WO2022038950A1 - Refrigeration cycle device - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigeration cycle device provided with refrigerant circuit switching units (14a-14c, 161a-161c, 22) for switching refrigerant circuits. The refrigerant circuit switching units (14a-14c, 161a-161c, 22) switch between: a first circuit for causing a refrigerant that has been made to release heat in an outdoor heat exchanger (18) to flow into a liquid storage part (15), causing the refrigerant that has flowed out from the liquid storage part (15) to be decompressed in a second decompression unit (16b), and causing the refrigerant that has evaporated in evaporators (19, 20) to be drawn into a compressor (11); and a second circuit for causing the refrigerant that has been made to release heat in a heat dissipation unit (12) to flow into the liquid storage part (15), causing the refrigerant that flowed out from the liquid storage part (15) to to be decompressed in a first decompression unit (16a), and causing the refrigerant that evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (18) to be drawn into the compressor (11). When a switch is made from the first circuit to the second circuit, the compressor (11) is stopped, and an outdoor unit inlet-side opening/closing part (161a) for opening/closing the inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger (18) is closed.

Description

Refrigeration cycle device Cross-reference of related applications

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-137341 filed on August 17, 2020, and the contents of the description are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle device configured so that the refrigerant circuit can be switched.

Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerating cycle device that is applied to a vehicle air conditioner and is configured to be able to switch a refrigerant circuit. The refrigeration cycle apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a receiver in addition to heat exchangers such as an indoor condenser, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor evaporator. The receiver is a liquid storage unit that separates the gas and liquid of the refrigerant flowing out from the heat exchanger that functions as a condenser and stores the excess refrigerant of the cycle as a liquid phase refrigerant.

Then, in the refrigerating cycle device of Patent Document 1, in the cooling mode for cooling the vehicle interior, the outdoor heat exchanger dissipates heat to the outside air and causes the condensed refrigerant to flow into the receiver. Further, the indoor evaporator switches to a refrigerant circuit that absorbs heat from the blown air blown into the vehicle interior and sucks the evaporated refrigerant into the compressor. Further, in the heating mode for heating the interior of the vehicle, the indoor condenser dissipates heat to the blown air and causes the condensed refrigerant to flow into the receiver. Further, the outdoor heat exchanger switches to a refrigerant circuit that absorbs heat from the outside air and sucks the evaporated refrigerant into the compressor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-24247

By the way, in the refrigeration cycle apparatus of Patent Document 1, the outdoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser in the cooling mode. Further, in the heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator.

Therefore, when switching from the cooling mode refrigerant circuit to the heating mode refrigerant circuit, the liquid phase refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger may flow out to the suction port side of the compressor. .. If the compressor sucks in the liquid phase refrigerant, the durability of the compressor will be adversely affected by liquid compression and poor lubrication.

In view of the above points, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigeration cycle device capable of suppressing the suction of a liquid phase refrigerant into a compressor when the refrigerant circuit is switched.

In order to achieve the above object, the refrigerating cycle apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a compressor, a heat dissipation unit, a liquid storage unit, a first decompression unit, an outdoor heat exchange unit, and a second decompression unit. , An evaporation unit and a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The compressor compresses and discharges the refrigerant. The heat radiating unit dissipates the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The liquid storage unit stores excess refrigerant in the cycle. The first decompression section and the second decompression section depressurize the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchange unit exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out from the first decompression unit and the outside air. The evaporating unit evaporates the refrigerant flowing out from the second decompression unit. The refrigerant circuit switching unit switches the refrigerant circuit.

The refrigerant circuit switching unit is configured to be able to switch between the first circuit and the second circuit. In the first circuit, the refrigerant dissipated in the outdoor heat exchange section flows into the liquid storage section, the refrigerant flowing out of the liquid storage section flows into the second decompression section, and the refrigerant decompressed in the second decompression section is used. The refrigerant is evaporated in the evaporating section, and the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporating section is sucked into the compressor. In the second circuit, the refrigerant dissipated in the heat dissipation section flows into the liquid storage section, the refrigerant flowing out from the liquid storage section flows into the first decompression section, and the refrigerant decompressed in the first decompression section heats the room. Evaporate in the exchange section and suck the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchange section into the compressor.

The refrigerant circuit switching unit has at least an outdoor unit inlet side opening / closing unit that opens / closes the inlet side of the indoor heat exchanger when it is switched to the second circuit.

Then, when switching from the first circuit to the second circuit, the refrigeration cycle device stops the compressor and executes a switching preparation control for closing the opening / closing part on the inlet side of the outdoor unit.

According to this, since the refrigerant circuit switching unit is provided, the first circuit and the second circuit can be switched. Further, since the switching preparation control is executed when switching from the first circuit to the second circuit, the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchange section can be moved to the liquid storage section before switching to the second circuit.

More specifically, in the switching preparation control, the opening / closing part on the inlet side of the outdoor unit is closed, so that the high temperature and high pressure vapor phase refrigerant is not supplied to the outdoor heat exchange part. As a result, the refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchange section is cooled by the outside air and condensed.

Furthermore, in the switching preparation control, the compressor is stopped, so that the pressure equalization in the refrigerant circuit progresses. Then, the liquid phase refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchange section can be moved to the liquid storage section by the refrigerant flow generated when the pressure in the refrigerant circuit is equalized.

Therefore, by switching from the first circuit to the second circuit after the execution of the switching preparation control, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchange section from flowing out to the suction side of the compressor. can. That is, according to the refrigerating cycle device of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor when the refrigerant circuit is switched.

It is an overall block diagram of the refrigeration cycle apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the room air-conditioning unit of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric control part of the air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle of 1st Embodiment. It is a time chart of the 1st switching preparation control of 1st Embodiment. It is a time chart of the 2nd switching preparation control of 1st Embodiment. It is an overall block diagram of the refrigerating cycle apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a time chart of the switching preparation control of the 2nd Embodiment. It is an overall block diagram of the refrigerating cycle apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a time chart of the switching preparation control of the 3rd embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments 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 explanations 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)
A first embodiment of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 10 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The refrigeration cycle device 10 is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1 mounted on an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle is a vehicle that obtains driving force for traveling from an electric motor. The vehicle air-conditioning device 1 of the present embodiment is an air-conditioning device having an in-vehicle device cooling function that air-conditions the interior of the vehicle, which is an air-conditioning target space, and cools the battery 80, which is an in-vehicle device, in an electric vehicle.

The battery 80 stores electric power supplied to an in-vehicle device such as an electric motor. The battery 80 is a secondary battery (in this embodiment, a lithium ion battery). The battery 80 is an assembled battery formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells and electrically connecting these battery cells in series or in parallel.

This type of battery generates heat during operation (that is, during charging / discharging). The output of a battery tends to decrease at low temperatures, and deterioration tends to progress at high temperatures. Therefore, the temperature of the battery needs to be maintained within an appropriate temperature range (in this embodiment, 15 ° C. or higher and 55 ° C. or lower). Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the battery 80 is cooled by using the cold heat generated by the refrigerating cycle device 10.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a refrigeration cycle device 10, an indoor air conditioner unit 40, a low temperature side heat medium circuit 60, a control device 70, and the like.

The refrigeration cycle device 10 adjusts the temperature of the blown air blown into the vehicle interior in the vehicle air conditioner 1. Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 generates cold heat for cooling the battery 80. Therefore, the temperature control target of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is the blown air and the battery 80. Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 is configured to be able to switch the refrigerant circuit according to various operation modes for air-conditioning the vehicle interior and cooling the battery 80.

The refrigeration cycle apparatus 10 uses an HFO-based refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) as the refrigerant. The refrigeration cycle device 10 constitutes a steam compression type subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. Refrigerating machine oil (specifically, PAG oil) for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed in the refrigerant. Some of the refrigerating machine oil circulates in the cycle together with the refrigerant.

The compressor 11 sucks in the refrigerant in the refrigerating cycle device 10, compresses it, and discharges it. The compressor 11 is arranged in the drive unit room on the front side of the vehicle interior. The drive device room forms a space in which at least a part of a drive device (for example, an electric motor) for outputting a driving force for traveling is arranged.

The compressor 11 is an electric compressor in which a fixed capacity type compression mechanism having a fixed discharge capacity is rotationally driven 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 refrigerant inlet side of the indoor condenser 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The indoor condenser 12 is arranged in the casing 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40, which will be described later. The indoor condenser 12 is a heat dissipation unit that exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the blown air to dissipate the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant to the blown air. In other words, the indoor condenser 12 is a heating unit that heats the blown air using the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 as a heat source.

The inlet side of the first three-way joint 13a having three inflow outlets communicating with each other is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor condenser 12. As the three-way joint, one formed by joining a plurality of pipes or one formed by providing a plurality of refrigerant passages in a metal block or a resin block can be adopted.

Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 includes a second three-way joint 13b to an eighth three-way joint 13h, as will be described later. The basic configuration of the second three-way joint 13b to the eighth three-way joint 13h is the same as that of the first three-way joint 13a.

In the first three-way joint 13a to the eighth three-way joint 13h, when one of the three inflow outlets is used as the inflow port and two are used as the outflow ports, the flow of the refrigerant flowing in from one inflow port is used. It can function as a branching part. Further, when two of the three inflow ports are used as the inflow port and one is used as the outflow port, the refrigerant can function as a confluence portion for merging the flows of the refrigerant flowing in from the two inflow ports.

The inlet side of the receiver 15 is connected to one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a via the first on-off valve 14a and the fifth three-way joint 13e. The inlet side of the heating expansion valve 16a is connected to the other outlet of the first three-way joint 13a via the second on-off valve 14b and the second three-way joint 13b.

The first on-off valve 14a is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the passage 21a on the inlet side of the liquid storage unit from one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a to the inlet of the receiver 15. The opening / closing operation of the first on-off valve 14a is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70. Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 includes a third on-off valve 14c, as will be described later. The basic configuration of the second on-off valve 14b and the third on-off valve 14c is the same as that of the first on-off valve 14a.

The first on-off valve 14a, the second on-off valve 14b, and the third on-off valve 14c can switch the refrigerant circuit by opening and closing the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the first on-off valve 14a, the second on-off valve 14b, and the third on-off valve 14c are refrigerant circuit switching portions. Further, the first on-off valve 14a is a liquid storage unit inlet-side opening / closing unit that opens and closes the liquid storage unit inlet-side passage 21a.

The fifth three-way joint 13e is arranged in the passage 21a on the inlet side of the liquid storage unit. The outlet side of the first on-off valve 14a is connected to one inflow port of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The outlet side of the second check valve 17b, which will be described later, is connected to the other inflow port of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The inlet side of the receiver 15 is connected to the outlet of the fifth three-way joint 13e.

The receiver 15 is a liquid storage unit having a gas-liquid separation function. The receiver 15 separates the gas and liquid of the refrigerant flowing out from the heat exchange unit that functions as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 10. Further, the receiver 15 causes a part of the separated liquid phase refrigerant to flow out to the downstream side, and stores the remaining liquid phase refrigerant as the surplus refrigerant in the cycle.

The second on-off valve 14b is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the cooling / cooling passage 21c from the other outlet of the first three-way joint 13a to the one inlet of the second three-way joint 13b. The outlet side of the receiver 15 is connected to the other inlet of the second three-way joint 13b. A sixth three-way joint 13f and a first check valve 17a are arranged in the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b connecting the outlet of the receiver 15 and the other inflow port of the second three-way joint 13b.

The outlet side of the receiver 15 is connected to the inflow port of the 6th three-way joint 13f. The inlet side of the first check valve 17a is connected to one of the outlets of the sixth three-way joint 13f. The inlet side of the 7th three-way joint 13g is connected to the other outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f. The other inflow port side of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to the outlet of the first check valve 17a.

The refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is connected to the outlet of the second three-way joint 13b via the heating expansion valve 16a. Therefore, the first check valve 17a allows the refrigerant to flow from the outlet side of the receiver 15 to the heating expansion valve 16a side, and allows the refrigerant to flow from the heating expansion valve 16a side to the outlet side of the receiver 15. It is prohibited.

The heating expansion valve 16a is a first decompression unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side during the heating mode described later.

The heating expansion valve 16a is an electric type having a valve body portion 161a that changes the opening degree (that is, valve opening degree) of the throttle passage and an electric actuator (specifically, a stepping motor) that displaces the valve body portion 161a. It is a variable aperture mechanism of. The operation of the heating expansion valve 16a is controlled by a control signal (specifically, a control pulse) output from the control device 70.

The heating expansion valve 16a has a fully open function in which the valve body portion 161a fully opens the valve opening so that the valve body portion 161a functions as a mere refrigerant passage without exerting a flow rate adjusting action and a refrigerant depressurizing action. Further, the heating expansion valve 16a has a fully closed function of closing the refrigerant passage by fully closing the valve opening of the valve body portion 161a.

Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 includes a cooling expansion valve 16b and a cooling expansion valve 16c, as will be described later. The basic configuration of the cooling expansion valve 16b and the cooling expansion valve 16c is the same as that of the heating expansion valve 16a. Therefore, the cooling expansion valve 16b has a valve body portion 161b, and has a fully open function and a fully closed function. The cooling expansion valve 16c has a valve body portion 161c, and has a fully open function and a fully closed function.

The expansion valve 16a for heating, the expansion valve 16b for cooling, and the expansion valve 16c for cooling can switch the refrigerant circuit by the above-mentioned fully closed function. Therefore, the valve body portion 161a of the heating expansion valve 16a, the valve body portion 161b of the cooling expansion valve 16b, and the valve body portion 161c of the cooling expansion valve 16c also have a function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The valve body portion 161a of the heating expansion valve 16a opens and closes the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e from the second three-way joint 13b to the refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. Therefore, the valve body portion 161a of the heating expansion valve 16a is an outdoor unit inlet side opening / closing portion that opens / closes the inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 at least when the circuit is switched to the first circuit described later.

The heating expansion valve 16a, the cooling expansion valve 16b, and the cooling expansion valve 16c may be formed by combining a variable throttle mechanism having no fully closed function and an on-off valve. In this case, the on-off valve serves as the refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The outdoor heat exchanger 18 is an outdoor heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out from the heating expansion valve 16a and the outside air blown from an outside air fan (not shown). The outdoor heat exchanger 18 is arranged on the front side in the drive unit room. Therefore, when the vehicle is running, the running wind that has flowed into the drive unit room through the grill can be applied to the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

The inlet side of the third three-way joint 13c is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. One inflow port side of the fourth three-way joint 13d is connected to one outflow port of the third three-way joint 13c via a third on-off valve 14c. The other inlet side of the fifth three-way joint 13e is connected to the other outlet of the third three-way joint 13c via the second check valve 17b.

The third on-off valve 14c is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the suction side passage 21d from one outlet of the third three-way joint 13c to one inlet of the fourth three-way joint 13d. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the outlet of the fourth three-way joint 13d. Therefore, the third on-off valve 14c is a suction-side solenoid valve that opens and closes the refrigerant passage connecting the refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the suction port side of the compressor 11.

The second check valve 17b allows the refrigerant to flow from the refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to the inlet side of the receiver 15, and the refrigerant flows from the inlet side of the receiver 15 to the refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. It is prohibited to flow.

As described above, the inlet side of the 7th three-way joint 13g is connected to the other outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f arranged in the liquid storage portion outlet side passage 21b. The inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 16b is connected to one of the outlets of the 7th three-way joint 13g. The inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 16c is connected to the other outlet of the 7th three-way joint 13g.

The cooling expansion valve 16b is a second decompression unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side during the cooling mode described later.

The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 19 is connected to the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 16b. The indoor evaporator 19 is arranged in the casing 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40. The indoor evaporator 19 is an evaporation unit that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16b by exchanging heat with the blown air blown from the indoor blower 42.

In other words, the indoor evaporator 19 is a cooling unit for blown air that cools blown air by evaporating a low-pressure refrigerant to exert an endothermic action. One inflow port of the eighth three-way joint 13h is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 19.

The cooling expansion valve 16c is a second decompression unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side in the single cooling mode described later.

The refrigerant inlet side of the chiller 20 is connected to the outlet of the cooling expansion valve 16c. The chiller 20 has a refrigerant passage through which the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16c is circulated, and a water passage through which the low-temperature side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 is circulated. The chiller 20 is an evaporating unit that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant by exchanging heat between the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and the low-temperature side heat medium flowing through the water passage.

In other words, the chiller 20 is a heat medium cooling unit that cools the low temperature side heat medium by evaporating the low pressure refrigerant to exert an endothermic action. The other inlet of the eighth three-way joint 13h is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the chiller 20. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the outlet of the eighth three-way joint 13h via the fourth three-way joint 13d.

Next, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 will be described. The low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 is a heat medium circulation circuit that circulates the low temperature side heat medium. An ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the low temperature side heat medium. In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60, a water passage of the chiller 20, a low temperature side heat medium pump 61, a cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80, and the like are arranged.

The low temperature side heat medium pump 61 is a liquid pump that pumps the low temperature side heat medium to the inlet side of the water passage of the chiller 20. The low temperature side heat medium pump 61 is an electric water pump that rotationally drives an impeller (that is, an impeller) with an electric motor. The rotation speed (that is, the pumping capacity) of the low temperature side heat medium pump 61 is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70. The inlet side of the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80 is connected to the outlet of the water passage of the chiller 20.

The cooling water passage 80a is formed inside a battery case that houses the battery cell of the battery 80. The cooling water passage 80a has a passage configuration in which a plurality of passages are connected in parallel inside the battery case. As a result, the cooling water passage 80a can evenly cool all the battery cells. The suction port side of the low temperature side heat medium pump 61 is connected to the outlet of the cooling water passage 80a.

In the present embodiment, the cooling unit for cooling the battery 80 for cooling the object to be cooled is configured by each component of the chiller 20 and the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60.

Next, the indoor air conditioning unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. The indoor air-conditioning unit 40 is a unit for blowing out blown air whose temperature has been appropriately adjusted to an appropriate place in the vehicle interior in the vehicle air-conditioning device 1. The indoor air conditioning unit 40 is arranged inside the instrument panel (that is, the instrument panel) at the front of the vehicle interior.

The indoor air conditioning unit 40 has a casing 41 that forms an air passage for blown air. An indoor blower 42, an indoor evaporator 19, an indoor condenser 12, and the like are arranged in an air passage formed in the casing 41. The casing 41 is made of a resin (for example, polypropylene) having a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

An inside / outside air switching device 43 is arranged on the most upstream side of the blast air flow of the casing 41. The inside / outside air switching device 43 switches and introduces the inside air (vehicle interior air) and the outside air (vehicle interior outside air) into the casing 41. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the inside / outside air switching device 43 is controlled by the control signal output from the control device 70.

An indoor blower 42 is arranged on the downstream side of the blower air flow of the inside / outside air switching device 43. The indoor blower 42 blows the air sucked through the inside / outside air switching device 43 toward the vehicle interior. The indoor blower 42 is an electric blower that drives a centrifugal multi-blade fan with an electric motor. The rotation speed (that is, the blowing capacity) of the indoor blower 42 is controlled by the control voltage output from the control device 70.

On the downstream side of the blown air flow of the indoor blower 42, the indoor evaporator 19 and the indoor condenser 12 are arranged in order from the upstream side with respect to the blown air flow. That is, the indoor evaporator 19 is arranged on the upstream side of the blown air flow with respect to the indoor condenser 12. A cold air bypass passage 45 is formed in the casing 41 to allow the blown air that has passed through the indoor evaporator 19 to bypass the indoor condenser 12 and flow to the downstream side.

The air mix door 44 is arranged on the downstream side of the blown air flow of the indoor evaporator 19 and on the upstream side of the blown air flow of the indoor condenser 12. The air mix door 44 adjusts the air volume ratio between the air volume passing through the indoor condenser 12 and the air volume passing through the cold air bypass passage 45 in the air blown air after passing through the indoor evaporator 19. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the air mix door is controlled by the control signal output from the control device 70.

On the downstream side of the blown air flow of the indoor condenser 12, the blown air heated by the indoor condenser 12 and the blown air that has passed through the cold air bypass passage 45 and are not heated by the indoor condenser 12 are mixed. Space 46 is provided. Further, an opening hole (not shown) for blowing out the blown air (air-conditioned air) mixed in the mixing space 46 into the vehicle interior is arranged at the most downstream portion of the blown air flow of the casing 41.

Therefore, the temperature of the conditioned air mixed in the mixing space 46 is adjusted by adjusting the air volume ratio between the air volume that the air mix door 44 passes through the indoor condenser 12 and the air volume that passes through the cold air bypass passage 45. Can be done. Then, the temperature of the blown air blown from each opening hole into the vehicle interior can be adjusted.

As the opening holes, a face opening hole, a foot opening hole, and a defroster opening hole (none of which are shown) are provided. The face opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioned air toward the upper body of the occupant in the vehicle interior. The foot opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air-conditioned air toward the feet of the occupant. The defroster opening hole is an opening hole for blowing air conditioning air toward the inner side surface of the front window glass of the vehicle.

An outlet mode switching door (not shown) is arranged on the upstream side of these opening holes. The blowing mode switching door switches the opening hole 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 outline of the electric control unit of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 70 includes a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and peripheral circuits thereof. The control device 70 performs various calculations and processes based on the control program stored in the ROM, and various controlled devices 11, 14a to 14c, 16a to 16c, 42, 43, 44, 61 connected to the output side. Etc. are controlled.

As shown in FIG. 3, various control sensors are connected to the input side of the control device 70. The control sensor includes an inside air temperature sensor 71a, an outside air temperature sensor 71b, and an insolation amount sensor 71c. Further, the control sensor includes a high pressure pressure sensor 71d, an air conditioning air temperature sensor 71e, an evaporator temperature sensor 71f, an evaporator pressure sensor 71g, an outdoor unit temperature sensor 71h, an outdoor unit pressure sensor 71i, and a battery temperature sensor 71j. .. Further, the control sensor includes a high temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 71k and a low temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 71m.

The internal air temperature sensor 71a is an internal air temperature detection unit that detects the internal air temperature Tr, which is the temperature inside the vehicle. The outside air temperature sensor 71b is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature Tam, which is the temperature outside the vehicle interior. The solar radiation amount sensor 71c is a solar radiation amount detection unit that detects the solar radiation amount As irradiated to the vehicle interior.

The high pressure pressure sensor 71d is a high pressure pressure detecting unit that detects the high pressure pressure Pd, which is the pressure of the high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The conditioned air temperature sensor 71e is an conditioned air temperature detecting unit that detects the air blown air temperature TAV blown out from the mixing space 46 into the vehicle interior.

The evaporator temperature sensor 71f is an evaporator temperature detection unit that detects the refrigerant evaporation temperature (evaporator temperature) Te in the indoor evaporator 19. The evaporator temperature sensor 71f of the present embodiment specifically detects the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 19.

The evaporator pressure sensor 71g is an evaporator pressure detection unit that detects the refrigerant evaporation pressure Pe in the indoor evaporator 19. The evaporator pressure sensor 71g of the present embodiment specifically detects the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 19.

The outdoor unit temperature sensor 71h is an outdoor unit temperature detection unit that detects the outdoor unit refrigerant temperature T1, which is the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The outdoor unit temperature sensor 71h of the present embodiment specifically detects the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

The outdoor unit pressure sensor 71i is an outdoor unit temperature detection unit that detects the outdoor unit refrigerant pressure Pout, which is the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The outdoor unit pressure sensor 71i of the present embodiment specifically detects the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

The battery temperature sensor 71j is a battery temperature detection unit that detects the battery temperature TB, which is the temperature of the battery 80. The battery temperature sensor 71j has a plurality of temperature detection units, and detects the temperature of a plurality of points of the battery 80. Therefore, the control device 70 can also detect the temperature difference of each part of the battery 80. Further, as the battery temperature TB, the average value of the detection values of a plurality of temperature sensors is adopted.

The low temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 71m is a low temperature side heat medium temperature detection unit that detects the low temperature side heat medium temperature TWL of the low temperature side heat medium flowing into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80.

Further, an operation panel 72 arranged near the instrument panel in the front part of the vehicle interior is connected to the input side of the control device 70. The operation signals of various operation switches provided on the operation panel 72 are input to the control device 70. Specific examples of the various operation switches provided on the operation panel 72 include an auto switch, an air conditioner switch, an air volume setting switch, and a temperature setting switch.

The auto switch is an automatic control requesting unit for requesting the occupant to set or cancel the automatic control operation of the refrigeration cycle device 10. The air conditioner switch is a cooling requesting unit for requiring the occupant to cool the blown air with the indoor evaporator 19. The air volume setting switch is an air volume setting unit in which the occupant manually sets the air volume of the indoor blower 42. The temperature setting switch is a temperature setting unit in which the occupant sets the target temperature Tset in the vehicle interior.

Further, the control device 70 of the present embodiment is integrally configured with a control unit that controls various controlled devices connected to the output side of the control device 70. Therefore, a configuration (that is, hardware and software) that controls the operation of each controlled device constitutes a control unit that controls the operation of each controlled device.

For example, in the control device 70, the configuration for controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 11 is the compressor control unit 70a. Further, among the control devices 70, the configuration for controlling the operation of the first on-off valve 14a to the third on-off valve 14c, which is the refrigerant circuit switching unit, the valve body portion 161a of the heating expansion valve 16a, and the like is the refrigerant circuit control unit 70b. Consists of.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described. The refrigerating cycle device 10 is configured so that the refrigerant circuit can be switched according to various transportation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 for air-conditioning the interior of the vehicle and cooling the battery 80. The operation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 include (a) cooling mode, (b) series dehumidifying and heating mode, (c) heating mode, (d) cooling cooling mode, (e) dehumidifying and heating cooling mode, and (f) alone. There is a cooling mode.

These operation modes are switched by executing the control program stored in the control device 70. The control program is executed when the vehicle system is started. In the control program, the detection signal of the sensor group and the operation signal of the operation panel 72 described above are read at each predetermined control cycle, and the vehicle air conditioner 1 is operated in an appropriate operation mode as necessary.

More specifically, in the control program, the operation mode for air conditioning is selected based on the outside air temperature Tam, the target blowout temperature TAO, and the operation signals of the auto switch and the air conditioner switch of the operation panel 72. The target blowout temperature TAO is the target temperature of the blown air blown into the vehicle interior.

The target blowout temperature TAO is calculated by the following formula F1.
TAO = Kset x Tset-Kr x Tr-Kam x Tam-Ks x Ts + C ... (F1)
In addition, Tset is the vehicle interior set temperature set by the temperature setting switch. Tr is the vehicle interior temperature detected by the inside air sensor. Tam is the temperature outside the vehicle interior detected by the outside air sensor. Ts is the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor. Kset, Kr, Kam, and Ks are control gains, and C is a correction constant.

Further, in the control program, it is determined whether or not to cool the battery 80 based on the battery temperature TB detected by the battery temperature sensor 71j. The detailed operation of each operation mode will be described below.

(A) Cooling mode The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the inside of the vehicle is cooled by blowing the cooled blown air into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery 80.

In the cooling mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully open state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttle state that exerts a refrigerant depressurizing action, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the cooling mode, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 1, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is used in the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, and the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the heating expansion valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

In the cooling mode refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant dissipated by the outdoor heat exchanger 18 which is the outdoor heat exchange section flows into the receiver 15 which is the liquid storage section. The refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling expansion valve 16b, which is the second pressure reducing unit. The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16b is evaporated by the indoor evaporator 19 which is an evaporation unit. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 19 is sucked into the compressor 11. Therefore, the cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, for the compressor 11, the control device 70 controls the refrigerant discharge capacity so that the evaporator temperature Te detected by the evaporator temperature sensor 71f approaches the target evaporator temperature TEO. The target evaporator temperature TEO is determined based on the target blowout temperature TAO with reference to the control map for the cooling mode previously stored in the control device 70.

Regarding the cooling expansion valve 16b, the control device 70 controls the throttle opening so that the superheat degree SH of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor evaporator 19 approaches a predetermined target superheat degree KSH.

For the indoor blower 42, the control device 70 controls the blower capacity based on the target blowout temperature TAO by referring to the control map stored in the control device 70 in advance.

For the air mix door 44, the control device 70 controls the opening degree so that the blown air temperature TAV detected by the air conditioning air temperature sensor 71e approaches the target blown temperature TAO. In the cooling mode, the opening degree of the air mix door 44 may be controlled so that the air mix door 44 completely closes the ventilation passage on the indoor condenser 12 side and fully opens the cold air bypass passage 45.

Further, for the low temperature side heat medium pump 61, the control device 70 controls the pumping capacity so as to exert a predetermined pumping capacity.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the cooling mode, the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as a condenser for condensing the refrigerant, and the indoor evaporator 19 functions as an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant. The formula refrigeration cycle is constructed.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature and blown out into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the passenger compartment is realized.

(B) Series dehumidification / heating mode The series dehumidification / heating mode is an operation mode in which the inside of the vehicle is dehumidified and heated by reheating the cooled and dehumidified blown air and blowing it into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery 80. Is.

In the series dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the series dehumidifying / heating mode, as in the cooling mode, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 1, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12 and the cooling cooling passage 21c. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the refrigerant circuit in the series dehumidifying / heating mode is included in the first circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, the compressor 11 and the cooling expansion valve 16b are controlled by the control device 70 in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

Further, for the heating expansion valve 16a, the control device 70 controls the throttle opening degree based on the target outlet temperature TAO with reference to the control map for the series dehumidifying / heating mode stored in the control device 70 in advance. .. In the control map for the series dehumidifying and heating mode, the throttle opening of the heating expansion valve 16a is reduced as the target outlet temperature TAO rises. Further, the throttle opening degree of the heating expansion valve 16a is adjusted within a range in which the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 becomes higher than the outside air temperature. For other controlled devices, the control device 70 controls in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the series dehumidifying and heating mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as condensers and the indoor evaporator 19 functions as an evaporator. ..

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the series dehumidifying / heating mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 and dehumidified is reheated by the indoor condenser 12 to be adjusted to an appropriate temperature in the vehicle interior. It is blown out to. As a result, dehumidifying and heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

Further, in the series dehumidifying / heating mode, the saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be lowered by reducing the throttle opening of the heating expansion valve 16a as the target outlet temperature TAO rises. According to this, it is possible to reduce the heat dissipation amount of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and increase the heat dissipation amount of the refrigerant in the indoor condenser 12.

Therefore, in the series dehumidifying and heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air in the indoor condenser 12 can be improved as compared with the cooling mode.

(C) Heating mode The heating mode is an operation mode in which the inside of the vehicle is heated by blowing out the heated blown air into the vehicle interior without cooling the battery 80.

In the heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the heating mode, as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. 1, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, the receiver 15, and the liquid storage. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the outlet side passage 21b, the heating expansion valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the suction side passage 21d, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

In the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode, the refrigerant radiated by the indoor condenser 12 which is the heat radiating unit is made to flow into the receiver 15. The refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the heating expansion valve 16a, which is the first decompression unit. The refrigerant decompressed by the heating expansion valve 16a is evaporated by the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the compressor 11. Therefore, the heating mode refrigerant circuit is included in the second circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, for the compressor 11, the control device 70 controls the discharge capacity so that the high pressure pressure Pd approaches the target high pressure PDO. The target high pressure PDO is determined based on the target blowout temperature TAO with reference to the control map for the heating mode previously stored in the control device 70.

Regarding the heating expansion valve 16a, the control device 70 controls the throttle opening so that the superheat degree SH of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 approaches the predetermined target superheat degree KSH. For other controlled devices, the control device 70 controls in the same manner as in the cooling mode. In the heating mode, the opening degree of the air mix door 44 may be controlled so that the air mix door 44 fully opens the ventilation passage on the indoor condenser 12 side and fully closes the cold air bypass passage 45.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the heating mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as an evaporator.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the heating mode, the blown air heated by the indoor condenser 12 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

(D) Cooling cooling mode The cooling cooling mode is an operation mode in which the battery 80 is cooled and the passenger compartment is cooled.

In the cooling / cooling mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, in the control device 70, the heating expansion valve 16a is set to the fully open state, the cooling expansion valve 16b is set to the throttle state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c is set to the throttle state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the cooling cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, and the outdoor heat exchange. It flows in the order of the vessel 18 and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are in that order. It can be switched to a circulating refrigerant circuit.

That is, in the cooling / cooling mode, the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are switched to the refrigerant circuit connected in parallel with the refrigerant flow.

In the cooling mode refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant dissipated by the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the receiver 15. The refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling expansion valve 16b and the cooling expansion valve 16c, which are the second pressure reducing portions. The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16b is evaporated by the indoor evaporator 19 which is an evaporation unit. The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16c is evaporated by the chiller 20 which is an evaporation unit. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 is sucked into the compressor 11. Therefore, the cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, the compressor 11 and the cooling expansion valve 16b are controlled by the control device 70 in the same manner as in the cooling mode. Further, for the cooling expansion valve 16c, the control device 70 controls the throttle opening so as to have a throttle opening for the cooling cooling mode defined in advance. For other controlled devices, the control device 70 controls in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

Therefore, the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the cooling / cooling mode comprises a steam compression type refrigerating cycle in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as condensers, and the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 function as evaporators. Will be done.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling / cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature and blown out into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the vehicle interior is realized as in the cooling mode.

Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

(E) Dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode The dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode is an operation mode in which the battery 80 is cooled and the vehicle interior is dehumidified and heated.

In the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in the throttle state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in the throttle state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in the throttle state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 heats the indoor condenser 12, the cooling / cooling passage 21c, and the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, as in the cooling / cooling mode. The expansion valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the receiver 15 flow in this order. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are in that order. It can be switched to a circulating refrigerant circuit. Therefore, the refrigerant circuit in the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode is included in the first circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, the compressor 11, the heating expansion valve 16a, and the cooling expansion valve 16b are controlled by the control device 70 in the same manner as in the series dehumidifying and heating mode. For other controlled devices, the control device 70 controls in the same manner as in the cooling / cooling mode.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as condensers and the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 function as evaporators is provided. It is composed.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 and dehumidified is reheated by the indoor condenser 12 to be adjusted to an appropriate temperature in the vehicle interior. It is blown out to. As a result, dehumidifying and heating of the vehicle interior is realized as in the series dehumidifying and heating mode.

Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

(F) Single cooling mode The single cooling mode is an operation mode in which the battery 80 is cooled without air-conditioning the vehicle interior.

In the independent cooling mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully open state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the single cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, and the outdoor heat exchange. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the vessel 18, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

In the refrigerant circuit in the independent cooling mode, the refrigerant dissipated by the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the receiver 15. The refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling expansion valve 16c, which is the second pressure reducing unit. The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16c is evaporated by the chiller 20 which is an evaporation unit. The refrigerant flowing out of the chiller 20 is sucked into the compressor 11. Therefore, the refrigerant circuit in the single cooling mode is included in the first circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices. For example, for the compressor 11, the control device 70 controls the discharge capacity so as to exert the discharge capacity for the predetermined single cooling mode. For the cooling expansion valve 16c, the control device 70 controls the throttle opening so that the superheat degree SHc of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20 approaches the target superheat degree KSH.

Further, the control device 70 stops the indoor blower 42. Further, regarding the air mix door 44, the control device 70 controls the opening degree of the air mix door 44 so that the ventilation path on the indoor condenser 12 side is fully closed and the cold air bypass passage 45 is fully opened. For other controlled devices, the control device 70 controls in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the single cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the single cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the refrigerating cycle device 10 can execute the operation in various operation modes by switching the refrigerant circuit. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can realize comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior while appropriately adjusting the temperature of the battery 80.

By the way, in the refrigeration cycle device 10, when the refrigerant circuit is switched to the first circuit as in the cooling mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser. Further, when the refrigerant circuit is switched to the second circuit as in the heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as an evaporator, and the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 11. Connecting.

Therefore, for example, when the refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode is switched to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode, the liquid phase refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows out to the suction port side of the compressor 11. there is a possibility. If the compressor 11 sucks in the liquid phase refrigerant, the durable life of the compressor 11 is adversely affected by liquid compression and poor lubrication.

Liquid compression means that the compressor 11 compresses a liquid phase refrigerant which is an incompressible fluid, thereby generating an excessive pressure in the compressor 11. Further, poor lubrication occurs when the refrigerating machine oil in the compressor 11 is washed away by the liquid phase refrigerant sucked into the compressor 11.

On the other hand, in the refrigeration cycle device 10, when the refrigerant circuit is switched, the switching preparation control for suppressing the compressor 11 from sucking the liquid phase refrigerant is executed. The switching preparation control is executed when the control program executed by the control device 70 determines that the operation mode executed by the first circuit is switched to the operation mode executed by the second circuit.

Further, in the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the first switching preparation control and the second switching preparation control can be executed as the switching preparation control.

The first switching preparation control is executed when it is determined in the control program to switch from the cooling mode to the heating mode. Specifically, in the first switching preparation control, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 4, the control device 70 stops the compressor 11 (hereinafter, referred to as compressor stop control).

Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state at the same time as the compressor stop control. In other words, the valve body portion 161a of the heating expansion valve 16a closes the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e and closes the inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 when the circuit is switched to the second circuit (hereinafter, outdoor unit). Inlet side blockage control).

Further, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a at the same time as the compressor stop control (hereinafter referred to as high pressure side communication control). As a result, in the first switching preparation control, the refrigerant outlet side of the indoor condenser 12 and the inlet side of the receiver 15 are communicated with each other.

Further, at the same time as the compressor stop control, the control device 70 sets the throttle opening of the cooling expansion valve 16b to be equal to or greater than the throttle opening when the operation mode switching is determined (hereinafter, the second pressure reducing portion opening). Control). That is, the throttle opening of the cooling expansion valve 16b is set to be equal to or larger than the throttle opening immediately before the first switching preparation control is executed. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the throttle opening of the cooling expansion valve 16b is maintained at the throttle opening in the cooling mode.

The first switching preparation control is executed from the time when the switching of the operation mode is determined until the elapse of the predetermined reference time KTp1.

The reference time KTp1 is determined so that the pressure difference ΔP1 obtained by subtracting the refrigerant pressure on the suction side of the compressor 11 from the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is equal to or less than a predetermined reference pressure difference KΔP1. The reference time KTp1 can be determined by an experiment or the like. The reference pressure difference KΔP1 is such that when the third on-off valve 14c is opened, the liquid phase refrigerant on the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side does not move to the suction side of the compressor 11 via the suction side passage 21d. It is set.

Then, after the lapse of the reference time KTp1, when the first switching preparation control is completed, the circuit is switched to the heating mode refrigerant circuit. That is, the control device 70 closes the second on-off valve 14b and opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state and the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state. Further, the control device 70 operates the compressor 11. This completes the transition from the cooling mode to the heating mode.

As described above, in the first switching preparation control, the heating expansion valve 16a is fully closed by the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control, so that the supply of the high-temperature and high-pressure vapor-phase refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is cut off. To. The refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is cooled by the outside air and condensed. At this time, due to the condensation of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 may be lower than the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15.

On the other hand, in the first switching preparation control, the heating expansion valve 16a is fully closed by the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control. Therefore, the refrigerant in the receiver 15 does not flow out to the refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 through the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b. Further, due to the action of the second check valve 17b, the refrigerant in the receiver 15 does not flow back to the refrigerant outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

Further, in the first switching preparation control, the compressor 11 is stopped by the compressor stop control, so that the pressure equalization in the refrigerant circuit progresses. Specifically, the refrigerant in the receiver 15 moves to the suction side of the compressor 11 via the expansion valve 16b for cooling, so that the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15 and the refrigerant pressure on the suction side of the compressor 11 are combined. Pressure equalization progresses.

At this time, in the present embodiment, the throttle opening of the cooling expansion valve 16b is set to be equal to or larger than the throttle opening immediately before the first switching preparation control is executed by the second pressure reducing unit opening control. Therefore, the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15 and the refrigerant pressure on the suction side of the compressor 11 can be reliably equalized. Further, by increasing the throttle opening degree of the cooling expansion valve 16b, it is possible to promote the equalization of pressure in the refrigerant circuit.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first on-off valve 14a is opened by the high-pressure side communication control. Therefore, the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant flow path from the discharge port side of the compressor 11 to the receiver 15 via the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a is also equalized so as to be equal to the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15. be able to.

Then, when the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15 is lower than the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 due to the pressure equalization in the refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant flow flowing from the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to the receiver 15 is generated. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be moved into the receiver 15.

After that, wait for the passage of the reference time KTp1 and switch to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode. At this time, by waiting for the passage of the reference time KTp1, the pressure difference ΔP1 becomes equal to or less than the reference pressure difference KΔP1. Therefore, even if the third on-off valve 14c is opened and the refrigerant circuit is switched to the heating mode, the liquid phase refrigerant on the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side moves to the suction side of the compressor 11 via the suction side passage 21d. It never ends up.

Therefore, when the switching from the cooling mode refrigerant circuit to the heating mode refrigerant circuit is completed, the liquid phase refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 will flow out to the suction side of the compressor 11. It can be suppressed. That is, according to the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor 11 when the refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode is switched to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode. ..

Next, the second switching preparation control is executed when it is determined in the control program that the operation mode is switched from the series dehumidifying heating mode to the heating mode. Specifically, in the second switching preparation control, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 5, the control device 70 executes the compressor stop control in the same manner as the first switching preparation control.

Further, the control device 70 increases the throttle opening degree of the heating expansion valve 16a at the same time as the compressor stop control (hereinafter referred to as the first decompression unit opening degree control). In the present embodiment, the heating expansion valve 16a is fully opened. As shown in FIG. 5, the first dehumidifying unit opening degree control is executed from the time when it is decided to switch from the series dehumidifying heating mode to the heating mode until the predetermined reference time KTp2 for the expansion valve elapses.

The reference time KTp2 for the expansion valve is a value determined so that the pressure difference ΔP2 obtained by subtracting the refrigerant pressure on the outlet side from the refrigerant pressure on the inlet side of the first on-off valve 14a is equal to or less than the predetermined reference pressure difference KΔP2. be. The reference time KTp2 for the expansion valve can be determined by an experiment or the like. The reference pressure difference KΔP2 is determined to be a pressure difference that can suppress the generation of refrigerant passing noise due to the pressure difference ΔP2 when the first on-off valve 14a is opened.

Therefore, by executing the first decompression unit opening control, the refrigerant pressure in the indoor condenser 12, the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the refrigerant pressure in the receiver 15 are equalized, and the pressure is equalized. The difference ΔP2 is equal to or less than the reference pressure difference KΔP2.

After the completion of the first decompression unit opening control, the control device 70 executes the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control, the high voltage side communication control, and the second decompression unit opening control as in the first switching preparation control. These controls are executed from the end of the first decompression unit opening control until the lapse of the reference time KTp1. Subsequent operations are the same as in the first switching preparation control.

Therefore, the same effect as that of the first switching preparation control can be obtained in the second switching preparation control. That is, according to the refrigerating cycle device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor 11 when the refrigerant circuit in the series dehumidifying / heating mode is switched to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode. Can be done.

Further, in the second switching preparation control, the first decompression unit opening control is executed, so that the pressure difference ΔP2, which is the front-rear differential pressure of the first on-off valve 14a, becomes the reference pressure difference KΔP2 when the high-pressure side communication control is performed. It can be as follows. According to this, it is possible to suppress the generation of the refrigerant passing noise when the first on-off valve 14a is opened in the high-pressure side communication control.

In the above explanation, an example in which the first switching preparation control is executed when switching from the cooling mode to the heating mode has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the first switching preparation control, the refrigerant circuit is switched to the first circuit, and the refrigerant circuit is second from the operation mode in which the refrigerant pressure in the indoor condenser 12 and the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 are equal. This is effective when transitioning to an operation mode that can be switched to a circuit.

For example, the first switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the cooling cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, both the cooling expansion valve 16b and the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the first switching preparation control. Further, the first switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the independent cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the first switching preparation control.

Further, in the above description, an example in which the second switching preparation control is executed when switching from the series dehumidifying heating mode to the heating mode has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the second switching preparation control, the refrigerant circuit is switched to the first circuit, and the refrigerant circuit is second from the operation mode in which the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is lower than the refrigerant pressure in the indoor condenser 12. This is effective when transitioning to an operation mode that can be switched to a circuit.

For example, the second switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the dehumidifying / heating / cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, both the cooling expansion valve 16b and the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the second switching preparation control. Further, in the refrigeration cycle apparatus that does not need to suppress the generation of the refrigerant passing sound when the first on-off valve 14a is opened, the first switching preparation control may be executed instead of the second switching preparation control.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 10a shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 6 will be described. The refrigeration cycle device 10a is applied to the vehicle air conditioner 1 similar to the first embodiment.

In the refrigeration cycle device 10a, the first three-way joint 13a, the first on-off valve 14a, and the second on-off valve 14b are abolished with respect to the refrigeration cycle device 10 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the refrigeration cycle device 10a, the inlet side of the three-way valve 22 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor condenser 12.

The three-way valve 22 has a refrigerant circuit that causes the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 to flow out to the receiver 15 side via the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, and the cooling cooling passage 21c to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. It is a refrigerant circuit switching unit that switches between the refrigerant circuit to be discharged. The three-way valve 22 is a three-way switching valve whose operation is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 70.

A first check valve 17a and a fifth three-way joint 13e are arranged in the passage 21a on the inlet side of the liquid storage portion of the present embodiment. The first check valve 17a of the present embodiment allows the refrigerant to flow from the three-way valve 22 side to the fifth three-way joint 13e side, and prohibits the refrigerant from flowing from the fifth three-way joint 13e side to the three-way valve 22 side. is doing.

Further, in the present embodiment, the heating expansion valve 16a is arranged in the refrigerant passage from one outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f to the other inlet of the second three-way joint 13b. Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a, the refrigerant passage from the outlet of the receiver 15 to the inflow port of the sixth three-way joint 13f becomes the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b. Further, the refrigerant passage from one outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f to one inlet of the second three-way joint 13b becomes the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e.

The inflow / outlet of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to one of the refrigerant inlet / outlet sides of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The outlet of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to the other inlet side of the fifth three-way joint 13e. One of the refrigerant inlets and outlets of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 becomes a refrigerant inlet when switched to the second circuit. Further, one of the refrigerant inlets and outlets of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 becomes a refrigerant inlet when the circuit is switched to the first circuit.

A second check valve 17b is arranged in the refrigerant passage leading from the outlet of the second three-way joint 13b to the other inlet of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The second check valve 17b of the present embodiment allows the refrigerant to flow from the second three-way joint 13b side to the fifth three-way joint 13e side, and the refrigerant flows from the fifth three-way joint 13e side to the second three-way joint 13b side. It is prohibited to flow.

Further, the inflow / outlet side of the third three-way joint 13c is connected to the outlet side of the cooling / cooling passage 21c of the present embodiment. The inflow / outlet of the third three-way joint 13c is connected to the other refrigerant inlet / outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. Other configurations of the refrigerating cycle device 10a are the same as those of the refrigerating cycle device 10 described in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment to which the refrigeration cycle device 10a is applied will be described. The operation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment include (a) cooling mode, (b) heating mode, (c) cooling cooling mode, and (d) independent cooling mode. The basic operation of each operation mode is the same as that of the first embodiment. The detailed operation of each operation mode will be described below.

(A) Cooling mode In the cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the cooling mode, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 6, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the receiver. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of 15, the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 19 functions as an evaporator. Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature and blown out into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the passenger compartment is realized.

(B) Heating mode In the heating mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows out to the receiver 15. Further, the control device 70 opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the heating mode, as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. 6, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, the receiver 15, and the liquid storage. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the outlet side passage 21b, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the suction side passage 21d, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The heating mode refrigerant circuit is included in the second circuit as in the first embodiment.

In the cooling mode refrigerant circuit of the refrigeration cycle device 10a, the flow direction of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is opposite to that of the cooling mode refrigerant circuit.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the heating mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the heating mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as an evaporator. Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the heating mode, the blown air heated by the indoor condenser 12 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

(C) Cooling / Cooling Mode In the cooling / cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the cooling cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the liquid storage section outlet side passage 21b, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the liquid storage section outlet side passage 21b is cooled. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

That is, in the cooling / cooling mode, the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are switched to the refrigerant circuit connected in parallel with the refrigerant flow. The cooling / cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the cooling / cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the cooling / cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as condensers and the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 function as evaporators is configured. Will be done.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling / cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature and blown out into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the vehicle interior is realized as in the cooling mode. Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

(D) Single cooling mode In the single cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the single cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, and the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b. , The cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order. The refrigerant circuit in the single cooling mode is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the single cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a in the single cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 function as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the single cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the refrigerating cycle device 10a can execute the operation in various operation modes by switching the refrigerant circuit. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can realize comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior while appropriately adjusting the temperature of the battery 80.

Further, in the refrigerating cycle device 10a, when the refrigerant circuit is switched, the switching preparation control for suppressing the compressor 11 from sucking the liquid phase refrigerant is executed as in the first embodiment. The switching preparation control is executed when the control program determines to switch from the cooling mode to the heating mode.

In the switching preparation control of the refrigeration cycle device 10a, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 7, the compressor stop control and the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control are performed as in the first embodiment. Since the heating expansion valve 16a is in the fully closed state in the cooling mode of the refrigeration cycle device 10a, the heating expansion valve 16a is maintained in the fully closed state in the switching preparation control.

Further, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12 flows out to the receiver 15 side at the same time as the compressor stop control. Other switching preparation controls are the same as those of the first switching preparation control described in the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the switching preparation control of the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first switching preparation control described in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, according to the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10a of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor 11 when the refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode is switched to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode. ..

In the above explanation, an example in which switching preparation control is executed when switching from the cooling mode to the heating mode has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the cooling cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, both the cooling expansion valve 16b and the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the switching preparation control. Further, the switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the independent cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the switching preparation control.

(Third Embodiment)
In this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 10b shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 8 will be described. The refrigeration cycle device 10b is applied to the vehicle air conditioner 1 similar to the first embodiment.

In the refrigeration cycle device 10b, the arrangement of the three-way valve 22 is changed with respect to the refrigeration cycle device 10a described in the second embodiment. Further, in the refrigeration cycle device 10b, the first three-way joint 13a is abolished with respect to the refrigeration cycle device 10 described in the first embodiment.

Specifically, the discharge port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the inflow port of the three-way valve 22 of the refrigeration cycle device 10b. The refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is connected to one outlet of the three-way valve 22 via a cooling cooling passage 21c and a second three-way joint 13b. The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor condenser 12 is connected to the other outlet of the three-way valve 22. A passage 21a on the inlet side of the liquid storage unit is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor condenser 12.

A first check valve 17a and a fifth three-way joint 13e are arranged in the passage 21a on the inlet side of the liquid storage portion of the present embodiment. The first check valve 17a of the present embodiment allows the refrigerant to flow from the indoor condenser 12 side to the fifth three-way joint 13e side, and allows the refrigerant to flow from the fifth three-way joint 13e side to the indoor condenser 12 side. Is prohibited.

Further, in the present embodiment, the heating expansion valve 16a is arranged in the refrigerant passage from one outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f to the other inlet of the second three-way joint 13b. Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b, the refrigerant passage from the outlet of the receiver 15 to the inflow port of the sixth three-way joint 13f becomes the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b. Further, the refrigerant passage from one outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f to one inlet of the second three-way joint 13b becomes the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e.

The configuration of the other refrigeration cycle device 10b is the same as that of the refrigeration cycle device 10 described in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment to which the refrigeration cycle device 10b is applied will be described. The operation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment include (a) cooling mode, (b) heating mode, (c) cooling cooling mode, and (d) independent cooling mode. The basic operation of each operation mode is the same as that of the first embodiment. The detailed operation of each operation mode will be described below.

(A) Cooling mode In the cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the cooling mode, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 8, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, and the liquid storage unit. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the outlet side passage 21b, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 19 functions as an evaporator. Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the passenger compartment is realized.

(B) Heating mode In the cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out to the indoor condenser 12 side. Further, the control device 70 opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the heating mode, as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. 8, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, the receiver 15, and the outdoor unit. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the heating expansion valve 16a of the inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the suction side passage 21d, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The heating mode refrigerant circuit is included in the second circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the heating mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the heating mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the indoor condenser 12 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as an evaporator. Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the heating mode, the blown air heated by the indoor condenser 12 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, heating of the vehicle interior is realized.

(C) Cooling cooling mode In the cooling cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the cooling cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the liquid storage section outlet side passage 21b, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the liquid storage section outlet side passage 21b is cooled. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

That is, in the cooling / cooling mode, the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are switched to the refrigerant circuit connected in parallel with the refrigerant flow. The cooling / cooling mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the cooling / cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the cooling / cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 function as an evaporator.

Then, in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling / cooling mode, the blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is blown into the vehicle interior. As a result, cooling of the vehicle interior is realized as in the cooling mode. Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

(D) Single cooling mode In the single cooling mode, the control device 70 switches the three-way valve 22 so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows out to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 side. Further, the control device 70 closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

As a result, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the single cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the cooling cooling passage 21c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b, and the cooling expansion valve. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The refrigerant circuit in the single cooling mode is included in the first circuit as in the first embodiment.

With the above circuit configuration, the control device 70 appropriately controls the operation of various controlled devices as in the single cooling mode of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b in the independent cooling mode, a steam compression type refrigerating cycle is configured in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. Further, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the single cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80. This cools the battery 80.

As described above, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the refrigerating cycle device 10b can be operated in various operation modes by switching the refrigerant circuit. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can realize comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior while appropriately adjusting the temperature of the battery 80.

Further, in the refrigerating cycle device 10b, when the refrigerant circuit is switched, the switching preparation control for suppressing the compressor 11 from sucking the liquid phase refrigerant is executed as in the first embodiment. The switching preparation control is executed when the control program determines to switch from the cooling mode to the heating mode.

Specifically, in the switching preparation control of the refrigeration cycle device 10b, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 9, the compressor stop control and the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control are performed as in the first embodiment. In the refrigeration cycle device 10b, the heating expansion valve 16a is fully closed when the circuit is switched to the first circuit. Therefore, in the outdoor unit inlet side blockage control of the refrigeration cycle device 10b, the heating expansion valve 16a is maintained in a fully closed state.

Further, the control device 70 is a three-way valve so as to cause the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to flow out to the indoor condenser 12 side as a control corresponding to the high-pressure side communication control of the first embodiment at the same time as the compressor stop control. Switch 22. Other switching preparation controls are the same as those of the first switching preparation control described in the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the switching preparation control of the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first switching preparation control described in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, according to the refrigerating cycle apparatus 10b of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from being sucked into the compressor 11 when the refrigerant circuit in the cooling mode is switched to the refrigerant circuit in the heating mode. ..

In the above explanation, an example in which switching preparation control is executed when switching from the cooling mode to the heating mode has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the second embodiment, the switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the cooling cooling mode to the heating mode. The switching preparation control may be executed when switching from the independent cooling mode to the heating mode. In this case, the cooling expansion valve 16c may be controlled in the same manner as the cooling expansion valve 16b in the switching preparation control.

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, an example in which the refrigerating cycle devices 10, 10a and 10b according to the present disclosure are applied to the vehicle air-conditioning device 1 mounted on an electric vehicle has been described, but the application of the refrigerating cycle devices 10 ... 10b is the same. Not limited to. For example, it may be applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1 mounted on a so-called hybrid vehicle, which obtains a driving force for traveling a vehicle from both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example of cooling the battery 80 as an in-vehicle device to be a temperature control target of the refrigeration cycle device 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an in-vehicle device that generates heat during operation, such as a motor generator, an inverter, a PCU, a transaxle, and a control device for ADAS, may be a temperature control target.

The motor generator has a function as a motor that outputs a driving force for traveling and a function as a generator. The inverter supplies electric power to the motor generator and the like. The PCU is a power control unit that performs substation and power distribution. The transaxle is a power transmission mechanism that integrates a transmission, a differential gear, and the like. The control device for ADAS is a control device for an advanced driver assistance system.

Further, the application of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is not limited to that for vehicles. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it may be applied to a stationary air conditioner that air-conditions a computer server room. In this case, the computer server may be the object to be cooled.

The configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 10 ... 10b is not limited to that disclosed in the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the indoor condenser 12 is used as a heating unit for heating the blown air using a high-pressure refrigerant as a heat source has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the indoor condenser 12 may be abolished, and the heating unit may be formed by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger and each component device arranged in the high-pressure side heat medium circuit.

The high temperature side heat medium circuit is a heat medium circulation circuit that circulates the high temperature side heat medium. As the high temperature side heat medium, the same fluid as the low temperature side heat medium can be adopted. In the high temperature side heat medium circuit, a water passage of a water refrigerant heat exchanger, a high temperature side heat medium pump, a heater core, and the like are arranged.

The water refrigerant heat exchanger is a heat dissipation unit that exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the high-temperature side heat medium to dissipate the heat of the high-pressure refrigerant to the blown air.

The high temperature side heat medium pump is an electric water pump that pumps the high temperature side heat medium flowing out of the heater core to the water refrigerant heat exchanger. The basic configuration of the high temperature side heat medium pump is the same as that of the low temperature side heat medium pump.

The heater core is a heating heat exchange unit that heats the blown air by exchanging heat between the high temperature side heat medium flowing out of the water refrigerant heat exchanger and the blown air. The heater core may be arranged in the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the same manner as the indoor condenser 12.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a cooling unit for cooling the battery 80 is configured by each component device arranged in the chiller 20 and the low temperature side heat medium circuit 60 has been described, but the cooling unit is not limited thereto. .. For example, the chiller 20 and the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 may be abolished, and the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16c may be directly circulated by using the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80 as a cooling unit. In this case, the cooling water passage 80a becomes the evaporation part.

Further, a rear seat expansion valve and a rear seat indoor evaporator may be added to the refrigeration cycle devices 10 ... 10b.

The rear seat expansion valve is a second pressure reducing unit having the same configuration as the cooling expansion valve 16b. The rear-seat indoor evaporator is an evaporation unit that evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the rear-seat expansion valve by exchanging heat with the blown air blown toward the rear-seat side of the passenger compartment. The blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 19 is blown toward the front seat side in the vehicle interior. The rear seat expansion valve and the rear seat indoor evaporator may be connected in parallel to the cooling expansion valve 16b and the indoor evaporator 19, and the cooling expansion valve 16c and the chiller 20.

According to this, it is possible to cool the battery 80 and blow out appropriately cooled blown air to each of the front seat side in the vehicle interior and the rear seat side in the vehicle interior. A refrigerant circuit that causes at least the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to function as a condenser and at least one of the indoor evaporator 19, the chiller 20, and the rear seat indoor evaporator is included in the first circuit. Is done.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which R1234yf is adopted as the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle device 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. 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.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the low-temperature side heat medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the low temperature side heat medium and the high temperature side heat medium, a solution containing dimethylpolysiloxane or a nanofluid or the like, an antifreeze solution, an aqueous liquid medium containing alcohol or the like, a liquid medium containing oil or the like may be adopted.

The operation mode of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is not limited to that disclosed in the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the refrigeration cycle device 10, the series chiller endothermic heating mode may be executed. The series chiller heat absorption heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air is heated by the indoor condenser 12 using the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the low temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20 as a heat source.

In the series chiller endothermic heating mode, the control device 70 closes the first on-off valve 14a, opens the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully open or throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

In the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the series chiller heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the cooling cooling passage 21c, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, and the outdoor heat exchanger. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of 18, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The series chiller endothermic heating mode refrigerant circuit is included in the first circuit.

Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 may execute the parallel dehumidification / heating mode. In the parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the blown air cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 19 is used as the heat source by the refrigerant absorbed from the outside air by the outdoor heat exchanger 18 without cooling the battery 80, and the room is used as a heat source. This is an operation mode in which the condenser 12 reheats.

In the parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

In the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in this order in the order of the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and also cools. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The refrigerant circuit in the parallel dehumidifying / heating mode is included in the second circuit.

Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 may execute the outside air chiller endothermic heating mode. In the outside air chiller heat absorption heating mode, the blown air is heated by the indoor condenser 12 using the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the low temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20 as heat sources. It is an operation mode to be performed.

In the outside air chiller endothermic heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in the throttled state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in the fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in the throttled state.

In the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the outside air chiller endothermic heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and is cooled. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The outside air chiller endothermic heating mode refrigerant circuit is included in the second circuit.

Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 may execute the outside air chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode. In the outside air chiller heat absorption / dehumidification / heating mode, the battery 80 is cooled, and the blown air cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 19 is transferred to the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the outside air and the chiller 20 by the outdoor heat exchanger 18. In this operation mode, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the low temperature side heat medium is used as a heat source and reheated by the indoor condenser 12.

In the outside air chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in the throttle state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in the throttle state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in the throttle state.

In the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the outside air chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, and the receiver 15. The refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in this order in the order of the liquid storage unit outlet side passage 21b, the heating expansion valve 16a of the outdoor unit inlet side passage 21e, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the cooling expansion valve. It is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and further circulates in the order of the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11. The refrigerant circuit of the outside air chiller endothermic dehumidification heating mode is included in the second circuit.

Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 may execute the chiller endothermic heating mode. The chiller heat absorption heating mode is an operation mode in which the blown air is heated by the indoor condenser 12 using the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the low temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20 as a heat source.

In the chiller endothermic heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 puts the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a fully closed state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

In the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the chiller heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the compressor 11. It can be switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the suction port. The refrigerant circuit in the chiller endothermic heating mode is included in the third circuit in which the refrigerant is not circulated to the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

Further, the refrigerating cycle device 10 may execute the evaporator independent dehumidifying / heating mode. In the evaporator independent dehumidifying / heating mode, the blown air cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 19 is re-heated by the indoor condenser 12 using the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the blown air in the indoor evaporator 19. It is an operation mode to heat.

In the evaporator single dehumidifying / heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a fully closed state.

In the refrigerating cycle device 10 in the evaporator single dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, the receiver 15, the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the like. It is switched to the refrigerant circuit that circulates in the order of the suction port of the compressor 11. The refrigerant circuit of the evaporator single dehumidifying heating mode is included in the third circuit.

Further, the refrigeration cycle device 10 may execute the chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode. In the chiller endothermic dehumidifying / heating mode, the blown air cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 19 is endothermic from the blown air by the refrigerant in the indoor evaporator 19, and the refrigerant is sent from the low temperature side heat medium by the chiller 20. This is an operation mode in which the heat absorbed is used as a heat source and reheated by the indoor condenser 12.

In the chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode, the control device 70 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. Further, the control device 70 sets the heating expansion valve 16a in a fully closed state, the cooling expansion valve 16b in a throttled state, and the cooling expansion valve 16c in a throttled state.

In the refrigeration cycle device 10 in the chiller endothermic dehumidification / heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the order of the indoor condenser 12, the liquid storage unit inlet side passage 21a, and the receiver 15. Further, the refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 circulates in the order of the cooling expansion valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the suction port of the compressor 11, and the cooling expansion valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are in that order. It can be switched to a circulating refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant circuit of the chiller endothermic dehumidification heating mode is included in the third circuit.

Then, the switching preparation control may be executed when the operation mode in which the refrigerant circuit is switched to the first circuit is changed to the operation mode in which the refrigerant circuit is switched to the third circuit. According to this, when switching the operation mode, the liquid phase refrigerant remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be moved into the receiver 15. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid phase refrigerant from staying in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and causing a refrigerant shortage.

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

Claims (6)

1. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges the refrigerant,
   A heat radiating unit (12) that dissipates heat from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and
   The liquid storage unit (15) that stores the excess refrigerant in the cycle,
   The first decompression unit (16a) for depressurizing the refrigerant and
   An outdoor heat exchange unit (18) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the first decompression unit and the outside air.
   The second decompression unit (16b, 16c) for depressurizing the refrigerant and
   An evaporation unit (19, 20) for evaporating the refrigerant decompressed by the second decompression unit, and
   A refrigerant circuit switching unit (14a to 14c, 161a to 161c, 22) for switching the refrigerant circuit is provided.
   The refrigerant circuit switching unit is
   The refrigerant dissipated in the outdoor heat exchange section was made to flow into the liquid storage section, the refrigerant flowing out of the liquid storage section was made to flow into the second decompression section, and the pressure was reduced in the second decompression section. A first circuit that evaporates the refrigerant in the evaporating section and sucks the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporating section into the compressor.
   The refrigerant radiated by the heat radiating section flows into the liquid storage section, the refrigerant flowing out of the liquid storage section flows into the first decompression section, and the refrigerant is decompressed by the first decompression section. Is evaporated in the outdoor heat exchange section, and the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchange section is sucked into the compressor.
   The refrigerant circuit switching unit has at least an outdoor unit inlet side opening / closing unit (161a) that opens / closes the inlet side of the outdoor heat exchange unit (18) when the circuit is switched to the second circuit.
   A refrigeration cycle device that performs switching preparation control for stopping the compressor and closing the opening / closing portion on the inlet side of the outdoor unit when switching from the first circuit to the second circuit.
2. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1, wherein in the switching preparation control, the throttle opening of the second decompression unit is equal to or greater than the throttle opening immediately before the switching preparation control is executed.
3. The switching preparation control is executed until the pressure difference (ΔP1) obtained by subtracting the refrigerant pressure on the suction side of the compressor from the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchange unit becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference pressure difference (KΔP1). Item 2. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to Item 1 or 2.
4. The refrigerating cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the switching preparation control is executed until a predetermined reference time (KTp1) elapses.
5. The refrigerant circuit switching unit has a liquid storage unit inlet side opening / closing unit (14a) that opens / closes a liquid storage unit inlet side passage (21a) connecting the refrigerant outlet side of the heat dissipation unit and the inlet side of the liquid storage unit. death,
   The refrigerating cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the switching preparation control, the opening / closing section on the inlet side of the liquid storage section is opened.
6. At least the inlet side of the first decompression section and the inlet side of the liquid storage section inlet side opening / closing section (14a) when switched to the second circuit are in communication with each other.
   The refrigerating cycle apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the switching preparation control, the opening / closing portion on the inlet side of the liquid storage portion is opened after the throttle opening of the first decompression portion is increased.

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