Combined heating and air conditioning system for vehicles

A heating and air conditioning system of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising:

• a first heat exchanger;
• a primary loop passing through the first heat exchanger and further comprising a compressor, a second heat exchanger, a flow reversing means for reversing the fluid flow through the primary loop, including the first heat exchanger, and a first refrigerant metering device;
• a secondary loop passing through the first heat exchanger and further comprising a liquid pump, a third heat exchanger, a secondary heat source, and a bypass means for selectively bypassing the secondary heat source;
• wherein the secondary loop is thermally coupled to the primary loop by the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is thermally coupled to an interior of the passenger compartment;
• and,
• wherein, during a heating mode, liquid in the secondary loop passes through the secondary heat source and the flow reversing means directs refrigerant from the first heat exchanger directly to the compressor and refrigerant from the compressor directly to the second heat exchanger, and, during a cooling mode, the liquid in the secondary loop bypasses the secondary heat source and the flow reversing means directs refrigerant from the second heat exchanger directly to the compressor and refrigerant from the compressor directly to the first heat exchanger.

A heating and air conditioning system of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the heating and air conditioning system comprising:

• a primary loop comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a flow reversing means for selectively directing a fluid flow from the compressor to one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and a fluid flow to the compressor from the other of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, wherein the flow reversing means is operable to reverse the flow through at least one of the first and second heat exchangers;
• the primary loop further comprising refrigerant metering device such that the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, the flow reversing means, and the refrigerant metering device are coupled by fixed tubing having permanent connections to form a high pressure closed fluid circuit;
• a secondary loop having a low pressure liquid coolant, the secondary loop passing through the first heat exchanger and thereby thermally communicating with the primary loop, the secondary loop further comprising a liquid pump, a third heat exchanger, a secondary heat source, and a bypass means for selectively bypassing the secondary heat-source;
• and, further comprising a first air movement device disposed proximate the second heat exchanger so as to circulate air from the interior of the passenger compartment through the second heat exchanger.