Back to results
US 6,454,180 B2Granted
Vehicle air conditioner with heating capacity control of cooling water circuit
AssigneeDenso Corporation
InventorsKen Matsunaga, Masaya Tanaka, Hisashi Ieda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a vehicle air conditioner where air blown into a passenger compartment is heated in a heater core using cooling water for cooling a fuel cell system as a heating source, a flow amount of cooling water flowing into the heat core is controlled by a control valve based on a surplus heat quantity of the fuel cell system and a necessary heat quantity of the passenger compartment. Further, when the surplus heat quantity of the fuel cell system is smaller than the necessary heat quantity, an insufficient heat quantity is supplemented by a supplementary heater.
Claims17
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an equipment that needs a temperature control, the air conditioner comprising:
- a cooling water circuit in which cooling water for cooling the equipment circulates;
- a heating heat exchanger, disposed in the cooling water circuit, for heating air to be blown into the passenger compartment using cooling water as a heating source;
- a supplementary heater for heating air, which supplements a heat quantity relative to the heating heat exchanger;
- heat quantity calculating means for calculating a necessary heat quantity necessary for a heating of air blown into the passenger compartment, based on a target air temperature;
- a flow control unit which controls a flow of cooling water in the cooling water circuit in such a manner that:
- cooling water from the equipment flows into the heating heat exchanger after temperature of the equipment increases to a predetermined temperature, and the flow of cooling water from the equipment to the heating heat exchanger is interrupted until the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- and
- heater control means for controlling a heat quantity generated by the supplementary heater when a heat quantity for heating air in the heating heat exchanger is smaller than the necessary heat quantity calculated by the heat quantity calculating means after the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- wherein the equipment is a fuel cell system.
6 more elements
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an equipment that needs a temperature control, the air conditioner comprising:
- a cooling water circuit in which cooling water for cooling the equipment circulates;
- a heating heat exchanger, disposed in the cooling water circuit, for heating air to be blown into the passenger compartment using cooling water as a heating source;
- a supplementary heater for heating air, which supplements a heat quantity relative to the heating heat exchanger;
- heat quantity calculating means for calculating a necessary heat quantity necessary for a heating of air blown into the passenger compartment, based on a target air temperature;
- a flow control unit which controls a flow of cooling water in the cooling water circuit in such a manner that:
- cooling water from the equipment flows into the heating heat exchanger after temperature of the equipment increases to a predetermined temperature, and the flow of cooling water from the equipment to the heating heat exchanger is interrupted until the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- and
- heater control means for controlling a heat quantity generated by the supplementary heater when a heat quantity for heating air in the heating heat exchanger is smaller than the necessary heat quantity calculated by the heat quantity calculating means after the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- surplus heat calculating means for calculating a surplus heat quantity of the equipment after the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature, based on an operation state of the equipment and the temperature of cooling water;
- and
- a radiator disposed in the cooling water circuit, for radiating heat of cooling water in the cooling water circuit to an outside of the passenger compartment;
- wherein:
- the flow control unit operates so that all the surplus heat quantity of the equipment is supplied to the heating heat exchanger when the necessary heat quantity is larger than the surplus heat quantity;
- and
- the flow control unit operates so that, when the surplus heat quantity of the equipment is larger than the necessary heat quantity, a part of the surplus heat quantity, equal to the necessary heat quantity, is supplied from the equipment to the heating heat exchanger, and the other part of the surplus heat quantity is supplied from the equipment to the radiator.
12 more elements
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an equipment that needs a temperature control, the air conditioner comprising:
- a cooling water circuit in which cooling water for cooling the equipment circulates;
- a heating heat exchanger, disposed in the cooling water circuit, for heating air to be blown into the passenger compartment using cooling water as a heating source;
- a supplementary heater for heating air, which supplements a heat quantity relative to the heating heat exchanger;
- heat quantity calculating means for calculating a necessary heat quantity necessary for a heating of air blown into the passenger compartment, based on a target air temperature;
- a flow control unit which controls a flow of cooling water in the cooling water circuit in such a manner that:
- cooling water from the equipment flows into the heating heat exchanger after temperature of the equipment increases to a predetermined temperature, and the flow of cooling water from the equipment to the heating heat exchanger is interrupted until the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- and
- heater control means for controlling a heat quantity generated by the supplementary heater when a heat quantity for heating air in the heating heat exchanger is smaller than the necessary heat quantity calculated by the heat quantity calculating means after the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- wherein:
- the cooling water circuit has a bypass passage through which cooling water from the equipment flows into the equipment while bypassing the heating heat exchanger;
- the flow control unit is disposed to control a ratio between a flow amount of cooling water passing through the heating heat exchanger and a flow amount of cooling water passing through the bypass passage, in accordance with a heat quantity of cooling water for heating air in the heating heat exchanger in a range of the necessary heat quantity.
8 more elements
An air conditioner for a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an equipment that needs a temperature control, the air conditioner comprising:
- a cooling water circuit in which cooling water for cooling the equipment circulates;
- a heating heat exchanger, disposed in the cooling water circuit, for heating air to be blown into the passenger compartment using cooling water as a heating source;
- a supplementary heater for heating air, which supplements a heat quantity relative to the heating heat exchanger;
- heat quantity calculating means for calculating a necessary heat quantity necessary for a heating of air blown into the passenger compartment, based on a target air temperature;
- a flow control unit which controls a flow of cooling water in the cooling water circuit in such a manner that:
- cooling water from the equipment flows into the heating heat exchanger after temperature of the equipment increases to a predetermined temperature, and the flow of cooling water from the equipment to the heating heat exchanger is interrupted until the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- and
- heater control means for controlling a heat quantity generated by the supplementary heater when a heat quantity for heating air in the heating heat exchanger is smaller than the necessary heat quantity calculated by the heat quantity calculating means after the temperature of the equipment increases to the predetermined temperature;
- wherein:
- the supplementary heater is disposed in the cooling water circuit to heat cooling water flowing into the heating heat exchanger;
- the flow control unit is flow switching means for forming a closed water circuit through which cooling water circuits while bypassing the equipment in the cooling water circuit;
- and
- the closed water circuit has therein a water pump for circulating cooling water within the closed water circuit;
- the heating heat exchanger and the supplementary heater are disposed in the closed water circuit;
- and
- when the temperature of the equipment is lower than the predetermined temperature, the flow switching means forms the closed water circuit, and the water pump operates so that cooling water circulates in the closed water circuit.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.