Automotive air conditioner having condenser and evaporator provided within air duct

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining a passageway for conditioned air to a room of an automobile;
• a condenser disposed in said duct for condensing refrigerant to heat air;
• a receiver for accumulating once therein refrigerant having passed said condenser and for delivering only liquid refrigerant therefrom;
• a subcooler disposed in said duct for causing air and refrigerant of a high temperature delivered from said receiver to exchange heat with each other to heat the air;
• expanding means for decompressing and expanding refrigerant delivered from said subcooler;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for evaporating refrigerant of a low pressure delivered from said expanding means to cool air;
• an outside heat exchanger disposed outside said duct for causing air outside said duct and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• and
• a compressor for sucking, compressing and discharging refrigerant.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining a passageway for guiding conditioned air for discharge into a passenger compartment of an automobile;
• a blower for causing air passing through said duct to blow into said passenger compartment;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for evaporating refrigerant to cool the air guided therethrough;
• a compressor for compressing refrigerant to increase a temperature thereof and for discharging high temperature refrigerant compressed therein;
• a condenser disposed downstream of said evaporator in said duct for exchanging heat between the air passing therethrough and the high temperature refrigerant discharged from said compressor to heat the air;
• a subcooler disposed downstream of said evaporator in said duct for exchanging heat between the air passing therethrough and the high temperature refrigerant condensed in said condenser to let the refrigerant have a sufficient subcooling degree;
• outside heat exchange or means disposed outside duct for exchanging heat between air passing therethrough and refrigerant flowing thereinto;
• and
• subcooling control means for adjusting a volume of flowing refrigerant at the downstream of said subcooler and said condenser responding to a variation of temperature of the refrigerant flowing upstream of said subcooler.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining air passageway;
• a blower for blasting air into said duct;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for evaporating refrigerant to cool air;
• a heater disposed in air to exchange heat with each other to heat the air;
• a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant;
• an outside heat exchanger for causing air outside said duct and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• and
• changing over means for changing over a flow of refrigerant flowing through said outside heat exchanger between the refrigerant which flows to said heater and the refrigerant which flows through said evaporator back to said compressor,
• wherein said changing over means includes
• a first valve element for performing changing over among the discharging side of said compressor, an end portion of said outside heat exchanger, the sucking side of said compressor and a refrigerant passageway which bypasses said outside heat exchanger;
• and
• second valve means for performing changing over among the other end portion of said outside heat exchanger, the entrance side of said heater, the exit side of said evaporator and said refrigerating passageway bypassing said outside heat exchanger.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining an air passageway;
• a blower for blasting air into said duct;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for evaporating refrigerant to cool air;
• a heater disposed in said duct to heat air;
• a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant;
• an outside heat exchanger disposed outside said duct for causing air and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• and
• changing over means for changing over a flow of refrigerant flowing through said outside heat exchanger between the refrigerant which flows to said heater and the refrigerant which flows through said evaporator back to said compressor,
• wherein said changing over means performs changing over such that it connects, upon cooling operation of said automotive air conditioner, said outside heat exchanger between the discharging side of said compressor and the entrance side of said heater, and it connects, upon heating operation of said automotive air conditioner, said outside heat exchanger between the exit side of said evaporator and the sucking side of said compressor.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining a passageway for blown out air;
• a blower for blasting air so that the air may be blown out into a room of an automobile by way of a spit hole of said duct;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for causing air and refrigerant of a low temperature to exchange heat to evaporate the refrigerant and cool the air;
• a heater disposed on the downstream side of said evaporator in said duct for causing air and refrigerant of high temperature to exchange heat with each other to heat the air;
• an outside heat exchanger disposed outside said duct for causing air and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant;
• decompressing means for decompressing and expanding refrigerant;
• changing over means for changing over control of the director of a flow of refrigerant among said evaporator, said heater, said outside heat exchanger, said compressor and said decompressing means;
• and
• controlling means for controlling changing over of said changing over means,
• wherein said changing over means performs changing over control of the flow of refrigerant such that, upon cooling operation, refrigerant circulates in the order of said compressor, outside heat exchanger, decompressing means and evaporator;
• upon heating operation, refrigerant circulates in the order of said compressor, heater, decompressing means and outside heat exchanger;
• and upon dehumidifying operation, refrigerant circulates in the order of said compressor, heater, outside heat exchanger, decompressing means and evaporator.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining a passageway for conditioned air to a room of an automobile;
• a blower for blasting air toward the room of the automobile by way of said duct;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for evaporating refrigerant to cool air;
• a heater disposed on the downstream side of said evaporator in said duct for causing refrigerant of a high temperature and air to exchange heat with each other to heat the air;
• a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant;
• an outside heat exchanger disposed outside said duct for causing air outside said duct and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• expanding means disposed between said heater and said evaporator for decompressing and expanding refrigerant;
• changing over means performing changing over at least between heating operation wherein refrigerant circulates in the order of said compressor, said heater, said decompressing means and said outside heat exchanger and dehumidifying operation wherein refrigerant circulates in the order of said compressor, said heater, said outside heat exchanger, said decompressing means and said evaporator;
• and
• controlling means for controlling changing over of said changing over means.

An automotive air conditioner, comprising:

• a duct defining a passageway for blown out air;
• a blower for blasting air so that the air may be blown out into a room of an automobile by way of a spit hole of said duct;
• an evaporator disposed in said duct for causing air and refrigerant of a low temperature to exchange heat to evaporate the refrigerant and cool the air;
• a heater disposed on the downstream side of said evaporator in said duct for causing air and refrigerant of high temperature to exchange heat with each other to heat the air;
• an outside heat exchanger disposed outside said duct for causing air and refrigerant to exchange heat with each other;
• a compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant;
• decompressing means for decompressing and expanding refrigerant;
• changing over means for changing over control of the director of a flow of refrigerant among said evaporator, said heater, said outside heat exchanger, said compressor and said decompressing means;
• and
• controlling means for controlling changing over of said changing over means,
• wherein said changing over means effects changing over control of a flow of refrigerant upon dehumidifying operation such that refrigerant discharged from said compressor flows into said heater;
• the refrigerant having passed said heater flows into said outside heat exchanger;
• the refrigerant having passed said outside heat exchanger flows into said decompressing means;
• the refrigerant having passed said decompressing means flows into said evaporator;
• and the refrigerant having passed said evaporator is sucked into said compressor.