US 12,296,643 B2
Vehicle air conditioning system
Syun Imada, Kariya (JP); Kouji Miura, Kariya (JP); Masami Taniguchi, Kariya (JP); Daisuke Ota, Kariya (JP); Shinya Kaneura, Kariya (JP); and Koichiro Shirai, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/062,790.
Application 18/062,790 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2021/019435, filed on May 21, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-102381 (JP), filed on Jun. 12, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0104697 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60H 1/00 (2006.01); B60H 1/32 (2006.01)
CPC B60H 1/00371 (2013.01) [B60H 1/323 (2013.01); B60H 2001/00949 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning a plurality of air conditioning zones set in an interior of a vehicle, the vehicle air conditioning system comprising:
a plurality of air conditioners provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of air conditioning zones; and
a cooler that cools a target equipment mounted on the vehicle, wherein
each of the plurality of air conditioners includes vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and cools air blowing out to the plurality of air conditioning zones by an endothermic action due to evaporation of a refrigerant,
the cooler includes a cooling circuit through which a heat medium for exchanging heat with the target equipment flows, and adjusts a temperature of the target equipment by cooling the heat medium utilizing the endothermic action in at least a part of the plurality of air conditioners,
of the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioner that air-conditions a door side zone separated from an outside by a door of the vehicle is a door side air conditioner and the air conditioner that air-conditions a panel side zone separated from the outside by a side panel of the vehicle is a panel side air conditioner, an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during an equipment temperature control, in which cooling of the interior and temperature control of the target equipment are respectively performed by the plurality of air conditioners, is smaller in the door side air conditioner than in the panel side air conditioner,
the door side air conditioner includes a first interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the door side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a first equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the first interior evaporator with respect to a flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
the panel side air conditioner includes a second interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the panel side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a second equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the second interior evaporator with respect to the flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during the equipment temperature control is smaller in the first equipment evaporator than in the second equipment evaporator,
the first equipment evaporator and the second equipment evaporator are disposed, in the cooling circuit, in parallel with respect to the flow of heat medium,
the cooling circuit includes a first cooling pipe that allows the heat medium to flow toward the first equipment evaporator and a second cooling pipe that allows the heat medium to flow toward the second equipment evaporator,
one-end sides of the first cooling pipe and the second cooling pipe are connected to a branch portion provided on an upstream side, in the flow of heat medium, of each of the first equipment evaporator and the second equipment evaporator, and the other-end sides are connected to a merge portion provided on a downstream side, in the flow of heat medium, of each of the first equipment evaporator and the second equipment evaporator, and
the first cooling pipe is configured such that a pressure loss, occurring when the heat medium flows in the first cooling pipe, is larger than a pressure loss in the second cooling pipe.
 
8. A vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning a plurality of air conditioning zones set in an interior of a vehicle, the vehicle air conditioning system comprising:
a plurality of air conditioners provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of air conditioning zones; and
a cooler that cools a target equipment mounted on the vehicle, wherein
each of the plurality of air conditioners includes vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and cools air blowing out to the plurality of air conditioning zones by an endothermic action due to evaporation of a refrigerant,
the cooler includes a cooling circuit through which a heat medium for exchanging heat with the target equipment flows, and adjusts a temperature of the target equipment by cooling the heat medium utilizing the endothermic action in at least a part of the plurality of air conditioners,
of the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioner that air-conditions a door side zone separated from an outside by a door of the vehicle is a door side air conditioner and the air conditioner that air-conditions a panel side zone separated from the outside by a side panel of the vehicle is a panel side air conditioner, an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during an equipment temperature control, in which cooling of the interior and temperature control of the target equipment are respectively performed by the plurality of air conditioners, is smaller in the door side air conditioner than in the panel side air conditioner,
the door side air conditioner includes a first interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the door side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a first equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the first interior evaporator with respect to a flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
the panel side air conditioner includes a second interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the panel side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a second equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the second interior evaporator with respect to the flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant, and
an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during the equipment temperature control is smaller in the first equipment evaporator than in the second equipment evaporator,
the vehicle air conditioning system further comprising an air conditioning control unit that controls the door side air conditioner and the panel side air conditioner, wherein
the door side air conditioner includes a door side switching unit that switches between a first permitted state of permitting a flow of the refrigerant to the first equipment evaporator and a first blocked state of blocking the flow of the refrigerant to the first equipment evaporator,
the panel side air conditioner includes a panel side switching unit that switches between a second permitted state of permitting a flow of the refrigerant to the second equipment evaporator and a second blocked state of blocking the flow of the refrigerant to the second equipment evaporator, and
the air conditioning control unit controls the door side switching unit and the panel side switching unit such that, during the equipment temperature control, a time during which the first permitted state is maintained is shorter than a time during which the second permitted state is maintained.
 
11. A vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning a plurality of air conditioning zones set in an interior of a vehicle, the vehicle air conditioning system comprising:
a plurality of air conditioners provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of air conditioning zones; and
a cooler that cools a target equipment mounted on the vehicle, wherein
each of the plurality of air conditioners includes vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and cools air blowing out to the plurality of air conditioning zones by an endothermic action due to evaporation of a refrigerant,
the cooler includes a cooling circuit through which a heat medium for exchanging heat with the target equipment flows, and adjusts a temperature of the target equipment by cooling the heat medium utilizing the endothermic action in at least a part of the plurality of air conditioners,
of the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioner that air-conditions a door side zone separated from an outside by a door of the vehicle is a door side air conditioner and the air conditioner that air-conditions a panel side zone separated from the outside by a side panel of the vehicle is a panel side air conditioner, an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during an equipment temperature control, in which cooling of the interior and temperature control of the target equipment are respectively performed by the plurality of air conditioners, is smaller in the door side air conditioner than in the panel side air conditioner,
the door side air conditioner includes a first interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the door side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a first equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the first interior evaporator with respect to a flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
the panel side air conditioner includes a second interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the panel side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a second equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the second interior evaporator with respect to the flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during the equipment temperature control is smaller in the first equipment evaporator than in the second equipment evaporator,
the first equipment evaporator and the second equipment evaporator are disposed, in the cooling circuit, in series with respect to a flow of heat medium, and
the first equipment evaporator is disposed, in the cooling circuit, on a downstream side, in the flow of heat medium, of the second equipment evaporator such that the heat medium having passed through the second equipment evaporator flows into the first equipment evaporator.
 
12. A vehicle air conditioning system for air conditioning a plurality of air conditioning zones set in an interior of a vehicle, the vehicle air conditioning system comprising:
a plurality of air conditioners provided to respectively correspond to the plurality of air conditioning zones; and
a cooler that cools a target equipment mounted on the vehicle, wherein
each of the plurality of air conditioners includes vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and cools air blowing out to the plurality of air conditioning zones by an endothermic action due to evaporation of a refrigerant,
the cooler includes a cooling circuit through which a heat medium for exchanging heat with the target equipment flows, and adjusts a temperature of the target equipment by cooling the heat medium utilizing the endothermic action in at least a part of the plurality of air conditioners,
of the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioner that air-conditions a door side zone separated from an outside by a door of the vehicle is a door side air conditioner and the air conditioner that air-conditions a panel side zone separated from the outside by a side panel of the vehicle is a panel side air conditioner, an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during an equipment temperature control, in which cooling of the interior and temperature control of the target equipment are respectively performed by the plurality of air conditioners, is smaller in the door side air conditioner than in the panel side air conditioner,
the door side air conditioner includes a first interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the door side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a first equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the first interior evaporator with respect to a flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
the panel side air conditioner includes a second interior evaporator that absorbs heat from air before blowing out to the panel side zone to evaporate the refrigerant, and a second equipment evaporator that is provided in parallel to the second interior evaporator with respect to the flow of the refrigerant and absorbs heat from the heat medium to evaporate the refrigerant,
an amount of heat absorbed from the heat medium during the equipment temperature control is smaller in the first equipment evaporator than in the second equipment evaporator,
a first merge place is a merge place where the refrigerant having passed through the first interior evaporator and the refrigerant having passed through the first equipment evaporator are merged, and a second merge place is a merge place where the refrigerant having passed through the second interior evaporator and the refrigerant having passed through the second equipment evaporator are merged, and
a first pressure loss ratio, which is a ratio of a pressure loss from a refrigerant inlet side of the first equipment evaporator to the first merge place to a pressure loss from a refrigerant inlet side of the first interior evaporator to the first merge place, is larger than a second pressure loss ratio, which is a ratio of a pressure loss from a refrigerant inlet side of the second equipment evaporator to the second merge place to a pressure loss from a refrigerant inlet side of the second interior evaporator to the second merge place.