Vehicle having dual loop heating and cooling system
OwnerFranck A. Vouzelaud, Thomas P. Gielda +2inventors
InventorsFranck A. Vouzelaud, Thomas P. Gielda, Shane A. Harte, David K. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle heating and cooling system having both a coolant loop with a heater core employing a coolant to warm a passenger compartment of the vehicle, and a refrigerant loop with an air conditioning system for cooling the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The refrigerant loop and coolant loop can also operate together where the air conditioning system is operating as a heat pump and drawing heat from the coolant loop.
Claims20
A heating and cooling system for a vehicle having an engine, the heating and cooling system comprising:
- a coolant loop having a coolant outlet line and a coolant inlet line adapted to couple to the engine, a heater core, a coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger, and a coolant valve for selectively directing flow of a coolant from the coolant outlet line to the coolant inlet line through one of the heater core and the coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger;
- and
- a refrigerant loop having a compressor with an inlet and an outlet, a condenser, an air/refrigerant heat exchanger, a first refrigerant valve for selectively directing flow of a refrigerant from the compressor outlet to one of the condenser and the air/refrigerant heat exchanger, a second refrigerant valve for selectively directing flow of the refrigerant between the air/refrigerant heat exchanger and one of the coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger and the condenser, and a third refrigerant valve for selectively preventing flow of the refrigerant from the air/refrigerant heat exchanger directly to the compressor inlet.
A method of providing heating and cooling to a passenger compartment of a vehicle having an engine, the method comprising the steps of:
- selectively circulating a coolant from the engine, through one of a heater core located in the passenger compartment and a coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger, and back to the engine;
- and
- selectively circulating a refrigerant from a compressor and back to the compressor through one of a first refrigerant path, having a condenser, an air/refrigerant heat exchanger located in the passenger compartment, and an expansion valve between the condenser and the air/refrigerant heat exchanger, and a second refrigerant path, having the air/refrigerant heat exchanger, the coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger, and the expansion valve between the air/refrigerant heat exchanger and the coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger.
A method of heating and cooling a passenger compartment of a vehicle having an engine, the method comprising the steps of:
- heating the passenger compartment by compressing a refrigerant, passing the refrigerant through a first air/refrigerant heat exchanger in the passenger compartment, forcing air through the first air/refrigerant heat exchanger, passing the refrigerant through an expansion valve, passing the refrigerant through a coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger, and passing a coolant from the engine through the coolant/refrigerant heat exchanger;
- and
- cooling the passenger compartment by compressing the refrigerant, passing the refrigerant through a condenser outside of the passenger compartment, passing the refrigerant through the first expansion valve, passing the refrigerant through the air/refrigerant heat exchanger in the passenger compartment, and forcing air through the air/refrigerant heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.