Vehicle temperature control devices

Abstract

Invention details;

Description

In-vehicle temperature control device CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-143930, filed on September 3, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle temperature adjustment device that is mounted on a vehicle and adjusts the temperature of equipment and a space to be cooled.

[0003] Conventionally, electrically powered vehicles such as electric cars and hybrid cars run on electric energy stored in a power storage device (i.e., a battery pack) such as a secondary battery, which is supplied to a motor via an inverter, etc. Batteries generate heat during use, such as while the vehicle is running, and when they become too hot, they not only fail to function properly but also deteriorate or are damaged, so a cooling means is required to keep them at a certain temperature or below.

[0004] To ensure battery cooling performance, various methods have been devised to cool the battery using a refrigerant circuit. These methods use an evaporator in the refrigerant circuit to absorb heat from the battery. Specific implementations include the following cooling methods: - Using an air-refrigerant heat exchanger to cool the battery via air. - Using a water-refrigerant heat exchanger to cool the battery via coolant water. - Using a refrigerant heat exchanger to cool the battery directly or indirectly with a refrigerant. - Using an oil-refrigerant heat exchanger to cool the battery via oil. Note that it is preferable that the oil used in the oil-refrigerant heat exchanger be insulating.

[0005] The disclosure of Patent Document 1 is that a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) is installed in the refrigerant circuit for vehicle interior air conditioning as an evaporator for cooling the battery, separate from the evaporator for vehicle interior air conditioning, and the battery is cooled by the coolant circulating through the low water temperature circuit via the chiller. Note that in the following description, the chiller described in Patent Document 1 is referred to as the "evaporator for cooling the battery."

[0006] JP 2015-186989 A

[0007] However, among the multiple evaporators provided in the refrigerant circuit for vehicle interior air conditioning, the volume of the portion of the evaporator through which the refrigerant flows (hereinafter referred to as the "internal volume of the evaporator") may be significantly different between the evaporator for vehicle interior air conditioning and the evaporator for battery cooling. In this regard, Patent Document 1 does not mention a case where there is a significant difference in the internal volume of the evaporator for vehicle interior air conditioning and the evaporator for battery cooling.

[0008] In particular, air conditioning units for buses (i.e., refrigerant circuits for bus air conditioning) have a very large internal volume for the evaporator used for cabin air conditioning. If an evaporator for battery cooling is installed in such an air conditioning unit, the amount of refrigerant required in the refrigerant circuit (i.e., the amount of refrigerant fluctuation) increases depending on whether the unit is operating in cabin air conditioning mode or in battery cooling mode (i.e., battery cooling only mode). When operating in battery cooling mode only, the amount of refrigerant required for battery cooling is small, so the excess refrigerant must be stored in a liquid storage section installed in the refrigerant circuit. As a result, the volume of the liquid storage section must be made enormous.

[0009] If the volume of the liquid storage section is not increased, liquid refrigerant will accumulate inside the condenser during battery cooling only operation. This will increase the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing from the compressor's refrigerant outlet to the condenser while the refrigerant circuit is operating. This will result in a shortened compressor life or a degradation of compressor performance.

[0010] The present disclosure aims to reduce the volume of the liquid storage section and prevent a deterioration in the compressor's lifespan and performance in an on-board temperature control device equipped with a refrigerant circuit in which multiple evaporators with different capacities in the sections through which the refrigerant flows are connected in parallel.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an on-board temperature control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls the temperature of equipment and a space to be cooled. The on-board temperature control device includes a refrigerant circuit that includes a compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compression unit, a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid refrigerant, a plurality of expansion valves that decompress and expand the liquid refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and a plurality of evaporators that evaporate the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valves, all connected by refrigerant piping. The plurality of expansion valves and the plurality of evaporators are arranged in parallel so that the refrigerant condensed by the condenser is divided into two parts, one refrigerant flows to one expansion valve and one evaporator, and the other refrigerant flows to the other expansion valve and other evaporator, and the refrigerant flowing out of each evaporator is then joined and flows into the compressor. The refrigerant circuit is not provided with an electromagnetic valve capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to a large-volume evaporator, which has the largest internal volume of the part through which the refrigerant flows among the multiple evaporators, but is provided with an electromagnetic valve capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to one or more small-volume evaporators among the multiple evaporators excluding the large-volume evaporator.

[0012] According to this system, the refrigerant circuit does not include a solenoid valve capable of blocking refrigerant flow to the large-volume evaporator. Therefore, when the small-volume evaporator requires cooling, refrigerant flows to both the small-volume evaporator and the large-volume evaporator, regardless of whether the large-volume evaporator requires cooling. In other words, even when cooling is required only for the small-volume evaporator, refrigerant also flows through the path on the large-volume evaporator side, reducing excess refrigerant and allowing for a smaller liquid storage volume. Furthermore, because excessive liquid-phase refrigerant does not accumulate in the condenser, excessive increases in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the compressor's refrigerant outlet to the condenser are prevented, preventing a shortened compressor life and performance degradation.

[0013] According to another aspect, an onboard temperature control device mounted on a vehicle for controlling the temperature of a device to be cooled and a space to be cooled includes a refrigerant circuit, an electronic control device, and a heat exchange capacity adjustment unit. The refrigerant circuit includes a compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compression unit, a liquid storage unit that stores the liquid refrigerant, multiple expansion valves that reduce the pressure and expand the liquid refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and multiple evaporators that evaporate the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valves, all connected by refrigerant piping. The electronic control device controls the operation of each component of the onboard temperature control device in response to a cooling request for the device to be cooled and the space to be cooled using the evaporators. The heat exchange capacity adjustment unit supplies an external fluid to the large-volume evaporator, which has the largest internal volume of the portion through which the refrigerant flows, to adjust the heat exchange capacity of the large-volume evaporator. The multiple expansion valves and multiple evaporators are arranged in parallel so that refrigerant condensed in the condenser is divided into two parts, one refrigerant flowing through one expansion valve and one evaporator, and the other refrigerant flowing through the other expansion valve and the other evaporator, and the refrigerant flowing from each evaporator is then combined and flows into the compressor. The refrigerant circuit is provided with a large-volume solenoid valve that can block the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator. When the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and there is a cooling demand for one or more small-volume evaporators excluding the large-volume evaporator among the multiple evaporators, but there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator, the electronic control device drives the compressor and opens the large-volume solenoid valve to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator and the large-volume evaporator, and further controls the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit to supply external fluid to the large-volume evaporator.

[0014] According to this configuration, the refrigerant circuit is provided with a large-volume solenoid valve capable of blocking refrigerant flow to the large-volume evaporator. In this configuration, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and a cooling request is made to the small-volume evaporator, the electronic control unit executes control to open the large-volume solenoid valve and supply external fluid to the large-volume evaporator, regardless of whether a cooling request is made to the large-volume evaporator. Therefore, when the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold, even if a cooling request is made only to the small-volume evaporator, refrigerant also flows through the path on the large-volume evaporator side, reducing excess refrigerant and allowing the volume of the liquid storage section to be reduced. Furthermore, because excessive liquid-phase refrigerant is not accumulated in the condenser, excessive pressure increases in the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor to the condenser are prevented, preventing a deterioration in the compressor's lifespan and performance.

[0015] The reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between the component and the specific components described in the embodiments described below.

[0016] 1 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a receiver as a liquid storage section; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a receiver as a liquid storage section; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing yet another example of a receiver as a liquid storage section; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an accumulator as a liquid storage section; FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of a battery as an example of equipment to be cooled by the in-vehicle temperature control device according to the first embodiment and the output characteristics and input characteristics of the battery; FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle temperature control device of a comparative example; FIG. 3 is a graph showing the amount of refrigerant in an evaporator in each operation mode for the in-vehicle temperature control device according to the comparative example; FIG. 3 is a graph showing the amount of refrigerant in an evaporator in each operation mode for the in-vehicle temperature control device according to the first embodiment; 16 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a ninth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 14 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a tenth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 16 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a tenth embodiment, in which the solenoid valve of FIG. 16 is partially modified. FIG. 19 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 16 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a tenth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 15 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a tenth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 17 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a tenth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 21 for an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a seventeenth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle temperature control device according to an eighteenth embodiment.31 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 19th embodiment. FIG. 32 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 31 in an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 33 is a diagram in which the solenoid valve of FIG. 33 is partially modified in an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 34 is a diagram in which the solenoid valve of FIG. 33 is partially modified in an in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 35 is a diagram in which the in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 34 is a diagram in which the in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 35 is a diagram in which the in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 35 is a diagram in which the in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment. FIG. 36 is a diagram in which the in-vehicle temperature control device according to a 20th embodiment.

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, identical or equivalent parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0018] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle-mounted temperature control device of the first embodiment is mounted on various vehicles and controls the temperature of equipment and spaces to be cooled. In the following description, a bus will be used as an example of a vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted temperature control device is mounted. In this case, the interior of the bus is exemplified as the space to be cooled by the vehicle-mounted temperature control device. Furthermore, a power storage device (i.e., a battery) such as a secondary battery mounted on the bus is exemplified as the equipment to be cooled by the vehicle-mounted temperature control device. Note that the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted temperature control device is mounted is not limited to a bus.

[0019] <Configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 is an air conditioning unit including a refrigeration cycle as a refrigerant circuit 2, a blower 3 as a heat exchange capacity adjustment unit, and an electronic control unit 4 (hereinafter referred to as "ECU"), etc.

[0020] The refrigerant circuit 2 is configured by connecting a compressor 5, a condenser 6, a liquid storage section 7, a plurality of expansion valves 8a, 8b, a plurality of evaporators 9a, 9b, and a solenoid valve 10 with refrigerant piping. There is no limitation on the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circuit 2, and examples thereof include fluorocarbon refrigerants such as HFC-134a, HFC-407C, and HFO-1234yf, or CO ２ Various refrigerants can be used.

[0021] The compressor 5 compresses the low-pressure gas-phase refrigerant drawn from the evaporators 9 a and 9 b, and sends the high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant to the condenser 6. The compressor 5 may be driven by power transmitted from the vehicle engine, or may be powered by an electric motor.

[0022] The condenser 6 is a heat exchanger that cools and condenses the high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant sent from the compressor 5 by exchanging heat with outside air. The condenser 6 is also called a radiator that radiates heat from the gas-phase refrigerant to the outside air. A condenser fan 11 is installed to blow outside air toward the condenser 6. The condenser fan 11 operates in response to a command from the ECU to blow outside air toward the condenser 6.

[0023] The liquid storage section 7 separates the refrigerant flowing out from the condenser 6 into gas and liquid phases, stores the liquid phase refrigerant, and sends only the liquid phase refrigerant to the expansion valves 8a and 8b. The liquid storage section 7 is also called a receiver. The liquid storage section 7 can store surplus refrigerant when the amount of refrigerant required to operate the refrigerant circuit 2 changes. A desiccant such as synthetic zeolite is installed inside the liquid storage section 7 to remove moisture contained in the refrigerant.

[0024] A branching section 12 that branches the refrigerant pipes is provided downstream of the liquid storage section 7. Meanwhile, a merging section 13 that merges the refrigerant pipes is provided upstream of the compressor 5. Both the branching section 12 and the merging section 13 are formed by three-way joints. Alternatively, the branching section 12 and the merging section 13 may be formed by joining multiple pipes together, or by providing multiple flow paths in a metal block or a resin block.

[0025] Of the two paths connecting the branching section 12 and the merging section 13, one path will be referred to as a first branching path 14, and the other path will be referred to as a second branching path 15. The first branching path 14 and the second branching path 15 are connected in parallel.

[0026] Of the multiple evaporators 9a, 9b provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, the one with the largest internal volume of the portion through which the refrigerant flows will be referred to as the large-volume evaporator 9b. Meanwhile, of the multiple evaporators 9a, 9b provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, one or more evaporators 9a excluding the large-volume evaporator 9b will be referred to as the small-volume evaporator 9a. In the first embodiment, the internal volume of the portion of the large-volume evaporator 9b through which the refrigerant flows (hereinafter referred to as the "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b") is much larger than the internal volume of the portion of the small-volume evaporator 9a through which the refrigerant flows (hereinafter referred to as the "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a"). For example, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is about 20 times the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a.

[0027] Of the multiple expansion valves 8a, 8b provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, the one provided upstream of the small-volume evaporator 9a will be referred to as the first expansion valve 8a. Of the multiple expansion valves 8a, 8b provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, the one provided upstream of the large-volume evaporator 9b will be referred to as the second expansion valve 8b.

[0028] The first branch path 14 is provided with the solenoid valve 10, the first expansion valve 8a, and the small-volume evaporator 9a from the branching point 12 side. Meanwhile, the second branch path 15 is provided with the second expansion valve 8b and the large-volume evaporator 9b from the branching point 12 side. That is, in the refrigerant circuit 2, the solenoid valve 10, the first expansion valve 8a, and the small-volume evaporator 9a and the second expansion valve 8b and the large-volume evaporator 9b are arranged in parallel. Therefore, the liquid-phase refrigerant condensed in the condenser 6 passes through the liquid storage section 7 and then branches at the branching point 12. Some of the refrigerant flows to the solenoid valve 10, the first expansion valve 8a, and the small-volume evaporator 9a, and the other flows to the second expansion valve 8b and the large-volume evaporator 9b. The refrigerants flowing out of the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b are joined at the joining point 13 and flow into the compressor 5.

[0029] Here, in the first embodiment, the relationship between the internal volume of the liquid storage portion 7, the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a, and the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b will be described.

[0030] The relationship is: internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7 < internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b. In other words, the internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b is larger than the sum of the internal volumes of small-volume evaporator 9a and liquid storage section 7. Therefore, the internal volume of liquid storage section 7 is smaller than the difference between the internal volumes of large-volume evaporator 9b and small-volume evaporator 9a.

[0031] 2 to 4, the internal volume of the liquid storage portion 7 refers to the volume capable of storing and discharging liquid-phase refrigerant within the housing of the liquid storage portion 7. 2 to 4 show a housing 71 of the liquid storage portion 7, an inlet pipe 72 through which refrigerant flows into the housing 71, an outlet pipe 73 through which the liquid-phase refrigerant flows out of the housing 71, and a desiccant 74 provided within the housing 71. In this case, the internal volume of the liquid storage portion 7, as indicated by the dashed hatching in FIGS. 2 to 4, is the volume above a liquid outlet portion 75 within the housing 71, excluding internal components such as the desiccant 74.

[0032] The refrigerant circuit 2 may include an accumulator 7a shown in FIG. 5 as the liquid storage unit 7, instead of or in addition to the receiver shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 . The accumulator 7a is disposed downstream of the evaporator 9 and upstream of the compressor 5. The accumulator 7a separates the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator 9 into gas and liquid, stores the liquid refrigerant, and sends the gas refrigerant to the compressor 5. FIG. 5 illustrates a housing 71a of the accumulator 7a as an example of the liquid storage unit 7, an inlet pipe 72a through which the refrigerant flows into the housing 71a, an outlet pipe 73a through which the gas refrigerant flows out of the housing 71a, and a desiccant 74a provided within the housing 71a. In this case, the internal volume of the liquid storage unit 7 is the volume of the housing 71a excluding internal components such as the desiccant 74a, as indicated by the dashed hatching in FIG. 5 .

[0033] As shown in Fig. 1 , in the refrigerant circuit 2 of the first embodiment, a solenoid valve 10 is provided in the first branch path 14, but not in the second branch path 15. The solenoid valve 10 is a flow path opening / closing valve that can open and close a flow path. The solenoid valve 10 operates in response to a command from an ECU, and can allow or block the flow of refrigerant in the first branch path 14. Since the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is in operation, refrigerant always flows through the second branch path 15, regardless of the opening or closing operation of the solenoid valve 10.

[0034] The first expansion valve 8a, located downstream of the solenoid valve 10 in the first branch path 14, reduces the pressure of the liquid-phase refrigerant and expands it to supply it to the small-volume evaporator 9a as a mist of two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. The first expansion valve 8a may be a fixed throttle such as an orifice or a nozzle, or an appropriate variable throttle. For example, the first expansion valve 8a may be one that adjusts the valve opening on the inlet side of the small-volume evaporator 9a using a mechanical mechanism in accordance with the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the small-volume evaporator 9a to adjust the refrigerant flow rate. The refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve 8a is reduced in pressure as it passes through the first expansion valve 8a, and flows into the small-volume evaporator 9a as a mist of two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant.

[0035] The small-volume evaporator 9a is a heat exchanger that evaporates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the first expansion valve 8a side by exchanging heat with a predetermined coolant. The refrigerant flowing in the small-volume evaporator 9a evaporates by absorbing heat from the predetermined coolant. The gas-phase refrigerant flowing out of the small-volume evaporator 9a is then drawn into the compressor 5 via the confluence 13.

[0036] In the first embodiment, a predetermined coolant that exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the small-volume evaporator 9a is used to cool a battery mounted on a vehicle (for example, a bus in the first embodiment). Various liquids can be used as the coolant, such as LLC (short for Long Life Coolant), water, insulating fluid, oil, and insulating oil. That is, in the first embodiment, a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) is used as the small-volume evaporator 9a.

[0037] The coolant is a circulating liquid that circulates through a coolant circuit 20 to cool the battery. As the coolant flows through the small-volume evaporator 9a, it is cooled by dissipating heat to the refrigerant. The coolant circuit 20 is provided with a liquid pump, such as a water pump 21. The water pump 21 is driven by a command from the ECU. Driving the water pump 21 causes the coolant to circulate through the coolant circuit 20. The coolant circuit 20 is provided with a battery cooler (not shown) for cooling the battery mounted on the bus. In the battery cooler, heat is exchanged between the coolant and the battery, thereby cooling the battery.

[0038] As shown in the graph of FIG. 6 , when a battery's temperature drops below a predetermined optimum temperature range (e.g., 10°C to 40°C), its internal resistance increases, and both its output and input characteristics decline. Furthermore, when a battery's temperature rises above the predetermined optimum temperature range, both its output and input characteristics decline, and there is a risk of battery cell degradation or damage. Therefore, to ensure the battery's desired performance, it is necessary to warm up the battery when its temperature drops below the predetermined optimum temperature range and to cool the battery when its temperature rises above the predetermined optimum temperature range. In this regard, the device to be cooled by the small-volume evaporator 9a in the first embodiment is the battery. The small-volume evaporator 9a operates in response to a battery cooling request and is used to cool the battery via the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20.

[0039] 1, the second expansion valve 8b provided in the second branch path 15 reduces the pressure of the liquid-phase refrigerant and expands it to supply it to the large-volume evaporator 9b as a mist of two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. The second expansion valve 8b also has a similar configuration to the first expansion valve 8a. The refrigerant passing through the second expansion valve 8b is reduced in pressure as it passes through the second expansion valve 8b, and flows into the large-volume evaporator 9b as a mist of two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant.

[0040] The large-volume evaporator 9b is a heat exchanger that evaporates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the second expansion valve 8b side by exchanging heat with a predetermined external fluid. The refrigerant flowing in the large-volume evaporator 9b evaporates by absorbing heat from the predetermined external fluid. The gas-phase refrigerant flowing out of the large-volume evaporator 9b is then drawn into the compressor 5 via the confluence 13.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the predetermined external fluid that exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the large-volume evaporator 9b is air blown by the blower 3. The blower 3 operates in response to a command from the ECU and blows air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. In a bus, for example, the air cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the large-volume evaporator 9b is supplied to the bus cabin through multiple outlets (not shown). This achieves cabin air conditioning. That is, the space to be cooled by the large-volume evaporator 9b is the cabin, and an evaporator for cabin air conditioning is employed as the large-volume evaporator 9b. The large-volume evaporator 9b and the blower 3 are basically operated in response to a demand for cabin air conditioning, supplying cooled air to the cabin for cabin air conditioning. However, in the refrigerant circuit 2 of the first embodiment, as described above, the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15. Therefore, when the small-volume evaporator 9a operates in response to a demand for cooling the battery, refrigerant also flows into the large-volume evaporator 9b, regardless of whether or not there is a demand for air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, and heat exchange takes place in the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0042] The blower 3 operates in response to a command from the ECU and can adjust the heat exchange capacity of the large-volume evaporator 9 b by varying the flow rate of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9 b. Therefore, the blower 3 corresponds to an example of a heat exchange capacity adjustment unit for the large-volume evaporator 9 b.

[0043] A high-pressure sensor 18 is provided in the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 5 to the condenser 6. The high-pressure sensor 18 outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through that path. Meanwhile, a low-pressure sensor 19 is provided in the path from the junction 13 to the refrigerant suction port of the compressor 5. The low-pressure sensor 19 outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure of the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through that path. The signals output by the high-pressure sensor 18 and the low-pressure sensor 19 are each input to the ECU.

[0044] The ECU includes a microcomputer including a processor and memory and its peripheral circuits, and controls the operation of each component of the vehicle temperature control device 1 connected to its output side based on a control program stored in the memory. ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit. The memory of the ECU is a non-transitory physical storage medium. The ECU of the first embodiment controls the operation of the compressor 5, condenser fan 11, solenoid valve 10, blower 3, water pump 21, and other components in response to battery cooling requirements and vehicle interior air conditioning requirements. The control processing executed by the ECU of the first embodiment will be described later.

[0045] <Refrigerant Amount in Vehicle Temperature Regulator 1 of Comparative Example> Here, a vehicle temperature regulator 1a of a comparative example will be described for comparison with the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0046] 7, the refrigerant circuit 2 included in the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1a of the comparative example is configured such that solenoid valves 10a, 10b are provided in a first branch path 14 and a second branch path 15, respectively. The solenoid valve 10a provided in the first branch path 14 will be referred to as the small volume side solenoid valve 10a, and the solenoid valve 10b provided in the second branch path 15 will be referred to as the large volume side solenoid valve 10b. The refrigerant circuit 2 included in the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1a of the comparative example is configured the same as the refrigerant circuit 2 described in the first embodiment, except for the large volume side solenoid valve 10b.

[0047] Here, the amounts of refrigerant flowing through the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a when performing air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation for the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1a of the comparative example will be described with reference to Figure 8. Note that the refrigerant amount [g] on the vertical axis of Figure 8 shows an example of the refrigerant amount in the evaporator 9 and does not limit the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1a of the comparative example. Also, in the comparative example, as in the first embodiment, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is approximately 20 times the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a.

[0048] The vertical bar A in Figure 8 indicates the amount of refrigerant when only cooling is performed. When only cooling is performed, the ECU of the comparative example opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and closes the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. As a result, refrigerant flows to the large-volume evaporator 9b, but not to the small-volume evaporator 9a. The amount of refrigerant in this case is shown as approximately 1,250 g.

[0049] The vertical bar B in Figure 8 indicates the amount of refrigerant in air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation. The ECU of the comparative example opens the small-volume solenoid valve 10a and the large-volume solenoid valve 10b in air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation. This allows refrigerant to flow through the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. The amount of refrigerant in this case is shown as approximately 1,350 g.

[0050] The vertical bar C in Figure 8 indicates the amount of refrigerant in the battery cooling only operation (i.e., operation in which only battery cooling is performed). In the comparative example, the ECU opens the small-volume solenoid valve 10a and closes the large-volume solenoid valve 10b in the battery cooling only operation. This allows refrigerant to flow to the small-volume evaporator 9a and does not flow to the large-volume evaporator 9b. The amount of refrigerant in this case is shown as approximately 150g.

[0051] As shown by vertical bars A and B in Figure 8, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 9 is very large in both the cooling operation only and the cooling operation and battery cooling operation. In contrast, as shown by vertical bar C, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 9 is very small in the battery cooling only operation. Figure 8 illustrates this difference as approximately 1,200 g. As such, in the comparative example, in the battery cooling only operation, the amount of refrigerant required for battery cooling is small, so the surplus refrigerant needs to be stored in the liquid storage section 7 installed in the refrigerant circuit 2. As a result, the volume of the liquid storage section 7 must be made extremely large.

[0052] If the volume of the liquid storage section 7 is not increased, liquid-phase refrigerant will accumulate inside the condenser 6 during battery cooling only operation. This will increase the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 5 to the condenser 6 while the refrigerant circuit 2 is in operation. This will result in problems such as a shortened lifespan of the compressor 5 or a deterioration in the performance of the compressor 5.

[0053] <Refrigerant Amount in Vehicle Temperature Control Device 1 of First Embodiment> The amounts of refrigerant flowing through the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a when performing air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation for the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment, compared to the vehicle temperature control device 1a of the comparative example, will be described with reference to Figure 9. Note that the refrigerant amount [g] on the vertical axis of Figure 9 also shows an example of the refrigerant amount in the evaporator 9 and does not limit the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment. Also, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is assumed to be approximately 20 times the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a.

[0054] The vertical bar D in Figure 9 indicates the amount of refrigerant in the cooling operation only. In the cooling operation only, the ECU of the first embodiment closes the solenoid valve 10 provided in the first branch path 14. As a result, the refrigerant flows to the large-volume evaporator 9b, but not to the small-volume evaporator 9a. The amount of refrigerant in this case is shown as approximately 1250 g.

[0055] The vertical bar E in Figure 9 indicates the amount of refrigerant in air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation. The ECU of the comparative example opens the solenoid valve 10 provided in the first branch path 14 during air-conditioning operation and battery cooling operation. This causes the refrigerant to flow to the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. The amount of refrigerant at this time is shown as approximately 1,350 g.

[0056] The vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment does not operate solely for battery cooling because, even when there is a demand for battery cooling only and no demand for air conditioning, refrigerant flows through both the first branch path 14 provided with the small-volume evaporator 9a and the second branch path 15 provided with the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0057] As shown by vertical bars D and E in Figure 9, the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 9 is very large in both the cooling-only operation and the cooling and battery-cooling operations. In Figure 8, the difference between vertical bars D and E is illustrated as approximately 100 g. As described above, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment does not perform the battery-cooling-only operation, so the amount of refrigerant in the evaporator 9 does not become very small, as in the comparative example. Therefore, the volume of the liquid storage section 7 can be reduced. Furthermore, even if the volume of the liquid storage section 7 is reduced, the amount of liquid-phase refrigerant stored in the condenser 6 does not become excessive. This prevents an excessive increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 5 to the condenser 6, thereby preventing a shortened service life and performance degradation of the compressor 5.

[0058] <Control Process Executed by the ECU of the First Embodiment> Next, the control process executed by the ECU provided in the vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10. This control process is repeatedly executed at predetermined control time intervals after a running switch such as an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on.

[0059] First, in step S10, the ECU determines whether or not there is an air conditioning request. If it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S20. Next, in step S20, the ECU determines whether or not there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined in step S20 that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S20), the process proceeds to step S30.

[0060] In step S30, the ECU executes the "air-conditioning + battery cooling operation." At this time, the ECU turns on the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, the condenser fan 11, and opens the solenoid valve 10. This causes heat exchange to occur in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. As described above, the heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b cools the air supplied to the vehicle cabin, thereby cooling the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a cools the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20, thereby cooling the battery.

[0061] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES judgment in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S20 that there is no battery cooling request (i.e., a NO judgment in step S20), the processing proceeds to step S40.

[0062] In step S40, the ECU executes the cooling operation. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, turns on the blower 3, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, and closes the solenoid valve 10. As a result, heat exchange is performed only in the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the vehicle interior is cooled.

[0063] If it is determined in step S10 that there is no cooling request (i.e., a NO determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, the ECU determines whether there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S50), the process proceeds to step S60.

[0064] In step S60, the ECU executes "secret cooling + battery cooling operation." In this specification, "secret cooling" refers to reducing the airflow to a level where the occupant does not feel any deterioration in the cooling sensation, or to setting the airflow to zero and performing heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b. Specifically, by setting the airflow rate of the blower 3 to an airflow rate equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU (i.e., blower low drive), the occupant does not feel any deterioration in the cooling sensation.

[0065] In some vehicles, in order to improve the temperature detection accuracy of the interior sensor, the blower 3 is operated at a very low output level that does not cause a deterioration in passenger comfort even when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling. In such vehicles, the airflow rate of the blower 3 that is operated when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling is also included in the "airflow rate equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU."

[0066] In step S60, "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation," the ECU turns on the water pump 21, turns on the blower 3 in the above-described Low drive mode, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, and opens the solenoid valve 10. This causes heat exchange to occur in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Because the blower 3 is driven in Low drive mode during heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b, the occupants do not experience any deterioration in the cooling sensation. Furthermore, the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a cools the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20, thereby performing battery cooling.

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that there is no air conditioning request (i.e., NO in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S50 that there is also no battery cooling request (i.e., NO in step S50), processing proceeds to step S70.

[0068] In step S70, the ECU stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, and the condenser fan 11. This stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2.

[0069] The "secret cooling + battery cooling operation" described in step S60 above can be rephrased as a case where there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b but there is a cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a. In this case, as described above, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to control the refrigerant to flow to both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, the ECU reduces the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3, which serves as a heat exchange capacity adjuster. Specifically, the blower 3's airflow rate is set to the lowest flow rate (i.e., blower low drive) or lower among the flow rate settings configured in the ECU to prevent the occupants from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature.

[0070] <Control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched> Next, the control process executed by the ECU when the four operating states described above (i.e., [Cooling + battery cooling operation], [Cooling operation], [Secret cooling + battery cooling operation], and [Stop]) are switched will be described.

[0071] First, we will explain the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation." In other words, this is a case where a cooling request is made to the small-volume evaporator 9a and a cooling request is made to the large-volume evaporator 9b, and then changed to a state where a cooling request is not made to the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to flow refrigerant to both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, the ECU reduces the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. Specifically, the blower 3's airflow rate is set to the lowest flow rate (i.e., blower low drive) or lower among the flow rate settings configured in the ECU to prevent the occupant from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature.

[0072] Next, the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" will be described. In other words, this is a case where the small-volume evaporator 9a is requested to cool, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is requested to cool. In this case, the ECU continues to control the compressor 5 and open the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b, and also continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0073] Next, we will explain the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Stop" to "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation." In other words, this is a case where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to cool, and the small-volume evaporator 9a is not required to cool, but is instead required to cool. In this case, the ECU starts control to drive the compressor 5 and open the solenoid valve 10 to flow refrigerant to both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b, and also starts control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b using the blower 3.

[0074] Next, we will explain the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Stopped." In other words, this is a case where there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the small-volume evaporator 9a has changed from a state where there is a cooling demand to a state where there is no cooling demand. In this case, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5 and also stops the blower 3.

[0075] The control processing executed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment described above can also be applied to the control processing executed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the second to tenth embodiments described below.

[0076] <Effects of First Embodiment> The vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment has the following effects. (1) In the first embodiment, the refrigerant circuit 2 is configured such that multiple expansion valves 8a, 8b and multiple evaporators 9 are arranged in parallel. The refrigerant circuit 2 does not include a solenoid valve 10 capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator 9b, but does include a solenoid valve 10 capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to the small-volume evaporator 9a. Accordingly, the refrigerant circuit 2 does not include a solenoid valve 10 capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Therefore, when a cooling request is made to the small-volume evaporator 9a, refrigerant flows to both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b, regardless of whether a cooling request is made to the large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, even when a cooling request is made only to the small-volume evaporator 9a, refrigerant also flows through the path on the large-volume evaporator 9b side. This reduces the amount of excess refrigerant, thereby enabling the volume of the liquid storage unit 7 to be reduced. Furthermore, since an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant does not accumulate in the condenser 6, an excessive increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 5 to the condenser 6 is prevented, and shortening of the compressor's life and deterioration of its performance can be prevented.

[0077] (2) In the first embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, and the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. This illustrates a specific configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 of the first embodiment.

[0078] (3) In the first embodiment, when the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool but the large-volume evaporator 9b is not, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to control the refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. This allows refrigerant to flow through the path on the large-volume evaporator 9b side even when only the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool. This reduces the amount of surplus refrigerant and allows the volume of the liquid storage section 7 to be reduced. Furthermore, because an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant does not accumulate in the condenser 6, an excessive increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant is prevented, thereby preventing a shortened service life and a deterioration in performance of the compressor 5.

[0079] (4) In the first embodiment, when there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a but not for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU executes control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b using the blower 3. This prevents liquid-phase refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 5 because heat exchange occurs in the large-volume evaporator 9b. This prevents a shortened service life and performance degradation of the compressor 5.

[0080] (5) In the first embodiment, when the state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool and the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool changes from a state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to a state where the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Thus, even when the state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool changes from a state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to cool, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b, thereby allowing heat exchange to continue in the large-volume evaporator 9b. This prevents liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 5 from the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0081] (6) In the first embodiment, when the state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool and the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool changes from a state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to a state where the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU executes control to reduce the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. According to this, even when the state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool changes from a state where the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to a state where the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to cool, if the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b, thereby allowing heat exchange to continue in the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, by executing control to reduce the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b, it is possible to prevent the passenger's feeling of discomfort from being adversely affected.

[0082] (7) In the first embodiment, when the state changes from one in which there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a and no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b to another in which there is a cooling request, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. According to this, if there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, regardless of whether there is a cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3 continues to be executed, and heat exchange continues in the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0083] (8) In the first embodiment, when the state changes from a state where there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b and a state where there is no cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state where there is a cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to cause refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU starts control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. According to this, even if there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, when the state changes from a state where there is no cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state where there is a cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3 is started, and heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b is started.

[0084] (9) In the first embodiment, when the state changes from a state in which there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b and a state in which there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state in which there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5 and also stops control of supplying air to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. According to this, when there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b and the state changes from a state in which there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state in which there is no cooling request for all evaporators 9, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5 and the blower 3 to prevent unnecessary cooling.

[0085] (10) In the first embodiment, when there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a but not for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the solenoid valve 10 to allow refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU controls the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3 to be equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU. According to this, when there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, even when there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the blower 3 supplies air to the large-volume evaporator 9b, and heat exchange occurs in the large-volume evaporator 9b. By setting the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b to be equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature. In some vehicles, in order to improve the temperature detection accuracy of the interior sensor, the blower 3 is operated at a very low output level that does not cause a deterioration in passenger comfort even when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling. In such vehicles, the airflow rate of the blower 3 that is operated when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling is also included in the "airflow rate equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU."

[0086] (11) In the first embodiment, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is larger than the sum of the internal volumes of the small-volume evaporator 9a and the liquid storage section 7. That is, the internal volume of the liquid storage section 7 can be made smaller than the difference between the internal volumes of the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Therefore, this is effective when the volume of the liquid storage section 7 cannot be made large.

[0087] (12) In the first embodiment, the large-volume evaporator 9b is an air-conditioning evaporator used for air-conditioning the vehicle interior, and supplies air cooled by heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the large-volume evaporator 9b and the air into the vehicle interior to cool the vehicle interior, which is the space to be cooled. According to this, an example of the large-volume evaporator 9b is an air-conditioning evaporator that cools the vehicle interior, which is the space to be cooled.

[0088] (13) In the first embodiment, the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit is the blower 3 that supplies air as an external fluid to the large-volume evaporator 9 b and supplies the air cooled by the large-volume evaporator 9 b into the vehicle cabin. According to this, the blower 3 is exemplified as the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit.

[0089] (14) In the first embodiment, the small-volume evaporator 9 a is a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) that cools the coolant by exchanging heat between the coolant for cooling the equipment to be cooled mounted on the vehicle and the refrigerant flowing through the small-volume evaporator 9 a. According to this, the small-volume evaporator 9 a is exemplified by a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller).

[0090] (15) In the first embodiment, the cooling target device cooled by the small-volume evaporator 9 a is a battery mounted on a vehicle. According to this, the cooling target device cooled by the small-volume evaporator 9 a is exemplified by a battery mounted on a vehicle.

[0091] Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except for the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2, and therefore only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 11 , the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the second embodiment is an air conditioning unit equipped with two refrigerant circuits 2a and 2b. The configuration of each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a and 2b is the same as the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 described in the first embodiment. That is, the two small-volume evaporators 9a provided in each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a and 2b are both coolant-refrigerant heat exchangers (i.e., chillers) and are used for battery cooling. In addition, the two large-volume evaporators 9b provided in each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a and 2b are both used for air conditioning the vehicle interior.

[0093] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the second embodiment can increase the vehicle interior cooling capacity and the battery cooling capacity by using two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b.

[0094] Third Embodiment A third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 is changed. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0095] 12, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the third embodiment includes one small-volume evaporator 9a and two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c in one refrigerant circuit 2. Specifically, the refrigerant circuit 2 includes a compressor 5, a condenser 6, a liquid storage section 7, three expansion valves 8a, 8b, 8c, three evaporators (i.e., one small-volume evaporator 9a and two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c), and one solenoid valve 10, all connected by refrigerant piping.

[0096] The compressor 5, condenser 6, and liquid storage section 7 are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment. The small-volume evaporator 9a is a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) and is used for battery cooling. On the other hand, the two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c are both used for air conditioning the vehicle cabin. In the third embodiment, of the two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c, the large-volume evaporator 9b is referred to as the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the other large-volume evaporator 9c is referred to as the second large-volume evaporator 9c. Blowers 3a, 3b serving as heat exchange capacity adjustment sections are provided for the first large-volume evaporator 9b and the second large-volume evaporator 9c, respectively.

[0097] In the refrigerant circuit 2, the branch section 12 provided downstream of the liquid storage section 7 is configured by a four-way joint. A small-volume evaporator 9a, a first large-volume evaporator 9b, and a second large-volume evaporator 9c are provided on three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12. That is, the small-volume evaporator 9a, the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second large-volume evaporator 9c are arranged in parallel.

[0098] Specifically, of the three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12, the first branch path 14 is provided with the solenoid valve 10, the first expansion valve 8a, and the small-volume evaporator 9a from the branch section 12 side. Of the three branch paths, the second branch path 15 is provided with the second expansion valve 8b and the first large-volume evaporator 9b from the branch section 12 side. Of the three branch paths, the third branch path 16 is provided with the third expansion valve 8c and the second large-volume evaporator 9c from the branch section 12 side.

[0099] That is, in the refrigerant circuit 2, the "solenoid valve 10, first expansion valve 8a, and small-volume evaporator 9a," the "second expansion valve 8b and first large-volume evaporator 9b," and the "third expansion valve 8c and second large-volume evaporator 9c" are arranged in parallel. The solenoid valve 10 is provided only in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, and the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15 and the third branch path 16 in which the first large-volume evaporator 9b and the second large-volume evaporator 9c are provided.

[0100] Meanwhile, the first junction 13a connecting the piping downstream of the first large-volume evaporator 9b with the piping downstream of the second large-volume evaporator 9c is configured with a three-way joint. The second junction 13b connecting the piping downstream of the first junction 13a with the piping downstream of the small-volume evaporator 9a is also configured with a three-way joint. The first junction 13a, the second junction 13b, and the piping 13c connecting them may be configured with a four-way joint.

[0101] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the third embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the third embodiment can increase the vehicle interior cooling capacity by using the two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c.

[0102] (Fourth embodiment) A fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 is changed. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0103] 13, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourth embodiment includes two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d and one large-volume evaporator 9b in one refrigerant circuit 2. Specifically, the refrigerant circuit 2 includes a compressor 5, a condenser 6, a liquid storage section 7, three expansion valves 8a, 8b, and 8c, three evaporators (i.e., two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d and one large-volume evaporator 9b), and two solenoid valves 10a and 10d, all connected by refrigerant piping.

[0104] The compressor 5, condenser 6, and liquid storage section 7 are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment. The two small-volume evaporators 9a and 9d are coolant-refrigerant heat exchangers (i.e., chillers) and are used for cooling the battery and the driving inverter, respectively. On the other hand, the large-volume evaporator 9b is used for air conditioning the vehicle cabin. In the fourth embodiment, of the two small-volume evaporators 9a and 9d, the one used for cooling the battery, for example, is referred to as the first small-volume evaporator 9a, and the one used for cooling the driving inverter, for example, is referred to as the second small-volume evaporator 9d. The first small-volume evaporator 9a and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are not limited to their intended uses and may also be used to cool various heat-generating devices mounted on the vehicle, such as an ECU for an ADAS, a DC-DC converter, a driving motor, or an engine.

[0105] In the refrigerant circuit 2, the branch section 12 provided downstream of the liquid storage section 7 is configured by a four-way joint. A first small-volume evaporator 9a, a large-volume evaporator 9b, and a second small-volume evaporator 9d are provided in each of three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12. That is, the first small-volume evaporator 9a, the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are arranged in parallel.

[0106] Specifically, of the three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12, a first branch path 14 is provided with a first small volume solenoid valve 10a, a first expansion valve 8a, and a first small volume evaporator 9a, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a second branch path 15 is provided with a second expansion valve 8b and a large volume evaporator 9b, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a third branch path 16 is provided with a second small volume solenoid valve 10d, a third expansion valve 8c, and a second small volume evaporator 9d, arranged from the branch section 12 side.

[0107] That is, in the refrigerant circuit 2, the "first small-volume solenoid valve 10a, first expansion valve 8a, and first small-volume evaporator 9a," the "second expansion valve 8b and large-volume evaporator 9b," and the "second small-volume solenoid valve 10d, third expansion valve 8c, and second small-volume evaporator 9d" are arranged in parallel. The solenoid valves 10a and 10d are provided in the first branch path 14 in which the first small-volume evaporator 9a is provided and the third branch path 16 in which the second small-volume evaporator 9d is provided, but no solenoid valve 10 is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided.

[0108] Meanwhile, the first junction 13a connecting the pipe downstream of the first small-volume evaporator 9a with the pipe downstream of the large-volume evaporator 9b is configured with a three-way joint. The second junction 13b connecting the pipe downstream of the first junction 13a with the pipe downstream of the second small-volume evaporator 9d is also configured with a three-way joint. Note that the first junction 13a, the second junction 13b, and the pipe connecting them with the pipe 13c may be configured with a four-way joint.

[0109] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourth embodiment can cool various heat-generating devices such as a driving inverter in addition to cooling the battery using the two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d.

[0110] Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth embodiment does not limit the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b of the refrigerant circuit 2 compared to the first embodiment, and is otherwise similar to the first embodiment. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0111] 14, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fifth embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the first embodiment. However, in the fifth embodiment, the configurations and uses of the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b are not limited.

[0112] In the fifth embodiment, the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a is also smaller than the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, and the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. Therefore, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating, refrigerant always flows through the second branch path 15, regardless of the opening / closing operation of the solenoid valve 10, and heat exchange occurs in the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0113] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the fifth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the first embodiment.

[0114] Sixth Embodiment A sixth embodiment will be described. In the sixth embodiment, the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 c of the refrigerant circuit 2 are not limited to those of the third embodiment, and the remaining features are the same as those of the third embodiment. Therefore, only the differences from the third embodiment will be described.

[0115] 15, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the sixth embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the third embodiment. However, in the sixth embodiment, the configurations and uses of the small-volume evaporator 9a, the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second large-volume evaporator 9c are not limited.

[0116] In the sixth embodiment, the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a is also smaller than the internal volumes of the first and second large-volume evaporators 9b and 9c. That is, the relationship is "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c." In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, but the solenoid valves 10 are not provided in the second and third branch paths 15 and 16 in which the first and second large-volume evaporators 9b and 9c are provided, respectively. Therefore, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating, refrigerant always flows through the second and third branch paths 15 and 16, regardless of the opening and closing operation of the solenoid valve 10, and heat exchange occurs in the first and second large-volume evaporators 9b and 9c.

[0117] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the sixth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the third embodiment.

[0118] Seventh Embodiment A seventh embodiment will be described. The seventh embodiment does not limit the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 d of the refrigerant circuit 2 compared to the fourth embodiment, and the rest is the same as the fourth embodiment, so only the parts that are different from the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0119] 16, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the seventh embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the fourth embodiment. However, in the seventh embodiment, the configurations and uses of the first small-volume evaporator 9a, the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are not limited.

[0120] In the seventh embodiment, the internal volumes of the first small-volume evaporator 9a and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are also smaller than the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, the internal volume of the first small-volume evaporator 9a = the internal volume of the second small-volume evaporator 9d < the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, solenoid valves 10a and 10d are provided in the first branch path 14, which includes the first small-volume evaporator 9a, and the third branch path 16, which includes the second small-volume evaporator 9d. However, no solenoid valve 10 is provided in the second branch path 15, which includes the large-volume evaporator 9b. Therefore, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating, refrigerant always flows through the second branch path 15, and heat exchange occurs in the large-volume evaporator 9b, regardless of the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 10a and 10d.

[0121] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the seventh embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the fourth embodiment.

[0122] Eighth Embodiment An eighth embodiment will be described. The eighth embodiment is different from the sixth and seventh embodiments in that the configuration of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 e of the refrigerant circuit 2 is changed, but the remaining configuration is the same as the sixth and seventh embodiments. Therefore, only the differences from the sixth and seventh embodiments will be described.

[0123] 17, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the eighth embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the sixth and seventh embodiments. However, in the eighth embodiment, the three evaporators 9a, 9e, and 9b are a small-volume evaporator 9a, a medium-volume evaporator 9e, and a large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, the relationship is "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e < internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b."

[0124] The small-volume evaporator 9a is provided in the first branch path 14, the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided in the second branch path 15, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided in the third branch path 16. In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the third branch path 16 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided, or in the second branch path 15 in which the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided. In the eighth embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 is provided only in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided. Therefore, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating, refrigerant always flows through the second branch path 15 and the third branch path 16, regardless of the opening / closing operation of the solenoid valve 10, and heat exchange occurs between the medium-volume evaporator 9e and the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0125] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature regulator 1 of the eighth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the first to seventh embodiments.

[0126] Ninth Embodiment A ninth embodiment will be described. In the ninth embodiment, the configuration of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 e of the refrigerant circuit 2 is changed from that of the sixth and seventh embodiments, but the rest is the same as that of the sixth and seventh embodiments. Therefore, only the parts that are different from the sixth and seventh embodiments will be described.

[0127] 18, the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the ninth embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the sixth and seventh embodiments. However, in the ninth embodiment, the three evaporators 9a, 9b, and 9e are a small-volume evaporator 9a, a medium-volume evaporator 9e, and a large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, the relationship is "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e < internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b."

[0128] The small-volume evaporator 9a is provided in the first branch path 14, the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided in the second branch path 15, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided in the third branch path 16. In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the third branch path 16 where the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. In the ninth embodiment, the solenoid valves 10a and 10e are provided in the first branch path 14 where the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided and the second branch path 15 where the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided. Therefore, when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating, refrigerant always flows through the second branch path 15, regardless of the opening / closing operation of the solenoid valve 10, and heat exchange occurs in the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0129] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the ninth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the first to seventh embodiments.

[0130] Tenth Embodiment A tenth embodiment will be described. The present disclosure is effective when the volume of the reservoir 7 (i.e., the receiver or accumulator 7a) cannot be ensured. Therefore, in the tenth embodiment, examples (A) to (H) of preferable positions for installing the solenoid valve 10 in the configurations described in the above embodiments will be described.

[0131] (A) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 19 is the same as that described in the fifth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, it is preferable to install the solenoid valve 10 only in the first branch path 14 where the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0132] (B) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 20 is the same as that described in the seventh embodiment, except for the solenoid valve 10. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship: "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a = internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7." In this case, it is advisable to install the solenoid valve 10 only in the first branch path 14 in which the first small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0133] (C) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 21 is also the same as that described in the seventh embodiment, except for the solenoid valve 10. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship: "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a = internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d + internal volume of liquid storage section 7." In this case, it is advisable to install the solenoid valve 10 only in the third branch path 16 in which the second small-volume evaporator 9d is provided.

[0134] (D) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 22 is the same as that described in the seventh embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 necessarily satisfies the relationship "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7 = internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d + internal volume of liquid storage section 7." In this case, the solenoid valves 10a, 10d may be installed in the first branch path 14 in which the first small-volume evaporator 9a is provided and in the third branch path 16 in which the second small-volume evaporator 9d is provided.

[0135] (E) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 23 is the same as that described in the sixth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship: "internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c > internal volume of the first small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the solenoid valve 10 is preferably installed in the first branch path 14 in which the first small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0136] (F) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 24 is the same as that described in the eighth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7." In this case, it is preferable to install the solenoid valve 10 in the first branch path 14 where the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0137] (G) Furthermore, the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 24 has the relationship of "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, too, it is preferable to install the solenoid valve 10 in the first branch path 14 where the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0138] (H) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 25 is the same as that described in the ninth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e + internal volume of liquid storage section 7." In this case, the solenoid valve 10e should be installed in the second branch path 15 in which the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided. Furthermore, in this case, the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7" is necessarily established, so the solenoid valve 10a should be installed in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided.

[0139] Even when four or more evaporators 9 are provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, the solenoid valves 10 are installed based on the above concepts (A) to (H).

[0140] An eleventh embodiment will be described. The eleventh embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that a solenoid valve 10b is added and the control method by the ECU is changed. Therefore, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0141] 26, the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2 in the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the eleventh embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment, except for the solenoid valve. Note that a signal is input to the ECU from a temperature sensor 30 that detects the outside air temperature.

[0142] In the first embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid valve 10 is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, and the solenoid valve 10 is not provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided.

[0143] In contrast, in the eleventh embodiment, as shown in Fig. 26 , solenoid valves 10a, 10b are provided in both the first branch path 14 and the second branch path 15, respectively. The solenoid valve 10a provided upstream of the small-volume evaporator 9a is referred to as the "small-volume side solenoid valve 10a," and the solenoid valve 10b provided upstream of the large-volume evaporator 9b is referred to as the "large-volume side solenoid valve 10b." The small-volume side solenoid valve 10a operates in response to a command from the ECU and can allow or block the flow of refrigerant in the first branch path 14. The large-volume side solenoid valve 10b also operates in response to a command from the ECU and can allow or block the flow of refrigerant in the second branch path 15.

[0144] In the eleventh embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is much larger than the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a. When performing battery cooling-only operation using the small-volume evaporator 9a, the amount of refrigerant required for battery cooling is small. In the eleventh embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the internal volumes of the liquid storage section 7 and each evaporator 9 satisfy the relationship "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." Therefore, when performing battery cooling using the small-volume evaporator 9a, closing the large-volume solenoid valve 10b causes excess liquid-phase refrigerant for battery cooling to accumulate inside the condenser 6.

[0145] However, in the eleventh embodiment, when the small-volume evaporator 9a is used for battery cooling, the ECU closes the large-volume solenoid valve 10b to block the flow of refrigerant through the second branch path 15 only when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold and there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b. Even if an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant surplus to battery cooling accumulates in the condenser 6, the low outside air temperature suppresses a pressure increase in the high-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the refrigerant outlet of the compressor 5 to the condenser 6 during operation of the refrigerant circuit 2. This prevents a shortened service life of the compressor 5 or a degradation in the performance of the compressor 5. The predetermined threshold used by the ECU to determine whether to close the large-volume solenoid valve 10b is set to a value that suppresses a pressure increase in the high-pressure refrigerant even when an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant surplus to battery cooling accumulates in the condenser 6. This value is determined in advance through experiments or the like and stored as a predetermined threshold in the ECU's memory.

[0146] On the other hand, when the small-volume evaporator 9a is used for battery cooling, if the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b to allow refrigerant to flow through the second branch path 15, regardless of whether cooling is required for the large-volume evaporator 9b. This allows refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, when the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold, even if cooling is required only for the small-volume evaporator 9a, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, allowing refrigerant to flow through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. This prevents excessive accumulation of liquid-phase refrigerant in the condenser 6, preventing excessive increases in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant and shortening the life and performance of the compressor 5. Furthermore, this reduces excess refrigerant during operation of the refrigerant circuit 2, allowing the volume of the liquid storage section 7 to be reduced.

[0147] In the following description, the control by the ECU to prevent the solenoid valve 10 from closing the flow path when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold will be referred to as "non-blocking control." In other words, non-blocking control is control by the ECU to keep the solenoid valve 10 open at all times when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold. Note that when the outside air temperature is lower than the predetermined threshold, the ECU controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 10 that is the target of non-blocking control in accordance with a cooling request for the evaporator 9 provided downstream of the solenoid valve 10 that is the target of non-blocking control.

[0148] In the eleventh embodiment, the ECU executes non-blocking control on the large volume side solenoid valve 10b. In Fig. 26, the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control is shown hatched, although not in cross section, to make it easier to understand, among the multiple solenoid valves 10 provided in the refrigerant circuit 2. This also applies to each drawing referred to in each embodiment described later.

[0149] <Control Process Executed by the ECU of the Eleventh Embodiment> Next, the control process executed by the ECU provided in the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the eleventh embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 27. This control process is repeatedly executed at predetermined control time intervals after a running switch such as an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on.

[0150] First, in step S10, the ECU determines whether or not there is an air conditioning request. If it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S20. Next, in step S20, the ECU determines whether or not there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined in step S20 that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S20), the process proceeds to step S30.

[0151] In step S30, the ECU executes the "air-conditioning + battery cooling operation." At this time, the ECU turns on the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, the condenser fan 11, opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, and also opens the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. This causes heat exchange to occur in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. That is, the air supplied to the vehicle cabin is cooled by the heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b, thereby cooling the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20 is cooled by the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a, thereby cooling the battery.

[0152] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES judgment in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S20 that there is no battery cooling request (i.e., a NO judgment in step S20), the processing proceeds to step S40.

[0153] In step S40, the ECU executes the cooling operation. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, turns on the blower 3, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, and closes the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. As a result, heat exchange is performed only in the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the passenger compartment is cooled.

[0154] If it is determined in step S10 that there is no air conditioning request (i.e., a NO determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, the ECU determines whether there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S50), the process proceeds to step S55.

[0155] In step S55, the ECU determines whether the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined in step S55 that the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value (i.e., if the determination in step S55 is YES), the process proceeds to step S60.

[0156] In step S60, the ECU executes the "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation." At this time, the ECU turns on the water pump 21, the blower 3 in the above-described Low drive mode, the compressor 5, the condenser fan 11, the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. This causes heat exchange in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Because the blower 3 is driven in Low drive mode during heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b, the occupant does not experience any deterioration in the cooling sensation. Furthermore, the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a cools the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20, thereby cooling the battery.

[0157] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S55 that the outside air temperature is lower than the predetermined threshold value (i.e., if the determination in step S55 is NO), the process proceeds to step S65.

[0158] In step S65, the ECU executes "battery cooling only operation." At this time, the ECU turns on the water pump 21, turns off the blower 3, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, closes the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, and opens the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. This causes heat exchange only in the small-volume evaporator 9a, cooling the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20 to perform battery cooling. In this case, as described above, even if a large amount of liquid-phase refrigerant surplus to battery cooling accumulates in the condenser 6, the low outside air temperature prevents an increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant. This prevents a shortened life span of the compressor 5 or a degradation in the performance of the compressor 5. Furthermore, by stopping heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b when the outside air temperature is low and no cooling is required from the large-volume evaporator 9b, passenger comfort can be prevented.

[0159] Also, if it is determined in step S10 that there is no air conditioning request (i.e., NO in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S50 that there is also no battery cooling request (i.e., NO in step S50), processing proceeds to step S70.

[0160] In step S70, the ECU stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, and the condenser fan 11. This stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2.

[0161] The "secret cooling + battery cooling operation" described in step S60 above can be rephrased as a case where the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and there is a cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a. In this case, as described above, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to control refrigerant to flow to both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Furthermore, the ECU reduces the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3, which functions as a heat exchange capacity adjuster. Specifically, the blower 3's airflow rate is set to the lowest flow rate (i.e., blower low drive) or lower among the flow rate settings configured in the ECU to prevent the occupants from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature.

[0162] Furthermore, the "battery cooling only operation" described in step S65 above can be rephrased as a case where the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold, there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and there is a cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a. In this case, as described above, the ECU executes control to drive the compressor 5, close the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, and open the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to block the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator 9b and allow refrigerant to flow to the small-volume evaporator 9a. This stops heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b when the outside air temperature is low and there is no cooling demand, thereby preventing the passengers from feeling uncomfortable.

[0163] <Control processing performed by the ECU when the operating state is switched> Next, we will explain the control processing performed by the ECU when the five operating states described above (i.e., [air conditioning + battery cooling operation], [air conditioning operation], [secret air conditioning + battery cooling operation], [battery cooling only operation], and [stopped]) are switched.

[0164] First, we will explain the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state switches from "Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation." This can be rephrased as a case where the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to cool. In this case, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to flow refrigerant to both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Furthermore, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, the ECU reduces the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. Specifically, the blower 3's airflow rate is set to the lowest flow rate set by the ECU (i.e., blower low drive) or lower to prevent the occupant from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature.

[0165] Next, the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" will be described. In other words, this is a case where the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, and the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool, while the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool. In this case, the ECU drives the compressor 5 and opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to allow refrigerant to flow through both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Furthermore, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0166] Next, the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Stop" to "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" will be described. In other words, this is a case where the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to cool, and the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool. In this case, the ECU starts control to drive the compressor 5 and open the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to flow refrigerant to both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a, and also starts control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b using the blower 3.

[0167] Next, we will explain the control process executed by the ECU when the operating state is switched from "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" to "Stopped." In other words, this is a case where the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the small-volume evaporator 9a has changed from a state where there is a cooling demand to a state where there is no cooling demand. In this case, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5 and also stops the blower 3.

[0168] The control processing executed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 11th embodiment described above can also be applied to the control processing executed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 12th to 20th embodiments described below.

[0169] <Effects of Eleventh Embodiment> The vehicle temperature control device 1 of the eleventh embodiment has the following effects. (1) In the eleventh embodiment, the refrigerant circuit 2 is provided with a large-volume solenoid valve 10b capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator 9b and a small-volume solenoid valve 10a capable of blocking the flow of refrigerant to the small-volume evaporator 9a. When the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to be cooled, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is not required to be cooled, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a to allow refrigerant to flow to both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU executes control to drive the blower 3. Therefore, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, even if cooling is required for the small-volume evaporator 9a, refrigerant flows through both the path on the large-volume evaporator 9b side and the path on the small-volume evaporator 9a side, reducing the amount of excess refrigerant and enabling the reduction of the volume of the liquid storage section 7. Furthermore, since an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant does not accumulate in the condenser, an excessive increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant is prevented, and shortening of the lifespan and deterioration of the performance of the compressor 5 can be prevented.

[0170] (2) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold, the small-volume evaporator 9a is requested to cool, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is not requested to cool, the ECU opens the small-volume solenoid valve 10a and closes the large-volume solenoid valve 10b. As a result, the ECU executes control to allow refrigerant to flow to the small-volume evaporator 9a and block the flow of refrigerant to the large-volume evaporator 9b. This prevents an excessive increase in the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant even if an excessive amount of liquid-phase refrigerant accumulates in the condenser 6 when the outside air temperature is lower than the predetermined threshold, thereby preventing a shortened service life and a deterioration in performance of the compressor 5. Furthermore, when the outside air temperature is low and no cooling is requested, the large-volume solenoid valve 10b is closed to stop heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b, thereby preventing a deterioration in the passenger's comfort.

[0171] (3) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, and the cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b changes from a present to a non-present state, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. As a result, the ECU flows refrigerant through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Accordingly, even when the cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b changes from a present to a non-present state, if the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold and there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. This allows heat exchange to continue in the large-volume evaporator 9b. This prevents liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 5 from the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0172] (4) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, and the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. This causes the ECU to flow refrigerant through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU controls the blower 3 to reduce the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Thus, even when the large-volume evaporator 9b is required to cool, if the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold and the small-volume evaporator 9a is required to cool, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. This allows heat exchange to continue in the large-volume evaporator 9b. By controlling the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b to reduce this, the passenger's comfort can be reduced.

[0173] (5) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and a cooling request is made to the small-volume evaporator 9a and a cooling request is made to the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. This causes the ECU to flow refrigerant through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Thus, if the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and a cooling request is made to the small-volume evaporator 9a, the ECU continues to control the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b, regardless of whether a cooling request is made to the large-volume evaporator 9b. Therefore, heat exchange continues in the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0174] (6) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the state changes from no cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a cooling demand, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. As a result, the ECU flows refrigerant through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU starts control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b using the blower 3. According to this, even if there is no cooling demand for the large-volume evaporator 9b, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and the state changes from no cooling demand for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a cooling demand, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b. Furthermore, the ECU starts control to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b using the blower 3.

[0175] (7) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the state changes from a state in which there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state in which there is no cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5, etc. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU stops control of supplying air to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3. According to this, when there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the state changes from a state in which there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a to a state in which there is no cooling request for all evaporators 9, the ECU stops driving the compressor 5 and the blower 3 to prevent unnecessary cooling.

[0176] (8) In the eleventh embodiment, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold, there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, but there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the small-volume solenoid valve 10a. As a result, the ECU flows refrigerant through both the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b. Furthermore, in this case, the ECU controls the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b by the blower 3 to be equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU. According to this, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold and there is a cooling request for the small-volume evaporator 9a, even if there is no cooling request for the large-volume evaporator 9b, the ECU opens the large-volume solenoid valve 10b and controls the blower 3 to supply air to the large-volume evaporator 9b. By setting the amount of air supplied to the large-volume evaporator 9b to be equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling a deterioration in the operating temperature. In some vehicles, in order to improve the temperature detection accuracy of the interior sensor, the blower 3 is operated at a very low output level that does not cause a deterioration in passenger comfort even when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling. In such vehicles, the airflow rate of the blower 3 that is operated when there is no demand for air conditioning or battery cooling is also included in the "airflow rate equal to or lower than the lowest flow rate set in the ECU."

[0177] (9) In the eleventh embodiment, the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b is larger than the sum of the internal volumes of the small-volume evaporator 9a and the liquid storage section 7. That is, the internal volume of the liquid storage section 7 can be made smaller than the difference between the internal volumes of the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. Therefore, this is effective when the volume of the liquid storage section 7 cannot be made large.

[0178] (10) In the eleventh embodiment, the large-volume evaporator 9b is an air-conditioning evaporator used for air-conditioning the interior of a vehicle, and supplies air cooled by heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the large-volume evaporator 9b and the air into the vehicle interior, thereby conditioning the interior of the vehicle, which is a space to be cooled. According to this, the large-volume evaporator 9b is exemplified as an air-conditioning evaporator that air-conditions the interior of the vehicle, which is a space to be cooled.

[0179] (11) In the eleventh embodiment, the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit is a blower 3 that supplies air as an external fluid to the large-volume evaporator 9 b and supplies the air cooled by the large-volume evaporator 9 b into the vehicle cabin. According to this, the blower 3 is exemplified as the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit.

[0180] (12) In the eleventh embodiment, the small-volume evaporator 9 a is a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) that cools the coolant by exchanging heat between the coolant for cooling the equipment to be cooled mounted on the vehicle and the refrigerant flowing through the small-volume evaporator 9 a. According to this, the small-volume evaporator 9 a is exemplified by a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller).

[0181] (13) In the eleventh embodiment, the cooling target device cooled by the small-volume evaporator 9 a is a battery mounted on a vehicle. According to this, the cooling target device cooled by the small-volume evaporator 9 a is exemplified by a battery mounted on a vehicle.

[0182] Twelfth Embodiment A twelfth embodiment will be described. The twelfth embodiment is similar to the eleventh embodiment except for the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2, and therefore only the differences from the eleventh embodiment will be described.

[0183] As shown in Figure 28, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the twelfth embodiment is an air conditioning unit equipped with two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b. The configuration of each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b is the same as the configuration of the refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b described in the eleventh embodiment. That is, the two small-volume evaporators 9a provided in each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b are both coolant-refrigerant heat exchangers (i.e., chillers) and are used for battery cooling. In addition, the two large-volume evaporators 9b provided in each of the two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b are both used for air conditioning the vehicle interior.

[0184] In the twelfth embodiment, in both of the two refrigerant circuits 2, a small volume side solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14, and a large volume side solenoid valve 10b is provided in the second branch path 15. In FIG. 28 , the hatched solenoid valves 10b are the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control. In the twelfth embodiment, the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control are the two large volume side solenoid valves 10b hatched in FIG. 28 . As described in the eleventh embodiment, non-blocking control is control that prevents the solenoid valves 10 from blocking the flow path when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold. In other words, non-blocking control is control that causes the ECU to always open the solenoid valves 10 when the refrigerant circuit 2 is operating when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold. In addition, when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold value, the ECU controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 10 for which non-blocking control is to be performed in accordance with a cooling request for the evaporator 9 located downstream of the solenoid valve 10 for which non-blocking control is to be performed.

[0185] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the twelfth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the eleventh embodiment. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the twelfth embodiment can increase the vehicle interior cooling capacity and the battery cooling capacity by using two refrigerant circuits 2a, 2b.

[0186] (Thirteenth embodiment) A thirteenth embodiment will be described. The thirteenth embodiment is similar to the eleventh embodiment except for the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2, and therefore only the differences from the eleventh embodiment will be described.

[0187] 29, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the thirteenth embodiment includes one small-volume evaporator 9a and two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c in one refrigerant circuit 2. Specifically, the refrigerant circuit 2 includes a compressor 5, a condenser 6, a liquid storage section 7, three expansion valves 8a, 8b, 8c, three evaporators (i.e., one small-volume evaporator 9a and two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c), and three solenoid valves 10a, 10b, 10c, all connected by refrigerant piping.

[0188] The compressor 5, condenser 6, and liquid storage section 7 are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment. The small-volume evaporator 9a is a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., a chiller) and is used for battery cooling. On the other hand, the two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c are both used for air conditioning in the vehicle cabin. Of the two large-volume evaporators 9b, one large-volume evaporator 9b is referred to as the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the other large-volume evaporator 9c is referred to as the second large-volume evaporator 9c. Blowers 3a, 3b serving as heat exchange capacity adjustment sections are provided for the first large-volume evaporator 9b and the second large-volume evaporator 9c, respectively.

[0189] In the refrigerant circuit 2, the branch section 12 provided downstream of the liquid storage section 7 is configured by a four-way joint. A small-volume evaporator 9a, a first large-volume evaporator 9b, and a second large-volume evaporator 9c are provided on three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12. That is, the small-volume evaporator 9a, the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second large-volume evaporator 9c are arranged in parallel.

[0190] Specifically, of the three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12, a first branch path 14 is provided with a small volume side solenoid valve 10a, a first expansion valve 8a, and a small volume evaporator 9a, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a second branch path 15 is provided with a first large volume side solenoid valve 10b, a second expansion valve 8b, and a first large volume evaporator 9b, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a third branch path 16 is provided with a second large volume side solenoid valve 10c, a third expansion valve 8c, and a second large volume evaporator 9c, arranged from the branch section 12 side.

[0191] That is, the refrigerant circuit 2 has "the small volume side solenoid valve 10a, the first expansion valve 8a, and the small volume evaporator 9a," "the first large volume side solenoid valve 10b, the second expansion valve 8b, and the first large volume evaporator 9b," and "the second large volume side solenoid valve 10c, the third expansion valve 8c, and the second large volume evaporator 9c" arranged in parallel. In the thirteenth embodiment, the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control are the first large volume side solenoid valve 10b and the second large volume side solenoid valve 10c, which are hatched in Figure 29.

[0192] The first junction 13a connecting the piping downstream of the first large-volume evaporator 9b with the piping downstream of the second large-volume evaporator 9c is configured with a three-way joint. The second junction 13b connecting the piping downstream of the first junction 13a with the piping downstream of the small-volume evaporator 9a is also configured with a three-way joint. The first junction 13a, the second junction 13b, and the piping 13c connecting them may be configured with a four-way joint.

[0193] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the thirteenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the eleventh embodiment. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted temperature control device 1 of the thirteenth embodiment can increase the vehicle interior cooling capacity by using the two large-volume evaporators 9b, 9c.

[0194] Fourteenth Embodiment A fourteenth embodiment will be described. The fourteenth embodiment is similar to the eleventh embodiment except for the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 2, and therefore only the differences from the eleventh embodiment will be described.

[0195] 30, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourteenth embodiment includes two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d and one large-volume evaporator 9b in one refrigerant circuit 2. Specifically, this refrigerant circuit 2 includes a compressor 5, a condenser 6, a liquid storage section 7, three expansion valves 8a, 8b, and 8c, three evaporators (i.e., two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d and one large-volume evaporator 9b), and three solenoid valves 10a, 10b, and 10d, all connected by refrigerant piping.

[0196] The compressor 5, condenser 6, and liquid storage section 7 are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment. The two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d are coolant-refrigerant heat exchangers (i.e., chillers) and are used, for example, to cool the battery and the driving inverter, respectively. On the other hand, the large-volume evaporator 9b is used for air conditioning the vehicle cabin. Of the two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d, the small-volume evaporator 9a used for cooling the battery is referred to as the first small-volume evaporator 9a, and the small-volume evaporator 9d used for cooling the driving inverter is referred to as the second small-volume evaporator 9d. Note that the first small-volume evaporator 9a and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are not limited to their intended uses and may also be used to cool various heat-generating devices mounted on the vehicle, such as an ECU for an ADAS, a DC-DC converter, a driving motor, or an engine.

[0197] In the refrigerant circuit 2, the branch section 12 provided downstream of the liquid storage section 7 is configured by a four-way joint. A first small-volume evaporator 9a, a large-volume evaporator 9b, and a second small-volume evaporator 9d are provided in each of three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12. That is, the first small-volume evaporator 9a, the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are arranged in parallel.

[0198] Specifically, of the three branch paths extending downstream of the branch section 12, a first branch path 14 is provided with a first small volume side solenoid valve 10a, a first expansion valve 8a, and a first small volume evaporator 9a, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a second branch path 15 is provided with a large volume side solenoid valve 10b, a second expansion valve 8b, and a large volume evaporator 9b, arranged from the branch section 12 side. Further, of the three branch paths, a third branch path 16 is provided with a second small volume side solenoid valve 10d, a third expansion valve 8c, and a second small volume evaporator 9d, arranged from the branch section 12 side.

[0199] That is, the refrigerant circuit 2 has "the first small volume side solenoid valve 10a, the first expansion valve 8a, and the first small volume evaporator 9a," "the large volume side solenoid valve 10b, the second expansion valve 8b, and the large volume evaporator 9b," and "the second small volume side solenoid valve 10d, the third expansion valve 8c, and the second small volume evaporator 9d" arranged in parallel. In the fourteenth embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control is the large volume side solenoid valve 10b, which is hatched in Figure 30.

[0200] Meanwhile, the first junction 13a connecting the pipe downstream of the first small-volume evaporator 9a with the pipe downstream of the large-volume evaporator 9b is configured with a three-way joint. The second junction 13b connecting the pipe downstream of the first junction 13a with the pipe downstream of the second small-volume evaporator 9d is also configured with a three-way joint. Note that the first junction 13a, the second junction 13b, and the pipe connecting them with the pipe 13c may be configured with a four-way joint.

[0201] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourteenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the eleventh embodiment. Furthermore, the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the fourteenth embodiment can cool various heat-generating devices such as a driving inverter in addition to cooling the battery using the two small-volume evaporators 9a, 9d.

[0202] Fifteenth Embodiment A fifteenth embodiment will be described. The fifteenth embodiment does not limit the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b of the refrigerant circuit 2 compared to the eleventh embodiment, and is otherwise similar to the eleventh embodiment. Therefore, only the differences from the eleventh embodiment will be described.

[0203] 31, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 15th embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the 11th embodiment. However, the 15th embodiment does not limit the configurations and uses of the small-volume evaporator 9a and the large-volume evaporator 9b.

[0204] In the fifteenth embodiment, the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a is smaller than the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, the small-volume solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided, and the large-volume solenoid valve 10b is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. In the fifteenth embodiment, as in the eleventh embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control is the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, which is hatched in FIG.

[0205] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the fifteenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the eleventh embodiment.

[0206] Sixteenth Embodiment A sixteenth embodiment will be described. The sixteenth embodiment does not limit the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 c of the refrigerant circuit 2 compared to the thirteenth embodiment, and is otherwise similar to the thirteenth embodiment. Therefore, only the differences from the thirteenth embodiment will be described.

[0207] 32, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 16th embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the 13th embodiment. However, the 16th embodiment does not limit the configurations and uses of the small-volume evaporator 9a, the first large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second large-volume evaporator 9c.

[0208] In the sixteenth embodiment, the internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a is also smaller than the internal volumes of the first large-volume evaporator 9b and the second large-volume evaporator 9c. That is, the relationship is "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c." In this case, a small-volume solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided. A first large-volume solenoid valve 10b is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the first large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. A second large-volume solenoid valve 10c is provided in the third branch path 16 in which the second large-volume evaporator 9c is provided. In the sixteenth embodiment, as in the thirteenth embodiment, the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control are the first large-volume solenoid valve 10b and the second large-volume solenoid valve 10c, which are hatched in FIG.

[0209] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the sixteenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the thirteenth embodiment.

[0210] (Seventeenth embodiment) A seventeenth embodiment will be described. The seventeenth embodiment does not limit the configuration and use of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 d of the refrigerant circuit 2 compared to the fourteenth embodiment, and is otherwise similar to the fourteenth embodiment. Therefore, only the differences from the fourteenth embodiment will be described.

[0211] 33, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the seventeenth embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the fourteenth embodiment. However, the seventeenth embodiment does not limit the configurations and uses of the first small-volume evaporator 9a, the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the second small-volume evaporator 9d.

[0212] In the seventeenth embodiment, the internal volumes of the first small-volume evaporator 9a and the second small-volume evaporator 9d are also smaller than the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, the internal volume of the first small-volume evaporator 9a = the internal volume of the second small-volume evaporator 9d < the internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b. In this case, a first small-volume solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the first small-volume evaporator 9a is provided. A large-volume solenoid valve 10b is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. A second small-volume solenoid valve 10d is provided in the third branch path 16 in which the second small-volume evaporator 9d is provided. In the seventeenth embodiment, as in the fourteenth embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control is the large-volume solenoid valve 10b, which is hatched in FIG. 33 .

[0213] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the seventeenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the fourteenth embodiment.

[0214] (Eighteenth embodiment) An eighteenth embodiment will be described. The eighteenth embodiment is different from the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments in the configuration of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 e of the refrigerant circuit 2, but is otherwise similar to the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments. Therefore, only the differences from the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments will be described.

[0215] As shown in Figure 34, the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 18th embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the 16th and 17th embodiments. However, in the 18th embodiment, the three evaporators 9 are a small-volume evaporator 9a, a medium-volume evaporator 9e, and a large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, there is a relationship of "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e < internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b."

[0216] The small-volume evaporator 9a is provided in the first branch path 14, the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided in the second branch path 15, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided in the third branch path 16. In this case, a small-volume side solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided. Furthermore, a medium-volume side solenoid valve 10e is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided. Furthermore, a large-volume side solenoid valve 10b is provided in the third branch path 16 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. In the eighteenth embodiment, the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control are the medium-volume side solenoid valve 10e and the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b, which are hatched in FIG.

[0217] The above-described configuration of the vehicle-mounted temperature regulator 1 of the eighteenth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the eleventh to seventeenth embodiments.

[0218] Nineteenth Embodiment A nineteenth embodiment will be described. The nineteenth embodiment is similar to the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments in other respects except for the configuration of the evaporators 9 a, 9 b, and 9 e of the refrigerant circuit 2, and therefore only the differences from the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments will be described.

[0219] As shown in Figure 35, the in-vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 19th embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the 16th and 17th embodiments. However, in the 19th embodiment, the three evaporators 9 are a small-volume evaporator 9a, a medium-volume evaporator 9e, and a large-volume evaporator 9b. That is, there is a relationship of "internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a < internal volume of the medium-volume evaporator 9e < internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b."

[0220] The small-volume evaporator 9a is provided in the first branch path 14, the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided in the second branch path 15, and the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided in the third branch path 16. In this case, a small-volume side solenoid valve 10a is provided in the first branch path 14 in which the small-volume evaporator 9a is provided. Also, a medium-volume side solenoid valve 10e is provided in the second branch path 15 in which the medium-volume evaporator 9e is provided. Also, a large-volume side solenoid valve 10b is provided in the third branch path 16 in which the large-volume evaporator 9b is provided. In the nineteenth embodiment, the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control is the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b, which is hatched in FIG.

[0221] The above-described configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the 19th embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the 11th to 17th embodiments.

[0222] (Twentieth Embodiment) A twentieth embodiment will be described. The present disclosure is effective when the volume of the reservoir 7 (i.e., the receiver or accumulator 7a) cannot be ensured. Therefore, in the twentieth embodiment, examples (A) to (H) of the solenoid valve 10 in which it is preferable for the ECU to execute non-blocking control in the configurations described in the above embodiments will be described.

[0223] (A) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 36 is the same as that described in the fifteenth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b hatched in Fig. 36 may be the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0224] (B) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 37 is the same as that described in the seventeenth embodiment, except for the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship: "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a = internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b and the second small-volume side solenoid valve 10d, which are hatched in Figure 37, may be the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0225] (C) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 38 is also the same as that described in the seventeenth embodiment, except for the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship: "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of first small-volume evaporator 9a = internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of second small-volume evaporator 9d + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b and the first small-volume side solenoid valve 10a, which are hatched in Fig. 38, may be the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0226] (D) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 39 is the same as that described in the seventeenth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 necessarily has the relationship "internal volume of the large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of the first small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7 = internal volume of the second small-volume evaporator 9d + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b hatched in Fig. 39 may be the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0227] (E) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 40 is the same as that described in the sixteenth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c > internal volume of the first small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of the first large-volume evaporator 9b = internal volume of the second large-volume evaporator 9c > internal volume of the small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the first large-volume side solenoid valve 10b and the second large-volume side solenoid valve 10c, which are hatched in Fig. 40, may be the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU performs non-blocking control.

[0228] (F) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 41 is the same as that described in the nineteenth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b hatched in Fig. 41 may be the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0229] (G) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Fig. 42 is the same as that described in the 18th embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of the liquid storage section 7." In this case, the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b and the medium-volume side solenoid valve 10e, which are hatched in Fig. 42, may be the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU performs non-blocking control.

[0230] (H) The refrigerant circuit 2 shown in Figure 43 is the same as that described in the nineteenth embodiment. The configuration of this refrigerant circuit 2 has the relationship of "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a" and "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of medium-volume evaporator 9e + internal volume of liquid storage section 7". Furthermore, in this case, the relationship inevitably becomes "internal volume of large-volume evaporator 9b > internal volume of small-volume evaporator 9a + internal volume of liquid storage section 7". In that case, it is preferable that the large-volume side solenoid valve 10b hatched in Figure 43 be the solenoid valve 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control.

[0231] In addition, even when four or more evaporators 9 are provided in the refrigerant circuit 2, the solenoid valves 10 for which the ECU executes non-blocking control are installed based on the above concepts (A) to (H).

[0232] (Twenty-first embodiment) A twenty-first embodiment will be described below. In the twenty-first embodiment, a part of the control process executed by the ECU is changed from the first embodiment.

[0233] The configuration of the in-vehicle temperature regulator 1 of the 21st embodiment is assumed to be the same as that of the first embodiment. In the 21st embodiment, the control process executed by the ECU will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 44. This control process is repeatedly executed at predetermined control time intervals after a running switch such as an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on.

[0234] First, in step S10, the ECU determines whether or not there is an air conditioning request. If it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S20. Next, in step S20, the ECU determines whether or not there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined in step S20 that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S20), the process proceeds to step S30.

[0235] In step S30, the ECU executes the "air-conditioning + battery cooling operation." At this time, the ECU turns on the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, the condenser fan 11, and opens the solenoid valve 10. This causes heat exchange to occur in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. As described above, the heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b cools the air supplied to the vehicle cabin, thereby cooling the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a cools the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20, thereby cooling the battery.

[0236] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that there is an air conditioning request (i.e., a YES judgment in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S20 that there is no battery cooling request (i.e., a NO judgment in step S20), the processing proceeds to step S40.

[0237] In step S40, the ECU executes the cooling operation. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, turns on the blower 3, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, and closes the solenoid valve 10. As a result, heat exchange is performed only in the large-volume evaporator 9b, and the vehicle interior is cooled.

[0238] If it is determined in step S10 that there is no air conditioning request (i.e., a NO determination in step S10), the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, the ECU determines whether there is a battery cooling request. If it is determined that there is a battery cooling request (i.e., a YES determination in step S50), the process proceeds to step S61.

[0239] In step S61, the ECU executes the "secret cooling + battery cooling operation." In the 21st embodiment, the "secret cooling + battery cooling operation" ECU turns on the water pump 21, turns off (i.e., stops driving) the blower 3, turns on the compressor 5, turns on the condenser fan 11, and opens the solenoid valve 10. This causes heat exchange to occur in both the large-volume evaporator 9b and the small-volume evaporator 9a. During heat exchange in the large-volume evaporator 9b, the blower 3 is turned off (i.e., stopped driving), so the occupant does not experience any deterioration in the cooling sensation. Furthermore, the heat exchange in the small-volume evaporator 9a cools the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit 20, thereby performing battery cooling.

[0240] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that there is no air conditioning request (i.e., NO in step S10), and if it is determined in the subsequent step S50 that there is also no battery cooling request (i.e., NO in step S50), processing proceeds to step S70.

[0241] In step S70, the ECU stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2. At this time, the ECU turns off the water pump 21, the blower 3, the compressor 5, and the condenser fan 11. This stops the operation of the refrigerant circuit 2.

[0242] In the twenty-first embodiment described above, the blower 3 is turned off (i.e., stopped) in the "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" in step S61. This increases the amount of pressure drop in the low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the path from the evaporator 9 to the refrigerant intake port of the compressor 5. However, the control method of the twenty-first embodiment can achieve substantially the same effects as the first to twentieth embodiments.

[0243] In addition, the control processing performed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the 21st embodiment described above can also be applied to the control processing performed by the ECU of the vehicle temperature control device 1 of the second to tenth embodiments described below.

[0244] (Other Embodiments) (1) In the above embodiments, the blower 3 is used as an example of the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit for the large-volume evaporators 9 b and 9 c, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the large-volume evaporators 9 b and 9 c are configured as coolant-refrigerant heat exchangers, the liquid pump that supplies coolant to the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger may serve as the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit. In this case, the liquid pump serving as the heat exchange capacity adjustment unit is driven at low speed or stopped when the "Quiet Cooling + Battery Cooling Operation" is performed.

[0245] (2) In the above embodiments, one large-volume evaporator 9 b, 9 c is provided downstream of one expansion valve, but this is not limiting. For example, multiple large-volume evaporators 9 b, 9 c may be provided in series or in parallel downstream of one expansion valve.

[0246] (3) Although the small-volume evaporators 9 a, 9 d are illustrated as being provided one at a time downstream of one expansion valve, this is not limiting. For example, multiple small-volume evaporators 9 a, 9 d may be provided in series or in parallel downstream of one expansion valve.

[0247] (4) In the above embodiments, the large-volume evaporators 9b and 9c are described as cooling the vehicle interior, but this is not limiting and the large-volume evaporators may be configured to dehumidify the vehicle interior.

[0248] (5) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle in which the on-board temperature control device is installed is described as a bus, but this is not limited thereto. The on-board temperature control device can be installed in various vehicles, such as passenger cars, trucks, and railroad cars.

[0249] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are not unrelated to each other and can be combined as appropriate unless the combination is clearly impossible. It goes without saying that, in each of the above-described embodiments, the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential unless specifically stated as essential or clearly considered essential in principle. Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical value, amount, and range of components of the embodiments are mentioned, they are not limited to the specific number unless specifically stated as essential or clearly limited to a specific number in principle. Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, when the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc. are mentioned, they are not limited to the shape, positional relationship, etc. unless specifically stated or limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc. in principle.

[0250] The controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor configured with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the controller and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions in combination with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.