# US 9,517,680 B2 · Vehicle air conditioning apparatus

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- Number: US 9,517,680 B2
- Document ID: US9517680B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/002,643
- Filed: 2012-03-02
- Published: 2015-02-12
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2011-03-03
- Assignees: Sanden Holdings Corporation
- Applicants: Kenichi Suzuki; Atsuo Inoue; Hidenori Takei
- Inventors: Kenichi Suzuki; Atsuo Inoue; Hidenori Takei
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517680B2

## CPC

- F25B 41/24: Arrangement of shut-off valves for disconnecting a part of the refrigerant cycle, e.g. an outdoor part
- B60H 1/00007: {Combined heating, ventilating, or cooling devices (control systems or mechanisms B60H1/00642)}
- B60H 1/00064: {for sending air streams of different temperatures into the passenger compartment}
- B60H 1/00335: {of the gas-air type (B60H1/18 takes precedence)}
- B60H 1/00392: {for electric vehicles having only electric drive means}
- B60H 1/00457: {Ventilation unit, e.g. combined with a radiator (control systems for ventilators B60H1/00828)}
- B60H 1/00485: {Valves for air-conditioning devices, e.g. thermostatic valves}
- B60H 1/0075: {the input being solar radiation}
- B60H 1/00807: {the input being a specific way of measuring or calculating an air or coolant temperature}
- B60H 1/00864: {Ventilators and damper doors}
- B60H 1/00892: {Devices specially adapted for avoiding uncomfortable feeling, e.g. sudden temperature changes (B60H1/00885 takes precedence)}
- B60H 1/00899: {Controlling the flow of liquid in a heat pump system (controlling the properties of the refrigerant liquid, e.g. pressure or temperature, B60H1/3204)}
- B60H 1/00921: {where the flow direction of the refrigerant does not change and there is an extra subcondenser, e.g. in an air duct}
- B60H 1/00978: {Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods}
- B60H 1/04: from cooling liquid of the plant {(B60H1/025, B60H1/03 take precedence)}
- B60H 1/3207: {for minimizing the humidity of the air}
- B60H 3/024: {for only dehumidifying the air}
- F25B 41/22: between evaporator and compressor
- F25B 49/027: {Condenser control arrangements}
- B60H 2001/3251: {of the refrigerant at a condensing unit}
- B60H 2001/3252: {of the refrigerant at an evaporating unit}
- B60H 2001/326: {of the refrigerant at a condensing unit}
- B60H 2001/3263: {of the refrigerant at an evaporating unit}
- F25B 2341/063: Feed forward expansion valves
- F25B 2500/19: Calculation of parameters
- F25B 2600/21: Refrigerant outlet evaporator temperature
- F25B 2600/2513: Expansion valves
- F25B 2700/04: Refrigerant level
- F25B 2700/195: of the condenser
- F25B 2700/197: of the evaporator
- F25B 2700/2102: at the outlet of the gas cooler
- F25B 2700/21163: of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser
- F25B 2700/21175: of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES

## Abstract

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus comprising:
a compressor configured to compress and discharge a refrigerant;
a radiator provided in a vehicle interior and configured to release heat from the refrigerant;
a heat exchanger provided in the vehicle interior and configured to absorb the heat into the refrigerant; and
an outdoor heat exchanger provided outside the vehicle interior and configured to release the heat from or absorb the heat into the refrigerant,
the vehicle air conditioning apparatus configured to perform:
a heating operation to release the heat from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor in the radiator, to decompress the refrigerant by an expansion valve, and to absorb the heat into the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger; and
a heating and dehumidifying operation to release the heat from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor in the radiator, to decompress the refrigerant by the expansion valve and to absorb the heat into the refrigerant in the heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger, or at least in the heat exchanger,
the vehicle air conditioning apparatus further comprising:
an indoor fan configured to allow air to flow, the air being subjected to a heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through both or one of the radiator and the heat exchanger and then blowing to the vehicle interior;
a target supercooling setting part configured to set a target degree of supercooling of the refrigerant such that the target degree of supercooling of the refrigerant flowing out of the radiator when a target air temperature of the air having been heated in the radiator is higher than a predetermined temperature is higher than the target degree of supercooling that is set when the target air temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature; and
a valve opening control part configured to control an opening of the expansion valve such that a degree of supercooling of the refrigerant flowing out of the radiator is the target degree of supercooling set by the target supercooling setting part, wherein:
the target supercooling setting part includes a first correction part configured to correct the set target degree of supercooling according to an amount of the air supplied from the indoor fan; and
the target supercooling setting part corrects the target degree of supercooling such that when the amount of the air supplied from the indoor fan is smaller than a predetermined value, the degree of supercooling is lower than the target degree of supercooling that is corrected when the amount of the air supplied from the indoor fan is the predetermined value or greater.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the target supercooling setting part includes a second correction part configured to correct the set target degree of supercooling according to an amount of the refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant flow passage; and
the target supercooling setting part corrects the target degree of supercooling such that when the amount of the refrigerant is a predetermined value or greater, the degree of supercooling is higher than the target degree of supercooling that is corrected when the amount of the refrigerant is smaller than the predetermined value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a temperature detection part configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the radiator;
a pressure detection part configured to detect a pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the radiator; and
a supercooling calculation part configured to calculate the degree of supercooling of the refrigerant flowing out of the radiator, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection part and the pressure detected by the pressure detection part,
wherein the valve opening control part controls the opening of the expansion valve such that the degree of
supercooling is the target degree of supercooling set by the target supercooling setting part, based on the degree of supercooling calculated by the supercooling calculation part.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the valve opening control part includes:
a feedforward target value calculation part configured to calculate a feedforward target value for the opening, based on the target degree of supercooling set by the target supercooling setting part; and
a feedback target value calculation part configured to calculate a feedback target value for the opening, based on the degree of supercooling calculated by the supercooling calculation part and the target degree of supercooling set by the target supercooling setting part, and
the valve opening control part controls the opening of the expansion valve based on the feedfoward target value calculated by the feedfoward target value calculation part and the feedback target value calculated by the feedback target value calculation part.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a low-pressure refrigerant temperature detection part configured to detect the temperature of the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor;
a low-pressure refrigerant pressure detection part configured to detect the pressure of the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor; and
a superheat calculation part configured to calculate a superheat of the refrigerant flowing from the outdoor heat exchanger to the compressor, based on the temperature detected by the low-pressure refrigerant temperature detection part and the pressure detected by the low-pressure refrigerant pressure detection part,
wherein the valve opening control part controls the opening of the expansion valve based on the superheat calculated by the superheat calculation part when the superheat calculated by the superheat calculation part is a predetermined value or higher.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an enclosed refrigerant determination part configured to determine whether or not the amount of the refrigerant enclosed in a refrigerant circuit is within an approximate range, based on the degree of supercooling calculated by the supercooling calculation part, the opening of the expansion valve, and the superheat calculated by the superheat calculation part.