Heat pump system for a vehicle

Abstract

A heat pump system for a vehicle can regulate the temperature of a battery module by using a chiller that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant by utilizing waste heat generated from an electrical component and improves heating efficiency. The heat pump system includes: a cooling device that circulates the coolant in a coolant line to cool at least one electrical component disposed in the coolant line; a battery cooling device that circulates the coolant to the battery module; a chiller that exchanges heat between the coolant and the refrigerant to control the coolant temperature; a heating device that heats the interior of the vehicle using the coolant; and a first connection line, a second connection line, a third connection line, and a fourth connection line.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2020 - 0081039, filed on July 1, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle, which regulates the temperature of a battery module by using a cooler that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant by utilizing waste heat generated from electrical components and improves heating efficiency. Background art

[0004] Generally, an air conditioner for a vehicle includes an air - conditioning system for circulating a coolant to heat or cool the interior of the vehicle.

[0005] Regardless of changes in the external temperature, such an air conditioner maintains a comfortable interior environment of the vehicle by keeping the interior temperature of the vehicle at an appropriate level. In the process where the refrigerant discharged by driving a compressor passes through a condenser, a receiver dryer, an expansion valve, and an evaporator and then circulates back to the compressor, the interior of the vehicle is heated or cooled through heat exchange in the condenser and the evaporator.

[0006] That is, in summer, the air - conditioning system condenses the high - temperature and high - pressure gaseous coolant compressed by the compressor in the cooling mode to reduce the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle through evaporation in the evaporator via the receiver dryer and the expansion valve.

[0007] Meanwhile, in recent years, with the growing concerns about energy efficiency and environmental pollution, there is a need to develop eco - friendly vehicles configured to substantially replace internal combustion engine vehicles. Eco - friendly vehicles are generally fuel - cell vehicles, electric vehicles driven by electricity, or hybrid vehicles driven by an engine and a battery.

[0008] In eco - friendly vehicles, different from the air conditioners of ordinary vehicles, electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles do not use a separate heater, and the air conditioner applied to eco - friendly vehicles is called a heat pump system.

[0009] On the other hand, in the case of an electric vehicle, the chemical reaction energy of oxygen and hydrogen is converted into electrical energy to generate a driving force. In this method, since heat is generated through a chemical reaction in a fuel cell, effectively removing the generated heat is crucial for ensuring the performance of the fuel cell.

[0010] In addition, even in a hybrid vehicle, the electric motor is driven by using electric power supplied from a fuel cell or a battery, and generates driving force together with an engine driven by ordinary fuel. Therefore, the performance of the electric motor can be ensured only by effectively removing heat generated from the fuel cell, battery, and electric motor.

[0011] As a result, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, a battery cooling system needs to be separately formed with a refrigerator and a heat pump system to form a separate sealed circuit to prevent heat generated in the electric motor, electrical components, and battery (including a fuel cell).

[0012] Therefore, the size and weight of a cooling module disposed at the front of the vehicle increase, and the arrangement of connection pipelines for supplying refrigerant and coolant to the heat pump system, refrigerator, and battery cooling system becomes complicated in the engine room.

[0013] In addition, a battery cooling system for heating or cooling a battery according to a vehicle state is separately provided to enable the battery to exhibit optimal performance. As a result, a plurality of valves connected to respective connection pipelines are employed, and noise and vibration caused by frequent opening and closing operations of the valves are transmitted to the interior of the vehicle, thereby reducing riding comfort.

[0014] The information included in the background art section of the present invention is only for enhancing the understanding of the general background of the present invention, and cannot be regarded as an admission or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes the prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0015] Aspects of the present invention aim to provide a heat pump system for a vehicle that adjusts the temperature of a battery module by using a single refrigerator that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant and a coolant by utilizing waste heat generated from electrical components and improves heating efficiency.

[0016] Aspects of the present invention are directed to a heat pump system for a vehicle, the system comprising: a cooling device configured to include a first radiator, a first water pump, a first valve, and a second valve, which are connected by a coolant line and circulate coolant in the coolant line to cool at least one electrical component disposed in the coolant line; a battery cooling device configured to include a battery coolant line connected to the first valve, and a second radiator, a second water pump, and a battery module, which are connected by the battery coolant line to circulate coolant in the battery module; a cooler connected to a first connection line and a second connection line connected to the first valve, the first connection line being connected to the battery coolant line between the second radiator and the battery module, and the cooler being connected to the refrigerant line of the air conditioner by a refrigerant connection line to adjust the temperature of the coolant by heat exchange between the introduced coolant and the refrigerant selectively supplied from the air conditioner; a heating device including a heating line connected to the coolant line through the second valve to heat the interior of the vehicle by using the coolant, a third water pump, and a heater disposed on the heating line; a third connection line having a first end connected to the battery coolant line between the first connection line and the battery module, and a second end connected to the first valve; and a fourth connection line having a first end connected to the cooler and a second end connected to the second valve, such that the coolant that has passed through the electrical component or the heating device through the operation of the second valve is selectively supplied to the cooler.

[0017] The air conditioner may include: an evaporator installed in the refrigerant line; a condenser disposed in the heating line between the second valve and the heater, such that the coolant circulating in the heating device passes through and the coolant circulates therein for heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant line connected to the condenser; a compressor connected between the evaporator and the condenser by the refrigerant line; a heat exchanger disposed in the refrigerant line between the condenser and the evaporator; a first expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant line between the heat exchanger and the evaporator; a second expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant connection line; an accumulator disposed in the refrigerant line between the evaporator and the compressor and connected to the refrigerant connection line; and a third expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant line between the condenser and the heat exchanger.

[0018] Depending on the selective operation of the third expansion valve, the heat exchanger may further condense or evaporate the refrigerant condensed in the condenser by heat exchange with the external air.

[0019] When cooling the battery module with the refrigerant, the second expansion valve may expand the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant connection line to flow to the cooler, and the third expansion valve may selectively expand the refrigerant introduced into the heat exchanger in the heating mode and the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle.

[0020] The first end of the refrigerant connection pipeline can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve, and the second end of the refrigerant connection pipeline can be connected to the accumulator.

[0021] Each of the cooler and the condenser can be a water-cooled heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger can be an air-cooled heat exchanger.

[0022] Relative to the heater arranged between the air heater and the evaporator, the heating device can further include an air heater provided on the opposite side of the evaporator to selectively heat the outside air passing through the heater.

[0023] When the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater is lower than the target temperature for internal heating, the air heater can be operated to raise the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater.

[0024] When the battery module is cooled in the cooling mode of the vehicle, in the cooling device, by the operation of the first water pump, the coolant can circulate in the coolant pipeline; by the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be opened, and the second connection pipeline can be opened; by the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be closed; by the operation of the first valve, the part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the second radiator and the third connection pipeline can be closed; in the battery cooling device, by the operation of the second water pump, the coolant passing through the cooler along the first connection pipeline and the second connection pipeline can be supplied to the battery module along the opened part of the battery coolant pipeline; in the heating device, the coolant pipeline and the heating pipeline can be connected by the operation of the second valve, so as to supply the coolant from the cooling device; in the air conditioner, in the state where the refrigerant connection pipeline is opened by the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant can circulate along the refrigerant pipeline and the refrigerant connection pipeline; the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant, so as to supply the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator and the cooler respectively; and the third expansion valve can make the refrigerant supplied from the condenser flow into the heat exchanger.

[0025] The heating device can supply the coolant supplied from the cooling device to the condenser through the operation of the third water pump, and the condenser can condense the refrigerant through heat exchange with the coolant, and the heat exchanger can further condense the refrigerant introduced from the condenser through heat exchange with the outside air.

[0026] When recovering the waste heat of an external heat source and electrical components in the heating mode of a vehicle, by operating the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be closed, and the second connection pipeline can be opened; by operating the first valve, the third connection pipeline can be closed; by operating the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be opened; in the cooling device, by operating the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator can be closed; after the coolant passes through the cooler along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by operating the first water pump, the coolant passing through the electrical components can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; the battery cooling device can be deactivated; by operating the second valve, the cooling device and the heating device can respectively form independent closed loops; in the heating device, by operating the third water pump, the coolant can circulate along the heating pipeline; in the air conditioner, by operating the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator can be closed; by operating the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline can be opened; the second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; and the third expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

[0027] When recovering the waste heat of an external heat source and a battery module in the heating mode of a vehicle, by operating the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be opened, and the second connection pipeline can be opened; by operating the first valve, the third connection pipeline can be closed; by operating the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be closed; the cooling device can be deactivated; in the battery cooling device, by operating the first valve, the part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the second radiator can be closed; after the coolant passes through the cooler along the first connection pipeline and the second connection pipeline by operating the second water pump, the coolant passing through the battery module can circulate along the open part of the battery coolant pipeline without passing through the second radiator; in the heating device, by operating the third water pump, the coolant can circulate along the heating pipeline; in the air conditioner, by operating the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator can be closed; by operating the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline can be opened; the second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; and the third expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

[0028] When the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle is executed, through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be closed, while the second connection pipeline can be opened; through the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline can be closed; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be opened; in the cooling device, through the operation of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator can be closed; after the coolant passes through the refrigerator along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by the operation of the first water pump, the coolant passing through the electrical components can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; the battery cooling device can be deactivated; through the operation of the second valve, the cooling device and the heating device can respectively form independent closed loops; in the heating device, through the operation of the third water pump, the coolant can circulate along the heating pipeline; in the air conditioner, the refrigerant can circulate along the refrigerant pipeline and the refrigerant connection pipeline opened by the operation of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve respectively; the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant, so that the expanded refrigerant can be supplied to the evaporator and the refrigerator respectively; and the third expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

[0029] When recovering the waste heat of the electrical components and increasing the temperature of the battery module in the heating mode of the vehicle, through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be closed, while the second connection pipeline can be opened; through the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline can be opened; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be opened; in the cooling device, through the operation of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator can be closed; after the coolant passes through the refrigerator along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by the operation of the first water pump, the coolant passing through the electrical components can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; in the battery cooling device, through the operation of the second water pump, the coolant can circulate along a part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the battery module and the opened third connection pipeline; through the operation of the second valve, the cooling device and the heating device can respectively form independent closed loops; in the heating device, through the operation of the third water pump, the coolant can circulate along the heating pipeline; in the air conditioner, through the operation of the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator can be closed; through the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline can be opened; the second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and can supply the expanded refrigerant to the refrigerator; and the third expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

[0030] When using a coolant to cool electrical components and battery modules, through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be closed, and the second and third connection pipelines can be closed; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be closed; through the operation of the first valve, the cooling device and the battery cooling device can respectively form independent closed loops; through the operation of the first water pump, the coolant cooled in the first radiator can be supplied along the coolant pipeline from the first valve to the electrical components; and through the operation of the second water pump, the coolant cooled in the second radiator can be supplied along the battery coolant pipeline from the first valve to the battery module.

[0031] When using the waste heat of electrical components without using the air conditioner in the heating mode of the vehicle, through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline can be closed and the second connection pipeline can be opened; through the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline can be closed; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline can be opened; in the cooling device, through the operation of the first and second valves, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator can be closed; in the heating device, through the operation of the second valve, the heating pipeline can be connected to the coolant pipeline; when passing through the electrical components by the operation of the first water pump, the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the heating pipeline connected to the opened coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; through the operation of the third water pump, the coolant introduced into the heating pipeline can be supplied to the heater; the coolant discharged from the heater can be introduced into the cooler from the second valve along the opened fourth connection pipeline; the coolant discharged from the cooler can be introduced into the first valve along the opened second connection pipeline; and the coolant re-introduced into the first valve can be supplied to the electrical components along the opened coolant pipeline.

[0032] The first end of the first connection pipeline can be connected to the battery coolant pipeline between the second radiator and the battery module, and the second end of the first connection pipeline can be connected to the cooler through the fourth connection pipeline.

[0033] The first end of the second connection pipeline can be connected to the first valve, and the second end of the second connection pipeline can be connected to the cooler.

[0034] In modes other than the mode in which the first and fourth connection pipelines are closed together, the first connection pipeline can be opened or closed contrary to the opening and closing operations of the fourth connection pipeline.

[0035] The first valve can be a six-way valve, and the second valve can be a five-way valve.

[0036] The electrical components can include an electric power control unit (EPCU), or an electric motor, or an inverter, or an autonomous driving controller, or an on-board charger (OBC).

[0037] The battery cooling device may further include a first coolant heater disposed in a battery coolant line between the battery module and the second radiator.

[0038] When the battery module is heated, the first coolant heater may be operated to heat the coolant supplied to the battery module along the battery coolant line.

[0039] The second coolant heater may be disposed in a heating line between the third water pump and the heater.

[0040] When the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater is lower than a target temperature, the second coolant heater may be operated to heat the coolant supplied to the heater along the heating line.

[0041] The first storage tank may be disposed in a coolant line between the first radiator and the first valve, and the second storage tank may be disposed in a battery coolant line between the second radiator and the first valve.

[0042] As described above, according to the heat pump system for a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the temperature of the battery module may be adjusted according to the mode of the vehicle by using one cooler that exchanges heat between the coolant and the refrigerant, and the interior of the vehicle may be heated by using the coolant, thereby simplifying the entire system.

[0043] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the heating efficiency may also be improved by recovering waste heat from electrical components and from the battery module and using the waste heat for interior heating.

[0044] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, waste heat may be recovered from electrical components in the heating mode of the vehicle, and at the same time, the temperature of the battery module may be raised.

[0045] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by effectively controlling the temperature of the battery module, the performance of the battery module may be optimized, and the total driving distance of the vehicle may be increased by effectively managing the battery module.

[0046] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a coolant heater or an air heater may be applied to a heating device that may be used to heat the battery module or assist in interior heating of the vehicle, thereby reducing cost and weight.

[0047] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the heat of external air, waste heat from electrical components, and waste heat from the battery module are selectively used in the heating mode of the vehicle, thereby improving the heating efficiency.

[0048] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by using a condenser and a heat exchanger to increase the condensation or evaporation performance of the refrigerant, the cooling performance can be improved and the power consumption of the compressor can be reduced.

[0049] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by simplifying the entire system, the weight can be reduced, and the space utilization rate can be improved.

[0050] The method and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages, which will be more clearly elucidated or described in more detail in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and in the following detailed description, and together they are used to explain certain principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 A block diagram showing a heat pump system for a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 2 An operating state diagram showing cooling of electrical components and a battery module by using a coolant in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 3 An operating state diagram showing cooling of a battery module by using a refrigerant in a cooling mode of a vehicle in a heat pump system of the vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 4 An operating state diagram showing recovery of external heat and waste heat of electrical components according to a heating mode in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 5 An operating state diagram showing recovery of external heat and waste heat of a battery module according to a heating mode in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 6 An operating state diagram showing recovery of waste heat of electrical components and heating of a battery module according to a heating mode in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] Figure 7 An operating state diagram showing a mode for performing heating by using waste heat of electrical components in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 8 An operating state diagram showing an operating state according to a low-temperature dehumidification mode in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0059] It is understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of various features showing the basic principles of the present invention. Specific design features of the present invention included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the intended application and the use environment.

[0060] In the drawings, throughout several views of the drawings, reference numerals refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0061] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0062] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] The exemplary embodiments described in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but do not limit the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it can be understood that various equivalents and modifications may exist for replacing them at the time of filing this application.

[0064] In order to clarify the present invention, parts irrelevant to the specification will be omitted, and throughout the specification, the same elements or equivalents are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0065] In the drawings, the dimensions and thicknesses of each element are arbitrarily shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and in the drawings, for clarity, the thicknesses of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. are exaggerated.

[0066] Throughout this specification and the appended claims, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of the stated element but not the exclusion of any other element.

[0067] Furthermore, the terms "…… unit", "…… mechanism", "…… part", "…… component", etc. used herein refer to an inclusive assembly unit that performs at least one function or operation.

[0068] Figure 1 A block diagram of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0069] The heat pump system for a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can adjust the temperature of the battery module 24 by using a cooler 30 in which a refrigerant and a coolant exchange heat, and can recover waste heat generated from the electrical components 15 and the battery module 24 to use the waste heat for internal heating.

[0070] Such a heat pump system can be applied to an electric vehicle.

[0071] Referring to Figure 1 , the heat pump system may include a cooling device 10, a battery cooling device 20, a cooler 30, and a heating device 40.

[0072] First, the cooling device 10 includes a first radiator 12 connected to a coolant line 11, a first water pump 14, a first valve V1, a second valve V2, and a first storage tank 16.

[0073] The first radiator 12 is disposed at the front of the vehicle, and a cooling fan 13 is disposed behind the first radiator 12 such that the coolant is cooled by the operation of the cooling fan 13 and exchanges heat with the external air.

[0074] In addition, the electrical components 15 may include a power control unit (EPCU), or an electric motor, or an inverter, or an autonomous driving controller or an on-board charger (OBC).

[0075] The electrical components 15 configured as described above may be disposed in the coolant line 11 so as to be cooled in a water-cooled manner.

[0076] Therefore, when recovering the waste heat of the electrical components 15 in the heating mode of the vehicle, the heat generated from the EPCU, the electric motor, the inverter, the autonomous driving controller or the OBC can be recovered.

[0077] In addition, the first storage tank 16 is disposed on the coolant line 11 between the first radiator 12 and the first valve V1. The coolant cooled in the first radiator 12 can be stored in the first storage tank 16.

[0078] The cooling device 10 can circulate the coolant in the coolant line 11 by the operation of the first water pump 14 such that the coolant is supplied to the electrical components 15 disposed in the coolant line 11.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery cooling device 20 includes a battery coolant line 21 connected to the first valve V1, a second radiator 22, a second water pump 23, and a battery module 24 connected to the battery coolant line 21.

[0080] The battery cooling device 20 can selectively circulate the coolant in the battery module 24 by the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0081] Here, the first water pump 14 and the second water pump 23 may be electric water pumps.

[0082] Meanwhile, the battery cooling device 20 may further include a first coolant heater 26, and the first coolant heater 26 is disposed in a battery coolant pipeline 21 between the battery module 24 and the second radiator 22.

[0083] When it is necessary to raise the temperature of the battery module 24, the first coolant heater 26 is turned on to heat the coolant circulating in the battery coolant pipeline 21, so that the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the battery module 24.

[0084] The first coolant heater 26 may be an electric heater that operates according to the power supply.

[0085] That is to say, when the temperature of the coolant supplied to the battery module 24 is lower than the target temperature, the first coolant heater 26 operates, so that the coolant circulating in the battery coolant pipeline 21 can be heated.

[0086] Therefore, the coolant with an increased temperature when passing through the first coolant heater 26 can be supplied to the battery module 24 to raise the temperature of the battery module 24.

[0087] That is to say, when the temperature of the battery module 24 rises, the first coolant heater 26 can operate selectively.

[0088] Meanwhile, a second storage tank 27 is disposed in the battery coolant pipeline 21 between the second radiator 22 and the first valve Vl. The coolant cooled in the second radiator 22 can be stored in the second storage tank 27.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a cooler 30 is connected to a first connection pipeline 32 and a second connection pipeline 34 connected to the first valve V1, and the first connection pipeline 32 is connected to the battery coolant pipeline 21 between the second radiator 22 and the battery module 24.

[0090] The cooler 30 is connected to a refrigerant pipeline 51 of an air conditioner 50 through a refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0091] As a result, the cooler 30 can adjust the temperature of the coolant by performing heat exchange between the coolant introduced into the cooler 30 and the refrigerant selectively supplied from the air conditioner 50. That is, the cooler 30 may be a water-cooled heat exchanger into which the coolant flows.

[0092] Meanwhile, the heat pump system may further include a third connection pipeline 36 and a fourth connection pipeline 38.

[0093] First, the first end of the third connection pipeline 36 is connected to the battery coolant pipeline 21 between the first connection pipeline 32 and the battery module 24. The second end of the third connection pipeline 36 is connected to the first valve V1.

[0094] When it is necessary to increase the temperature of the battery module 24, the third connection pipeline 36 can be opened by operating the first valve V1.

[0095] The first end of the fourth connection pipeline 38 is connected to the cooler 30. In addition, the second end of the fourth connection pipeline 38 is connected to the second valve V2.

[0096] The fourth connection pipeline 38 can selectively supply the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 or the coolant passing through the heating device 40 to the cooler 30 by operating the second valve V2.

[0097] Meanwhile, the first end of the first connection pipeline 32 is connected to the battery coolant pipeline 21 between the second radiator 22 and the battery module 24. In addition, the second end of the first connection pipeline 32 can be connected to the cooler 30 through the fourth connection pipeline 38.

[0098] The first end of the second connection pipeline 34 is connected to the first valve V1. The second end of the second connection pipeline 34 is connected to the cooler 30.

[0099] Here, in the cooling, heating, and dehumidifying modes of the vehicle, except for the mode of using the coolant to cool the electrical component 15 and the battery module 24, the first connection pipeline 32 can be opened or closed in the opposite way to the opening and closing operations of the fourth connection pipeline 38.

[0100] That is to say, when the first connection pipeline 32 is opened, the fourth connection pipeline 38 is closed. On the other hand, when the fourth connection pipeline 38 is closed, the first connection pipeline 32 can remain open.

[0101] The first connection pipeline 32 and the third connection pipeline 36 can be selectively opened so that the coolant that has passed through the battery module 24 circulates through the battery coolant pipeline 21 through the cooler 30 or the first valve V1 without passing through the second radiator 22.

[0102] As a result, the cooler 30 can adjust the temperature of the coolant by exchanging heat between the coolant selectively supplied through the first connection pipeline 32 or the fourth connection pipeline 38 and the refrigerant selectively supplied from the air conditioner 50.

[0103] The heating device 40 may include a heating pipeline 41, and the heating pipeline can be selectively connected to the coolant pipeline 11 through the second valve V2 to heat the interior of the vehicle by using the coolant and the third water pump 42 and the heater 43 provided on the heating pipeline 41.

[0104] When heating the vehicle interior without using the air conditioner 50, the heating device 40 can connect the coolant line 11 connected to the electrical component 15 and the heating line 41 through the operation of the second valve V2, so as to supply the high-temperature coolant that has passed through the electrical component 15 to the heating line 41.

[0105] Therefore, the high-temperature coolant can be supplied along the heating line 41 to the heater 43.

[0106] That is, the heating device 40 configured as described above supplies the high-temperature coolant introduced from the cooling device 10 to the heating line 41 in the heating mode of the vehicle, or supplies the heated coolant to the heater 43 while circulating through the heating line 41 through the operation of the third water pump 42 to heat the vehicle interior.

[0107] In this article, the third water pump 42 can be an electric water pump.

[0108] Meanwhile, the heater 43 can be arranged inside the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module included in the air conditioner 50.

[0109] Here, a second coolant heater 45 can be arranged in the heating line 41 between the third water pump 42 and the heater 43 to selectively heat the coolant circulating in the heating line 41.

[0110] When the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater 43 in the heating mode of the vehicle is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 starts to operate to heat the coolant circulating in the heating line 41, and the heated coolant flows into the heater 43.

[0111] The second coolant heater 45 can be an electric heater that operates according to the power supply.

[0112] On the other hand, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second coolant heater 45 arranged in the heating line 41 is described. However, it is not limited thereto, and instead of the second coolant heater 45, an air heater 47 that raises the temperature of the external air flowing into the vehicle interior can be applied.

[0113] The air heater 47 can be arranged at the rear of the heater 43 towards the vehicle interior in the HVAC module to selectively heat the external air passing through the heater 43.

[0114] That is to say, either the second coolant heater 45 or the air heater 47 can be applied to the heating device 40.

[0115] In the heating mode of the vehicle, the heating device 40 configured as described above supplies the high-temperature coolant introduced from the cooling device 10 to the heating pipeline 41, or, through the operation of the third water pump 42, supplies the heated coolant to the heater 43 while circulating through the heating pipeline 41 to heat the interior of the vehicle.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the air conditioner 50 includes an HVAC module, a condenser 53, a heat exchanger 54, a first expansion valve 55, an evaporator 56, an accumulator 57, and a compressor 59 connected through a refrigerant pipeline 51.

[0117] First, the HVAC module (not shown) includes an evaporator 56 connected thereto through a refrigerant pipeline 51 and an opening / closing door for controlling the outside air passing through the evaporator 56 according to the cooling mode, heating mode, and heating and dehumidifying mode in the vehicle to selectively introduce it into the heater 43.

[0118] That is, the opening / closing door allows the outside air passing through the evaporator 56 to be introduced into the heater 43 in the heating mode of the vehicle. On the contrary, in the cooling mode of the vehicle, the opening / closing door closes the heater 43 so that the outside air cooled when passing through the evaporator 56 directly flows into the vehicle.

[0119] Here, when the second coolant heater 45 is not provided in the heating device 40, the air heater 47 provided in the HVAC module can be arranged on the opposite side of the evaporator 56, and the heater 43 is placed therebetween.

[0120] When the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature for internal heating, the air heater 47 can be operated to raise the temperature of the outside air flowing into the heater 43.

[0121] On the other hand, when the second coolant heater 45 is not provided in the heating pipeline 41, the air heater 47 can be arranged inside the HVAC module.

[0122] That is, in the heat pump system according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, only one of the second coolant heater 45 and the air heater 47 can be applied.

[0123] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the condenser 53 is connected to the refrigerant pipeline 51 to allow the refrigerant to pass therethrough. The condenser 53 is arranged on the heating pipeline 41 between the second valve V2 and the heater 43 to allow the coolant circulating in the heating device 40 to pass through.

[0124] The condenser 53 can condense the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41. That is to say, the condenser 53 can be a water-cooled heat exchanger into which the coolant flows.

[0125] The condenser 53 constructed as described above can effect heat exchange between the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 59 and the coolant supplied from the heating device 40 to condense the refrigerant.

[0126] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a heat exchanger 54 may be provided in the refrigerant pipeline 51 between the condenser 53 and the evaporator 56.

[0127] A first expansion valve 55 is provided in the refrigerant pipeline 51 between the heat exchanger 54 and the evaporator 56. The first expansion valve 55 receives the refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger 54 to expand it.

[0128] An accumulator 57 is provided in the refrigerant pipeline 51 between the evaporator 56 and the compressor 59 and is connected to the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0129] Such an accumulator 57 improves the efficiency and durability of the compressor 59 by supplying only gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 59.

[0130] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first end of the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 is connected to the refrigerant pipeline 51 between the heat exchanger 54 and the first expansion valve 55. A second end of the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 may be connected to the accumulator 57.

[0131] Herein, the accumulator 57 may supply the gaseous refrigerant of the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 to the compressor 59.

[0132] On the other hand, a second expansion valve 63 is provided in the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, and a third expansion valve 65 may be provided in the refrigerant pipeline 51 between the condenser 53 and the heat exchanger 54.

[0133] When cooling the battery module 24 with the refrigerant, the second expansion valve 63 may expand the refrigerant flowing in through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 to flow into the refrigerator 30.

[0134] Herein, in the heating mode and the heating and dehumidifying mode of the vehicle, when recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15 or the battery module 24, the second expansion valve 63 is operated.

[0135] The second expansion valve 63 may selectively expand the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 to cause the refrigerant to flow into the refrigerator 30.

[0136] That is, the second expansion valve 63 may introduce the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger 54 into the refrigerator 30 in a state where the temperature of the refrigerant is lowered by expanding the refrigerant, so as to further lower the temperature of the coolant passing through the inside of the refrigerator 30.

[0137] As a result, the coolant whose temperature has been lowered when passing through the cooler 30 is introduced into the battery module 24, and thus is cooled more effectively.

[0138] The third expansion valve 65 can selectively expand the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger 54 in the heating mode and the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle.

[0139] In this document, according to the selective operation of the third expansion valve 65, the heat exchanger 54 can further condense or evaporate the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 53 by exchanging heat with the outside air.

[0140] In other words, the heat exchanger 54 is disposed in front of the first radiator 12 so that the coolant that has already flowed therein exchanges heat with the outside air. The heat exchanger 54 can be an air-cooled heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant by using the outside air.

[0141] Meanwhile, when the heat exchanger 54 condenses the refrigerant, the heat exchanger 54 can further condense the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 53 to increase the subcooling of the refrigerant and improve the coefficient of performance (COP), which is a cooling capacity coefficient relative to the power required by the compressor.

[0142] The compressor 59 is connected between the evaporator 56 and the condenser 53 through the refrigerant pipeline 51. This compressor 59 can compress the gaseous refrigerant and supply the compressed refrigerant to the condenser 53.

[0143] The first expansion valve 55, the second expansion valve 63, and the third expansion valve 65 can be electronic expansion valves that selectively expand the refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant through the refrigerant pipeline 51 or the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0144] In addition, the first valve V1 can be a six-way valve, and the second valve V2 can be a five-way valve.

[0145] Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figures 2 to 8 The operation and functions of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to each exemplary embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail.

[0146] First, reference will be made to Figure 2 The operation of cooling the electrical component 15 and the battery module 24 by using the first radiator 12 and the second radiator 22 in the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0147] Figure 2 The operation state diagrams of cooling the electrical component and the battery module by using the coolant in the heat pump system for a vehicle according to each exemplary embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0148] Refer to Figure 2, by operating the first valve V1, the first connection pipeline 32 is closed, and the second connection pipeline 34 and the third connection pipeline 36 are closed.

[0149] By operating the second valve V2, the fourth connection pipeline 38 is closed.

[0150] Here, the cooling device 10 and the battery cooling device 20 can form an independent closed loop, and by operating the first valve V1, each coolant is circulated separately through this closed loop.

[0151] In the current state, in the cooling device 10, the first water pump 14 is operated to cool the electrical components 15.

[0152] Therefore, when the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 by the operation of the first valve V1 and the first water pump 14, the coolant cooled and stored in the first radiator 12 and the first storage tank 16 is supplied to the electrical components 15.

[0153] In the battery cooling device 20, the second water pump 23 is operated to cool the battery module 24.

[0154] Therefore, while circulating in the battery coolant pipeline 21 by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second water pump 23, the coolant cooled and stored in the second radiator 22 and the second storage tank 27 is supplied to the battery module 24.

[0155] That is to say, each coolant cooled and stored in the first radiator 12 and the second radiator 22 and the first storage tank 16 and the second storage tank 27 circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 and the battery coolant pipeline 21 respectively by the operation of the first water pump 14 and the second water pump 23 to effectively cool the electrical components 15 and the battery module 24.

[0156] Because the cooling mode of the vehicle is deactivated, the air conditioner 50 does not operate.

[0157] On the other hand, although it has been described in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention that both the electrical components 15 and the battery module 24 are cooled by the coolant cooled in the first radiator 12 and the second radiator 22, the present invention is not limited thereto, and when one of the electrical components 15 and the battery module 24 is cooled separately, the first water pump 14 and the second water pump 23 and the first valve V1 can be selectively operated.

[0158] Reference will be made to Figure 3 Describe the operation in the case of using a refrigerant to cool the battery module 24 in the cooling mode of the vehicle.

[0159] Figure 3The operation state diagram shows the cooling of the battery module by using a refrigerant in the heat pump system of a vehicle in the cooling mode according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0160] Refer to Figure 3 , in the cooling device 10, the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 by the operation of the first water pump 14.

[0161] Here, the first connection pipeline 32 is opened. The second connection pipeline 34 is opened by the operation of the first valve V1.

[0162] In addition, the fourth connection pipeline 38 is closed by the operation of the second valve V2. By the operation of the first valve V1, the part of the battery coolant pipeline 21 connected to the second radiator 22 and the third connection pipeline 36 are closed.

[0163] In the battery cooling device 20, the second water pump 23 is operated to cool the battery module 24.

[0164] Therefore, in the battery cooling device 20, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 along the opened first connection pipeline 32 and second connection pipeline 34 is supplied to the battery module 24 along the opened part of the battery coolant pipeline 21 by the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0165] Here, the cooling device 10 and the battery cooling device 20 can form independent closed loops, through which each coolant is circulated separately by the operation of the first valve Vl.

[0166] That is, by the operation of the first valve V1, the battery cooling device 20 is not connected to the coolant pipeline 11.

[0167] In the current state, the battery cooling device 20 can form a closed loop, through which the coolant circulates independently in the opened first connection pipeline 32 and second connection pipeline 34 and the opened battery coolant pipeline 21 by the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0168] That is, the coolant pipeline 11 and the battery coolant pipeline 21 form independent closed loops respectively by the operation of the first valve V1.

[0169] Therefore, in the battery cooling device 20, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 can be supplied to the battery module 24 along the first connection pipeline 32, the second connection pipeline 34 and the battery coolant pipeline 21 by the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0170] The coolant introduced into the battery coolant pipeline 21 passes through the battery module 24 and then is introduced into the cooler 30 along the first connection pipeline 32.

[0171] Therefore, the coolant passing through the battery module 24 is introduced from the cooler 30 into the first valve V1 along the opened second connection pipeline 34. After that, the coolant can be supplied to the battery module 24 when flowing along the battery coolant pipeline 21 through the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0172] Meanwhile, in the heating device 40, the heating pipeline 41 is connected to the coolant pipeline 11 through the operation of the second valve V2.

[0173] In the current state, through the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant supplied from the cooling device 10 circulates in the heating pipeline 41.

[0174] Therefore, the coolant cooled in the first radiator 12 can be supplied to the condenser 53 through the operations of the first water pump 14 and the third water pump 42 after passing through the electrical component 15.

[0175] In the air conditioner 50, each component is used to cool the vehicle interior. Therefore, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant pipeline 51.

[0176] Here, the refrigerant pipeline 51 connecting the heat exchanger 54 and the evaporator 56 is opened through the operation of the first expansion valve 55. The refrigerant connection pipeline 61 is opened through the operation of the second expansion valve 63.

[0177] Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the heat exchanger 54 can circulate along the refrigerant pipeline 51 and the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0178] Here, the first expansion valve 55 and the second expansion valve 63 can expand the refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator 56 and the cooler 30 respectively. The third expansion valve 65 can make the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 53 flow into the heat exchanger 54 without expansion.

[0179] Meanwhile, the heating device 40 supplies the coolant supplied from the cooling device 10 to the condenser 53 through the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0180] The condenser 53 condenses the refrigerant by using the coolant flowing along the heating pipeline 41. In addition, the heat exchanger 54 can condense the refrigerant introduced from the condenser 53 through heat exchange with the external air through the operation of the third expansion valve 65.

[0181] Meanwhile, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the opened second connection pipeline 34.

[0182] After that, the coolant circulates in the opened battery coolant pipeline 21 through the operation of the second water pump 23 to cool the battery module 24.

[0183] The coolant passing through the cooler 30 is cooled by heat exchange with the expanded refrigerant supplied to the cooler 30. The coolant cooled in the cooler 30 is supplied to the battery module 24.

[0184] Therefore, the battery module 24 is cooled by the cooled coolant.

[0185] That is, the second expansion valve 63 expands some of the refrigerant through the heat exchanger 54 and opens the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 to supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler 30.

[0186] Therefore, the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger 54 enters a low-temperature and low-pressure state through the expansion of the second expansion valve 63 and flows into the cooler 30 connected to the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0187] Thereafter, the refrigerant flowing into the cooler 30 exchanges heat with the coolant, and then after passing through the accumulator 57 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, the refrigerant is introduced into the compressor 59.

[0188] In other words, the coolant with an increased temperature from the cooled battery module 24 is cooled by heat exchange with the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant in the cooler 30. The cooled coolant is supplied to the battery module 24 again through the opened first connection pipeline 32, the second connection pipeline 34, and the battery coolant pipeline 21.

[0189] That is, the coolant can effectively cool the battery module 24 while repeating the above operations.

[0190] On the other hand, the remaining refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger 54 flows through the refrigerant pipeline 51 to cool the interior of the vehicle and sequentially passes through the first expansion valve 55, the evaporator 56, the compressor 59, and the condenser 53.

[0191] Here, the outside air flowing into the HVAC module is cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 56 while passing through the evaporator 56.

[0192] In the current situation, a part of the heater 43 through which the cooled outside air passes is closed by the opening and closing door, so that the outside air does not pass through the heater 43.

[0193] Therefore, the cooled outside air directly flows into the interior of the vehicle, thereby cooling the interior of the vehicle.

[0194] On the other hand, the coolant with an increased condensation amount can expand while sequentially passing through the condenser 53 and the heat exchanger 54 and is supplied to the evaporator 56, thereby allowing the refrigerant to evaporate to a lower temperature.

[0195] As a result, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the condenser 53 condenses the refrigerant, and the heat exchanger 54 further condenses the refrigerant, which is advantageous in forming subcooling of the refrigerant.

[0196] In addition, since the subcooled refrigerant can evaporate to a lower temperature in the evaporator 56, the temperature of the outside air passing through the evaporator 56 can be further reduced, thereby improving the cooling performance and efficiency.

[0197] In the cooling mode of the vehicle, the refrigerant can cool the interior of the vehicle while repeating the above process, and at the same time, the coolant can be cooled by heat exchange while passing through the cooler 30.

[0198] The low-temperature coolant cooled in the cooler 30 is introduced into the battery module 24. Therefore, the battery module 24 can be effectively cooled by the supplied low-temperature coolant.

[0199] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, refer to Figure 4 Describe the operation in the case of recovering the waste heat of the external heat source and the electrical component 15 in the heating mode of the vehicle.

[0200] Figure 4 The operation state diagrams for recovering the external heat and the waste heat of the electrical component according to the heating mode of the heat pump system of the vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0201] Refer to Figure 4 , in the initial start idle state IDLE of the vehicle or in the initial driving state with insufficient waste heat of the electrical component 15, the heat pump system can absorb the external heat and the waste heat of the electrical component 15 from the outside air.

[0202] First, in the cooling device 10, the first water pump 14 is operated to circulate the coolant.

[0203] Here, by the operation of the first valve Vl, the first connection pipeline 32 is closed, and the second connection pipeline 34 is opened.

[0204] By the operation of the first valve Vl, the third connection pipeline 36 is closed, and the fourth connection pipeline 38 is opened by the second valve V2.

[0205] In addition, in the cooling device 10, by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2, the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the first radiator 12 is closed.

[0206] In the current state, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline 11 without passing through the first radiator 12 after passing through the cooler 30 along the second connection pipeline 34 and the fourth connection pipeline 38 by the operation of the first water pump 14.

[0207] That is to say, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 is supplied to the refrigerator along the opened fourth connection pipeline 38 by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0208] By the operation of the first valve V1, the coolant passing through the refrigerator 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the opened second connection pipeline 34. Thereafter, the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the electrical component 15 through the first valve V1.

[0209] Meanwhile, in the battery cooling device 20, the second water pump 23 is deactivated.

[0210] Therefore, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 continuously circulates along the opened coolant pipeline 11, the opened second connection pipeline 34, and the opened fourth connection pipeline 38, without passing through the first radiator 12, and absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15, causing the temperature to rise.

[0211] The coolant with an elevated temperature can be supplied to the refrigerator 30. As a result, the waste heat generated by the electrical component 15 raises the temperature of the coolant supplied to the refrigerator 30.

[0212] That is to say, when such an operation is repeatedly performed, the coolant absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15 and may cause the temperature to rise.

[0213] Meanwhile, in the heating device 40, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline 41 by the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0214] The coolant pipeline 11 and the heating pipeline 41 can respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0215] Therefore, by the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant circulating through the heating pipeline 41 can be supplied to the condenser 53 after passing through the heater 43.

[0216] Here, when the temperature of the coolant circulating along the heating pipeline 41 is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 is operated, so that the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41 can be heated.

[0217] On the other hand, when the air heater 47 is used instead of the second coolant heater 45, when the temperature of the external air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 operates, and the external air introduced into the vehicle interior can be heated.

[0218] In the air conditioner 50, each component is used to heat the vehicle interior. Therefore, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant pipeline 51.

[0219] Here, by the operation of the first expansion valve 55, the refrigerant pipeline 51 connecting the condenser 53 and the evaporator 56 is closed.

[0220] By the operation of the second expansion valve 63, the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 is opened.

[0221] Here, the second expansion valve 63 can expand the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 to the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 and supply the refrigerant to the cooler 30.

[0222] The third expansion valve 65 can also supply the refrigerant to the heat exchanger 54 by expanding the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 53.

[0223] Therefore, the heat exchanger 54 evaporates the expanded refrigerant by heat exchange with the outside air while recovering the outside heat.

[0224] The temperature of the coolant that absorbs the waste heat of the electrical component 15 rises. By increasing the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the cooler 30 and through the operation of the first water pump 14, the coolant is recovered when passing through the cooler 30.

[0225] That is to say, the cooler 30 receives the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 and expanded by the operation of the second expansion valve 63 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, and evaporates the supplied refrigerant by heat exchange with the coolant whose temperature rises when passing through the electrical component 15, thereby recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15.

[0226] After that, the refrigerant passing through the cooler 30 is supplied to the accumulator 57 along the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0227] The refrigerant supplied to the accumulator 57 is separated into gas and liquid. Among the separated gas and liquid of the refrigerant, the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 59.

[0228] The refrigerant compressed at high temperature and high pressure from the compressor 59 flows into the condenser 53.

[0229] Here, the refrigerant supplied to the condenser 53 can increase the temperature of the coolant by heat exchange with the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41. The coolant with increased temperature is supplied to the heater 43.

[0230] At the same time, the opening and closing door is opened so that the outside air introduced into the HVAC module and passing through the evaporator 56 passes through the heater 43.

[0231] As a result, when the outside air passes through the evaporator 56 without refrigerant supply, the outside air flowing in from the outside flows into the interior in an uncooled temperature state. The introduced outside air is converted into a high-temperature state when passing through the heater 43 and is introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby realizing the heating of the vehicle interior.

[0232] That is, when heating is required in the initial start-up idle state (IDLE) of the vehicle or during initial driving, the heat pump system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention absorbs external heat from the heat exchanger 54 and is used to increase the temperature of the refrigerant by utilizing the waste heat of the electrical component 15, thereby reducing the power consumption of the compressor 59 and improving the cooling efficiency.

[0233] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, reference is made to Figure 5 Describe the operation in the case of recovering the waste heat of the external heat source and the battery module 24 in the heating mode of the vehicle.

[0234] Figure 5 The operation state diagrams for recovering external heat and the waste heat of the battery module in the heating mode of the heat pump system according to the vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0235] Reference is made to Figure 5 , in the initial start-up idle state IDLE of the vehicle or during the initial driving state where the waste heat of the electrical component 15 is insufficient, the heat pump system can absorb external heat from the external air thereof and the waste heat of the battery module 24.

[0236] First, deactivate the cooling device 10.

[0237] Here, by the operation of the first valve Vl, the first connection pipeline 32 is opened, and the second connection pipeline 34 is opened.

[0238] In addition, by the operation of the first valve V1, the third connection pipeline 36 is closed, and by the operation of the second valve V2, the fourth connection pipeline 38 is closed.

[0239] In the battery cooling device 20, by the operation of the first valve Vl, the part of the battery coolant pipeline 21 connected to the second radiator 22 is closed.

[0240] In the current state, operate the second water pump 23 to circulate the coolant through the open part of the battery coolant pipeline 21 and the first connection pipeline 32 and the second connection pipeline 34.

[0241] Therefore, by the operation of the second water pump 23, after passing through the cooler 30 along the open first connection pipeline 32 and the second connection pipeline 34, the coolant that has passed through the battery module 24 from the first valve V1 can circulate along the open part of the battery coolant pipeline 21 without passing through the second radiator 22.

[0242] That is, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the second connection pipeline 34. Thereafter, the coolant is introduced into the battery coolant pipeline 21 connected to the second water pump 23 through the first valve V1.

[0243] The coolant passing through the battery module 24 can be circulated through the open portion of the battery coolant line 21 and the first connecting line 32 and the second connecting line 34 by the operation of the second water pump 23.

[0244] Therefore, the coolant circulating along the battery coolant line 21 absorbs the waste heat from the battery module 24 and can have its temperature increased.

[0245] The coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 30 connected to the first connecting line 32 and the second connecting line 34. That is, the waste heat generated by the battery module 24 raises the temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooler 30.

[0246] Meanwhile, in the heating device 40, the coolant is circulated along the heating line 41 by the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0247] Here, the heating line 41 is not connected to the coolant line 11 by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0248] Therefore, by the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant circulated through the heating line 41 can be supplied to the condenser 53 after passing through the heater 43.

[0249] Here, when the temperature of the coolant circulated along the heating line 41 is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 is operated, so that the coolant circulated in the heating line 41 can be heated.

[0250] On the other hand, when the air heater 47 is used instead of the second coolant heater 45, when the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 operates and can heat the outside air introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0251] In the air conditioner 50, each component is used to heat the vehicle interior. Therefore, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line 51.

[0252] Here, by the operation of the first expansion valve 55, the refrigerant line 51 connecting the condenser 53 and the evaporator 56 is closed.

[0253] By the operation of the second expansion valve 63, the refrigerant connection line 61 is opened.

[0254] Here, the second expansion valve 63 can expand the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 to the refrigerant connection line 61 and supply the refrigerant to the cooler 30.

[0255] The third expansion valve 65 can also supply the refrigerant to the heat exchanger 54 by expanding the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 53.

[0256] Therefore, the heat exchanger 54 evaporates the expanded refrigerant by exchanging heat with the outside air, while recovering the outside heat.

[0257] The temperature of the coolant that absorbs the waste heat of the battery module 24 rises. When the coolant passes through the cooler 30 by the operation of the second water pump 23, the coolant is recovered by increasing the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the cooler 30.

[0258] That is, the cooler 30 receives the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 and expanded by the operation of the second expansion valve 63 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, and evaporates the supplied refrigerant by exchanging heat with the coolant whose temperature rises when passing through the battery module 24, thereby recovering the waste heat of the battery module 24.

[0259] Thereafter, the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 30 is supplied to the accumulator 57 along the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0260] The refrigerant supplied to the accumulator 57 is separated into gas and liquid. Among the separated gas and liquid of the refrigerant, the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 59.

[0261] The refrigerant compressed under high temperature and high pressure from the compressor 59 flows into the condenser 53.

[0262] Here, the refrigerant supplied to the condenser 53 can increase the temperature of the coolant by exchanging heat with the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41. The coolant with the increased temperature is supplied to the heater 43.

[0263] At the same time, the opening and closing door is opened so that the outside air introduced into the HVAC module and passing through the evaporator 56 passes through the heater 43.

[0264] As a result, when the outside air passes through the evaporator 56 without refrigerant supplied, the outside air flowing in from the outside flows into the interior in an uncooled temperature state. The introduced outside air is converted into a high-temperature state when passing through the heater 43 and is introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0265] That is, when heating is required in the initial startup idle state (IDLE) of the vehicle or during initial driving, the heat pump system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention absorbs the outside heat from the heat exchanger 54 and is used to increase the temperature of the refrigerant by utilizing the waste heat of the battery module 24, thereby reducing the power consumption of the compressor 59 and improving the cooling efficiency.

[0266] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made to Figure 6 Describe the operation in the case of recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15 and heating the battery module 24 in the heating mode of the vehicle.

[0267] Figure 6 An operating state diagram showing the heating mode of a heat pump system according to a vehicle for recovering waste heat of electrical components and heating a battery module according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0268] Referring to Figure 6 , the heat pump system can raise the temperature of the battery module 24 while recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15.

[0269] First, in the cooling device 10, the first water pump 14 is operated to circulate the coolant.

[0270] Here, by the operation of the first valve Vl, the first connection pipeline 32 is closed, and the second connection pipeline 34 is opened.

[0271] By the operation of the first valve Vl, the third connection pipeline 36 is opened, and by the second valve V2, the fourth connection pipeline 38 is opened.

[0272] In addition, in the cooling device 10, by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2, the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the first radiator 12 is closed.

[0273] In the current state, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15, after passing through the cooler 30 along the second connection pipeline 34 and the fourth connection pipeline 38 by the operation of the first water pump 14, can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline 11 without passing through the first radiator 12.

[0274] That is to say, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 is supplied to the cooler along the open fourth connection pipeline 38 by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0275] By the operation of the first valve V1, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the open second connection pipeline 34. Thereafter, the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the electrical component 15 through the first valve V1.

[0276] Therefore, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 continuously circulates along the open coolant pipeline 11, the open second connection pipeline 34, and the open fourth connection pipeline 38 without passing through the first radiator 12, and absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15, causing the temperature to rise.

[0277] The coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 30. As a result, the waste heat generated by the electrical component 15 raises the temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooler 30.

[0278] That is to say, when such an operation is repeatedly performed, the coolant absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15 and may cause the temperature to rise.

[0279] Meanwhile, in the battery cooling device 20, the portion of the battery coolant line 21 connected to the second radiator 22 is closed by the operation of the first valve Vl.

[0280] In the current state, in the battery cooling device 20, by the operation of the second water pump 23, the coolant circulates along the portion of the battery coolant line 21 connected to the battery module 24 and the open third connection line 36.

[0281] Therefore, by the operation of the second water pump 23, the coolant passing through the battery module 24 from the first valve V1 can circulate along the open third connection line 36 and the open portion of the battery coolant line 21 without passing through the second radiator 22.

[0282] Here, the first coolant heater 26 is operated to heat the coolant supplied to the battery module 24 along the open battery coolant line 21 and third connection line 36.

[0283] Therefore, the temperature of the coolant circulating in the battery coolant line 21 and the third connection line 36 rises when passing through the first coolant heater 26. The coolant whose temperature has risen when passing through the first coolant heater 26 can be supplied to the battery module 24 to raise the temperature of the battery module 24.

[0284] Meanwhile, in the heating device 40, the coolant circulates along the heating line 41 by the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0285] The coolant line 11 and the heating line 41 can respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0286] Therefore, by the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant circulating through the heating line 41 can be supplied to the condenser 53 after passing through the heater 43.

[0287] Here, when the temperature of the coolant circulating along the heating line 41 is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 is operated, so that the coolant circulating in the heating line 41 can be heated.

[0288] On the other hand, when the air heater 47 is used instead of the second coolant heater 45, when the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 operates and can heat the outside air introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0289] In the air conditioner 50, each component is used to heat the vehicle interior. Therefore, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant line 51.

[0290] Here, by the operation of the first expansion valve 55, the refrigerant line 51 connecting the condenser 53 and the evaporator 56 is closed.

[0291] By operating the second expansion valve 63, the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 is opened.

[0292] Here, the second expansion valve 63 can expand the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 to the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 and supply the refrigerant to the cooler 30.

[0293] The third expansion valve 65 can also supply the refrigerant to the heat exchanger 54 by expanding the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 53.

[0294] Therefore, when the heat exchanger 54 evaporates the expanded refrigerant by exchanging heat with the external air, the external heat is recovered.

[0295] By operating the first water pump 14, the temperature of the coolant that absorbs the waste heat of the electrical component 15 rises, and the coolant is recovered by increasing the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the cooler 30 when the coolant passes through the cooler 30.

[0296] That is to say, the cooler 30 receives the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 and expanded by the operation of the second expansion valve 63 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, and evaporates the supplied refrigerant by exchanging heat with the coolant whose temperature rises when passing through the electrical component 15, thereby recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15.

[0297] After that, the refrigerant passing through the cooler 30 is supplied to the accumulator 57 along the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0298] The refrigerant supplied to the accumulator 57 is separated into gas and liquid. Among the separated gas and liquid of the refrigerant, the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 59.

[0299] The refrigerant compressed at high temperature and high pressure from the compressor 59 flows into the condenser 53.

[0300] Here, the refrigerant supplied to the condenser 53 can exchange heat with the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41 to increase the temperature of the coolant. The coolant with increased temperature is supplied to the heater 43.

[0301] At the same time, the opening and closing door is opened so that the external air introduced into the HVAC module and passing through the evaporator 56 passes through the heater 43.

[0302] As a result, when the external air passes through the evaporator 56 without refrigerant supply, the external air flowing in from the outside flows into the interior in an uncooled temperature state. The introduced external air is converted into a high-temperature state when passing through the heater 43 and is introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby realizing the heating of the vehicle interior.

[0303] That is, when the temperature of the battery module 24 rises in the heating mode of the vehicle, the heat pump system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is used to increase the temperature of the refrigerant by utilizing the waste heat of the electrical component 15, thereby reducing the power consumption of the compressor 59 and improving the cooling efficiency.

[0304] In addition, the coolant circulating in the open portion of the battery coolant line 21 and the open third connection line 36 can be heated when passing through the first coolant heater 26 and introduced into the battery module 24 in a state where the temperature has risen. As a result, the temperature of the battery module 24 can be rapidly increased, thereby effectively managing the temperature of the battery module 24.

[0305] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made to Figure 7 the operation in the heating mode of the vehicle using the waste heat of the electrical component 15 without using the air conditioner 50.

[0306] Figure 7 An operation state diagram for performing a heating mode by using the waste heat of an electrical component in a heat pump system of a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0307] Referring to Figure 7 , the heat pump system can heat the interior of the vehicle by using the waste heat from the electrical component 15 without using the air conditioner 50.

[0308] First, in the cooling device 10, the first water pump 14 is operated to circulate the coolant. In the current case, the air conditioner 50 is deactivated.

[0309] Here, by the operation of the first valve V1, the first connection line 32 is closed, while the second connection line 34 is opened.

[0310] By the operation of the first valve V1, the third connection line 36 is closed, and the fourth connection line 38 is opened by the second valve V2.

[0311] In addition, in the cooling device 10, by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2, the coolant line 11 connected to the first radiator 12 is closed.

[0312] In the current state, by the operation of the first water pump 14, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 can circulate along the open portion of the coolant line 11 without passing through the first radiator 12 after passing through the cooler 30 along the second connection line 34 and the fourth connection line 38.

[0313] Meanwhile, in the battery cooling device 20, the second water pump 23 is deactivated.

[0314] That is, the battery coolant line 21 connecting the second water pump 23 and the battery module 24 is closed, and the operation of the battery cooling device 20 is deactivated.

[0315] Therefore, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 continuously circulates along the open coolant line 11, the open second connection line 34, and the fourth connection line 38 without passing through the first radiator 12, and absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15, causing the temperature to rise.

[0316] When such an operation is repeatedly performed, the coolant absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15 and may cause the temperature to rise.

[0317] In the heating device 40, the heating line 41 is connected to the coolant line 11 by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0318] In the current state, the coolant whose temperature has risen when passing through the electrical component 15 by the operation of the first water pump 14 is supplied to the heating line 41 connected to the open coolant line 11 without passing through the first radiator 12.

[0319] By the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant introduced into the heating line 41 can be supplied to the heater 43.

[0320] The coolant discharged from the heater 43 is introduced into the cooler 30 along the fourth connection line 38 opened by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0321] The coolant introduced into the cooler 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the open second connection line 34. The coolant introduced into the first valve V1 is supplied to the electrical component 15 along the open coolant line 11.

[0322] That is, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 continuously circulates along the open coolant line 11, the heating line 41, and the second connection line 34 and the fourth connection line 38 without passing through the first radiator 12, and absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15, causing the temperature to rise.

[0323] The coolant with an increased temperature is introduced into the heating line 41 connected to the coolant line 11 without passing through the first radiator 12.

[0324] The coolant introduced into the heating line 41 can pass through the heater 43 by the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0325] Here, when the temperature of the coolant circulating along the heating line 41 is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 is operated, so that the coolant circulating in the heating line 41 can be heated.

[0326] On the other hand, when the air heater 47 is applied instead of the second coolant heater 45, when the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 operates and can heat the outside air introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0327] That is, when the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 can operate to heat the outside air flowing into the vehicle interior.

[0328] When the temperature of the outside air that has completed heat exchange with the high-temperature coolant when passing through the heater 43 is lower than a predetermined temperature or the target heating temperature, the air heater 47 operates.

[0329] When the air heater 47 is operated, the outside air can be heated when passing through the air heater 47 and thus introduced into the vehicle interior in a state where its temperature has risen.

[0330] Meanwhile, the high-temperature coolant supplied to the heater 43 exchanges heat with the outside air and then is introduced through the second valve V2 into the fourth connecting pipeline 38 connected to the heating pipeline 41.

[0331] Thereafter, the coolant is introduced into the first valve V1 along the opened second connecting pipeline 34 after passing through the cooler 30, and the coolant can circulate when the above process is repeatedly executed.

[0332] Meanwhile, the opening and closing door is opened so that the outside air flowing into the HVAC module passes through the heater 43.

[0333] As a result, when the outside air passes through the evaporator 56 to which no refrigerant is supplied, the outside air flowing in from the outside flows into the interior in an uncooled temperature state. The introduced outside air is converted to a high-temperature state while passing through the heater 43 and is introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0334] In other words, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the waste heat generated in the electrical component 15 can be recovered when the above process is repeated, and the waste heat can be used for interior heating, thereby reducing power consumption and improving the overall heating efficiency.

[0335] Meanwhile, when the electrical component 15 overheats, by operating the first valve V1 and the second valve V2, the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the first radiator 12 is opened, and the fourth connecting pipeline 38 is closed.

[0336] Therefore, the coolant whose temperature has risen when passing through the electrical component 15 by operating the first water pump 14 is supplied to the heating pipeline 41 connected to the opened coolant pipeline 11.

[0337] The coolant introduced into the heating pipeline 41 can be supplied to the heater 43 by operating the third water pump 42.

[0338] The coolant discharged from the heater 43 is introduced into the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the heating pipeline 41 through the second valve V2.

[0339] Thereafter, the coolant introduced into the coolant pipeline 11 is cooled when passing through the first radiator 12, and through the operation of the first water pump 14, the coolant is introduced into the electrical component 15 again along the coolant pipeline 11.

[0340] That is to say, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 absorbs the waste heat from the electrical component 15, causing its temperature to rise, and is supplied to the heater 43 through the heating pipeline 41 connected to the coolant pipeline 11.

[0341] Through this operation, the coolant whose temperature has risen by absorbing the waste heat of the electrical component 15 circulates in the heating device 40. Thereafter, through the operation of the first water pump 14, the coolant is cooled when passing through the first radiator 12.

[0342] The coolant that has been completely cooled can recover the waste heat when passing through the electrical component 15, and at the same time can effectively cool the electrical component 15.

[0343] As a result, the coolant cooled in the first radiator 12 can be supplied to the electrical component 15, thereby preventing the electrical component 15 from overheating.

[0344] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made to Figure 8 Describe the operation of the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0345] Figure 8 The operation state diagrams for the low-temperature dehumidification mode in the heat pump system of the vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0346] Here, the low-temperature dehumidification mode is a mode that operates when dehumidification is required inside the vehicle in the heating mode of the vehicle.

[0347] Refer to Figure 8 , when the waste heat of the electrical component 15 is sufficient, the heat pump system can recover the waste heat of the electrical component 15 and use the waste heat for the internal heating of the vehicle.

[0348] First, in the cooling device 10, the first water pump 14 is operated to circulate the coolant.

[0349] Here, through the operation of the first valve Vl, the first connection pipeline 32 is closed, while the second connection pipeline 34 is opened.

[0350] The third connection pipeline 36 is closed by the operation of the first valve V1, and the fourth connection pipeline 38 is opened by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0351] In addition, in the cooling device 10, the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the first radiator 12 is closed by the operations of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2.

[0352] In the current state, by the operation of the first water pump 14, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 can circulate along the open part of the coolant pipeline 11 without passing through the first radiator 12 after passing through the cooler 30 along the second connection pipeline 34 and the fourth connection pipeline 38.

[0353] That is to say, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 is supplied to the cooler by the operation of the second valve V2 along the open fourth connection pipeline 38.

[0354] By the operation of the first valve V1, the coolant passing through the cooler 30 is introduced into the first valve V1 along the open second connection pipeline 34. Thereafter, the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline 11 connected to the electrical component 15 through the first valve V1.

[0355] Meanwhile, in the battery cooling device 20, the second water pump 23 is deactivated.

[0356] Therefore, the coolant passing through the electrical component 15 continuously circulates along the open coolant pipeline 11 and the open second connection pipeline 34 and fourth connection pipeline 38 without passing through the first radiator 12, and absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15 to cause the temperature to rise.

[0357] The coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 30. As a result, the waste heat generated by the electrical component 15 raises the temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooler 30.

[0358] That is to say, when such an operation is repeatedly performed, the coolant absorbs waste heat from the electrical component 15 and may cause the temperature to rise.

[0359] Meanwhile, in the heating device 40, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline 41 by the operation of the third water pump 42.

[0360] The coolant pipeline 11 and the heating pipeline 41 can respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0361] Therefore, by the operation of the third water pump 42, the coolant circulating through the heating pipeline 41 can be supplied to the condenser 53 after passing through the heater 43.

[0362] Here, when the temperature of the coolant circulating along the heating pipeline 41 is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater 45 is operated, so that the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41 can be heated.

[0363] On the other hand, when the air heater 47 is applied instead of the second coolant heater 45, when the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater 43 is lower than the target temperature, the air heater 47 operates, and the outside air introduced into the vehicle interior can be heated.

[0364] Meanwhile, in the air conditioner 50, each component operates to heat and dehumidify the vehicle interior. Therefore, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant pipeline 51.

[0365] Here, by the operation of the first expansion valve 55, the refrigerant pipeline 51 connecting the condenser 53 and the evaporator 56 is opened.

[0366] By the operation of the second expansion valve 63, the refrigerant connection pipeline 61 is opened.

[0367] Here, the first expansion valve 55 and the second expansion valve 63 can expand the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 to the refrigerant pipeline 51 and the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, so that the expanded refrigerant is respectively supplied to the evaporator 56 and the cooler 30.

[0368] The third expansion valve 65 can also supply the refrigerant to the heat exchanger 54 by expanding the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 53.

[0369] Therefore, when the heat exchanger 54 evaporates the expanded refrigerant by heat exchange with the outside air, the outside heat is recovered.

[0370] By the operation of the first water pump 14, the temperature of the coolant that absorbs the waste heat of the electrical component 15 rises, and the coolant is recovered by increasing the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the cooler 30 when the coolant passes through the cooler 30.

[0371] That is to say, the cooler 30 receives the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 54 and expanded by the operation of the second expansion valve 63 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61, and evaporates the supplied refrigerant by heat exchange with the coolant whose temperature rises when passing through the electrical component 15, so as to recover the waste heat of the electrical component 15.

[0372] After that, the refrigerant passing through the cooler 30 is supplied to the accumulator 57 along the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0373] The refrigerant supplied to the accumulator 57 is separated into gas and liquid. Among the separated gas and liquid of the refrigerant, the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 59.

[0374] The refrigerant compressed at high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 59 flows into the condenser 53.

[0375] Here, the refrigerant supplied to the condenser 53 can exchange heat with the coolant circulating in the heating pipeline 41 to increase the temperature of the coolant. The coolant with the increased temperature is supplied to the heater 43.

[0376] On the other hand, after the expanded refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 56 through the operation of the first expansion valve 55 exchanges heat with the outside air passing through the evaporator 56, the expanded refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 59 along the refrigerant pipeline 51 via the accumulator 57.

[0377] That is, the refrigerant passing through the evaporator 56 can be provided to the compressor 59 together with the refrigerant introduced into the accumulator 57 through the refrigerant connection pipeline 61.

[0378] Then, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 59 is introduced into the condenser 53.

[0379] Here, the opening and closing door is opened so that the outside air introduced into the HVAC module and passing through the evaporator 56 passes through the heater 43.

[0380] That is, the outside air introduced into the HVAC module is dehumidified by the refrigerant in the low-temperature state of the evaporator 56 when passing through the evaporator 56. Next, when the outside air is converted to a high-temperature state when passing through the heater 43 and introduced into the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior is heated and dehumidified.

[0381] That is, the heat pump system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention selectively absorbs external heat and waste heat generated from the electrical component 15 depending on the vehicle interior temperature in the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle to increase the temperature of the refrigerant, thereby reducing the power consumption of the compressor 59 and improving the heating efficiency.

[0382] Therefore, if the heat pump system for a vehicle according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described above is applied, the temperature of the battery module 24 can be adjusted according to the vehicle mode by using the cooler 30 for heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant, and the vehicle interior can be heated by using the coolant, thereby simplifying the entire system.

[0383] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the heating efficiency can also be improved by recovering the waste heat of the electrical component 15 and the battery module 24 and using the waste heat for internal heating.

[0384] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, waste heat can be recovered from the electrical component 15 in the heating mode of the vehicle, and at the same time, the temperature of the battery module 24 can be increased.

[0385] In addition, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by effectively controlling the temperature of the battery module 24, the performance of the battery module 24 can be optimized, and the total driving distance of the vehicle can be increased by effectively managing the battery module 24.

[0386] In addition, the present invention can use the second coolant heater 45 and the air heater 47 applied to the heating device 40 to heat the battery module 24 or assist in the internal heating of the vehicle, thereby reducing costs and weight.

[0387] In addition, the present invention selectively utilizes external heat and waste heat from the electrical components 15 and the battery module 24 in the heating mode of the vehicle, thereby improving the heating efficiency.

[0388] The present invention also improves the condensation or evaporation performance of the refrigerant by using the condenser 53 and the heat exchanger 54, thereby improving the cooling performance and reducing the power consumption of the compressor 59.

[0389] In addition, the entire system can be simplified to reduce manufacturing costs and weight and improve space utilization.

[0390] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the controller is connected to at least one element of the heat pump system to control its operation.

[0391] In addition, the terms "controller", "control unit", or "control device" refer to a hardware device including a memory and a processor, the processor being configured to execute one or more steps interpreted as an algorithmic structure. The memory stores the algorithmic steps, and the processor executes the algorithmic steps to perform one or more processes of the method according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by a non-volatile memory and a processor, the non-volatile memory being configured to store an algorithm for controlling the operation of various components of the vehicle or data on software commands for executing the algorithm, the processor being configured to perform the above operations using the data stored in the memory. The memory and the processor can be separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor can be integrated in a single chip. The processor can be implemented as one or more processors.

[0392] The controller or control unit can be at least one microprocessor operated by a predetermined program, the predetermined program can include a series of commands for performing the methods included in the foregoing various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0393] The foregoing invention may also be embodied as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data that can be read by a computer system later. Examples of computer-readable recording media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, etc., and are implemented as carrier waves (e.g., transmitted via the Internet).

[0394] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each of the above operations may be performed by a controller, and the controller may be composed of multiple controllers or an integrated single controller.

[0395] For ease of explanation and for an accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "above", "below", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "back", "inner", "outer", "inward", "outward", "inside", "outside", "internal", "external", "inner", "outer", "forward", and "backward" are used to describe the features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of these features shown in the drawings. It will be further understood that the term "connected" or its derivatives refer to both direct connection and indirect connection.

[0396] For purposes of illustration and description, the foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been presented. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and its practical applications so that others skilled in the art may make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the invention and its various alternatives and modifications. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system comprising: Cooling device, comprising: a first radiator, a first pump, a first valve and a second valve, wherein the first radiator, the first pump, the first valve and the second valve are connected by a coolant pipeline to enable the coolant to circulate in the coolant pipeline to cool at least one electrical component disposed in the coolant pipeline; Battery cooling device, comprising: a battery coolant pipeline connected to the first valve, and a second radiator, a second pump and a battery module, wherein the second radiator, the second pump and the battery module are connected by the battery coolant pipeline to enable the coolant to circulate in the battery module; Refrigerator, connected to a first connection pipeline and a second connection pipeline connected to the first valve, the first connection pipeline being connected to the battery coolant pipeline between the second radiator and the battery module, and the refrigerator being connected to the refrigerant pipeline of the air conditioner through a refrigerant connection pipeline to adjust the temperature of the coolant by heat exchange between the coolant introduced into the refrigerator and the refrigerant selectively supplied from the air conditioner; Heating device, comprising a heating pipeline connected to the coolant pipeline through the second valve to heat the interior of the vehicle by using the coolant, a third pump and a heater disposed on the heating pipeline; Third connection pipeline, the first end of the third connection pipeline being connected to the battery coolant pipeline located between the first connection pipeline and the battery module, and the second end of the third connection pipeline being connected to the first valve; and Fourth connection pipeline, the first end of the fourth connection pipeline being connected to the refrigerator, and the second end of the fourth connection pipeline being connected to the second valve, such that the coolant that has passed through the at least one electrical component or the heating device is selectively supplied to the refrigerator by the operation of the second valve.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, The air conditioner comprises: An evaporator installed on the refrigerant pipeline; A condenser disposed in the heating pipeline between the second valve and the heater, so that the coolant circulating in the heating device passes through and the coolant circulates in the condenser to perform heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant pipeline connected to the condenser; A compressor connected between the evaporator and the condenser through the refrigerant pipeline; A heat exchanger disposed on the refrigerant pipeline between the condenser and the evaporator; A first expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant pipeline between the heat exchanger and the evaporator; A second expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant connection pipeline; An accumulator disposed in the refrigerant pipeline between the evaporator and the compressor and connected to the refrigerant connection pipeline; and A third expansion valve disposed in the refrigerant pipeline between the condenser and the heat exchanger.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein, According to the selective operation of the third expansion valve, the heat exchanger additionally condenses or evaporates the refrigerant condensed in the condenser by heat exchange with external air.

4. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein, When the battery module is cooled by the refrigerant, the second expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant connection pipeline to flow to the cooler, and wherein, the third expansion valve selectively expands the refrigerant introduced into the heat exchanger in the heating mode and the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein, The first end of the refrigerant connection pipeline is connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve, and wherein, the second end of the refrigerant connection pipeline is connected to the accumulator.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein, The heating device further includes an air heater disposed on the opposite side of the evaporator to selectively heat the outside air passing through the heater relative to the heater disposed between the air heater and the evaporator, and wherein, when the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater is lower than the target temperature for internal heating, the air heater is operated to raise the temperature of the outside air passing through the heater.

7. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein, When the battery module is cooled in the cooling mode of the vehicle, in the cooling device, through the operation of the first pump, the coolant circulates in the coolant pipeline; through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline is opened, and the second connection pipeline is opened; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is closed; through the operation of the first valve, the part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the second radiator and the third connection pipeline are closed; in the battery cooling device, the coolant passing through the cooler along the first connection pipeline and the second connection pipeline is supplied to the battery module along the opened part of the battery coolant pipeline through the operation of the second pump; in the heating device, through the operation of the second valve, the coolant pipeline and the heating pipeline are connected, so that the coolant is supplied from the cooling device; in the air conditioner, in a state where the refrigerant connection pipeline is opened by the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant pipeline and the refrigerant connection pipeline; the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve expand the refrigerant, so as to supply the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator and the cooler respectively;and the third expansion valve allows the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to flow into the heat exchanger.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein, The heating device supplies the coolant supplied from the cooling device to the condenser through the operation of the third pump, and wherein, the condenser condenses the refrigerant through heat exchange with the coolant, and the heat exchanger additionally condenses the refrigerant introduced from the condenser through heat exchange with the outside air.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein when recovering the waste heat of the external heat source and the at least one electrical component in the heating mode of the vehicle, by operating the first valve, the first connection pipeline is closed and the second connection pipeline is opened; Through the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline is closed; through the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is opened; in the cooling device, through the operation of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator is closed; After the coolant passes through the cooler along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by the operation of the first pump, the coolant passing through the at least one electrical component circulates along the open portion of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; Deactivate the battery cooling device; The cooling device and the heating device respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve; In the heating device, by the operation of the third pump, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline; In the air conditioner, by the operation of the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator is closed; By the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline is opened; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; And The third expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein when recovering the waste heat of the external heat source and the battery module in the heating mode of the vehicle, by operating the first valve, the first connection pipeline is opened and the second connection pipeline is opened; By the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline is closed; By the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is closed; Deactivate the cooling device; In the battery cooling device, by the operation of the first valve, the part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the second radiator is closed; After the coolant passes through the cooler along the first connection pipeline and the second connection pipeline by the operation of the second pump, the coolant passing through the battery module circulates along the open portion of the battery coolant pipeline without passing through the second radiator; In the heating device, by the operation of the third pump, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline; In the air conditioner, by the operation of the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator is closed; By the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline is opened; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; And The third expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

11. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein When the low-temperature dehumidification mode of the vehicle is executed, Through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline is closed and the second connection pipeline is opened; By the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline is closed; By the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is opened; In the cooling device, by the operation of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator is closed; After the coolant passes through the cooler along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by the operation of the first pump, the coolant passing through the at least one electrical component circulates along the open portion of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; Deactivate the battery cooling device; The cooling device and the heating device respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve; In the heating device, by the operation of the third pump, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline; In the air conditioner, the refrigerant circulates along the refrigerant pipeline and the refrigerant connection pipeline that are opened by the operations of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve respectively; The first expansion valve and the second expansion valve expand the refrigerant, and thus supply the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator and the cooler respectively; And The third expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

12. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein When recovering the waste heat of at least one electrical component and increasing the temperature of the battery module in the heating mode of the vehicle, Through the operation of the first valve, the first connection pipeline is closed and the second connection pipeline is opened; By the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline is opened; By the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is opened; In the cooling device, by the operations of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator is closed; After the coolant passes through the cooler along the second connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline by the operation of the first pump, the coolant passing through the at least one electrical component circulates along the opened part of the coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; In the battery cooling device, by the operation of the second pump, the coolant circulates along the part of the battery coolant pipeline connected to the battery module and the opened third connection pipeline; The cooling device and the heating device respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the second valve; In the heating device, by the operation of the third pump, the coolant circulates along the heating pipeline; In the air conditioner, by the operation of the first expansion valve, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the condenser and the evaporator is closed; By the operation of the second expansion valve, the refrigerant connection pipeline is opened; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant connection pipeline and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; And The third expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied from the condenser to supply it to the heat exchanger.

13. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, When using the coolant to cool the at least one electrical component and the battery module, The first connection pipeline is closed; By the operation of the first valve, the second connection pipeline and the third connection pipeline are closed; By the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is closed; The cooling device and the battery cooling device respectively form independent closed loops by the operation of the first valve; By the operation of the first pump, the coolant cooled in the first radiator is supplied from the first valve to the at least one electrical component along the coolant pipeline; And By the operation of the second pump, the coolant cooled in the second radiator is supplied from the first valve to the battery module along the battery coolant pipeline.

14. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, When using the waste heat of the at least one electrical component without using the air conditioner in the heating mode of the vehicle, The first connection pipeline is closed; By the operation of the first valve, the second connection pipeline is opened; By the operation of the first valve, the third connection pipeline is closed; By the operation of the second valve, the fourth connection pipeline is opened; In the cooling device, by the operations of the first valve and the second valve, the coolant pipeline connected to the first radiator is closed; In the heating device, the heating pipeline is connected to the coolant pipeline by the operation of the second valve; The coolant whose temperature has risen when passing through the at least one electrical component by the operation of the first pump is supplied to the heating pipeline connected to the opened coolant pipeline without passing through the first radiator; The coolant introduced into the heating pipeline is supplied to the heater by the operation of the third pump; The coolant discharged from the heater is introduced into the cooler from the second valve along the opened fourth connection pipeline; The coolant discharged from the cooler is introduced into the first valve along the opened second connection pipeline; And The coolant re-introduced into the first valve is supplied to the at least one electrical component along the opened coolant pipeline.

15. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, The first end of the first connection pipeline is connected to the battery coolant pipeline between the second radiator and the battery module, and the second end of the first connection pipeline is connected to the cooler through the fourth connection pipeline.

16. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, The first end of the second connection pipeline is connected to the first valve, and the second end of the second connection pipeline is connected to the cooler.

17. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, In other modes except the mode where the first connection pipeline and the fourth connection pipeline are closed together, the first connection pipeline is opened or closed contrary to the opening and closing operations of the fourth connection pipeline.

18. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, The first valve is a six-way valve, and the second valve is a five-way valve.

19. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, The battery cooling device further includes: a first coolant heater disposed in the battery coolant pipeline between the battery module and the second radiator, and When heating the battery module, the first coolant heater is operated to heat the coolant supplied to the battery module along the battery coolant pipeline.

20. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein, A second coolant heater is disposed in the heating pipeline between the third pump and the heater, and Wherein, when the temperature of the coolant supplied to the heater is lower than the target temperature, the second coolant heater is operated to heat the coolant supplied to the heater along the heating pipeline.

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