Air conditioner for vehicle

An air conditioner for a vehicle comprising:

• a compressor which compresses a refrigerant;
• an internal heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air to be supplied into an interior space;
• an external heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air that is air outside of the interior space;
• a battery installed in the vehicle;
• a battery heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the battery by causing at least a part of the refrigerant, which travels to the compressor from the external heat exchanger, to go through the battery heat exchanger;
• a throttle adjusting part which is arranged in a refrigerant flow passage on an upstream side of the battery heat exchanger, and is able to adjust a flow of the refrigerant;
• a control unit which controls the throttle adjusting part;
• a second expansion valve which is provided in a downstream of the external heat exchanger, and throttles and expands the refrigerant by causing the refrigerant, which passed through the external heat exchanger, to pass through the second expansion valve;
• and
• a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the battery,
• wherein the internal heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that passed through the second expansion valve, and air to be supplied into the interior space, and the refrigerant after heat is exchanged in the internal heat exchanger returns to the compressor,
• the external heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that is sent under pressure from the compressor, and the outside air, and
• in a cooling mode in which the internal heat exchanger acts as an evaporator, the control unit controls the flow of the refrigerant through the throttle adjusting part based on an extra capacity of a heat radiation amount, that is an extra capacity of a heat radiation amount of the external heat exchanger with respect to a heat absorption amount of the internal heat exchanger in terms of heat quantity, and a detection result of the temperature detector, thus the battery heat exchanger radiates heat to the battery.

A method for controlling an air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:

• providing a compressor which compresses a refrigerant;
• an internal heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air to be supplied into an interior space;
• an external heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air that is air outside of the interior space;
• a battery installed in the vehicle;
• a battery heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the battery by causing at least a part of the refrigerant, which travels to the compressor from the external heat exchanger, to go through the battery heat exchanger;
• a throttle adjusting part which is arranged in a refrigerant flow passage on an upstream side of the battery heat exchanger, and is able to adjust a flow of the refrigerant;
• a first expansion valve which is provided in a downstream of the internal heat exchanger, and throttles and expands the refrigerant by causing the refrigerant, which passed through the internal heat exchanger, to go through the first expansion valve;
• and a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the battery, wherein the internal heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that is sent under pressure from the compressor, and air to be supplied into the interior space, and the external heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that passed through the first expansion valve, and the outside air, and the refrigerant after heat is exchanged in the external heat exchanger returns to the compressor;
• and
• in a heating mode in which the internal heat exchanger acts as a condenser, controlling the flow of the refrigerant through the throttle adjusting part based on an extra capacity of a heat absorption amount, that is an extra capacity of a heat absorption amount of the external heat exchanger with respect to a heat radiation amount of the internal heat exchanger in terms of heat quantity, and a detection result of the temperature detector.

A method for controlling an air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:

• providing a compressor which compresses a refrigerant;
• an internal heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air to be supplied into an interior space;
• an external heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air that is air outside of the interior space;
• a battery installed in the vehicle;
• a battery heat exchanger which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the battery by causing at least a part of the refrigerant, which travels to the compressor from the external heat exchanger, to go through the battery heat exchanger;
• a throttle adjusting part which is arranged in a refrigerant flow passage on an upstream side of the battery heat exchanger, and is able to adjust a flow of the refrigerant;
• a second expansion valve which is provided in a downstream of the external heat exchanger, and throttles and expands the refrigerant by causing the refrigerant, which passed through the external heat exchanger, to pass through the second expansion valve;
• and a temperature detector which detects a temperature of the battery, wherein the internal heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that passed through the second expansion valve, and air to be supplied into the interior space, and the refrigerant after heat is exchanged in the internal heat exchanger returns to the compressor, and the external heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant that is sent under pressure from the compressor, and the outside air;
• and
• in a cooling mode in which the internal heat exchanger acts as an evaporator, controlling the flow of the refrigerant through the throttle adjusting part based on an extra capacity of a heat radiation amount, that is an extra capacity of a heat radiation amount of the external heat exchanger with respect to a heat absorption amount of the internal heat exchanger in terms of heat quantity, and a detection result of the temperature detector, thus the battery heat exchanger radiates heat to the battery.