Heat pump system for vehicle

A heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system comprising:

• an air conditioning case that has an air passage which is configured to conduct air drawn from outside a vehicle cabin and air drawn from inside the vehicle cabin;
• a first heat exchanger that is disposed in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and a heat medium;
• a second heat exchanger that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and the heat medium;
• an outlet opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to blow the air from the air passage into the vehicle cabin;
• a discharge opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to discharge the air from the air passage to outside the vehicle cabin;
• an air path switching mechanism that is configured to switch, within the air passage, a flow path of the air between (i) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the first heat exchanger without passing through the second heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening, and (ii) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the second heat exchanger without passing through the first heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening;
• an external heat exchanger that is disposed in a space outside the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air outside the vehicle cabin and the heat medium;
• a heat medium circuit that connects the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger by piping through which the heat medium flows, wherein the heat medium circuit includes a plurality of flow path switching valves, each of which is disposed in the piping and is configured to switch a flow of the heat medium;
• and
• an electronic controller that includes at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, wherein the electronic controller is configured to control operation of the air path switching mechanism and components of the heat medium circuit, which include the plurality of flow path switching valves, wherein:
• for each heat exchanger, a heat-releasing function is defined as a function of releasing heat from the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger to a substance outside the heat exchanger, and a heat-absorbing function is defined as a function of absorbing heat from the substance outside the heat exchanger into the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger;
• the electronic controller is configured to execute a maximum cooling mode, in which the electronic controller drives each corresponding one of the components of the heat medium circuit such that one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-absorbing function, and the external heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, and the electronic controller drives the air path switching mechanism such that the air, which has passed through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is discharged from the discharge opening to outside the vehicle cabin, and the air, which has passed through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is blown from the outlet opening into the vehicle cabin;
• and
• the heat medium circuit is configured such that the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are each switchable between the heat-releasing function and the heat-absorbing function.

A heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system comprising:

• an air conditioning case that has an air passage which is configured to conduct air drawn from outside a vehicle cabin and air drawn from inside the vehicle cabin;
• a first heat exchanger that is disposed in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and a heat medium;
• a second heat exchanger that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and the heat medium;
• an outlet opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to blow the air from the air passage into the vehicle cabin;
• a discharge opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to discharge the air from the air passage to outside the vehicle cabin;
• an air path switching mechanism that is configured to switch, within the air passage, a flow path of the air between (i) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the first heat exchanger without passing through the second heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening, and (ii) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the second heat exchanger without passing through the first heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening;
• an external heat exchanger that is disposed in a space outside the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air outside the vehicle cabin and the heat medium;
• a heat medium circuit that connects the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger by piping through which the heat medium flows, wherein the heat medium circuit includes a plurality of flow path switching valves, each of which is disposed in the piping and is configured to switch a flow of the heat medium;
• and
• an electronic controller that includes at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, wherein the electronic controller is configured to control operation of the air path switching mechanism and components of the heat medium circuit, which include the plurality of flow path switching valves, wherein:
• for each heat exchanger, a heat-releasing function is defined as a function of releasing heat from the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger to a substance outside the heat exchanger, and a heat-absorbing function is defined as a function of absorbing heat from the substance outside the heat exchanger into the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger;
• the electronic controller is configured to execute a maximum cooling mode, in which the electronic controller drives each corresponding one of the components of the heat medium circuit such that one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-absorbing function, and the external heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, and the electronic controller drives the air path switching mechanism such that the air, which has passed through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is discharged from the discharge opening to outside the vehicle cabin, and the air, which has passed through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is blown from the outlet opening into the vehicle cabin;
• the air path switching mechanism is configured to switch, within the air passage, the flow path of the air to a state in which the air flowing in the air passage passes through both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and flows to the outlet opening or the discharge opening;
• the electronic controller is configured to execute a cooling mode in which the electronic controller drives each corresponding one of the components of the heat medium circuit such that a heat-absorbing one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-absorbing function, a remaining one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger has a flow of the heat medium therethrough shut off or performs the heat-absorbing function, and the external heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, and the electronic controller drives the air path switching mechanism such that the air, which has passed through both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is blown from the outlet opening into the vehicle cabin;
• and
• at a time of switching from the maximum cooling mode to the cooling mode, the electronic controller shuts off, in the maximum cooling mode, a flow of the heat medium at a high temperature through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, which performs the heat-releasing function during the maximum cooling mode, and switches the flow being shut off to a flow of the heat medium at a low temperature for the cooling mode in the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and, after a temperature of the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, through which the flow of the heat medium at the high temperature has been shut off, falls below a temperature of the air on an upstream side of the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, through which the flow of the heat medium at the high temperature has been shut off, the electronic controller drives the air path switching mechanism to a state where the air, which has passed through both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is directed to the outlet opening.

A heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system comprising:

• an air conditioning case that has an air passage which is configured to conduct air drawn from outside a vehicle cabin and air drawn from inside the vehicle cabin;
• a first heat exchanger that is disposed in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and a heat medium;
• a second heat exchanger that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air passage of the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in the air passage and the heat medium;
• an outlet opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to blow the air from the air passage into the vehicle cabin;
• a discharge opening that is disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger in the air conditioning case and is configured to discharge the air from the air passage to outside the vehicle cabin;
• an air path switching mechanism that is configured to switch, within the air passage, a flow path of the air between (i) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the first heat exchanger without passing through the second heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening, and (ii) a state in which the air flowing in the air passage flows through the second heat exchanger without passing through the first heat exchanger toward the outlet opening or the discharge opening;
• an external heat exchanger that is disposed in a space outside the air conditioning case and is configured to exchange heat between the air outside the vehicle cabin and the heat medium;
• a heat medium circuit that connects the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger by piping through which the heat medium flows, wherein the heat medium circuit includes a plurality of flow path switching valves, each of which is disposed in the piping and is configured to switch a flow of the heat medium;
• and
• an electronic controller that includes at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, wherein the electronic controller is configured to control operation of the air path switching mechanism and components of the heat medium circuit, which include the plurality of flow path switching valves, wherein:
• for each heat exchanger, a heat-releasing function is defined as a function of releasing heat from the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger to a substance outside the heat exchanger, and a heat-absorbing function is defined as a function of absorbing heat from the substance outside the heat exchanger into the heat medium flowing inside the heat exchanger;
• the electronic controller is configured to execute a maximum cooling mode, in which the electronic controller drives each corresponding one of the components of the heat medium circuit such that one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger performs the heat-absorbing function, and the external heat exchanger performs the heat-releasing function, and the electronic controller drives the air path switching mechanism such that the air, which has passed through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is discharged from the discharge opening to outside the vehicle cabin, and the air, which has passed through the another one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger without passing through the one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, is blown from the outlet opening into the vehicle cabin;
• the heat medium circuit includes:
• a refrigeration cycle that is configured to circulate a refrigerant as a first heat medium;
• and
• a coolant circuit that is configured to circulate a coolant as a second heat medium;
• the refrigeration cycle includes:
• a compressor that is configured to compress and discharge the refrigerant;
• a condenser that is configured to heat the coolant flowing through the coolant circuit and condense the refrigerant by heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant;
• an expansion valve that is configured to depressurize and expand the refrigerant condensed in the condenser;
• and
• an evaporator that is configured to cool the coolant flowing through the coolant circuit and evaporate the refrigerant by heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant flowing through the coolant circuit, wherein the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator are connected by refrigerant piping which is configured to conduct the refrigerant;
• and
• each of the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger is a heat exchanger disposed in the coolant circuit.