The vaporized low-pressure refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 38 and compressed.

The coolant flows in the order of the engine cooling unit 40, the condenser 12, the heater core 44, and the evaporator 11, and further returns to the engine cooling unit 40 to circulate in the above order.

Here, the coolant that has absorbed heat from the engine by the engine cooling unit 40 is further heated by the condenser 12 and sent to the heater core 44. The coolant that has reached a high temperature can sufficiently heat the intake air that is sent into the passenger compartment by the heater core 44.

The coolant that has passed through the heater core 44 has a higher temperature than the outside air, and the evaporator 11 can dissipate heat to the refrigerant to vaporize the refrigerant. The coolant cooled by the evaporator 11 can be sent to the engine cooling unit 40 to sufficiently cool the engine.

By the operation of the above heat pump heating mode, the vehicle interior can be sufficiently heated.

Next, the operation in the cooling mode will be described.

In the cooling mode, the first on-off valve 13 is switched to open and the second on-off valve 14 is switched to close. Further, the door 44a of the heater core 44 is fully closed. Further, when the compressor 38 is operated, the refrigerant flows through the condenser 12 in the order of the expansion valve 37 and the evaporator 48, and returns to the compressor 38 to circulate in the order described above.

The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 38 dissipates heat to the air in the condenser 12 and condenses. The condensed refrigerant is expanded by the expansion valve 37 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant and is sent to the evaporator 48. The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant cools and evaporates the intake air sent into the passenger compartment by the evaporator 48. The vaporized low-pressure refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 38 and compressed.

The coolant flows through the engine cooling unit 40, the condenser 12, the heater core 44, and the evaporator 11. When the coolant passes through the evaporator 11, the condenser 12, and the heater core 44, almost no heat is exchanged with the refrigerant or air. The heat dissipation of the cooling liquid is mainly performed by the radiator of the engine cooling unit 40. As described above, the refrigerant is vaporized by the evaporator 48 to cool the intake air sent to the vehicle interior. Thereby, the vehicle interior can be cooled.

According to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the above embodiment, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 receives the engine start information and controls the opening / closing unit 90 so that the coolant flows to the ATF oil cooler 80. As a result, since the temperature of the ATF rises in a short time after the engine is started, the viscous resistance is rapidly reduced, and a reduction in fuel consumption due to the viscous resistance can be suppressed. Then, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the opening / closing unit 90 so that the coolant flows into the heater core 44 when the temperature of the ATF exceeds a predetermined value. As a result, heat is exchanged between the coolant and air, and the air supplied to the passenger compartment is warmed.

In addition, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the piping between the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet of the engine cooling unit 40 is switched before the heating target is switched. Since the cooling fluid passage connected by is configured, the temperature drop of the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid passage is small, and accordingly, the temperature of the cooling fluid introduced from the engine cooling section 40 to the ATF oil cooler 80 becomes high. The temperature can be raised in a relatively short time. Thereby, since the viscous resistance of ATF rapidly decreases, the effect of reducing fuel consumption increases.

(Modification 1)
Next, Modification 1 of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described.

FIG. 5A is a configuration diagram showing the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first modification. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating the vehicle air conditioner 1 after switching. Note that, after switching the heating target, the vehicle air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 5B has the same configuration of the coolant passage as the vehicle air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. To do.

In the above embodiment, before the heating target is switched, the coolant passage is formed by directly connecting the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet of the engine cooling section 40 with a pipe. The coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and the coolant inlet of the engine cooling unit 40 are indirectly connected through the evaporator 11.

On the other hand, in the first modified example, the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet of the engine cooling unit 40 are indirectly connected via the evaporator 11, The coolant outlet of the oil cooler 80 and the coolant inlet of the engine cooling unit 40 are directly connected by piping.

Next, the coolant circuit according to Modification 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C.

In the above-described embodiment, the coolant circuit having the on-off valves 91 to 93 is shown. However, in the first modification, as shown in FIG. 6A, the coolant circuit has an on-off valve in addition to the on-off valves 91 to 93. 94-96.

As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the on-off valve 94 is provided with a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and the inlet of the engine cooling section return pipe 87 or the coolant of the heater core 44. When one of the coolant passages between the delivery port and the coolant inlet of the evaporator 11 is opened, the other coolant passage is closed.

The on-off valve 95 is a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 88, or the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the cooling of the evaporator 11. When one of the coolant passages between the fluid inlet and the liquid inlet is opened, the other coolant passage is closed (see FIG. 6B).

The on-off valve 96 is connected to the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 87 or between the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the engine cooling unit return pipe 88. When one of the coolant passages between the inlet and the inlet is opened, the other coolant passage is closed.

When the temperature of the ATF does not exceed a predetermined value and the torque converter is not locked up, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens and closes the coolant passage through which the coolant flows, as described in the above embodiment. The on-off valves 91 to 93 are controlled (see FIG. 2B).

In addition, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 87 and evaporates the coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and evaporates. The on-off valve 94 is controlled so as to close the coolant passage between the coolant introduction port of the vessel 11.

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 closes the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 88 and also supplies the coolant of the ATF oil cooler 80. And the on-off valve 95 is controlled so as to open the coolant passage between the coolant and the coolant inlet of the evaporator 11.

Further, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 closes the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 87 and also supplies the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the engine. The on-off valve 96 is controlled so as to open the coolant passage between the inlet of the cooling section return pipe 88 (see FIG. 6B).

On the other hand, when the ATF temperature exceeds a predetermined value or the torque converter is locked up, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens and closes to open and close the respective coolant passages as described in the above embodiment. The valves 91 to 93 are controlled (see FIG. 2C).

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 closes the coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 87 and evaporates the coolant outlet of the heater core 44 and evaporates. The on-off valve 94 is controlled so as to open a coolant passage between the coolant introduction port of the vessel 11.

The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the ATF oil cooler 80 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 88 and also supplies the coolant of the ATF oil cooler 80. And the on-off valve 95 is controlled so as to close the coolant passage between the coolant and the coolant inlet of the evaporator 11.

Furthermore, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 opens a coolant passage between the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the inlet of the engine cooling unit return pipe 87, and also supplies the coolant outlet of the evaporator 11 and the engine. The on-off valve 96 is controlled so as to close the coolant passage between the inlet of the cooling section return pipe 88 (see FIG. 6C).

According to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the above-described modification 1, when the engine starts, the coolant flows into the ATF oil cooler 80 and the ATF temperature exceeds a predetermined value, as in the above embodiment. The coolant flows to the heater core 44. Thereby, after the engine is started, the temperature of the ATF rises in a short time, the viscous resistance is rapidly lowered, and the fuel consumption can be prevented from being lowered. After sufficient heating so that the temperature of the ATF exceeds a predetermined value, heat exchange is performed between the coolant and air, and the air supplied to the passenger compartment is warmed.

In the above-described embodiment and Modification 1, ATF is shown as the second heating target. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and examples of the second heating target include coolant in the engine cooling unit, engine oil, It may be a battery, an inverter, or a motor.

Also in this case, the air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the opening / closing unit 90 to switch from the second heating target to the first heating target when the temperature of the second heating target exceeds a predetermined value.

When the second heating target is a coolant or engine oil, for example, the coolant heated by the condenser 12 is introduced into the engine cooling unit 40 to warm the coolant in the engine cooling unit 40. Thereafter, the coolant is introduced into the condenser 12, heated again by the condenser 12, and returned to the engine cooling unit 40. As a result, the coolant circulates. The circulating coolant can raise the temperature of the coolant in the engine cooling unit 40 in a short time.

Note that the coolant circuit when the second heating target is a battery is configured by replacing the ATF oil cooler 80 in FIG. 1A with a battery. Thereby, for example, even when the battery is at a low temperature when the engine is started, the battery can be raised to an appropriate temperature in a short time.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the temperature of ATF exceeded predetermined value, or when it is a lockup, it switched from the 2nd heating object to the 1st heating object, but this indication is not restricted to this. The air conditioning automatic control unit 51 controls the opening / closing unit 90 to switch from the second heating target to the first heating target when the temperature of the coolant introduced into the first heating target satisfies a predetermined condition. Good.

Next, the coolant circuit according to Modification 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a coolant circuit before switching of a heating target. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating the coolant circuit after switching of the heating target. In the coolant circuit, a portion through which the coolant does not pass is shown in white, and a portion through which the coolant passes is shown in black.

In the first modification, the on-off valves 91 to 96 configure the coolant circuit before switching to connect the engine cooling unit 40, the condenser 12, the ATF oil cooler 80, and the evaporator 11, while the coolant after switching The circuit was configured to connect the engine cooling unit 40, the condenser 12, the heater core 44, and the evaporator 11. That is, the coolant circuit according to the first modification is configured so that the coolant heated by the condenser 12 is sent to the ATF oil cooler 80 or the heater core 44 and then returned to the engine cooling unit 40 via the evaporator 11. did.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7A, the coolant circuit according to the modified example 2 sends the coolant heated by the condenser 12 to the ATF oil cooler 80 or the heater core 44 and then does not go through the evaporator 11. The engine cooling unit 40 is configured to be returned.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the coolant circuit from the engine cooling section 40 has a branch section and on-off valves 97-99.

The branch section divides the coolant from the engine cooling section 40 into an evaporator 11 and a condenser 12. The on-off valve 97 opens and closes a pipe connecting the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the coolant inlet of the ATF oil cooler 80. The on-off valve 98 opens and closes a pipe connecting the coolant outlet of the condenser 12 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44. The on-off valve 99 opens and closes a pipe connecting the coolant outlet of the engine cooling unit 40 and the coolant inlet of the heater core 44.

The coolant circuit of the second modification includes a circuit for sending the coolant divided at the branching portion to the evaporator 11 and then returning it to the engine cooling unit 40, and the coolant divided at the branch portion from the condenser 12 to the on-off valve 97. And a circuit for returning to the engine cooling unit 40 after being sent to the ATF oil cooler. Then, the coolant divided at the branch portion is sent from the condenser 12 to the heater core 44 via the on-off valve 98 and then returned to the engine cooling portion 40, and the coolant from the engine cooling portion 40 is passed through the on-off valve 99. And a circuit for returning to the engine cooling unit 40 after being sent to the heater core 44.

In Modification 2, before the heating target is switched as shown in FIG. 7A, the on-off valve 97 and the on-off valve 99 are opened, and the on-off valve 98 is closed. As a result, the coolant divided at the branch portion is sent from the condenser 12 to the ATF oil cooler 80 via the on-off valve 97 and then merged with the coolant split at the branch portion and sent to the evaporator 11. It is returned to the engine cooling unit 40. Further, the coolant from the engine cooling unit 40 is sent to the heater core 44 via the on-off valve 99 and then returned to the engine cooling unit 40.

On the other hand, after switching the heating target shown in FIG. 7B, the on-off valve 97 and the on-off valve 99 are closed, and the on-off valve 98 is opened. As a result, the coolant divided at the branch portion is sent from the condenser 12 to the heater core 44 via the on-off valve 98 and then returned to the engine cooling portion 40. Further, the other coolant divided by the branch portion passes through the evaporator 11 and is returned to the engine cooling portion 40.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although heating object was switched based on the state (temperature, lockup) of 2nd heating object, this indication is not restricted to this, For example, the air-conditioning automatic control part 51 is an engine starting. When the elapsed time from when the information is received exceeds a predetermined time, the opening / closing unit 90 may be controlled to switch the heating target. Furthermore, the timing for switching the heating target may be determined based on a combination of the state of the second heating target and the elapsed time.

Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the structure which showed two heating objects and switched them was shown, this indication is not restricted to this, For example, a heating object is made into 3 or more, for example, the state of each heating object Based on the above, each heating object may be switched one after another.

In addition, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of a specific example for carrying out the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be construed in a limited manner. . That is, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or the main features thereof.

The present disclosure is suitably used for a vehicle air conditioner that is required to effectively use the heat of the coolant when heating a plurality of heating targets.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle air conditioner 11 Evaporator 12 Condenser 16 Expansion valve 37 Expansion valve 38 Compressor 40 Engine cooling part 44 Heater core 44a Door 48 Evaporator 51 Air-conditioning automatic control part 52 Heat pump heating control part 80 ATF oil cooler 90 Opening / closing part

Claims

A compressor for compressing the refrigerant;
A condenser for exchanging heat between the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant and the coolant sent from the engine cooling unit;
A first heating object that exchanges heat between the coolant heated by the heat exchange and the air sent into the passenger compartment;
An evaporator that performs heat exchange between a coolant introduced into the engine cooling unit and a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant;
Comprising
A coolant passage for flowing the heated coolant through the first heating target;
A coolant passage for flowing the heated coolant through a second heating target different from the first heating target;
An opening / closing portion for opening / closing each of the coolant passages;
A control unit that controls the opening and closing unit so as to switch the inflow destination through which the heated coolant flows from the second heating target to the first heating target at a predetermined timing;
A vehicle air conditioner.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the second heating object is an oil of an automatic transmission.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined timing is at least one of a time when the temperature of the oil exceeds a predetermined value and a time when a torque converter in the automatic transmission is locked up. .
The second heating target is at least one of the engine coolant, engine oil, battery, inverter, and motor,
2. The vehicle air conditioning according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined timing is when a temperature of at least one of the coolant, the engine oil, the battery, the inverter, and the motor exceeds a predetermined value. apparatus.
The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined timing is when a temperature of the coolant introduced into the first heating target satisfies a predetermined condition.
2. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined timing is when an elapsed time from the start of the engine exceeds a predetermined time.