WO2020250764A1 - Vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

This vehicle air conditioner (1) includes a refrigeration cycle (10), a low-temperature-side heat medium circuit (40), a device-side heat medium circuit (50) and a control unit (70). The low-temperature-side heat medium circuit (40) has an air/heat medium heat exchanger (21) and causes a heat medium to circulate so as to be cooled by heat being absorbed by a low-pressure coolant in a heat absorber (15). The device-side heat medium circuit (50) has a heat-generating device (51), a bypass passage (54) and a switching unit (53) and causes a heat medium to circulate such that the heat medium exchanges heat with the heat-generating device (51). During a return operation, before restoring the heat exchange performance of the air/heat medium heat exchanger (21) in relation to outside air (OA) and the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber (15), the control unit (70) controls the operation of the switching unit (53) such that the heat medium that has passed through the heat-generating device (51) circulates through the device-side heat medium circuit (50) via the heat-generating device (51) and the bypass passage (54).

Description

Vehicle air conditioner Cross-reference of related applications

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-107955 filed on June 10, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioner including a heat medium circuit.

Conventionally, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is known as a technology related to a vehicle air conditioner including a heat medium circuit. The vehicle air-conditioning system of Patent Document 1 has a refrigeration cycle and a heat medium circuit. The heat medium circuit of Patent Document 1 is configured by connecting a heat source of an engine, an in-vehicle device, or the like, a chiller of a refrigeration cycle, and a radiator in parallel with each other. Then, in Patent Document 1, the heat generated by a heat source of an in-vehicle device or the like is supplied to the radiator by switching the flow path configuration of the heat medium circuit, and the radiator is defrosted.

Japanese Patent No. 6020064

Here, in the vehicle air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the flow path configuration of the heat medium circuit is switched when defrosting the radiator using the exhaust heat of the in-vehicle device. No specific order of various operations associated with the switching of the flow path configuration is described.

For this reason, when the radiator is defrosted or the radiator is restored from defrosting, if the components of the vehicle air conditioner are not operated in an appropriate order, the in-vehicle equipment may be affected by the temperature or the in-vehicle equipment. May break down due to dew condensation.

In addition, if the order in which the components of the vehicle air conditioner are operated is incorrect, it is assumed that the heat generated by the in-vehicle equipment cannot be fully utilized for defrosting the radiator. Further, when the heat of an in-vehicle device or the like is used for defrosting the radiator, it is considered that the heat affects the in-vehicle device unless the timing of executing the defrosting is appropriately controlled.

The present disclosure has been made in view of these points, and is for vehicles that have realized efficient defrosting while protecting the heat generating equipment when defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating equipment. The purpose is to provide an air conditioner.

The vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle, a low temperature side heat medium circuit, an equipment side heat medium circuit, and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a heating unit, a decompression unit, and a heat absorber.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit has an air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat medium is circulated so as to be cooled by absorbing heat from a low pressure refrigerant with the heat absorber. The air heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium.

The device-side heat medium circuit has a heat generating device, a bypass flow path, and a switching portion, and circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat. The heat generating device is a device that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates. The bypass flow path is a flow path in which the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is connected so as to bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. The switching unit switches the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side.

In the control unit, the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device passes through the heat generating device and the bypass flow path before the heat exchange performance of the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger related to the outside air is restored during the return operation. The operation of the switching unit is controlled so as to circulate in the heat medium circuit on the device side.

According to this, in the process of returning from the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger to the operating state before the defrosting operation by utilizing the heat generated in the heat generating device, the flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is increased. Can be secured. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner can suppress the state in which the heat generating device becomes excessively high when the operating state is restored from the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger, and protects the heat generating device. be able to.

In addition, after the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device circulates in the device side heat medium circuit via the heat generating device and the bypass flow path, the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger related to the outside air. Heat exchange performance is restored. Therefore, the heat medium cooled through the heat absorber is not supplied to the heat generating device. According to this, it is possible to protect the heat-generating device by suppressing the influence of the heat medium having a temperature difference on the heat-generating device.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle, a low temperature side heat medium circuit, an equipment side heat medium circuit, and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a heating unit, a decompression unit, and a heat absorber.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit has an air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat medium is circulated so as to be cooled by absorbing heat from a low pressure refrigerant with the heat absorber. The air heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium.

The device-side heat medium circuit has a heat generating device, a bypass flow path, and a switching portion, and circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat. The heat generating device is a device that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates. The bypass flow path is a flow path in which the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is connected so as to bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. The switching unit switches the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side.

The control unit has an equipment dew condensation determination unit and a defrosting completion determination unit. The device dew condensation determination unit determines whether or not the dew condensation condition in which dew condensation occurs in the heat generating device is satisfied when defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device. The defrosting completion determination unit determines whether or not the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device is completed.

Further, when the control unit determines that the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger has not been completed by the defrosting completion determination unit, and the equipment dew condensation determination unit determines that the dew condensation condition is satisfied. Executes the return operation to return to the operating state before the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is performed.

According to this, even if the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device is not completed, if the dew condensation conditions are satisfied and dew condensation is expected in the heat generating device, the recovery operation is performed. Raise the temperature of the heating equipment and its surroundings by performing. As a result, the saturated water vapor pressure around the heat-generating device rises, so that the occurrence of dew condensation in the heat-generating device can be suppressed.

That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner, defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat generated in the heat generating device is realized, and dew condensation of the heat generating device due to defrosting is suppressed to protect the heat generating device. Can be planned.

The vehicle air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle, a low temperature side heat medium circuit, an equipment side heat medium circuit, and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a heating unit, a decompression unit, and a heat absorber.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit has an air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat medium is circulated so as to be cooled by absorbing heat from a low pressure refrigerant with the heat absorber. The air heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium.

The device-side heat medium circuit has a heat generating device, a bypass flow path, and a switching portion, and circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat. The heat generating device is a device that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates. The bypass flow path is a flow path in which the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is connected so as to bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. The switching unit switches the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side.

During the defrosting operation, the control unit reduces the heat exchange performance of the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the outside air, and then the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device is the air heat medium heat exchanger. The operation of the switching unit is controlled so as to pass through.

According to this, when defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat generated in the heat generating device, the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device is dissipated to the outside air or the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber. Can be prevented. That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner, the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device can be efficiently used for defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger.

Further, in this defrosting operation, the flow rate of the heat medium passing through the heat generating device can be secured, so that the state in which the heat generating device becomes excessively high can be suppressed, and the heat generating device can be protected. it can.

Further, the vehicle air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle, a low temperature side heat medium circuit, a device side heat medium circuit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a heating unit, a decompression unit, and a heat absorber.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit has an air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat medium is circulated so as to be cooled by absorbing heat from a low pressure refrigerant with the heat absorber. The air heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium.

The device-side heat medium circuit has a heat generating device, a bypass flow path, and a switching portion, and circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat. The heat generating device is a device that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates. The bypass flow path is a flow path in which the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is connected so as to bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. The switching unit switches the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. Then, the detection unit detects a specific physical quantity having a correlation with the temperature of the heat medium passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger.

In the control unit, the specific physical quantity currently detected by the detection unit deviates significantly from the reference value determined by the specific physical quantity detected in advance by the detection unit, more than the fluctuation value determined according to the environment. In this case, the defrosting operation is performed on the air heat medium heat exchanger.

According to this, it is possible to change the criteria for determining whether or not to perform defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating equipment according to the environment, and it is possible to defrost accurately at an appropriate timing. The operation can be realized. Further, since the heat generated in the heat generating device is used for defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger at an appropriate timing, the influence of heat on the heat generating device can be suppressed and the heat generating device can be protected.

The vehicle air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle, a low temperature side heat medium circuit, a device side heat medium circuit, and a control unit. The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a heating unit, a decompression unit, and a heat absorber.

The low temperature side heat medium circuit has an air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat medium is circulated so as to be cooled by absorbing heat from a low pressure refrigerant with the heat absorber. The air heat medium heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium.

The device-side heat medium circuit has a heat generating device, a bypass flow path, and a switching portion, and circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat. The heat generating device is a device that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates. The bypass flow path is a flow path in which the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device is connected so as to bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. The switching unit switches the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side.

The control unit has a heat dissipation necessity determination unit and a defrosting determination unit. The heat dissipation necessity determination unit determines whether or not the heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated. The defrost determination unit determines whether or not defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is necessary.

Further, in the control unit, the defrosting determination unit determines that the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is not necessary, and the heat dissipation necessity determination unit determines that the heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated. In this case, the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device is dissipated to the outside air by the air heat medium heat exchanger.

According to this, even if it is determined that defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device is not necessary, if it is determined that heat dissipation of the heat generating device is necessary, the heat generating device is used. The heat of the heat medium that has passed through is dissipated to the outside air by the air heat medium heat exchanger. As a result, the heat generated in the heat generating device is dissipated to the outside air through the heat medium in the air heat medium heat exchanger, so that the temperature rise of the heat generating device can be suppressed, and the heat generating device can be prevented from excessive temperature rise. Can be protected.

That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner, defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat generated in the heat generating device is realized, and excessive temperature rise in the heat generating device is suppressed to protect the heat generating device. be able to.

The above and other objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer from the detailed description below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached drawing
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the composite heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of the indoor air conditioning unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an operating state of the heating heat storage mode of the vehicle air conditioner. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the control process relating to heating and defrosting in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram regarding the defrost determination in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an operating state of a normal mode of a vehicle air conditioner in a heating / defrosting mode. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the operating state of the battery cooling mode in the heating / defrosting mode of the vehicle air conditioner. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a control process relating to heating and defrosting in the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of forms for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals may be given to the parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiments, and duplicate description may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, other embodiments described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Not only the combination of the parts that clearly indicate that the combination is possible in each embodiment, but also the partial combination of the embodiments even if the combination is not specified if there is no problem in the combination. Is also possible.

(First Embodiment)
First, the first embodiment in the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In the first embodiment, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the present disclosure is applied to an electric vehicle in which a driving force for traveling a vehicle is obtained from a traveling electric motor. The vehicle air conditioner 1 performs air conditioning in the vehicle interior, which is an air conditioning target space, and temperature adjustment of equipment including a battery 45 and the like in an electric vehicle.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can switch between a cooling mode, a dehumidifying heating mode, and a heating mode as an operation mode for air-conditioning the interior of the vehicle. The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the blown air W blown into the vehicle interior is cooled and blown out into the vehicle interior. The dehumidifying / heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air W dehumidified by cooling is reheated and blown out into the vehicle interior. The heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air W is heated and blown out into the vehicle interior.

Next, the specific configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a refrigeration cycle 10, a high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, a low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, an equipment side heat medium circuit 50, an indoor air conditioner unit 60, and a control device 70. ..

First, the refrigeration cycle 10 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The refrigeration cycle 10 is a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle apparatus. The refrigeration cycle 10 includes a compressor 11, a water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, a first expansion valve 14a, a second expansion valve 14b, a chiller 15, an indoor evaporator 16, an evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17, and the like. doing. In the refrigeration cycle 10, the circuit configuration of the refrigerant circuit can be switched according to each operation mode described later.

The refrigeration cycle 10 employs an HFC-based refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) as the refrigerant, and constitutes a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. Refrigerant oil for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed in the refrigerant. As the refrigerating machine oil, PAG oil (polyalkylene glycol oil) having compatibility with the liquid phase refrigerant is adopted. A part of the refrigerating machine oil circulates in the refrigerating cycle 10 together with the refrigerant.

The compressor 11 sucks in the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 10, compresses it, and discharges it. The compressor 11 is arranged in the drive unit room on the front side of the vehicle. The drive unit room forms a space in which at least a part of equipment (for example, a motor generator) used for generating or adjusting a driving force for traveling a vehicle is arranged.

The compressor 11 is an electric compressor that rotationally drives a fixed-capacity compression mechanism with a fixed discharge capacity by an electric motor. The number of revolutions (that is, the refrigerant discharge capacity) of the compressor 11 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70 described later.

The inlet side of the refrigerant passage in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is a high temperature side heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the heat medium circulating in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is composed of a so-called subcool type heat exchanger, and has a condensing section 12a, a receiver section 12b, and a supercooling section 12c.

The condensing unit 12a is a heat exchange unit for condensing that condenses the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the heat medium of the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The receiver unit 12b is a liquid receiving unit that separates the gas-liquid of the refrigerant flowing out from the condensing unit 12a and stores the separated liquid-phase refrigerant. The supercooling unit 12c is a heat exchange unit for supercooling that supercools the liquid phase refrigerant by exchanging heat between the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out from the receiver unit 12b and the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 constitutes a part of the heating unit.

The inflow port side of the refrigerant branch portion 13a is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The refrigerant branching portion 13a branches the flow of the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The refrigerant branch portion 13a is a three-way joint having three inflow ports communicating with each other. In the refrigerant branch 13a, one of the three inflow ports is used as an inflow port, and the remaining two are used as outflow ports.

The inlet side of the refrigerant passage in the chiller 15 is connected to one outlet of the refrigerant branch portion 13a via the first expansion valve 14a. The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is connected to the other outlet of the refrigerant branch portion 13a via the second expansion valve 14b.

The first expansion valve 14a is a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from one outlet of the refrigerant branching portion 13a at least in the heating mode. The first expansion valve 14a is an electric variable throttle mechanism having a valve body that changes the throttle opening degree and an electric actuator (specifically, a stepping motor) that displaces the valve body. The operation of the first expansion valve 14a is controlled by a control pulse output from the control device 70.

The second expansion valve 14b is a pressure reducing portion that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the other outlet of the refrigerant branching portion 13a. The basic configuration of the second expansion valve 14b is the same as that of the first expansion valve 14a. The operation of the second expansion valve 14b is controlled by a control pulse output from the control device 70.

The first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b have a fully open function that functions as a mere refrigerant passage with almost no refrigerant decompression action and flow rate adjustment action by fully opening the valve opening. Further, the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b have a fully closing function of closing the refrigerant passage by fully closing the valve opening degree.

The first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b can switch the refrigerant circuit of each operation mode by the fully open function and the fully closed function. Therefore, the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b also have a function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit for switching the circuit configuration of the refrigeration cycle 10.

Then, the inlet side of the refrigerant passage in the chiller 15 is connected to the outlet of the first expansion valve 14a. The chiller 15 is a low temperature side heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve 14a and the heat medium circulating in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The chiller 15 cools the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 by evaporating the low pressure refrigerant to exert an endothermic action. That is, the chiller 15 is an example of a heat absorber. One inflow port side of the refrigerant confluence portion 13b is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage in the chiller 15.

The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 is connected to the outlet of the second expansion valve 14b. The indoor evaporator 16 is an air cooling heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second expansion valve 14b and the blown air W. The indoor evaporator 16 cools the blown air W by evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant to exert an endothermic action. The indoor evaporator 16 is arranged in the casing 61 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60, which will be described later.

The inlet side of the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 16. The evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17 is an evaporation pressure adjusting unit that maintains the refrigerant evaporation pressure in the indoor evaporator 16 at a predetermined reference pressure or higher.

The evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17 is a mechanical variable throttle mechanism that increases the valve opening degree as the refrigerant pressure on the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor evaporator 16 rises. As a result, in the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17 of the present embodiment, the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the indoor evaporator 16 is maintained at a frost formation suppression temperature (for example, 1 ° C.) that can suppress frost formation in the indoor evaporator 16. There is. The other inlet side of the refrigerant merging portion 13b is connected to the outlet of the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17.

The refrigerant merging portion 13b merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15 and the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17. The refrigerant merging portion 13b is a three-way joint similar to the refrigerant branching portion 13a. In the refrigerant merging portion 13b, two of the three inflow ports are used as inflow ports, and the remaining one is used as an outflow port. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant merging portion 13b.

Next, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is configured by connecting constituent devices such as a composite heat exchanger 21 and a heater core 22 by a high temperature side heat medium flow path 20a. The high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is a high temperature side heat medium circuit that circulates a heat medium through each component device. An ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20.

The high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 includes a heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, a heat medium passage in the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21, a heater core 22, an electric heater 26, a high temperature side pump 27, and a first reserve. The tank 28, the high temperature side switching portion 30, and the like are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21, the heater core 22, and the high temperature side switching portion 30 are connected by the high temperature side heat medium flow path 20a. .. Further, a common flow path 23 parallel to each of the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 and the heater core 22 is arranged. The first reserve tank 28, the high temperature side pump 27, the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, and the electric heater 26 are arranged in the common flow path 23.

The inlet side of the heat medium passage in the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port of the high temperature side pump 27. The high temperature side pump 27 pumps the heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 to the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the flow of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage are countercurrents. The high temperature side pump 27 is an electric pump whose rotation speed (that is, pumping capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 70.

An electric heater 26 is arranged on the outlet side of the heat medium passage in the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The electric heater 26 is a heating device that heats the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, a PTC heater having a PTC element (that is, a positive characteristic thermistor) is adopted as the electric heater 26. The calorific value of the electric heater 26 can be arbitrarily controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

The inlet side of the branch portion 24 is connected to the downstream side of the electric heater 26. The branching portion 24 branches the flow of the heat medium on the downstream side of the electric heater 26 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The branch portion 24 is a three-way joint similar to the refrigerant branch portion 13a and the like, and is a connection portion between the high temperature side heat medium flow path 20a and the common flow path 23.

The heat medium inlet side of the heat dissipation portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 is connected to one outlet of the branch portion 24 via the first solenoid valve 30a of the high temperature side switching portion 30. Further, the heat medium inlet side of the heater core 22 is connected to the other outlet of the branch portion 24 via the second solenoid valve 30b of the high temperature side switching portion 30.

The first solenoid valve 30a is a flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the flow rate of the heat medium flowing into the heat radiating unit 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The first solenoid valve 30a is an electric flow control valve having a valve body that changes the passage cross-sectional area of the high temperature side heat medium flow path 20a and an electric actuator (specifically, a stepping motor) that displaces the valve body. is there. The operation of the first solenoid valve 30a is restricted by the control pulse output from the control device 70.

The second solenoid valve 30b is a flow rate adjusting unit that adjusts the flow rate of the heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. The basic configuration of the second solenoid valve 30b is the same as that of the first solenoid valve 30a. The first solenoid valve 30a and the second solenoid valve 30b set the high temperature side flow rate day of the flow rate of the heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 with respect to the flow rate of the heat medium flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. It is a high temperature side flow rate ratio adjustment unit to be adjusted.

Further, the first solenoid valve 30a and the second solenoid valve 30b have a fully open mechanism and a fully closed mechanism similar to the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b. Therefore, the first solenoid valve 30a and the second solenoid valve 30b form a high temperature side switching unit 30 that switches the circuit configuration of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20.

The composite heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat between the heat radiating unit 21a that exchanges heat between the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 and the outside air OA, and the heat medium that circulates the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA. It is a heat exchanger in which the heat absorbing portion 21b is integrally formed. One inflow port side of the merging portion 25 is connected to the heat medium outlet side of the heat radiating portion 21a.

The composite heat exchanger 21 is arranged on the front side in the drive unit room. The heat radiating portion 21a is arranged on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the heat absorbing portion 21b. In other words, the heat radiating section 21a is arranged on the upstream side of the heat absorbing section 21b with respect to the flow of the outside air OA.

Further, an outside air fan (not shown) is arranged in the composite heat exchanger 21. Therefore, the composite heat exchanger 21 can exchange heat with the outside air OA blown by the outside air fan and the outside air OA blown by the running of the electric vehicle. That is, the composite heat exchanger 21 is an example of an air heat medium heat exchanger.

The heat radiating portion 21a and the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 have a so-called tank and tube type heat exchanger structure. A tank-and-tube heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a heat medium and air (that is, outside air OA) distributes or assembles a plurality of tubes that circulate the heat medium and a heat medium that circulates the plurality of tubes. It has a tank for the purpose. The structure is such that the heat medium that flows through the tubes that are stacked and arranged at intervals in a certain direction and the air that flows through the air passage formed between the adjacent tubes exchange heat.

As shown in FIG. 2, heat exchange fins 21c are arranged in the air passage formed between the tubes 21at in the heat radiating portion 21a and the air passage formed between the tubes 21bt in the heat absorbing portion 21b. The heat exchange fin 21c is composed of one thin plate-shaped metal member. The heat exchange fins 21c are members that promote heat exchange between the heat medium and the outside air OA in the heat radiating unit 21a and promote heat exchange between the heat medium and the outside air OA in the heat absorbing unit 21b.

In the composite heat exchanger 21, the heat exchange fins 21c are brazed to both the tube 21at of the heat dissipation portion 21a and the tube 21bt of the heat absorption portion 21b to connect the heat dissipation portion 21a and the heat absorption portion 21b. ing. As a result, the composite heat exchanger 21 is configured to be able to transfer heat between the heat medium on the heat radiating portion 21a side and the heat medium on the heat absorbing portion 21b side via the heat exchange fins 21c.

A shutter device 31 is arranged on the upstream side of the air flow of the composite heat exchanger 21. The shutter device 31 adjusts the flow rate of the outside air OA flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21. As a result, the shutter device 31 can adjust the amount of heat exchange between the heat medium flowing through the composite heat exchanger 21 and the outside air OA. The operation of the shutter device 31 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

The heater core 22 is a heating heat exchange unit that heats the blown air W by exchanging heat between the heat medium heated by the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the like and the blown air W. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the heater core 22 is arranged in the casing 61 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60. The other inlet side of the merging portion 25 is connected to the heat medium outlet side of the heater core 22.

The merging section 25 merges the flow of the heat medium flowing out from the heat radiating section 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 with the flow of the heat medium flowing out from the heater core 22. The merging portion 25 is a three-way joint similar to the refrigerant merging portion 13b and the like.

Then, one end of the common flow path 23 is connected to the outlet side of the confluence portion 25. As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the common flow path 23 is connected to the inflow port side of the branch portion 24. In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the composite heat exchanger 21 and the heater core 22 are connected in parallel with respect to the flow of the heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20.

That is, in the common flow path 23, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, both the heat medium that circulates through the composite heat exchanger 21 and the heat medium that circulates through the heater core 22 flow in common. It is a medium flow path. In the common flow path 23, the first reserve tank 28, the high temperature side pump 27, the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, and the electric heater 26 are arranged in order from the upstream side of the flow of the heat medium.

The first reserve tank 28 is a storage unit for the high temperature side heat medium circuit that stores the heat medium that is surplus in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, by arranging the first reserve tank 28, a decrease in the amount of liquid in the heat medium circulating in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is suppressed.

Further, the first reserve tank 28 has a heat medium supply port for replenishing the high temperature side heat medium when the amount of the high temperature side heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is insufficient. The suction port side of the high temperature side pump 27 is connected to the heat medium outlet side of the first reserve tank 28.

Next, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is configured by connecting the chiller 15, the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, and the battery 45 by a low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a or the like, and circulates the heat medium to each constituent device. It is a heat medium circuit to make it. As the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the same heat medium as that of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 can be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the heat medium passage of the chiller 15, the heat medium passage of the heat absorbing portion 21b in the composite heat exchanger 21, the low temperature side pump 41, and the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45 , The low temperature side switching unit 43, the second reserve tank 29, and the like are arranged.

The low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a is an annular heat medium flow path connecting the heat medium passage of the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 and the heat medium passage of the chiller 15. A low temperature side pump 41, a second reserve tank 29, and an on-off valve 43b of the low temperature side switching portion 43 are arranged in the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a.

The inlet side of the heat medium passage in the chiller 15 is connected to the discharge port of the low temperature side pump 41. The low temperature side pump 41 pumps the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 to the inlet of the heat medium passage of the chiller 15. The basic configuration of the low temperature side pump 41 is the same as that of the high temperature side pump 27.

In the chiller 15, the flow of the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and the flow of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium flow path are countercurrents. Therefore, the chiller 15 can cool the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 by evaporating the low pressure refrigerant to exert an endothermic action.

An on-off valve 43b of the low temperature side switching unit 43 is connected to the outlet of the heat medium passage in the chiller 15 via the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a. The on-off valve 43b is an electric flow rate adjusting valve that adjusts the flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The basic configuration of the on-off valve 43b is the same as that of the first solenoid valve 30a described above.

The on-off valve 43b opens and closes the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a according to the control signal from the control device 70. As a result, the on-off valve 43b can switch the flow path configuration of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 by its operation, and thus constitutes the low temperature side switching unit 43.

The heat medium inlet side of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is connected to the outlet side of the on-off valve 43b. Therefore, the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 absorbs the heat of the outside air OA into the heat medium by exchanging heat between the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA blown from the outside air fan. be able to.

A second reserve tank 29 is connected to the heat medium outlet side of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The second reserve tank 29 is a storage unit for the low temperature side heat medium that stores the heat medium that is surplus in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The basic configuration of the second reserve tank 29 is the same as that of the first reserve tank 28. The suction port side of the low temperature side pump 41 is connected to the heat medium outlet side of the second reserve tank 29.

As shown in FIG. 1, a detour flow path 42 is arranged in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. One end side of the bypass flow path 42 is connected to the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a that connects the outlet of the on-off valve 43b and the inlet of the endothermic portion 21b in the composite heat exchanger 21. On the other hand, the other end of the bypass flow path 42 is connected to the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a that connects the outlet of the second reserve tank 29 and the suction port of the low temperature side pump 41.

Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can circulate the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 so as to bypass the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 by using the bypass flow path 42.

Then, at the connection portion between the bypass flow path 42 and the battery connection flow path 44, the low temperature side three-way valve 43a constituting the low temperature side switching portion 43 is arranged. The low temperature side three-way valve 43a is composed of three types of flow rate regulating valves having three inflow ports.

One of the inflow outlets in the low temperature side three-way valve 43a is connected to the outlet of the on-off valve 43b via the bypass flow path 42. The other inflow port of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a is connected to the suction port side of the low temperature side pump 41 via the bypass flow path 42. Then, one end side of the battery connection flow path 44 is connected to the remaining inflow port of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a.

The low temperature side three-way valve 43a continuously adjusts the flow rate ratio of the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out to one outlet side and the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out to the other outlet side of the heat medium flowing in from the inflow port. it can. Therefore, the low temperature side three-way valve 43a can switch the flow path configuration in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 by its operation, and constitutes a part of the low temperature side switching unit 43.

Then, one inflow port of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a is connected to the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45 via the battery connection passage 44. Here, the battery 45 is an assembled battery formed by electrically connecting a plurality of battery cells in series or in parallel. The battery cell is a rechargeable secondary battery (in this embodiment, a lithium ion battery). The battery 45 is housed in a special case by stacking a plurality of battery cells so as to have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

This type of secondary battery generates heat during operation (that is, during charging / discharging). When the temperature of a secondary battery becomes low, the chemical reaction does not easily proceed and the output tends to decrease. Further, the secondary battery tends to deteriorate at a high temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the secondary battery is maintained within an appropriate temperature range (in this embodiment, 15 ° C. or higher and 55 ° C. or lower) in which the charge / discharge capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized. It is desirable to be there.

Therefore, a heat medium passage 45a for circulating the heat medium is formed inside the special case of the battery 45. The heat medium passage 45a has a configuration in which a plurality of passages are connected in parallel inside a special case. As a result, the heat medium passage 45a can uniformly absorb the heat of all the battery cells, so that all the battery cells can be cooled evenly. The battery 45 is an example of an object to be cooled.

The other end of the heat medium passage 45a in the battery 45 is connected to the low temperature side heat medium flow path 40a that connects the discharge port of the low temperature side pump 41 and the inflow port of the on-off valve 43b via the battery connection flow path 44. Has been done.

Therefore, according to the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, by controlling the operation of the low temperature side switching unit 43, the heat medium cooled by the chiller 15 can be passed through the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can appropriately cool the battery 45.

Next, the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The device-side heat medium circuit 50 is a heat medium circuit for utilizing the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 mounted on the electric vehicle. The equipment side heat medium circuit 50 is configured to also serve as a part of the configuration of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. As the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50, the same heat medium as the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 described above can be adopted.

The device-side heat medium circuit 50 has a device-side heat medium flow path 50a, a heat-generating device 51, a device-side pump 52, a device-side three-way valve 53, and a bypass flow path 54. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the device-side heat medium flow path 50a is connected to the low-temperature side heat medium flow path 40a on the heat medium inlet side of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The other end of the equipment-side heat medium flow path 50a is connected to the low-temperature side heat medium flow path 40a on the outlet side of the second reserve tank 29.

Then, the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 is arranged in the heat medium flow path 50a on the device side. Therefore, the heat generating device 51 is connected in parallel to the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21.

The heat-generating device 51 is composed of in-vehicle devices mounted on an electric vehicle that generate heat incidentally when operated for the purpose of traveling or the like. In other words, the heat generating device 51 is a device in which heat is generated by an operation having a purpose different from that of heat generation, and it is difficult to control the amount of heat generated.

Therefore, the heat generating device 51 is not a heating device such as the electric heater 26 that operates for the purpose of heat generation and generates an arbitrary amount of heat. As the heat generating device 51, a so-called power control unit (PCU) is adopted.

The power control unit, which is the heat generating device 51, includes, for example, an inverter, a motor generator, a transaxle device, and the like. The heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 is formed so that the respective constituent devices can be cooled by circulating the heat medium.

The inverter is a power conversion unit that converts direct current into alternating current. Then, the motor generator outputs a driving force for traveling by being supplied with electric power, and also generates regenerative electric power at the time of deceleration or the like. The transaxle device is a device that integrates a transmission and a final gear / differential gear (diff gear).

Then, the discharge port of the device-side pump 52 is connected to the inlet side of the heat-generating device 51 in the heat medium passage 51a. The device-side pump 52 pumps the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 to the inlet side of the heat-generating device 51 in the heat medium passage 51a. The basic configuration of the equipment side pump 52 is the same as that of the high temperature side pump 27 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the suction port of the device-side pump 52 is a low-temperature side heat medium that connects the outlet of the first solenoid valve 30a and the inlet of the second reserve tank 29 via the device-side heat medium flow path 50a. It is connected to the flow path 40a.

Then, one of the inflow outlets of the device-side three-way valve 53 is connected to the outlet side of the heat generating device 51 in the heat medium passage 51a. The device-side three-way valve 53 is composed of an electric three-way flow rate regulating valve having three inflow ports.

Another inflow port in the device-side three-way valve 53 is a low-temperature side heat medium flow that connects the heat medium inlet and the confluence 25 in the endothermic section 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 via the device-side heat medium flow path 50a. It is connected to the road 40a. Therefore, according to the device-side heat medium circuit 50, the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device 51 can be supplied to the endothermic section 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21.

Here, a bypass flow path 54 is connected to yet another inflow port of the device-side three-way valve 53. The bypass flow path 54 is a heat medium flow path for bypassing the composite heat exchanger 21 and the second reserve tank 29 with respect to the flow of the heat medium. The other end side of the bypass flow path 54 is connected to the suction port side of the device side pump 52.

As a result, the device-side heat medium circuit 50 can switch the flow of the heat medium in the device-side heat medium circuit 50 by controlling the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53. Therefore, the device-side three-way valve 53 is an example of a switching unit.

Next, the indoor air conditioner unit 60 constituting the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The indoor air-conditioning unit 60 is a unit for blowing out blown air W whose temperature has been adjusted by a refrigeration cycle 10 or the like to an appropriate portion in the vehicle interior in the vehicle air-conditioning device 1. The indoor air conditioning unit 60 is arranged inside the instrument panel (that is, the instrument panel) at the frontmost part of the vehicle interior.

The indoor air conditioning unit 60 has a casing 61 that forms an air passage for the blown air W. A blower 62, an indoor evaporator 16, a heater core 22, and the like are arranged in an air passage formed inside the casing 61. The casing 61 is made of a resin (specifically, polypropylene) having a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

As shown in FIG. 3, an inside / outside air switching device 63 is arranged on the most upstream side of the blast air flow of the casing 61. The inside / outside air switching device 63 switches and introduces the inside air (vehicle interior air) and the outside air (vehicle interior outside air) into the casing 61. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the inside / outside air switching device 63 is controlled by the control signal output from the control device 70.

A blower 62 is arranged on the downstream side of the blower air flow of the inside / outside air switching device 63. The blower 62 is composed of an electric blower that drives a centrifugal multi-blade fan with an electric motor. The blower 62 blows the air sucked through the inside / outside air switching device 63 toward the vehicle interior. The rotation speed (that is, the blowing capacity) of the blower 62 is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

On the downstream side of the blower air flow of the blower 62, the indoor evaporator 16 and the heater core 22 are arranged in this order with respect to the flow of the blower air W. That is, the indoor evaporator 16 is arranged on the upstream side of the blown air flow with respect to the heater core 22.

Further, a cold air bypass passage 65 is formed in the casing 61. The cold air bypass passage 65 is an air passage that allows the blown air W that has passed through the indoor evaporator 16 to bypass the heater core 22 and flow to the downstream side.

The air mix door 64 is arranged on the downstream side of the blast air flow of the indoor evaporator 16 and on the upstream side of the blast air flow of the heater core 22. The air mix door 64 adjusts the air volume ratio between the air volume passing through the heater core 22 and the air volume passing through the cold air bypass passage 65 in the blown air W after passing through the indoor evaporator 16. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the air mix door is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

A mixing space 66 is provided on the downstream side of the blown air flow of the heater core 22. In the mixing space 66, the blown air W heated by the heater core 22 and the blown air W that has passed through the cold air bypass passage 65 and is not heated by the heater core 22 are mixed.

Further, at the most downstream portion of the blown air flow of the casing 61, a plurality of opening holes for blowing the blown air (air-conditioned air) mixed in the mixing space 66 into the vehicle interior are arranged. The plurality of opening holes include a face opening hole, a foot opening hole, and a defroster opening hole (none of which are shown).

The face opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioning air toward the upper body of the occupant in the passenger compartment. The foot opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioning air toward the feet of the occupant. The defroster opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air conditioning air toward the inner surface of the window glass arranged on the front surface of the vehicle.

An outlet mode switching door (not shown) is arranged on the upstream side of these opening holes. The blowout mode switching door switches the opening holes for blowing out the conditioned air by opening and closing each opening hole. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the blowout mode switching door is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 70.

Next, the control system of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 70 is composed of a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and peripheral circuits thereof.

Then, the control device 70 performs various calculations and processes based on the control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of various controlled target devices connected to the output side thereof. The control device 70 is an example of a control unit.

The devices to be controlled include a compressor 11, a first expansion valve 14a, a second expansion valve 14b, an electric heater 26, a high temperature side pump 27, a first solenoid valve 30a, a second solenoid valve 30b, and the like. A shutter device 31 is included. Further, the equipment to be controlled includes a low temperature side pump 41, a low temperature side three-way valve 43a, an on-off valve 43b, an equipment side pump 52, an equipment side three-way valve 53, and a blower 62.

As shown in FIG. 4, a sensor group for air conditioning control is connected to the input side of the control device 70. The sensor group for air conditioning control includes an inside temperature sensor 72a, an outside temperature sensor 72b, a solar radiation sensor 72c, a high pressure sensor 72d, an evaporator temperature sensor 72e, a refrigerant pressure sensor 72f, an air conditioning air temperature sensor 72g, and a battery temperature sensor 72h. There is. The detection signals of these sensors for air conditioning control are input to the control device 70.

The internal air temperature sensor 72a is an internal air temperature detection unit that detects the vehicle interior temperature (internal air temperature) Tr. The outside air temperature sensor 72b is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature (outside air temperature) Tam. The solar radiation sensor 72c is a solar radiation amount detection unit that detects the solar radiation amount As emitted into the vehicle interior. The high-pressure sensor 72d is a refrigerant pressure detecting unit that detects the high-pressure refrigerant pressure Pd of the refrigerant flow path from the discharge port side of the compressor 11 to the inlet side of the first expansion valve 14a or the second expansion valve 14b.

The evaporator temperature sensor 72e is an evaporator temperature detection unit that detects the refrigerant evaporation temperature (evaporator temperature) Tefin in the indoor evaporator 16. The refrigerant pressure sensor 72f is a refrigerant pressure detecting unit that detects the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant flow path on the refrigerant outlet side of the chiller 15. The air-conditioning air temperature sensor 72g is an air-conditioning air temperature detecting unit that detects the air-conditioned air temperature TAV blown into the vehicle interior.

The battery temperature sensor 72h is a battery temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the battery 45. The battery temperature sensor 72h detects, for example, the temperature of each battery cell constituting the battery 45.

Further, a plurality of heat medium temperature sensors are connected to the input side of the control device 70 in order to detect the temperature of the heat medium in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50. Has been done. The plurality of heat medium temperature sensors include a first heat medium temperature sensor 73a to a fifth heat medium temperature sensor 73e.

The first heat medium temperature sensor 73a is arranged at the inlet portion of the branch portion 24 to which the common flow path 23 is connected, and detects the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the common flow path 23. The second heat medium temperature sensor 73b is arranged at the outlet portion of the heater core 22 and detects the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heater core 22.

The third heat medium temperature sensor 73c is arranged at the heat medium outlet portion of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 and detects the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. .. The third heat medium temperature sensor 73c is an example of a detection unit, and the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the endothermic unit 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is an example of a specific physical quantity.

The fourth heat medium temperature sensor 73d is arranged at the inflow port portion of the heat medium passage in the chiller 15 and detects the temperature of the heat medium flowing into the chiller 15. The fifth heat medium temperature sensor 73e is arranged at the outlet portion of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51, and detects the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 refers to the detection results of the first heat medium temperature sensor 73a to the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 73e, and refers to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50. Switch the flow of heat medium in. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can manage and effectively utilize the heat in the vehicle by using the heat medium.

Further, an operation panel 71 is connected to the input side of the control device 70. A plurality of operation switches are arranged on the operation panel 71. Therefore, operation signals from the plurality of operation switches are input to the control device 70. The various operation switches on the operation panel 71 include a temperature setting switch for setting a target temperature Tset in the vehicle interior.

In the control device 70, a control unit that controls various control target devices connected to the output side is integrally configured, but a configuration (hardware and software) that controls the operation of each control target device is provided. It constitutes a control unit that controls the operation of each controlled device.

For example, in the control device 70, the configuration for determining whether or not it is necessary to dissipate the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 by the composite heat exchanger 21 to the outside air OA is the heat dissipation necessity determination unit 70a. Among the control devices 70, the configuration for determining whether or not the endothermic unit 21b in the composite heat exchanger 21 needs to be defrosted is the defrost determination unit 70b.

Then, in the control device 70, when the composite heat exchanger 21 is defrosted, the configuration for determining whether or not the dew condensation condition for the heat generating device 51 to condense due to the heat exchanger with the heat medium is set as the device dew condensation. The determination unit 70c.

Among the control devices 70, the configuration for determining whether or not the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 has been completed is the defrosting completion determination unit 70d. Further, among the control devices 70, the configuration for determining whether or not the battery 45 needs to be cooled during the defrosting operation of the composite heat exchanger 21 is the cooling necessity determination unit 70e.

Further, among the control devices 70, the configuration that controls the operation of the composite heat exchanger 21 regarding defrosting is the defrosting operation control unit 75a. The control device 70 that executes steps S1 to S9, which will be described later, is a defrosting operation control unit 75a.

Then, among the control devices 70, the configuration for performing operation control regarding the recovery from defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is the recovery operation control unit 75b. The control device 70 that executes steps S10 to S12, which will be described later, is a return operation control unit 75b.

Subsequently, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the first embodiment will be described. As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, air conditioning in the vehicle interior and temperature adjustment of the heat generating device 51, the battery 45, etc. are realized by appropriately switching the operation mode from the plurality of operation modes. can do.

Specifically, the plurality of operation modes in the vehicle air conditioner 1 include a cooling cooling mode, a dehumidifying heating mode, and a heating mode, and the heating mode includes a heating heat storage mode and a heating defrost mode. There is. Hereinafter, each operation mode will be described.

(A) Cooling / Cooling Mode The cooling / cooling mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is cooled and the battery 45 is cooled. In the cooling cooling mode, the control device 70 operates the compressor 11 of the refrigeration cycle 10. Further, the control device 70 puts the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b in a throttled state in which the refrigerant depressurizing action is exerted.

Further, the control device 70 operates the high temperature side pump 27 of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. Further, the control device 70 sets the first solenoid valve 30a of the high temperature side switching unit 30 in the fully open state and the second solenoid valve 30b in the fully closed state.

Then, the control device 70 operates the low temperature side pump 41 of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. The control device 70 closes the on-off valve 43b of the low temperature side switching unit 43 in a fully closed state, controls the operation of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a, and heats the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 to the heat of the battery 45. It flows into the medium passage 45a.

Further, the control device 70 operates the device-side pump 52 of the device-side heat medium circuit 50. In the cooling / cooling mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 so that the temperature of the heating device 51 is maintained within an appropriate temperature range.

Specifically, when the temperature of the heat generating device 51 rises, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device side three-way valve 53 so as to increase the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out to the composite heat exchanger 21 side. As a result, the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 can be dissipated from the composite heat exchanger 21 to the outside air OA via the heat medium flowing through the device side heat medium circuit 50, and the temperature of the heat generating device 51 is lowered. be able to.

On the other hand, when the temperature of the heating device 51 drops, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 so as to increase the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out to the bypass flow path 54 side. As a result, the heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 can be returned to the suction port side of the device side pump 52 again via the bypass flow path 54. Therefore, the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 can be stored in the heat medium circuit 50 on the device side, and the heat generating device 51 can be warmed up by the self-heating of the heat generating device 51.

Then, the control device 70 operates the blower 62 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60. Further, the control device 70 displaces the air mix door 64 so that the total air volume of the blown air W that has passed through the indoor evaporator 16 passes through the cold air bypass passage 65.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle 10 in the cooling / cooling mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the refrigerant passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high-pressure refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant passage dissipates heat to the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage to become a supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant. As a result, the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage is heated.

The flow of the supercooled liquid phase refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is branched at the refrigerant branching portion 13a. One of the refrigerants branched by the refrigerant branching portion 13a is depressurized by the first expansion valve 14a. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve 14a flows into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15.

In the chiller 15, the low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant passage absorbs heat from the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage and evaporates. As a result, the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage is cooled. The refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15 flows into one of the inlets of the refrigerant merging portion 13b.

The other refrigerant branched at the refrigerant branching portion 13a is depressurized at the second expansion valve 14b. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second expansion valve 14b flows into the indoor evaporator 16. The low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 16 absorbs heat from the blown air W blown from the blower 62 and evaporates. As a result, the blown air W is cooled.

The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 flows into the other inflow port of the refrigerant confluence portion 13b via the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17. The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant merging portion 13b is sucked into the compressor 11 and compressed again.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 in the cooling / cooling mode, the heat medium pumped from the high temperature side pump 27 flows into the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and is heated. The heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 passes through the electric heater 26, the branch portion 24, and the first electromagnetic valve 30a of the high temperature side switching portion 30, and the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21. Inflow to.

In the heat radiating section 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21, the heat medium dissipates heat to the outside air OA passing through the heat radiating section 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 via the shutter device 31. As a result, the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is cooled. The heat medium flowing out of the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 is sucked into the high temperature side pump 27 via the merging portion 25 and the first reserve tank 28 and pumped again.

Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the cooling cooling mode, the heat medium pumped from the low temperature side pump 41 flows into the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 and is cooled. The heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 flows into the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45 via the battery connection flow path 44.

The heat medium flowing into the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45 absorbs heat from the battery cell of the battery 45 and rises in temperature. As a result, the battery 45 is cooled. The heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45 is sucked into the low temperature side pump 41 via the low temperature side three-way valve 43a and the bypass flow path 42, and is pumped again.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 60 in the cooling / cooling mode, the blown air W that has passed through the indoor evaporator 16 and is cooled is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the passenger compartment is realized.

In the cooling / cooling mode, cooling of the vehicle interior and cooling of the battery 45 are realized as described above. Further, in the cooling / cooling mode, under the operating condition that the battery 45 does not need to be cooled, the control device 70 may execute the independent cooling mode with the first expansion valve 14a fully closed. Further, under operating conditions in which cooling of the vehicle interior is not required in the cooling cooling mode, the control device 70 may execute the independent cooling mode with the second expansion valve 14b fully closed.

(B) Dehumidifying and heating mode The dehumidifying and heating mode is an operation mode for dehumidifying and heating the interior of the vehicle. In the dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 operates the compressor 11 of the refrigeration cycle 10. Further, the control device 70 puts the first expansion valve 14a in a fully closed state and the second expansion valve 14b in a throttled state.

Further, the control device 70 operates the high temperature side pump 27 of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. Then, the control device 70 puts the first solenoid valve 30a and the second solenoid valve 30b of the high temperature side switching unit 30 into the flow rate adjusting state, respectively. Further, the control device 70 adjusts the heating capacity of the electric heater 26 so that the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the heater core 22 becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined reference heater core outlet side temperature.

Then, the control device 70 stops the low temperature side pump 41 in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

Further, the control device 70 operates the device-side pump 52 of the device-side heat medium circuit 50. In the dehumidifying / heating mode as well, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 so that the temperature of the heating device 51 is maintained within an appropriate temperature range, as in the cooling / cooling mode.

The control device 70 operates the blower 62 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60. Further, the control device 70 displaces the air mix door 64 so that the temperature of the blown air W blown into the vehicle interior approaches the target blowing temperature TAO. The target blowout temperature TAO is calculated using the detection signal of the sensor group described above and the operation signal of the operation panel 71.

Therefore, in the refrigeration cycle 10 in the dehumidification / heating mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the refrigerant passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The high-pressure refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 dissipates heat to the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage and becomes a supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant. As a result, in the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage is heated as in the cooling / cooling mode.

The supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the second expansion valve 14b via the refrigerant branching portion 13a and is depressurized. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the second expansion valve 14b flows into the indoor evaporator 16.

The low-pressure refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor evaporator 16 absorbs heat from the blown air W blown from the blower 62 and evaporates. As a result, the blown air W flowing into the indoor evaporator 16 is cooled and dehumidified. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 16 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the evaporation pressure adjusting valve 17 and the refrigerant merging portion 13b, and is compressed again.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the heat medium pumped from the high temperature side pump 27 flows into the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and is heated. The flow of the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the branch portion 24 via the electric heater 26 and is branched.

In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, one of the heat media branched at the branch portion 24 flows into the heat dissipation portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 via the first solenoid valve 30a. The heat medium that has flowed into the heat radiating section 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 dissipates heat to the outside air OA that has flowed into the heat radiating section 21a via the shutter device 31. As a result, the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is cooled. The heat medium flowing out from the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21 flows into one inflow port of the merging portion 25.

On the other hand, the other heat medium branched at the branch portion 24 flows into the heater core 22 via the second solenoid valve 30b. The heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 dissipates heat to at least a part of the blown air W cooled by the indoor evaporator 16. As a result, at least a part of the blown air W is reheated. The heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 flows into the other inlet of the confluence 25.

In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the heat medium flowing out from the merging portion 25 is sucked into the high temperature side pump 27 via the first reserve tank 28 and pumped again.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 60 in the dehumidifying / heating mode, at least a part of the blown air W dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 16 is heated by the heater core 22. Then, by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 64, the blown air W whose temperature is adjusted so as to approach the target blowing temperature TAO is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, dehumidifying and heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

(C) Heating mode The heating mode is an operation mode for heating the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle air conditioner 1 has operation modes such as a heating heat storage mode, a heating heat dissipation mode, and a heating defrosting mode as specific operation modes of the heating mode. In the following description, first, the heating heat storage mode, which is the normal operation mode in the heating mode, will be described. The heating heat storage mode is an operation mode in which the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is stored in the device side heat medium circuit 50 at the same time as heating the interior of the vehicle.

In the heating heat storage mode, the control device 70 operates the compressor 11 of the refrigeration cycle 10. Further, the control device 70 puts the first expansion valve 14a in the throttled state and the second expansion valve 14b in the fully closed state.

Further, the control device 70 operates the high temperature side pump 27 of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20. Further, the control device 70 sets the first solenoid valve 30a of the high temperature side switching unit 30 in a fully closed state and the second solenoid valve 30b in a fully open state.

Further, the control device 70 adjusts the heating capacity of the electric heater 26 so that the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the heater core 22 becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined reference heater core outlet side temperature. The temperature on the outlet side of the reference heater core is determined so that the temperature of the blown air W heated by the heater core 22 can realize sufficient heating in the vehicle interior. Therefore, when the temperature of the heat medium exceeds the temperature on the outlet side of the reference heater core, the control device 70 does not supply electric power to the electric heater 26.

Then, the control device 70 operates the low temperature side pump 41 of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. Further, the control device 70 sets the on-off valve 43b of the low temperature side switching unit 43 to the fully open state, controls the operation of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a, and heats the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 as a composite type heat. It flows into the heat absorbing portion 21b of the exchanger 21.

Regarding the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the heating heat storage mode, the control device 70 operates the device-side pump 52. Then, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 so that the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 passes through the bypass flow path 54. At this time, the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 flows in the order of the device side pump 52, the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51, the device side three-way valve 53, the bypass flow path 54, and the device side pump 52, and the device side heat flows. It circulates in the medium circuit 50.

Then, the control device 70 operates the blower 62 of the indoor air conditioning unit 60. Further, the control device 70 controls the operation of the electric actuator for driving the air mix door so that the total amount of the blown air that has passed through the indoor evaporator 16 passes through the heater core 22.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle 10 in the heating heat storage mode, the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the refrigerant passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the high-pressure refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant passage dissipates heat to the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage to become a supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant. As a result, the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is heated.

The supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the first expansion valve 14a via the refrigerant branching portion 13a and is depressurized. The low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the first expansion valve 14a flows into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15.

In the chiller 15, the low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant passage absorbs heat from the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage and evaporates. As a result, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 is cooled. The refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15 is sucked into the compressor 11 via the refrigerant merging portion 13b and compressed again.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 in the heating heat storage mode, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the heat medium pumped from the high temperature side pump 27 flows into the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and is heated. To. The heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 flows into the heater core 22 via the electric heater 26, the branch portion 24, and the second solenoid valve 30b.

The heat medium flowing into the heater core 22 dissipates heat to the blown air W blown from the blower 62. As a result, the blown air W is heated. The heat medium flowing out of the heater core 22 is sucked into the high temperature side pump 27 via the merging portion 25 and the first reserve tank 28 and pumped again.

Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating heat storage mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat medium pumped from the low temperature side pump 41 flows into the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 and passes through the refrigerant passage. It is cooled by the heat absorption action that accompanies the evaporation of the refrigerant. The heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 flows into the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 via the on-off valve 43b of the low temperature side switching portion 43.

In the composite heat exchanger 21, the heat medium that has flowed into the heat absorbing portion 21b absorbs heat from the outside air OA that has passed through the heat radiating portion 21a and rises in temperature. The heat medium flowing out of the endothermic unit 21b is sucked into the low temperature side pump 41 via the second reserve tank 29 and pumped again.

As a result, according to the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the heat absorbed from the outside air OA by the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 can be absorbed by the low pressure refrigerant by the chiller 15 by the circulation of the heat medium. .. The flow of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 at this time is an example of the flow rate configuration of the first aspect.

In the device-side heat medium circuit 50 in the heating heat storage mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat medium pumped from the device-side pump 52 flows into the heat medium passage 51a of the heat-generating device 51. When flowing into the heat medium passage 51a, the heat medium is heated by the exhaust heat generated by the operation of the heat generating device 51.

The heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 is sucked into the device side pump 52 via the device side three-way valve 53 and the bypass flow path 54 and pumped again. As a result, the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 is stored in the heat medium circulating in the device side heat medium circuit 50.

Further, in the indoor air conditioning unit 60 in the heating heat storage mode, the blown air W heated through the heater core 22 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating heat storage mode, the heat of the outside air OA is absorbed by the heat medium in the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The heat medium absorbed from the outside air OA flows into the chiller 15 in the process of circulating in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and is endothermic by the low-pressure refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 10.

Then, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 15 is pumped up by the refrigeration cycle 10 and dissipated to the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 by the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 flows into the heater core 22 via the electric heater 26 and the like, and exchanges heat with the blown air W blown by the blower 62. That is, according to the heating heat storage mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1, the outside air OA can be used as a heat source for heating the interior of the vehicle.

As described above, the specific operation mode of the heating mode includes the heating / radiating mode. The heating / radiating mode is an operation mode in which the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is radiated to the outside air at the same time as heating the interior of the vehicle. The heating heat dissipation mode is an operation mode that can be switched when the temperature of the heating device 51 rises in the heating heat storage mode.

In the heating heat dissipation mode, the operation of the device side heat medium circuit 50 is different from that in the heating heat storage mode. That is, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 and the like is basically the same as the heating heat storage mode. In the heating / radiating mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 to allow the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 to flow into the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21.

As a result, the heat medium in the heating / radiating mode is the equipment side pump 52, the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 53, the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, the second reserve tank 29, and the equipment side. It flows in the order of the pump 52 and circulates in the heat medium circuit 50 on the device side.

As a result, in the device side heat medium circuit 50, when the heat medium flows into the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51, it is heated by the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51. The heat medium flowing out of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 flows into the composite heat exchanger 21 and dissipates heat to the outside air OA.

Therefore, according to the heating / radiating mode, the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is transferred from the composite heat exchanger 21 to the outside air OA through the heat medium flowing through the device side heat medium circuit 50 at the same time as the heating of the vehicle interior is realized. The temperature of the heating device 51 can be lowered by dissipating heat to.

As described above, in the heating heat storage mode in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the outside air OA can be used as the heating heat source. Here, when the outside air OA is low temperature and high humidity, it is assumed that the surface of the composite heat exchanger 21 will frost when the composite heat exchanger 21 absorbs heat from the outside air OA. ..

If frost is formed on the composite heat exchanger 21, the heat exchange performance between the heat medium and the outside air OA is significantly lowered, which is considered to be a factor of lowering the heating performance in the vehicle air conditioner 1.

Further, in the heating heat storage mode, if the composite heat exchanger 21 cannot be defrosted at an appropriate timing, it is expected that the temperature adjustment of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 will be affected. Since the heat medium passes through the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51, it is considered that the temperature of the heat medium also affects the operation of the heat generating device 51.

Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the control content of the heating mode is configured to optimize the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 and protect the heat generating device 51. Hereinafter, the control contents executed in the heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is started by the operation of the operation panel 71, the heating heat storage mode is started in step S1 and the air conditioning operation related to the heating heat storage mode is performed. In the heating heat storage mode, the control device 70 operates the device-side pump 52 and causes the device-side three-way valve 53 so that the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 51a of the heat-generating device 51 passes through the bypass flow path 54. Control the operation. As a result, the exhaust heat derived from the heat generating device 51 is stored in the heat medium circulating in the device side heat medium circuit 50.

Further, the control device 70 operates the compressor 11 by setting the rotation speed of the compressor 11 to a predetermined rotation speed Nc for a predetermined period with respect to the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 in the heating heat storage mode.

In step S2, after the compressor 11 is operated under the conditions of step S1 for a predetermined period, the outside air temperature Tam detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72b and the vehicle speed of the electromagnetic vehicle are used as indicators of the initial state in the heating mode. V, the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11 is acquired. The outside air temperature Tam detected at this time is called the standard outside air temperature KTam. Similarly, the vehicle speed V and the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11 detected in step S2 are referred to as a reference vehicle speed KV and a reference rotation speed KNc, respectively.

Further, in step S2, the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c is acquired as an index indicating the initial state of the endothermic unit 21b in the composite heat exchanger 21. In the following description, the heat medium temperature Tw acquired in step S2 is referred to as the reference heat medium temperature KTw.

Then, in step S2, after acquiring the non-standard air temperature KTam, the reference vehicle speed KV, the reference rotation speed KNc, and the reference heat medium temperature KTw, the operation control in the heating heat storage mode is performed as shown in FIG.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the device temperature Twd, which is an index showing the influence of heat on the heat generating device 51, is lower than the predetermined protection temperature KTp. As the device temperature Twd, the heat medium temperature passing through the outlet of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 is adopted, and is detected by the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 73e.

The protection temperature KTp indicates the upper limit of the temperature at which the heat generating device 51 can be used normally. For example, when the heat generating device 51 is composed of a plurality of devices, the protection temperature KTp is set to the lowest temperature among the upper limit values of the operating temperature range in each device. In step S3, it can be said that it is determined whether or not the usage environment of the heat generating device 51 of the device side heat medium circuit 50 is within an appropriately usable range.

When the device temperature Twd is lower than the protection temperature KTp, since the heat generating device 51 can be used normally, the process proceeds to step S4 while maintaining the heating heat storage mode. In step S4, a determination correction value Cv for accurately determining whether or not defrosting is required for the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is determined. The determination of the determination correction value Cv will be described in detail later.

On the other hand, if the device temperature Twd is not lower than the protection temperature KTp, the process proceeds to step S5 in order to suppress the temperature rise of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50. When the device temperature Twd is higher than the protection temperature KTp, it can be determined that the heat generating device 51 is in an excessively high temperature environment. In this case, it is assumed that the operation of the heat generating device 51 is affected by the high temperature environment.

Therefore, in step S5, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53, and the heat medium flowing out from the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 flows into the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The flow path of the heat medium is switched so as to do so.

That is, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be switched from the heating heat storage mode to the heating heat dissipation mode. As a result, in the device-side heat medium circuit 50, the heat contained in the heat medium is radiated to the outside air OA by the composite heat exchanger 21, so that the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heat generating device 51 can be lowered.

In step S6, it is determined whether or not the device temperature Twd, which is the heat medium temperature of the device side heat medium circuit 50, is lower than the heat dissipation completion temperature KTr, which is lower than the protection temperature KTp. That is, the device side heat medium circuit 50 determines whether or not the temperature environment of the heat generating device 51 has returned to the standard state.

When the device temperature Twd is lower than the heat dissipation completion temperature KTr, the device side three-way valve 53 is controlled to restart the heat storage of the device side heat medium circuit 50 for the heat medium, and the process returns to step S3. That is, when returning to step S3, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is switched from the heating / radiating mode to the heating / heat storage mode shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if the device temperature Twd is not lower than the heat dissipation completion temperature KTr, the process is waited for. That is, since the vehicle air conditioner 1 continues to operate in the heating / radiating mode, heat dissipation from the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 to the outside air OA is continued.

As described above, in step S4, the determination correction value Cv regarding the defrost determination of the composite heat exchanger 21 is determined. The non-reference temperature KTam, the reference vehicle speed KV, and the reference rotation speed KNc acquired in step S2 are used to determine the determination correction value Cv.

Specifically, first, the current outside air temperature Tam, vehicle speed, and rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11 are acquired. Next, the difference value between the current outside air temperature Tam and the standard non-standard air temperature KTam, the difference value between the current vehicle speed V and the reference vehicle speed KV, and the difference value between the current compressor 11 rotation speed Nc and the reference rotation speed KNc are calculated. ..

Subsequently, the determination correction value Cv is determined by referring to the difference values related to the outside air temperature Tam, the vehicle speed V, and the rotation speed Nc, and the control map created in association with each of them. Therefore, the determination correction value Cv is determined to be a numerical value corresponding to the change in the environment from the time of step S2 to the present time from the viewpoint of the outside air temperature Tam, the vehicle speed V, and the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11. After determining the determination correction value Cv, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the current state where the heat medium temperature Tw is higher than the value obtained by subtracting the determination correction value Cv and the determination lowering allowance M from the reference heat medium temperature KTw continues for a predetermined predetermined period. To. Hereinafter, the condition determined in step S7 is referred to as a defrosting condition.

Then, the determination lowering allowance M indicates the magnitude of the influence on the heat medium temperature Tw caused by the frost formation of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, and is predetermined by an experiment or the like.

In the defrosting conditions of step S7, the reference heat medium temperature KTw is an example of a reference value determined by a specific physical quantity. Further, the value to be subtracted from the reference heat medium temperature KTw is the total value of the judgment correction value Cv and the judgment reduction allowance M, which is an example of the fluctuation value determined according to the environment.

When it is determined in step S7 that the defrosting condition is satisfied, it means that the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is frosted and the composite heat exchanger 21 needs to be defrosted. To do. Therefore, if it is determined that the defrosting condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S8 to defrost the composite heat exchanger 21 in parallel with the heating of the vehicle interior. On the other hand, if not, the process returns to step S3.

Here, the change in the heat medium temperature Tw accompanying the operation in the heating heat storage mode will be described with reference to FIG. 7. As described above, when the operation is started in the heating heat storage mode, the heat medium cooled by the chiller 15 flows through the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. Therefore, the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c decreases as the vehicle air conditioner 1 warms up, and the temperature fluctuation becomes smaller as the operation of the device becomes stable. The reference heat medium temperature KTw is acquired in step S2 in a state where the operation of the device is stable.

As the operation of the heating heat storage mode is continued, the heat medium temperature Tw decreases as the outside air temperature Tam and the like fluctuate, as shown in FIG. Since the heat absorption target of the composite heat exchanger 21 is the outside air OA, the outside air temperature Tam affects the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c.

Then, since the outside air OA circulates through the composite heat exchanger 21 as the electric vehicle travels, the vehicle speed V affects the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c. Further, since the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11 has a correlation with the cooling performance of the chiller 15, it affects the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c. That is, the determination correction value Cv determines the magnitude of the influence of external factors other than frost formation on the composite heat exchanger 21 on the heat medium temperature Tw flowing out from the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. Shown.

When the heat medium temperature Tw decreases due to fluctuations in the outside air temperature Tam or the like, the surface of the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 becomes frosted as the heat is absorbed from the outside air OA. As the frost formation of the endothermic section 21b progresses, the heat exchange performance between the heat medium and the outside air OA in the endothermic section 21b deteriorates, so that the heat medium temperature Tw drops significantly.

As described above, the defrosting condition in step S7 includes the condition that the current heat medium temperature Tw is higher than the value obtained by subtracting the judgment correction value Cv and the judgment lowering allowance M from the reference heat medium temperature KTw. It has been. In other words, it includes the condition that the current heat medium temperature Tw deviates from the reference heat medium temperature KTw more than the fluctuation value defined by the total value of the judgment correction value Cv and the judgment reduction allowance M. I'm out.

Since this condition uses the difference value between step S2 and the value detected at the present time, it does not include an error of a sensor such as the outside air temperature sensor 72b, and the composite heat exchanger 21 frosts with high accuracy. It is possible to determine whether defrosting is necessary.

The processing after step S8 will be described again with reference to FIG. In step S8, it is determined whether or not the device temperature Twd is higher than the predetermined defrosting permission temperature KTds. Step S8 is a determination process for determining whether or not the execution of the defrosting operation of the composite heat exchanger 21 is permitted as a result of the determination performed in step S7.

The defrosting permitted temperature KTds is determined according to the operating temperature range of each device constituting the heat generating device 51, and is set so that the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 reduces the influence on the operation of each device. Has been done.

When the equipment temperature Twd is higher than the defrosting permitted temperature KTds, the process proceeds to step S9 to perform the defrosting operation in order to defrost the composite heat exchanger 21. On the other hand, if the equipment temperature Twd is not higher than the defrosting permitted temperature KTds, the process is returned to step S3.

In the defrosting operation of step S9, the control device 70 controls the operation of each component device in a predetermined order to switch from the heating heat storage mode to the heating defrosting mode. Specifically, first, the control device 70 determines whether or not the battery 45 needs to be cooled based on the battery temperature detected by the battery temperature sensor 72h.

For example, when the battery temperature is higher than the predetermined reference battery temperature, it is determined that the battery 45 needs to be cooled, and the combined heat exchanger 21 is removed in parallel with the heating of the vehicle interior. Frost and cool the battery 45. The operation mode in this case is referred to as a battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

On the other hand, if the battery temperature is not higher than the reference battery temperature, it is determined that cooling of the battery 45 is unnecessary, and the composite heat exchanger 21 is defrosted in parallel with the heating of the vehicle interior. The operation mode in this case is referred to as a normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

The defrosting operation when switching from the heating heat storage mode to the normal mode of heating defrosting mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows an operating state in a normal mode of the heating defrost mode. In FIG. 8, similarly to FIG. 5, the portion where the refrigerant or the heat medium is flowing is shown by a thick line.

First, the operating state in the heating heat storage mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerant of the refrigerating cycle 10 in the heating heat storage mode is the compressor 11, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the refrigerant branch 13a, the first expansion valve 14a, the chiller 15, the refrigerant confluence 13b, and the compressor. It circulates in the order of 11.

The heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 in the heating heat storage mode is the high temperature side pump 27, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the electric heater 26, the branch portion 24, the second solenoid valve 30b, the heater core 22, the confluence portion 25, and the like. The first reserve tank 28 and the high temperature side pump 27 circulate in this order.

The heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating heat storage mode is the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 15, the on-off valve 43b, the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, the second reserve tank 29, and the low temperature side pump 41. It circulates in the order of.

Further, the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 in the heating heat storage mode circulates in the order of the device side pump 52, the heat generating device 51, the device side three-way valve 53, the bypass flow path 54, and the device side pump 52.

When switching from the heating heat storage mode shown in FIG. 5 to the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode shown in FIG. 8, the control device 70 first executes a plurality of pre-operations. As one of the preliminary operations, the control device 70 stops the operation of the compressor 11 and stops the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10.

Further, as one of the preliminary operations for switching to the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the shutter device 31, and the flow rate of the outside air OA flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21 is the largest. Adjust so that it is less. As a result, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be reduced from the viewpoint of the flow rate of the outside air OA.

Furthermore, as one of the preliminary operations, the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 is stopped. As a result, the circulation of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is stopped. As a result, it is possible to reduce the flow rate of the heat medium flowing out of the chiller 15 through the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. That is, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be reduced from the viewpoint of the heat medium flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

When these pre-operations are completed, the defrosting execution operation in the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode is performed. In the defrosting execution operation in this case, the flow path configuration of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 is switched.

Specifically, the control device 70 controls the operation of the device-side three-way valve 53 to enter the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 and the outlet side of the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51. To communicate with. At this time, the inflow outlet on the bypass flow path 54 side of the device-side three-way valve 53 is closed.

By switching the device-side three-way valve 53 in this way, the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 becomes the device-side pump 52, the heat-generating device 51, the device-side three-way valve 53, and the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The second reserve tank 29 and the equipment side pump 52 flow in this order.

As a result, the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 circulates through the composite heat exchanger 21. Since the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 stores the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 in the heating heat storage mode, it adheres to the heat absorbing section 21b when passing through the heat absorbing section 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The frost that is forming can be removed.

As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1 switches from the heating heat storage mode to the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode by performing the pre-operation and the defrosting execution operation. When switching to the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode, the control device 70 ends step S9 and proceeds to step S10 when the pre-operation and the defrosting execution operation are performed and the operating state shown in FIG. 8 is reached.

Here, as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 5 and 8, in the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode, the circulation of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 10 and the circulation of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 are stopped.

The heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is the high temperature side pump 27, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the electric heater 26, the branch portion 24, the second solenoid valve 30b, the heater core 22, the merging portion 25, and the first reserve tank. 28, the high temperature side pump 27 continues to circulate in this order.

Therefore, according to the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the heating of the blown air W can be continued by utilizing the heat stored in the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, and the heating of the vehicle interior is realized. can do.

When switching from the heating heat storage mode to the heating defrosting mode, after performing pre-operations such as stopping the refrigeration cycle 10, controlling the operation of the shutter device 31, and stopping the low-temperature side pump 41, the device is used as the defrosting execution operation. The switching operation of the side three-way valve 53 is performed.

As a preliminary operation for the switching operation of the three-way valve 53 on the device side, the air volume of the outside air OA passing through the composite heat exchanger 21 is restricted. Therefore, in the composite heat exchanger 21, the device-side three-way valve 53 can be switched in a state where the amount of heat radiated from the heat of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 to the outside air OA is small. .. That is, the heat contained in the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 can be effectively used for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21 by suppressing leakage to the outside air OA.

Further, as a preliminary operation for the switching operation of the device-side three-way valve 53, the operation of the low-temperature side pump 41 is stopped, and the heat medium flows into the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 via the chiller 15. It is restricted.

Therefore, by executing the pre-operation, the amount of heat radiated from the heat of the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 to the heat medium via the chiller 15 can be reduced in the composite heat exchanger 21. That is, with respect to the heat contained in the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50, the heat leakage to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is suppressed, and the heat is effectively used for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21. Can be done.

Further, as a preliminary operation for the switching operation of the three-way valve on the device side, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 is stopped by stopping the operation of the compressor 11. By stopping the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 when defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption and the like associated with the operation of the compressor 11. As a result, it is possible to achieve both heating of the vehicle interior and defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 in an energy-efficient state.

Next, the defrosting operation when switching from the heating heat storage mode to the heating defrosting mode battery cooling mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows an operating state in the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

The battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode is one aspect of the heating / defrosting mode that is executed when it is determined that the battery 45 needs to be cooled when the process proceeds to step S9. The control device 70 also executes a plurality of pre-operations when switching from the heating heat storage mode to the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode.

As one of the pre-operations when switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 stops the operation of the compressor 11 and stops the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10.

Further, as one of the preliminary operations, the control device 70 controls the operation of the shutter device 31 and adjusts so that the flow rate of the outside air OA flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21 is minimized. The operation stop of the refrigeration cycle 10 and the operation control of the shutter device 31 are the same as the pre-operation when switching to the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

Then, the pre-operation when switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode includes the operation control of the low temperature side switching unit 43 instead of stopping the low temperature side pump 41 in the normal mode. Therefore, in the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the circulation of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is continued.

Specifically, as a preliminary operation when switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 sets the on-off valve 43b of the low-temperature side switching unit 43 to the fully closed state and the low-temperature side three-way valve 43a. Control the operation.

As a result, in the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is the low temperature side pump 41, the heat medium passage of the chiller 15, the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45, the low temperature side three-way valve 43a, and the like. It flows in the order of the low temperature side pump 41 and circulates. The flow of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in this case is an example of the flow path configuration of the second aspect.

As shown in FIG. 9, according to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the heat medium cooled by the chiller 15 can be circulated through the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45, so that the battery 45 is cooled. can do.

Then, when the operation of the low temperature side switching unit 43 is controlled as a preliminary operation, since the low temperature side switching unit 43 is switched, the heat absorbing unit 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is passed through the chiller 15. No heat medium flows in. That is, with respect to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the flow rate passing through the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 can be reduced. Therefore, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be reduced from the viewpoint of the heat medium flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

When these pre-operations are completed, the defrosting execution operation in the battery cooling mode of the heating defrosting mode is performed. In the defrosting execution operation, the flow path configuration of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 can be switched as in the case of the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 includes the device-side pump 52, the heat-generating device 51, the device-side three-way valve 53, and the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. 2 The reserve tank 29 and the equipment side pump 52 flow in this order.

As a result, the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 circulates through the composite heat exchanger 21. Since the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 stores the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 in the heating heat storage mode, it adheres to the heat absorbing section 21b when passing through the heat absorbing section 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. The frost that is forming can be removed.

As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1 switches from the heating heat storage mode to the heating defrosting mode battery cooling mode by performing the pre-operation and the defrosting execution operation. When switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 ends step S9 and proceeds to step S10 when the pre-operation and the defrosting execution operation are performed and the operating state shown in FIG. 9 is reached.

As a result, according to the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode, the battery 45 is cooled by circulating the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 at the same time as heating the vehicle interior and defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21. be able to.

Even when switching from the heating heat storage mode to the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode, the air volume of the outside air OA passing through the composite heat exchanger 21 is restricted by the preliminary operation. As a result, even when switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the same effect as that of switching to the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode is exhibited.

That is, even in the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode, the heat contained in the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 is suppressed from leaking to the outside air OA and effectively used for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21. it can.

Further, when switching to the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 is stopped by stopping the operation of the compressor 11 as a preliminary operation. As a result, it is possible to achieve both heating of the vehicle interior and defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 in an energy-efficient state, as in the case of switching to the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode.

Further, when switching the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, as a preliminary operation, the flow path configuration in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is switched to a configuration that circulates via the battery 45 and the chiller 15.

As a result, the heat medium cooled by the chiller 15 circulates through the heat medium passage 45a of the battery 45, so that the battery 45 can be cooled. Further, by switching the flow path configuration in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, the inflow of the heat medium through the chiller 15 is restricted to the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21.

That is, even in the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the heat of the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 is suppressed from leaking to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the combined heat exchange is performed. It can be effectively used for defrosting the vessel 21.

When shifting to the normal mode of heating / defrosting mode or the battery cooling mode, the determination process of step S10 is performed. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c is lower than the predetermined dew condensation protection temperature KTc. Here, the dew condensation protection temperature KTc means an upper limit value at which dew condensation does not occur in the heat generating device 51 in relation to the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51.

When the heat medium temperature Tw is lower than the dew condensation protection temperature KTc, the heat generating device 51 may be affected by the dew condensation generated inside. The fact that the heat medium temperature Tw is lower than the dew condensation protection temperature KTc is an example of dew condensation conditions. In this case, in order to suppress dew condensation on the heat generating device 51, even if the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S12 to return to the heating heat storage mode.

On the other hand, when the heat medium temperature Tw is not lower than the dew condensation protection temperature KTc, it is considered that dew condensation has not occurred on the heat generating device 51 when the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 is defrosted. move on.

In step S11, it is determined whether or not the defrosting completion condition is satisfied in the heating defrosting mode. The defrosting completion condition means a condition in which the heat exchange performance is considered to have been restored by defrosting the heat absorbing portion 21b in the composite heat exchanger 21.

As the defrosting completion condition, for example, the heat medium temperature Tw is higher than the predetermined reference value, the predetermined period has passed from the start of the defrosting operation in step S9, and the like. Can be done. Further, as the physical quantity instead of the heat medium temperature Tw, the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heat medium passage of the chiller 15 and the temperature of the heat medium passing through the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 can be adopted. When the defrosting completion condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S12 in order to return from the heating defrosting mode to the heating heat storage mode.

In the return operation of step S12, the control device 70 controls the operation of each component device in a predetermined order to switch from the heating defrosting mode to the heating heat storage mode. As described above, since there are two modes, the normal mode and the battery cooling mode, in the heating defrost mode, each mode will be described.

First, the return operation when returning from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode to the heating heat storage mode will be described. In the return operation from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode, the control device 70 first executes a switching operation. Specifically, the flow path configuration of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 is switched.

As a result, the heat medium of the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 flows and circulates in the order of the equipment side pump 52, the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating equipment 51, the equipment side three-way valve 53, the bypass flow path 54, and the equipment side pump 52. Therefore, the heat storage of the exhaust heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is restarted with respect to the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50.

In the return operation from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode, when the switching operation is completed, the control device 70 performs a plurality of return execution operations in order to return to the heating heat storage mode. As one of the return execution operations, the control device 70 first starts the operation of the compressor 11 and restarts the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10.

As a result, the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 10 flows and circulates in the order of the compressor 11, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the refrigerant branch portion 13a, the first expansion valve 14a, the chiller 15, the refrigerant confluence portion 13b, and the compressor 11.

Next, as one of the return execution operations from the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 restarts the operation of the low temperature side pump 41. Therefore, the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 flows in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 15, the on-off valve 43b, the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, the second reserve tank 29, and the low temperature side pump 41. Circulate.

As a result, the flow rate of the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 passing through the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 can be increased by the return execution operation. As a result, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be recovered from the viewpoint of the heat medium flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

Further, as one of the return execution operations from the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the shutter device 31 and the flow rate of the outside air OA flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21 is the largest. Adjust so that Thereby, from the viewpoint of the flow rate of the outside air OA, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be recovered.

As a return operation when returning from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode to the heating heat storage mode, a switching operation and a plurality of return execution operations are performed, so that the operating state of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is the heating heat storage mode shown in FIG. Return to the state of. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can store the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 in the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50, and can reheat the vehicle interior using the outside air OA as a heat source.

In the return operation from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode to the heating heat storage mode, after the switching operation of the three-way valve 53 on the device side is performed, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 is restarted, the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 is restarted, and the operation is restarted. The air volume restriction of the outside air OA by the shutter device 31 is released.

Therefore, when returning from the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, it is possible to maintain the state in which the heat medium is passing through the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51. As a result, it is possible to prevent the heat generating device 51 from becoming excessively hot due to exhaust heat, as compared with the case where the flow of the heat medium to the heat generating device 51 is stopped.

Further, by performing the switching operation of the device side three-way valve 53 prior to the plurality of return execution operations, the exhaust heat generated in the heat generating device 51 leaks to the outside air OA or the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. Can be suppressed. That is, in the return operation from the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be stored in the heat medium circulating in the device side heat medium circuit 50 from the earliest possible stage.

Then, after the switching operation of the device-side three-way valve 53, the operation of the low-temperature side pump 41 is restarted, so that the heat medium that has passed through the chiller 15 directly flows into the heat medium passage 51a of the heat-generating device 51. Absent. As a result, it is possible to prevent the heat generating device 51 from being rapidly cooled by the heat medium that has passed through the chiller 15, and it is possible to protect the heat generating device 51.

Next, the return operation when returning from the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode to the heating heat storage mode will be described. In the return operation from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 first executes a switching operation. Specifically, the flow path configuration of the heat medium in the device side heat medium circuit 50 is switched.

As a result, the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 circulates through the heat medium passage 51a and the bypass flow path 54 of the heat generating device 51, as in the case of returning from the normal mode of the heating defrost mode. It becomes. Therefore, the heat storage of the exhaust heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is restarted with respect to the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50.

In the recovery operation from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrost mode, when the switching operation is completed, the control device 70 performs a plurality of recovery execution operations. As one of the return execution operations, the control device 70 first restarts the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10.

Next, as one of the return execution operations from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the shutter device 31 to reduce the flow rate of the outside air OA flowing into the composite heat exchanger 21. Adjust to the maximum.

As the return execution operation from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the operation restart of the refrigeration cycle 10 and the operation control of the shutter device 31 are the same as in the case of returning from the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

Then, as a return execution operation from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the control device 70 controls the operation of the low temperature side switching unit 43. Specifically, the control device 70 sets the on-off valve 43b of the low-temperature side switching unit 43 to the fully open state, and controls the operation of the low-temperature side three-way valve 43a. As a result, the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 flows in the order of the low temperature side pump 41, the chiller 15, the on-off valve 43b, the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, the second reserve tank 29, and the low temperature side pump 41. And circulate.

Therefore, the return execution operation can increase the flow rate of the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 passing through the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. As a result, the heat exchange performance between the outside air OA and the heat medium in the composite heat exchanger 21 can be recovered from the viewpoint of the heat medium flow rate of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, in order to return to the heating heat storage mode, the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit flows and circulates so as to bypass the battery 45. Therefore, when returning from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the battery 45 is not cooled by the heat medium that has passed through the chiller 15.

As described above, the operating state of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is shown by performing a switching operation and a plurality of return execution operations as the return operation when returning from the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode to the heating heat storage mode. It returns to the state of the heating heat storage mode shown in 5. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can store the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 in the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50, and can reheat the vehicle interior using the outside air OA as a heat source.

In the return operation from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrost mode, after the switching operation of the device side three-way valve 53 is performed, the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 is restarted, the operation control of the low temperature side switching unit 43, and the shutter device are performed as the return execution operation. The air volume restriction of the outside air OA by 31 is released.

Therefore, the distribution of the heat medium to the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51 can be maintained even when returning from the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode. As a result, it is possible to prevent the heat generating device 51 from becoming excessively hot due to exhaust heat, as compared with the case where the flow of the heat medium to the heat generating device 51 is stopped.

Further, by switching the device-side three-way valve 53 prior to the plurality of return execution operations, the heat exhaust of the heat-generating device 51 is exhausted from the heat medium circulating in the device-side heat medium circuit 50 from the earliest possible stage. Can store heat.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, in the return operation in step S12, the return execution operation is performed after the switching operation of the device side three-way valve 53, and the low temperature side heat medium. The heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 relating to the heat medium of the circuit 40 and the outside air OA is restored.

As a result, in the process of returning from the heating defrosting mode to the heating heat storage mode, it is possible to secure the flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 51a of the heat generating device 51. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can suppress a state in which the heat generating device 51 becomes excessively high in temperature when returning from the heating defrosting mode to the heating heat storage mode.

That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can defrost the composite heat exchanger 21 by utilizing the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51, and also protect the heat generating device 51 when returning from the heating defrost mode. it can.

By the switching operation of the device-side three-way valve 53, the heat medium of the device-side heat medium circuit 50 is in a state of circulating via the heat-generating device 51 and the bypass flow path 54. Therefore, even if the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 relating to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA is restored thereafter, the heat medium that has passed through the chiller 15 is directly supplied to the heat generating device 51. There is nothing.

Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can protect the heat generating device 51 by suppressing the rapid cooling of the heat generating device 51 by the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 when returning from the heating / defrosting mode. ..

Further, in step S12, the vehicle air conditioner 1 first restarts the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 as a return execution operation in the return operation from the heating / defrost mode. That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, in order to restart the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 after the switching operation of the device-side three-way valve 53, the operation in the heating heat storage mode is restarted while protecting the heat generating device 51. it can.

Then, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, even if the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is not completed in steps S9 to S12, the dew condensation condition is satisfied and dew condensation of the heat generating device 51 is assumed. To return to the heating heat storage mode. By returning to the heating heat storage mode, the temperature of the heat generating device 51 and its surroundings can be raised, and the saturated water vapor pressure can be raised.

As a result, if dew condensation on the heat generating device 51 is expected even during the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21, the vehicle air conditioner 1 is returned to the heating heat storage mode to cause dew condensation on the heat generating device 51. Can be suppressed. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can protect the heat generating device 51 by suppressing dew condensation on the heat generating device 51 due to defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 controls the operation of the shutter device 31 as one of the return execution operations in step S12, and restores the outside air OA so as to maximize the flow rate. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 restores the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 regarding the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA in the heating heat storage mode from the viewpoint of the flow rate of the outside air OA. It is possible to secure the amount of heat absorbed from the outside air OA in the heating heat storage mode.

Further, as one of the return execution operations in step S12, the vehicle air conditioner 1 restarts the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 in the normal mode of the heating defrost mode, and in the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode. , The operation of the low temperature side switching unit 43 is controlled. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 recovers the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 relating to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA from the viewpoint of the flow rate of the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. It is possible to secure the amount of heat absorbed from the outside air OA in the heating heat storage mode.

Then, in step S9, the vehicle air conditioner 1 performs the defrosting execution operation by the device-side three-way valve 53 after executing the plurality of pre-operations when performing the defrosting operation of the composite heat exchanger 21. That is, the defrosting execution operation by the device-side three-way valve 53 is executed after the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 regarding the heat medium of the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA is lowered, and the device-side heat medium circuit. Fifty heat media are supplied to the composite heat exchanger 21.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device 51 from leaking to the outside air OA or the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 when the composite heat exchanger 21 is defrosted. That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can efficiently utilize the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21.

Further, during the defrosting operation in step S9, the flow rate of the heat medium passing through the heat generating device 51 can be secured, so that the state in which the heat generating device 51 becomes excessively high can be suppressed, and the heat generating device 51 is protected. Can be realized.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 stops the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 as one of the preliminary operations in the defrosting operation for switching to the heating defrosting mode. That is, after the operation of the refrigeration cycle 10 is stopped, the defrosting execution operation by the device-side three-way valve 53 is performed. As a result, the energy consumption of the compressor 11 in the heating defrost mode can be suppressed, and the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 using the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be efficiently executed.

Then, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, even if it is determined that the defrosting condition is satisfied, if it is determined that the heat generating device 51 is excessively hot, it passes through the heat generating device 51. The heat medium is circulated through the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. As a result, the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 is dissipated to the outside air OA by the composite heat exchanger 21, and the temperature rise of the heat generating device 51 can be suppressed.

That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 using the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 is realized, and the excessive temperature rise in the heat generating device 51 is suppressed to suppress the heat generating device 51. Can be protected.

Further, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, in the determination process of step S7, it is determined whether or not the defrosting condition is satisfied, and if the defrosting condition is satisfied, the defrosting for switching to the heating defrosting mode is performed. Perform the action. The defrosting condition in step S7 is that the current heat medium temperature Tw is higher than the value obtained by subtracting the judgment correction value Cv and the judgment lowering allowance M from the reference heat medium temperature KTw for a predetermined period of time. Is.

That is, according to the determination process in step S7, the determination criterion for whether or not to execute the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 using the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 is determined by the determination correction value Cv that varies depending on the environment. Can be changed including.

As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can make an accurate determination regarding the execution of defrosting, and can start the defrosting operation of the composite heat exchanger 21 at an appropriate timing. Further, since the heat generated in the heat generating device 51 can be used for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21 at an appropriate timing, it is possible to suppress the influence of heat on the heat generating device 51 and protect the heat generating device 51. it can.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 controls the operation of the shutter device 31 as one of the preliminary operations in step S9 to minimize the flow rate of the outside air OA. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 reduces the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 regarding the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA in the heating / defrosting mode from the viewpoint of the flow rate of the outside air OA. be able to. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the heating / defrosting mode, it is possible to suppress the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 from leaking to the outside air OA, and it can be efficiently used for defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21. ..

Further, when the vehicle air conditioner 1 shifts to the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode as one of the preliminary operations in step S9, the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 is stopped and the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode is stopped. When shifting to, the operation of the low temperature side switching unit 43 is controlled.

As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 reduces the heat exchange performance of the composite heat exchanger 21 regarding the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the outside air OA in terms of the flow rate of the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40. Can be made to. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the heating / defrosting mode, it is possible to prevent the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 from leaking to the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and it is possible to defrost the composite heat exchanger 21. It can be used efficiently.

Then, the vehicle air conditioner 1 uses the reference heat medium temperature KTw constituting the determination condition in step S7, the non-reference temperature KTam used for determining the determination correction value Cv, the reference vehicle speed KV, and the reference rotation speed KNc for the vehicle. Acquired after the start of operation of the heating heat storage mode in the air conditioner 1.

By acquiring the reference heat medium temperature KTw or the like at the time of step S2 after the start of the operation of the heating heat storage mode, it is possible to reflect the state of the vehicle air conditioner 1 itself and the environment surrounding the vehicle air conditioner 1. it can. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can improve the determination accuracy regarding the defrosting conditions in step S7.

Further, the acquisition of the reference heat medium temperature KTw or the like in step S2 is executed after the compressor 11 is operated at a predetermined rotation speed Nc for a predetermined period of time. In other words, the reference heat medium temperature KTw or the like is acquired while the compressor 11 is operated under predetermined conditions and the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is stable.

As a result, the reference heat medium temperature KTw and the like are not included in the state where the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is unstable. Therefore, the reliability of the reference heat medium temperature KTw and the judgment correction value Cv is improved, and the step The accuracy of determining the defrosting condition in S7 can be improved.

Then, the determination correction value Cv constituting the defrosting condition in step S7 is determined in step S4. Specifically, when determining the determination correction value Cv, the difference value between the current outside air temperature Tam and the non-standard air temperature KTam, the difference value between the current vehicle speed V and the reference vehicle speed KV, and the current rotation speed of the compressor 11 The difference value between Nc and the reference rotation speed KNc is calculated.

After that, the judgment correction value Cv is determined by referring to the difference values related to the outside air temperature Tam, the vehicle speed V, and the rotation speed Nc, and the control map created in association with each of them. Therefore, the determination correction value Cv is a numerical value corresponding to the change in the environment from the time of step S2 to the present time from the viewpoint of the outside air temperature Tam, the vehicle speed V, and the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11.

Therefore, by using the determination correction value Cv for the defrosting condition in step S7, it is possible to reflect the change in the environment surrounding the vehicle air conditioner 1, and the combined heat exchanger 21 is removed at an appropriate timing. Frost can be realized.

Further, the above-mentioned difference value is calculated by using values acquired at different timings from the same configuration such as the outside air temperature sensor 72b. Therefore, the determination of the determination correction value Cv is not affected by the error of the configuration itself of the outside air temperature sensor 72b or the like. As a result, the determination correction value Cv becomes a value that purely reflects the change in the environment surrounding the vehicle air conditioner 1, and thus the determination accuracy of the defrosting condition in step S7 can be improved also in this respect. ..

Then, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, it is determined whether or not the battery 45 needs to be cooled in the defrosting operation to the heating defrost mode in step S9, and it is determined that the battery 45 needs to be cooled. If so, the mode is switched to the battery cooling mode of the heating defrost mode.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the battery cooling mode of the heating defrosting mode, the heating of the vehicle interior by the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 and the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 by the equipment side heat medium circuit 50, as well as the low temperature side. The heat medium circuit 40 cools the battery 45. According to the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode, in addition to heating the vehicle interior and defrosting the composite heat exchanger 21, the battery 45 can be cooled in parallel.

Further, when it is determined that the battery 45 does not need to be cooled during the defrosting operation to the heating defrosting mode in step S9, the mode is switched to the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode. As shown in FIG. 8, in the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode, the heating of the vehicle interior by the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 and the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 by the equipment side heat medium circuit 50 are performed in parallel. Will be. At this time, the operation of the low temperature side pump 41 is stopped, and the circulation of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is stopped. As a result, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 in the normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode, the vehicle interior heating and the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 can be realized in parallel while suppressing the energy consumption.

(Second Embodiment)
Subsequently, a second embodiment different from the first embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, among the control contents of the heating mode, the determination process of whether or not the defrosting condition is satisfied is different from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the basic configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1 and the operating state of each operation mode according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, when the heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is started by the operation of the operation panel 71, the control device 70 matters the process of step S21. Step S21 is the same process as step S1 of the first embodiment.

Next, in step S22, it is determined whether or not the device temperature Twd is lower than the protection temperature KTp. Step S22 is the same process as step S3. If the device temperature Twd is lower than the protection temperature KTp, the process proceeds to step S23.

On the other hand, if the device temperature Twd is not lower than the protection temperature KTp, the process proceeds to step S24 and step S25. Step S24 and step S25 are the same processes as steps S5 and S6 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description will be omitted again.

As a result, even in the second embodiment, if it is determined that the heat generating device 51 is excessively hot even in the state where the defrosting condition is satisfied, the device side heat medium circuit 50 is switched. The exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 can be dissipated to the outside air OA.

In step S23, it is determined whether or not the defrosting condition in the second embodiment is satisfied. The defrosting condition in the second embodiment is that the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c is lower than the predetermined determination threshold value KTwa.

Here, the determination threshold value KTwa is determined by the temperature of the heat medium flowing out from the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21 in a state where defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is required. The determination threshold value KTwa is obtained by, for example, an experimental value, and is stored in a ROM or the like of the control device 70. The determination threshold KTwa is an example of the threshold.

If the heat medium temperature Tw is lower than the determination threshold value KTwa, it is determined that defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S26. If the heat medium temperature Tw is not lower than the determination threshold value KTwa, it is determined that defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is unnecessary, and the process returns to step S22.

In step S26, it is determined whether or not the device temperature Twd is higher than the defrosting permitted temperature KTds. Step S26 is the same process as step S8 of the first embodiment. If the equipment temperature Twd is higher than the defrosting permitted temperature KTds, the process proceeds to step S27. If not, the process returns to step S22.

In step S27, the defrosting operation according to the second embodiment is performed. In step S27, as in step S9 of the first embodiment, it is first determined whether or not the battery 45 needs to be cooled. Based on this determination result, the operation mode of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is determined to be either a normal mode of the heating / defrosting mode or a battery cooling mode of the heating / defrosting mode.

Then, after executing a plurality of pre-operations according to either the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode or the battery cooling mode of the heating defrosting mode, the switching operation is performed. Since the processing content of step S27 has already been explained, the description will be omitted again.

The processing contents of steps S28 and S29 after starting the heating and defrosting mode are the same as those of steps S10 and S11 in the first embodiment. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment is returned to the heating heat storage mode when dew condensation on the heat generating device 51 is expected even during the defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21. , Condensation of the heat generating device 51 can be suppressed.

In step S30, the return operation according to the second embodiment is performed. In step S30, as in step S12 of the first embodiment, after executing the switching operation, a plurality of return execution operations are performed. The content of the plurality of return execution operations is determined depending on whether the current operation mode is the normal mode of the heating defrosting mode or the battery cooling mode of the heating defrosting mode. Since the processing content of step S30 has already been explained, the description will be omitted again.

As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the defrosting condition determined in step S23 is set so that the heat medium temperature Tw is lower than the determination threshold value KTwa. Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to simplify the process of determining whether or not defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21 is necessary and suppress the processing load of the control device 70. it can.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, even when the determination content of whether or not the composite heat exchanger 21 needs to be defrosted is changed, the first implementation is performed. The action and effect produced from the configuration and operation common to the embodiment can be obtained in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Further, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the defrosting condition is determined by comparing the heat medium temperature Tw by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c with the predetermined determination threshold value KTwa. .. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can simplify the determination regarding defrosting of the composite heat exchanger 21, and can reduce the processing load of the control device 70.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified as follows without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

In the above-described embodiment, the electric expansion valve is adopted as the first expansion valve 14a and the second expansion valve 14b in the refrigeration cycle 10, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the refrigeration cycle 10, various aspects can be adopted as long as the high-pressure refrigerant can be depressurized. For example, the second expansion valve 14b may be changed to a thermal expansion valve while the first expansion valve 14a is an electric expansion valve.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the subcool type condenser is adopted as the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. As the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, an embodiment in which the receiver unit 12b and the supercooling unit 12c are not provided and the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is composed of the condensing unit 12a may be adopted.

Then, in the above-described embodiment, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20 including the water refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the heater core 22 is adopted as the configuration of the heating unit for heating the blown air W. It is not limited. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the indoor condenser is arranged at the position of the heater core 22 in the above-described embodiment and the blown air W is heated by the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the composite heat exchanger 21 has been adopted as the air heat medium heat exchanger, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Any heat exchanger capable of heat exchange between the heat medium of the low temperature side heat medium circuit or the heat medium of the device side heat medium circuit 50 and the outside air OA can be adopted as an air heat medium heat exchanger.

Therefore, the outside air heat exchanger may be arranged instead of the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. At this time, instead of the heat radiating portion 21a of the composite heat exchanger 21, a high temperature side radiator may be arranged, or another embodiment may be adopted.

In the above-described embodiment, the high-temperature side switching unit 30 in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 20 is composed of the first solenoid valve 30a and the second solenoid valve 30b, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Absent. As the high temperature side switching unit 30, various modes can be used as long as the flow rate of the heat medium on one outlet side of the branch portion 24 and the flow rate of the heat medium on the other outlet side of the branch portion 24 can be adjusted. Can be adopted. For example, the high temperature side switching portion 30 may be configured by a three-way valve arranged at the position of the branch portion 24.

Further, the low temperature side switching unit 43 is composed of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a and the on-off valve 43b, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. Instead of the low temperature side three-way valve 43a, it may be composed of two on-off valves arranged on the bypass flow path 42 so that the connection portion between the bypass flow path 42 and the battery connection flow path 44 is located between them.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the power control unit including the inverter, the motor generator, and the transaxle device is adopted as the heat generating device 51, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. As the heat generating device 51, various devices can be adopted as long as they are mounted on the vehicle and generate heat secondarily as the operation for exerting a predetermined function is performed. For example, it is also possible to adopt the components of the advanced driver assistance system.

In the determination of the defrosting conditions in the above-described embodiment, the heat medium temperature Tw and the reference heat medium temperature KTw flowing out from the endothermic portion of the composite heat exchanger 21 are used, but the present invention is limited to this embodiment. is not. Other physical quantities may be adopted as long as they are physical quantities that correlate with frost formation in the endothermic portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21. For example, the heat medium temperature in the heat medium passage of the chiller 15, the refrigerant temperature in the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15, the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant passage of the chiller 15, and the like may be adopted as the defrosting conditions. It is also possible to adopt the amount of light passing through the heat absorbing portion 21b of the composite heat exchanger 21, the amount of air before and after passing through the heat absorbing portion 21b, the rotation speed Nc of the compressor 11, and the like.

Further, in step S6 and the like in the above-described embodiment, it is determined whether or not the heat dissipation of the heat generating device 51 is completed by comparing the device temperature Twd and the heat dissipation completion temperature KTr, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Absent. For example, in step S5, it may be determined whether or not the heat dissipation of the heat generating device 51 is completed based on the elapsed time from the time when the exhaust heat of the heat generating device 51 is dissipated to the outside air OA.

Further, in step S10 in the above-described embodiment, the dew condensation in the heat generating device 51 is determined by comparing the heat medium temperature Tw detected by the third heat medium temperature sensor 73c with the dew condensation protection temperature KTc. In this regard, the device temperature Twd detected by the fifth heat medium temperature sensor 73e may be adopted as the physical quantity for determining dew condensation in the heat generating device 51.

The refrigeration cycle 10, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the device side heat medium circuit 50 in the vehicle air conditioner 1 are not limited to those disclosed in the above-described embodiment. ..

As the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle 10, for example, R134a, R600a, R410A, R404A, R32, R407C and the like may be adopted. Alternatively, a mixed refrigerant or the like in which a plurality of these refrigerants are mixed may be adopted.

As the heat medium of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 20, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the device side heat medium circuit 50, for example, a solution containing dimethylpolysiloxane or nanofluid, an antifreeze liquid, an aqueous liquid refrigerant containing alcohol or the like, A liquid medium or the like containing oil or the like may be adopted.

Although this disclosure has been described in accordance with the examples, it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to the examples and structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within an equal range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include only one element, more, or less, are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (20)

1. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and heating units (12, 20) that heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space using the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor as a heat source. A refrigeration cycle (10) having a decompression unit (14a) for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit and a heat absorber (15) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat.
   It has an air heat medium heat exchanger (21) that exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium, and the low-temperature side heat that circulates the heat medium so that the low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat with the heat absorber to cool it. The medium circuit (40) and
   A heat generating device (51) that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. A switching unit (53) that switches the flow of the connected bypass flow path (54) and the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. The device-side heat medium circuit (50) that circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat with each other.
   It has a control unit (70) and
   The control unit terminates the defrosting operation of defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger by the heat of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device, and returns to the operating state before the defrosting operation. In operation, the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device is the heat generating device and the bypass flow before the heat exchange performance of the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the outside air is restored. A vehicle air conditioner that controls the operation of the switching unit so as to circulate through the device-side heat medium circuit via a path.
2. A claim that the control unit recovers the heat exchange performance of the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the heat medium passing through the heat absorber and the outside air after restarting the operation of the refrigeration cycle in the return operation. The vehicle air conditioner according to 1.
3. The control unit
   When defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device, a device dew condensation determination unit (70c) for determining whether or not the dew condensation condition in which dew condensation occurs in the heat generating device is satisfied.
   It has a defrosting completion determination unit (70d) for determining whether or not defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device has been completed.
   When the defrosting completion determination unit determines that the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger has not been completed, and the equipment dew condensation determination unit determines that the dew condensation condition is satisfied, The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the return operation is executed to return to the operating state before the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is performed.
4. The control unit releases the restriction on the air volume of the outside air passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger to exchange heat between the heat medium passing through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the outside air. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which restores the performance.
5. The control unit increases the flow rate of the heat medium passing through the heat absorber through the air heat medium heat exchanger to increase the heat of the heat medium passing through the heat absorber and the heat of the air heat medium with respect to the outside air. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which recovers the heat exchange performance of the exchanger.
6. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and heating units (12, 20) that heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space using the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor as a heat source. A refrigeration cycle (10) having a decompression unit (14a) for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit, and a heat absorber (15) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat.
   It has an air heat medium heat exchanger (21) that exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium, and the low-temperature side heat that circulates the heat medium so that the low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat with the heat absorber to cool it. The medium circuit (40) and
   A heat generating device (51) that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. A switching unit (53) that switches the flow of the connected bypass flow path (54) and the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. The device-side heat medium circuit (50) that circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat with each other.
   It has a control unit (70) and
   The control unit
   When defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device, a device dew condensation determination unit (70c) for determining whether or not the dew condensation condition in which dew condensation occurs in the heat generating device is satisfied.
   It has a defrosting completion determination unit (70d) for determining whether or not defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger using the heat of the heat generating device has been completed.
   When the defrosting completion determination unit determines that the defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger has not been completed, and the equipment dew condensation determination unit determines that the dew condensation condition is satisfied, A vehicle air conditioner that executes a return operation to return to the operating state before defrosting the air heat medium heat exchanger.
7. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and heating units (12, 20) that heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space using the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor as a heat source. A refrigeration cycle (10) having a decompression unit (14a) for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit, and a heat absorber (15) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat.
   It has an air heat medium heat exchanger (21) that exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium, and the low-temperature side heat that circulates the heat medium so that the low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat with the heat absorber to cool it. The medium circuit (40) and
   A heat generating device (51) that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. A switching unit (53) that switches the flow of the connected bypass flow path (54) and the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. The device-side heat medium circuit (50) that circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat with each other.
   It has a control unit (70) and
   The control unit defrosts the air heat medium heat exchanger by the heat of the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device, and the air heat related to the heat medium and the outside air passing through the heat absorber. A vehicle air conditioner that controls the operation of the switching unit so that the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device passes through the air heat medium heat exchanger after the heat exchange performance of the medium heat exchanger is lowered.
8. 7. The control unit stops the operation of the refrigeration cycle before controlling the operation of the switching unit so that the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device passes through the air heat medium heat exchanger. The vehicle air conditioner described.
9. The control unit
   A heat dissipation necessity determination unit (70a) for determining whether or not heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated, and
   It has a defrosting determination unit (70b) for determining whether or not defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is necessary.
   When the defrosting determination unit determines that defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is not necessary, and the heat dissipation necessity determination unit determines that the heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device is dissipated to the outside air by the air heat medium heat exchanger.
10. It has a detection unit (73c) for detecting a specific physical quantity having a correlation with the temperature of the heat medium passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger.
    The defrost determination unit determines that defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is necessary when the specific physical quantity detected by the detection unit is smaller than the threshold value predetermined by the specific physical quantity. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 9.
11. It has a detection unit (73c) for detecting a specific physical quantity having a correlation with the temperature of the heat medium passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger.
    The defrost determination unit is based on a fluctuation value in which the specific physical quantity currently detected by the detection unit is determined according to the environment, with respect to a reference value previously determined by the specific physical quantity detected by the detection unit. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein it is determined that defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is necessary when there is a large deviation.
12. By limiting the air volume of the outside air passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger, the control unit determines the heat exchange performance of the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the heat medium passing through the heat absorber and the outside air. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 11.
13. The control unit reduces the flow rate of the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber through the air heat medium heat exchanger, thereby reducing the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat absorber and the heat of the air heat medium with respect to the outside air. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 12, which reduces the heat exchange performance of the exchanger.
14. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and heating units (12, 20) that heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space using the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor as a heat source. A refrigeration cycle (10) having a decompression unit (14a) for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit, and a heat absorber (15) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat.
    It has an air heat medium heat exchanger (21) that exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium, and the low-temperature side heat that circulates the heat medium so that the low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat with the heat absorber to cool it. The medium circuit (40) and
    A heat generating device (51) that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. A switching unit (53) that switches the flow of the connected bypass flow path (54) and the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. The device-side heat medium circuit (50) that circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat with each other.
    A detection unit (73c) for detecting a specific physical quantity having a correlation with the temperature of the heat medium passing through the air heat medium heat exchanger.
    It has a control unit (70) and
    The control unit
    The specific physical quantity detected at the present time by the detection unit deviates more than a fluctuation value determined according to the environment with respect to the reference value determined in advance by the specific physical quantity detected by the detection unit. In this case, a vehicle air conditioner that performs a defrosting operation on the air heat medium heat exchanger.
15. According to claim 14, the control unit determines the specific physical quantity detected by the detection unit as the reference value after starting an air conditioning operation in which the air heat medium heat exchanger absorbs heat from the outside air to the heat medium. The vehicle air conditioner described.
16. 15. The control unit determines the specific physical quantity detected by the detection unit as the reference value in a state where the operation of the component equipment of the vehicle air conditioner that operates in association with the air conditioning operation is stable. The vehicle air conditioner described.
17. The control unit changes the vehicle speed when the reference value is acquired and at the present time, changes in the rotation speed of the compressor when the reference value is acquired and at the present time, and when the reference value is acquired and at the present time. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the fluctuation value of the temperature of the outside air is used to determine the fluctuation value at the present time.
18. The low temperature side heat medium circuit
    A cooling object (45) connected in parallel to the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger and coolable by the heat medium that has passed through the heat exchanger.
    The first aspect in which the flow of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit is circulated through at least the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger, and the heat absorption while bypassing the air heat medium heat exchanger. It has a low temperature side switching unit (43) for switching to the second mode, which circulates through the vessel and the object to be cooled.
    The control unit
    It has a cooling necessity determination unit (70e) for determining whether or not it is necessary to cool the object to be cooled.
    When the cooling necessity determination unit determines that it is necessary to cool the object to be cooled when performing the defrosting operation, the flow of the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit is the second aspect. The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 7 to 17, wherein by switching to, the heat exchange performance of the heat medium passing through the heat absorber and the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the outside air is lowered.
19. When the control unit determines that it is not necessary to cool the object to be cooled by the cooling necessity determination unit when performing the defrosting operation, the control unit circulates the heat medium in the low temperature side heat medium circuit. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 18, wherein the heat exchange performance of the air heat medium heat exchanger with respect to the heat medium and the outside air that has passed through the heat absorber is reduced by stopping the heat exchanger.
20. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and heating units (12, 20) that heat the blown air blown to the air-conditioned space using the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor as a heat source. A refrigeration cycle (10) having a decompression unit (14a) for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit and a heat absorber (15) for evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the decompression unit to absorb heat.
    It has an air heat medium heat exchanger (21) that exchanges heat between the outside air outside the vehicle interior and the heat medium, and the low-temperature side heat that circulates the heat medium so that the low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat with the heat absorber to cool it. The medium circuit (40) and
    A heat generating device (51) that is connected in parallel to the air heat medium heat exchanger and generates heat as it operates, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device bypass the air heat medium heat exchanger. A switching unit (53) that switches the flow of the connected bypass flow path (54) and the heat medium flowing through the heat generating device to at least one of the bypass flow path side and the air heat medium heat exchanger side. A device-side heat medium circuit that circulates the heat medium so that the heat generating device and the heat medium exchange heat with each other.
    It has a control unit (70) and
    The control unit
    A heat dissipation necessity determination unit (70a) for determining whether or not heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated, and
    It has a defrosting determination unit (70b) for determining whether or not defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is necessary.
    When the defrosting determination unit determines that defrosting of the air heat medium heat exchanger is not necessary, and the heat dissipation necessity determination unit determines that the heat generated in the heat generating device needs to be dissipated. Is a vehicle air conditioner that dissipates the heat of the heat medium that has passed through the heat generating device to the outside air by the air heat medium heat exchanger.

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