Compressor assembly

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: evaporators (18, 19) for evaporating a refrigerant in a vapor compression refrigeration cycle; a liquid storage unit (20) that stores a liquid-phase refrigerant; a compressor (11) that sucks in and compresses the refrigerant; and a flow path forming member (110) to which the evaporator, the reservoir, and the compressor are attached, and which forms at least a part of a flow path for the refrigerant, the compressor being disposed below the flow path forming member, and the compressor being disposed below the flow path forming member. Among the refrigerant flow paths, a suction refrigerant flow path (28) through which a gas-phase refrigerant sucked into the compressor flows has a rising part (28a) that rises upward toward the compressor side.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-79356 filed on May 13, 2022, and the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a compressor assembly that integrates components of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle including a compressor. Background Art

[0004] Conventionally, such a compressor assembly is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this prior art compressor assembly, components such as a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a refrigerator, and a accumulator are placed on a base plate and connected to each other through refrigerant pipes.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0090004

[0008] In the above-mentioned prior art, since a large number of refrigerant pipes exist in a narrow space, it is difficult to handle and connect the refrigerant pipes. As a countermeasure, by forming a refrigerant flow path inside the substrate, the refrigerant pipes can be reduced.

[0009] However, since the refrigerant suction port of the compressor is mostly arranged at the upper part of the compressor, if a refrigerant flow path is formed inside the substrate, the refrigerant flow path between the substrate and the refrigerant suction port of the compressor becomes longer, and the heat loss and pressure loss become larger. As a countermeasure, it is considered to arrange the compressor at the lower side of the substrate.

[0010] However, if the compressor is arranged below the substrate, when the compressor is stopped, the liquid-phase refrigerant is likely to flow down from the substrate toward the compressor due to gravity.

[0011] That is, the gas phase refrigerant present in the refrigerant flow path, inside the heat exchanger, etc. when the compressor is running, condenses and liquefies as time passes by by releasing heat to the surroundings when the compressor stops, and the liquefied refrigerant easily flows down toward the compressor due to gravity.

[0012] In this way, when the compressor is operated again in a state where the liquid-phase refrigerant is stored in the compressor, there is a concern that liquid compression may occur in the compressor, thereby reducing the durability of the compressor. Summary of the invention

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to suppress the occurrence of liquid compression when the compressor is restarted.

[0014] A compressor assembly according to one aspect of the present invention includes an evaporator, a liquid reservoir, a compressor, and a flow path forming member.

[0015] The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The liquid storage portion stores the refrigerant in liquid phase. The compressor sucks in and compresses the refrigerant. The flow path forming member is equipped with the evaporator, the liquid storage portion, and the compressor, and forms at least a part of the flow path of the refrigerant.

[0016] The compressor is disposed below the flow path forming member. The suction refrigerant flow path through which the gas phase refrigerant sucked into the compressor flows has a rising portion that rises upward toward the compressor.

[0017] Thus, even if the gaseous refrigerant dissipates heat to the surroundings and condenses and liquefies when the compressor is stopped, the rising portion can prevent the liquefied refrigerant from flowing down to the compressor due to gravity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid compression from occurring when the compressor is restarted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle air conditioning device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing the compressor assembly according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a front view showing the compressor assembly according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing a flow path plate of the compressor assembly according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a side view schematically showing the compressor assembly according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a compressor assembly according to a second embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a flow path plate of a compressor assembly according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to matters described in a previous embodiment, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In each embodiment, when only a portion of the structure is described, other embodiments described previously can be applied to other portions of the structure. Not only can the portions that can be combined be specifically indicated in each embodiment be combined with each other, but also the embodiments can be partially combined with each other even if not indicated, as long as there is no particular hindrance to the combination.

[0027] (First Embodiment)

[0028] use Figure 1 to Figure 5 The compressor assembly of the present invention is described. The compressor assembly of the present embodiment is applied to a vehicle air conditioning device 1 mounted on an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle is a vehicle that obtains driving force for traveling from an electric motor. The vehicle air conditioning device 1 is a heat pump circulation device that performs air conditioning in a vehicle interior as an air-conditioned space and temperature regulation of vehicle-mounted equipment. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning device 1 can be called an air conditioning device with a vehicle-mounted equipment temperature regulation function or a vehicle-mounted equipment temperature regulation device with an air conditioning function.

[0029] In the vehicle air conditioning device 1, as an on-board device, specifically, a battery (not shown) is temperature regulated. The battery is a secondary battery that stores power supplied to a plurality of on-board devices that operate by power. The battery is a battery pack formed by connecting a plurality of stacked battery cells electrically in series or in parallel. The battery cell of this embodiment is a lithium-ion battery.

[0030] The battery generates heat when in operation (i.e., when charging or discharging). The battery has the characteristic that the power is easily reduced at low temperatures and the degradation is easily advanced at high temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the battery within an appropriate temperature range (in this embodiment, above 15°C and below 55°C). Therefore, in the electric vehicle of this embodiment, the vehicle air conditioner 1 is used to adjust the temperature of the battery.

[0031] The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10 , a high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 , a first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 , a second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50 , an indoor air conditioning unit (not shown), a control device (not shown), and the like.

[0032] The heat pump cycle 10 is a vapor compression refrigeration cycle device that adjusts the temperature of the high-temperature heat medium circulating in the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 and the low-temperature heat medium circulating in the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 and the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50. The heat pump cycle 10 is configured to be able to switch the refrigerant circuit according to various operation modes to perform air conditioning in the vehicle interior and cooling of vehicle-mounted equipment.

[0033] The heat pump cycle 10 includes a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an intermediate pressure expansion valve 13, a gas-liquid separator 14, a refrigeration expansion valve 15, a cooling expansion valve 16, a hot gas flow regulating valve 17, an air conditioning chiller 18, a cooling chiller 19, a liquid storage tank 20, an intermediate pressure on-off valve 21, a bypass on-off valve 22, etc.

[0034] In the heat pump cycle 10, HFO refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) is used as the refrigerant. The heat pump cycle 10 constitutes a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the pressure of the high-pressure side refrigerant does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. Refrigeration oil for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed in the refrigerant. The refrigeration oil is PAG oil that is compatible with the liquid phase refrigerant. A part of the refrigeration oil circulates in the cycle together with the refrigerant.

[0035] The compressor 11 sucks, compresses, and discharges refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10. The compressor 11 is an electric compressor of a fixed capacity type compression mechanism driven by an electric motor with a fixed discharge capacity. The rotation speed of the compressor 11 (i.e., the refrigerant discharge capacity) is controlled by a control signal output from a control device.

[0036] The compressor 11 is a two-stage boost type electric compressor. The compressor 11 as a two-stage boost type electric compressor has two compression mechanisms, a low-stage compression mechanism and a high-stage compression mechanism, and an electric motor for rotating both compression mechanisms housed in a casing forming an outer shell.

[0037] The shell of the compressor 11 is provided with a suction port 11a, an intermediate pressure port 11b, and a discharge port 11c. The suction port 11a is a suction port for sucking low-pressure refrigerant from the outside of the shell into the low-stage compression mechanism. The discharge port 11c is a discharge port for discharging high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the high-stage compression mechanism to the outside of the shell.

[0038] The intermediate pressure port 11b is an intermediate pressure suction port for allowing the intermediate pressure refrigerant to flow from the outside of the shell into the inside of the shell and merge with the refrigerant in the compression process from low pressure to high pressure. That is, the intermediate pressure port 11b is connected to the discharge port side of the low-stage compression mechanism and the suction port side of the high-stage compression mechanism inside the shell.

[0039] The compressor 11 of this embodiment houses two compression mechanisms in one housing, but the form of the two-stage boost type compressor is not limited thereto. The compressor 11 of this embodiment may also be an electric compressor that houses a fixed capacity type compression mechanism and a motor that drives the compression mechanism to rotate inside the housing, as long as the intermediate pressure refrigerant can flow in from the intermediate pressure port 11b and merge with the refrigerant in the compression process from low pressure to high pressure.

[0040] The compressor 11 of this embodiment can also be an electric compressor as follows: two compressors are connected in series, the suction port of the low-stage compressor arranged on the low-stage side is used as the suction port 11a, and the discharge port of the high-stage compressor arranged on the high-stage side is used as the discharge port 11c, and an intermediate pressure port 11b is set at the connection part connecting the discharge port of the low-stage compressor and the suction port of the high-stage compressor, and a two-stage boost compressor is formed by both the low-stage compressor and the high-stage compressor.

[0041] The condenser 12 is a heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the high-temperature heat medium of the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30. In the condenser 12, the heat of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is dissipated to the high-temperature heat medium as the heating target fluid, thereby heating the high-temperature heat medium.

[0042] The high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 is provided with a high-temperature heat medium pump, a heater core, a radiator, a switching valve, and an electric heater (none of which is shown in the figure). The high-temperature heat medium pump sucks in and discharges the high-temperature heat medium of the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30. The heater core is a heat exchanger that heats the high-temperature heat medium of the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 and the air blown into the vehicle interior by heat exchange. The high-temperature heat medium of the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 is, for example, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution.

[0043] The radiator is a heat exchanger that heats the air by exchanging heat between the high temperature heat medium of the high temperature heat medium circuit 30 and the outside air. The switching valve switches the state in which the high temperature heat medium of the high temperature heat medium circuit 30 flows through the heater core and the state in which it flows through the radiator. The electric heater is a heat medium heater that generates heat by supplying electric power and heats the high temperature heat medium of the high temperature heat medium circuit 30.

[0044] The intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 is a pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12 and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side. The operation of the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 is controlled by a control signal (specifically, a control pulse) output from the control device. Therefore, the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 is an electrical device. The intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 has a full opening function that functions as a simple refrigerant flow path by fully opening the throttling path and hardly plays a flow rate regulating role and a refrigerant pressure reducing role.

[0045] The gas-liquid separator 14 has a refrigerant inlet 14a, a gas-phase refrigerant outlet 14b, and a liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 14c. The refrigerant flowing out of the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 flows into the refrigerant inlet 14a. The gas-liquid separator 14 separates the gas and liquid of the refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inlet 14a, and causes the separated gas-phase refrigerant to flow out from the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 14b, and causes the separated liquid-phase refrigerant to flow out from the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 14c.

[0046] The refrigeration expansion valve 15 and the cooling expansion valve 16 are decompression parts that decompress the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 14c of the gas-liquid separator 14 and adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side. The basic structure of the refrigeration expansion valve 15 and the cooling expansion valve 16 is the same as that of the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13. Therefore, the refrigeration expansion valve 15 and the cooling expansion valve 16 are electrical devices. The refrigeration expansion valve 15 and the cooling expansion valve 16 have a full closing function of closing the refrigerant flow path by fully closing the throttle path.

[0047] The hot gas flow control valve 17 is an electrically variable throttling mechanism that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant flowing in the hot gas flow path 23 and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side. The basic structure of the hot gas flow control valve 17 is the same as that of the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13. Therefore, the hot gas flow control valve 17 is an electrical device. The hot gas flow control valve 17 has a fully closing function that closes the refrigerant flow path by fully closing the throttling path.

[0048] The air conditioning chiller 18 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the refrigeration expansion valve 15 and the low-temperature heat medium of the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40. The air conditioning chiller 18 is an evaporator that cools the low-temperature heat medium by evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant and absorbing heat.

[0049] The first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 is provided with a first low-temperature heat medium pump and a cooler core (neither of which is shown in the figure). The first low-temperature heat medium pump sucks in and discharges the low-temperature heat medium of the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40. The cooler core is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-temperature heat medium of the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 and the air blown into the vehicle interior to cool the air. The low-temperature heat medium of the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 is, for example, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution.

[0050] The cooling chiller 19 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 16 and the low-temperature heat medium of the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50. The cooling chiller 19 is an evaporator that cools the low-temperature heat medium by evaporating the low-pressure refrigerant and absorbing heat.

[0051] The second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50 is provided with a second low-temperature heat medium pump and a battery (neither of which is shown in the figure). The second low-temperature heat medium pump sucks in and discharges the low-temperature heat medium of the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50. The cooler core allows the low-temperature heat medium of the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50 to flow in the heat medium flow path in the battery, and the low-temperature heat medium absorbs heat from the battery to cool the battery. The low-temperature heat medium of the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50 is, for example, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution.

[0052] The accumulator 20 is a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant flowing into the inside into gas and liquid and stores the low-pressure side of the remaining liquid-phase refrigerant in the cycle. The accumulator 20 is a liquid storage unit.

[0053] The intermediate pressure on-off valve 21 is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the intermediate pressure flow path 24. The intermediate pressure on-off valve 21 is a solenoid valve whose opening and closing action is controlled by a control voltage output from a control device. Therefore, the intermediate pressure on-off valve 21 is an electrical device. The intermediate pressure flow path 24 is connected to the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 14b of the gas-liquid separator 14 and the intermediate pressure port 11b of the compressor 11.

[0054] The bypass opening and closing valve 22 is a solenoid valve that opens and closes the bypass flow path 25. The bypass opening and closing valve 22 is a solenoid valve whose opening and closing operation is controlled by a control voltage output from a control device. Therefore, the bypass opening and closing valve 22 is an electrical device.

[0055] The heat pump cycle 10 includes a first branching portion 26a, a second branching portion 26b, and a third branching portion 26c for branching the flow of the refrigerant. The heat pump cycle 10 includes a first merging portion 27a, a second merging portion 27b, and a third merging portion 27c for merging the flows of the refrigerant.

[0056] The first branching portion 26a branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to the condenser 12 side and the hot gas flow path 23 side. The second branching portion 26b branches the flow of the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 14c of the gas-liquid separator 14 to the cooling expansion valve 15 side and the cooling expansion valve 16 side. The third branching portion 26c branches the flow of the refrigerant joined at the first joining portion 27a to the accumulator 20 side and the bypass path 25 side.

[0057] The first merging portion 27a merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the hot air flow path 23 with the flow of the refrigerant evaporated in the air conditioning chiller 18. The second merging portion 27b merges the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass flow path 25 with the flow of the gas-phase refrigerant flowing out of the accumulator 20. The third merging portion 27c merges the flow of the refrigerant evaporated in the cooling chiller 19 with the flow of the refrigerant merged at the second merging portion 27b.

[0058] An inhaled refrigerant flow path 28 is connected between the refrigerant outlet of the third joining portion 27 c and the suction port 11 a of the compressor 11 .

[0059] The indoor air conditioning unit (not shown) is a unit that integrates a plurality of components to blow air conditioned to an appropriate temperature to an appropriate position in the vehicle interior to perform air conditioning in the vehicle interior. The indoor air conditioning unit is arranged inside the instrument panel (instrument panel) at the front of the vehicle interior.

[0060] The indoor air conditioning unit is formed by accommodating an indoor blower (not shown), a cooler core, a heater core, and the like in an air conditioning case (not shown) forming an air passage.

[0061] The heat pump cycle 10 has a refrigerant pressure sensor group and a refrigerant temperature sensor group. The refrigerant pressure sensor group includes an intake refrigerant pressure sensor 61 and a discharge refrigerant pressure sensor 62. The intake refrigerant pressure sensor 61 is a refrigerant pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the refrigerant sucked into the intake port 11a of the compressor 11. The discharge refrigerant pressure sensor 62 is a refrigerant pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 11c of the compressor 11.

[0062] The refrigerant temperature sensor group includes a condensing refrigerant temperature sensor 63 and an evaporating refrigerant temperature sensor 64. The condensing refrigerant temperature sensor 63 is a refrigerant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 12. The evaporating refrigerant temperature sensor 64 is a refrigerant temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the cooling machine 19.

[0063] The detection signals of the refrigerant pressure sensor group and the refrigerant temperature sensor group are input to the control device. The control device has a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. and its peripheral circuits. The control device performs various calculations and processes based on the control program stored in the ROM. In addition, the control device controls the actions of various control target devices connected to its output side based on the calculation and processing results.

[0064] An operation panel (not shown) is connected to the input side of the control device. The operation panel is arranged near the instrument panel in the front part of the vehicle interior and is provided with various operation switches. Operation signals from various operation switches provided on the operation panel are input to the control device.

[0065] Specific examples of the various operation switches provided on the operation panel include an automatic switch, an air conditioning switch, an air volume setting switch, a temperature setting switch, and the like.

[0066] The automatic switch is an operation switch for setting or releasing the automatic control operation of the vehicle air conditioning device 1. The air conditioning switch is an operation switch for requesting cooling of air in the cooler core. The air volume setting switch is an operation switch for manually setting the air volume blown into the vehicle interior (i.e., the air volume of the indoor blower). The temperature setting switch is an operation switch for setting the set temperature in the vehicle interior.

[0067] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The compressor assembly 100 shown is a component that integrates a plurality of components that mainly constitute the heat pump cycle 10 . Figure 2 and Figure 3 The up-down arrows in numeral 1 indicate the up-down direction of the electric vehicle on which the compressor assembly 100 is mounted.

[0068] In the compressor assembly 100 of the present embodiment, the compressor 11, condenser 12, intermediate pressure expansion valve 13, gas-liquid separator 14, refrigeration expansion valve 15, cooling expansion valve 16, hot gas flow regulating valve 17, air conditioning chiller 18, cooling chiller 19, liquid storage tank 20, intermediate pressure on-off valve 21, bypass on-off valve 22 and the like in the components of the heat pump cycle 10 are integrated.

[0069] These components are integrated by the flow path plate 110 mounted on the compressor assembly 100. Therefore, the flow path plate 110 is a mounting member for mounting a plurality of components.

[0070] The flow channel plate 110 is formed by casting of metal (aluminum alloy in this embodiment) and is formed in a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction.

[0071] The condenser 12, the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13, the gas-liquid separator 14, the refrigeration expansion valve 15, the cooling expansion valve 16, the hot gas flow control valve 17, the air conditioning chiller 18, the cooling chiller 19, and the bypass on-off valve 22 are fixed to the upper surface of the flow path plate 110. The intermediate pressure on-off valve 21 is integrated with the gas-liquid separator 14.

[0072] The compressor 11 and the accumulator 20 are fixed to the lower surface of the flow path plate 110. A bracket (not shown) is mounted on the side of the flow path plate 110. The bracket is a component for fixing the compressor assembly 100 to the vehicle. For example, the bracket extends downwardly in a manner spanning the compressor 11 and the accumulator 20.

[0073] The flow path plate 110 is a flow path forming component that forms the following flow paths: multiple refrigerant flow paths that allow the refrigerant of the heat pump cycle 10 to flow therein, multiple heat medium flow paths that allow the high-temperature heat medium of the high-temperature heat medium circuit 30 to flow, and multiple heat medium flow paths that allow the low-temperature heat medium of the first low-temperature heat medium circuit 40 and the second low-temperature heat medium circuit 50 to flow.

[0074] The first branch portion 26 a , the second branch portion 26 b , the third branch portion 26 c , the first merging portion 27 a , the second merging portion 27 b , and the third merging portion 27 c are formed inside the flow channel plate 110 .

[0075] like Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of seat portions 111 a for fixing the condenser 12 , a plurality of seat portions 111 b for fixing the air conditioning chiller 18 , and a plurality of seat portions 111 c for fixing the cooling chiller 19 are formed on the upper surface of the flow path plate 110 . Figure 4 The up-down arrows indicate the up-down direction of the electric vehicle on which the compressor assembly 100 is mounted.

[0076] An outlet 112a for the refrigerant to the condenser 12, an inlet 112b for the refrigerant from the condenser 12, an outlet 112c for the refrigerant to the air-conditioning cold machine 18, an inlet 112d for the refrigerant from the air-conditioning cold machine 18, an outlet 112e for the refrigerant to the cooling cold machine 19, and an inlet 112f for the refrigerant from the cooling cold machine 19 are formed on the upper surface of the flow path plate 110.

[0077] An outlet 113a of the high-temperature heat medium to the condenser 12, an outlet 113c of the low-temperature heat medium to the air-conditioning chiller 18, an inlet 113d of the low-temperature heat medium from the air-conditioning chiller 18, an outlet 113e of the low-temperature heat medium to the cooling chiller 19, and an inlet 113f of the low-temperature heat medium from the cooling chiller 19 are formed on the upper surface of the flow path plate 110.

[0078] The upper surface of the flow path plate 110 is provided with an installation hole 114a for installing the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13, an installation hole 114b for installing the gas-liquid separator 14, an installation hole 114c for installing the refrigeration expansion valve 15, an installation hole 114d for installing the cooling expansion valve 16, an installation hole 114e for installing the hot gas flow regulating valve 17, and an installation hole 114f for installing the bypass opening and closing valve 22.

[0079] A high temperature heat medium inlet 115 a for high temperature heat medium to flow in, a low temperature heat medium inlet 115 b for low temperature heat medium to flow in, and a high temperature heat medium outlet 115 c for low temperature heat medium to flow out are formed on the upper surface of the flow channel plate 110 .

[0080] A suction refrigerant outlet 116 is formed on the upper surface of the flow channel plate 110. The suction refrigerant outlet 116 is a refrigerant outlet of the third merging portion 27c.

[0081] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, a discharge refrigerant pipe 120 , an intermediate-pressure refrigerant pipe 121 , and a suction refrigerant pipe 122 are arranged outside the flow channel plate 110 . Figure 5 The up-down arrows in numeral 1 indicate the up-down direction of the electric vehicle on which the compressor assembly 100 is mounted.

[0082] The refrigerant discharge pipe 120 is formed Figure 1 The flow path forming member of the refrigerant flow path 29 between the discharge port 11 c of the compressor 11 and the first branch portion 26 a is shown.

[0083] The intermediate pressure refrigerant pipe 121 is formed Figure 1The intermediate-pressure flow path 24 shown is a flow path forming member for the flow path from the intermediate-pressure on-off valve 21 to the intermediate-pressure port 11b of the compressor 11. The suction refrigerant pipe 122 is a flow path forming member for forming the suction refrigerant flow path 28.

[0084] like Figure 5 As shown schematically, the suction refrigerant piping 122 stands upward from the suction refrigerant outlet 116 opened on the upper surface of the flow path plate 110, hangs down to the through hole 117 of the flow path plate 110, and then passes through the through hole 117 of the flow path plate 110 and hangs down to the bottom of the flow path plate 110 and connects to the suction port 11a of the compressor 11.

[0085] The portion of the suction refrigerant pipe 122 that rises upward from the suction refrigerant outlet 116 of the third merging portion 27c forms a rising portion 28a that causes the suction refrigerant flow path 28 to rise upward in the gravity direction.

[0086] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment in the above-mentioned structure is described. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, various operation modes are switched to perform air conditioning in the vehicle interior and temperature adjustment of the battery. The switching of the operation mode is performed by executing a control program pre-stored in the control device. The control device switches the operation mode by controlling the operation of the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13, the refrigeration expansion valve 15, the cooling expansion valve 16, the hot gas flow regulating valve 17, the intermediate pressure on-off valve 21, and the bypass on-off valve 22.

[0087] Examples of various operation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 include a cooling-only mode, a cooling-cooling mode, a dehumidification-heating-only mode, a cooling-dehumidification-heating mode, and a cooling-only mode.

[0088] The cooling-only mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is cooled by blowing air cooled by the cooler core into the vehicle interior.

[0089] The cooling mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is cooled by blowing air cooled by the cooler core into the vehicle interior, and the battery is cooled by the low-temperature heat medium cooled by the cooling chiller 19 .

[0090] The dehumidification and heating only mode is an operation mode in which the air cooled by the cooler core is heated by the heater core and blown out into the vehicle interior to perform dehumidification and heating in the vehicle interior.

[0091] The cooling, dehumidifying and heating mode is an operation mode in which the air cooled by the cooler core is heated by the heater core and blown out into the vehicle interior to dehumidify and heat the vehicle interior, and the battery is cooled by the low-temperature heat medium cooled by the cooling machine 19 .

[0092] The cooling-only mode is an operation mode in which the battery is cooled by the low-temperature heat medium cooled by the cooling chiller 19 .

[0093] By setting the hot gas flow control valve 17 to the throttle state, the low-enthalpy refrigerant flowing out of at least one of the air-conditioning chiller 18 and the cooling chiller 19 and the high-enthalpy refrigerant flowing out of the hot gas flow path 23 are mixed and sucked into the compressor 11 .

[0094] The control device controls the throttle opening of the hot gas flow regulating valve 17 so that the superheat of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 11 approaches the target superheat, so that the state of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 11 can be changed to a gas-phase refrigerant with superheat.

[0095] By setting the intermediate pressure on-off valve 21 to an open valve state, the intermediate pressure refrigerant in the gas phase that has passed through the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 and the gas-liquid separator 14 can flow into the intermediate pressure port 11b of the compressor 11. Therefore, the intermediate pressure refrigerant in the gas phase that has passed through the intermediate pressure expansion valve 13 and the gas-liquid separator 14 can be combined with the refrigerant in the pressure-raising process that has been sucked in from the suction port 11a in the compressor 11. That is, the heat pump cycle 10 can constitute a gas injection cycle.

[0096] By opening the bypass on-off valve 22, part of the refrigerant that merges at the first merging portion 27a can bypass the accumulator 20 and flow into the bypass flow path 25. This can reduce the pressure loss of the refrigerant in the accumulator 20 and improve the performance of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0097] In these operation modes, the refrigerant flow path of the heat pump cycle 10 includes an area for the liquid-phase refrigerant to flow and an area for the gas-phase refrigerant to flow. The gas-phase refrigerant after the pressure reduction in the hot gas flow control valve 17, the gas-phase refrigerant after evaporation in the air-conditioning chiller 18, and the gas-phase refrigerant after evaporation in the cooling chiller 19 are sucked into the suction port 11a of the compressor 11 through the suction refrigerant flow path 28 in the suction refrigerant piping 122 from the third confluence portion 27c.

[0098] When the heat pump cycle 10 stops operating (in other words, when the compressor 11 stops), the high-temperature gas-phase refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path, the gas-phase refrigerant in the air-conditioning chiller 18, and the gas-phase refrigerant in the cooling chiller 19 gradually condense and liquefy as time passes by by dissipating heat to the surroundings.

[0099] During the operation stop of the heat pump cycle 10, the condensed and liquefied refrigerant flows down from high to low in the refrigerant flow path of the heat pump cycle 10 due to the effect of gravity. If the condensed and liquefied refrigerant flows down during the operation stop of the heat pump cycle 10 and flows into the suction port 11a of the compressor 11 from the flow path plate 110, when the heat pump cycle 10 is restarted (in other words, when the compressor is restarted), there is a concern that the liquid-phase refrigerant stored in the compressor 11 is compressed and the durability of the compressor 11 is reduced.

[0100] In this regard, in the present embodiment, since the suction refrigerant pipe 122 rises upward from the suction refrigerant outlet 116 of the flow path plate 110, it is possible to suppress the condensed and liquefied refrigerant from flowing down to the suction port 11a of the compressor 11 due to gravity during the shutdown of the heat pump cycle 10. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of liquid compression in the compressor 11 when the compressor is restarted.

[0101] In the present embodiment, the compressor 11 is disposed below the flow path plate 110 , and the suction refrigerant flow path 28 has a rising portion 28 a that rises upward toward the compressor 11 .

[0102] Thus, even if the gaseous refrigerant dissipates heat to the surroundings and condenses and liquefies when the compressor 11 is stopped, the rising portion 28a can prevent the liquefied refrigerant from flowing down from the flow path plate 110 to the compressor 11 due to gravity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid compression from occurring when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0103] In the present embodiment, the accumulator 20 is disposed below the flow path plate 110. Thus, when the compressor 11 is stopped, the liquefied refrigerant easily flows down to the accumulator 20 due to gravity and is stored in the accumulator 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the liquefied refrigerant from flowing down from the flow path plate 110 to the compressor 11 due to gravity, thereby suppressing the occurrence of liquid compression when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0104] In this embodiment, the air conditioning chiller 18 and the cooling chiller 19 are arranged above the flow channel plate 110. Thus, the air conditioning chiller 18 and the cooling chiller 19 and the compressor 11 can be efficiently arranged on both upper and lower sides of the flow channel plate 110.

[0105] In the present embodiment, the raised portion 28a is formed by raising the suction refrigerant pipe 122 upward from the suction refrigerant outlet 116 of the flow channel plate 110. Thus, the raised portion 28a can be easily formed.

[0106] In this embodiment, the flow plate 110 is a plate-shaped member extending in the horizontal direction, and the compressor 11 is fixed to the lower surface of the flow plate 110. Thus, the compressor 11 and other components of the heat pump cycle 10 can be efficiently arranged on the flow plate 110.

[0107] (Second Embodiment)

[0108] In the first embodiment, the suction refrigerant flow path 28 is formed in the suction refrigerant pipe 122. However, in the present embodiment, Figure 6 As shown, the suction refrigerant flow path 28 is formed inside the flow path plate 110 , and a rising portion 28 a of the suction refrigerant flow path 28 is formed inside the flow path plate 110 . Figure 6 The up-down arrows in numeral 1 indicate the up-down direction of the electric vehicle on which the compressor assembly 100 is mounted.

[0109] In the present embodiment, the suction refrigerant outlet 116 is formed on the lower surface of the flow path plate 110 and is directly connected to the suction port 11 a of the compressor 11 .

[0110] As in the first embodiment, the rising portion 28 a of the suction refrigerant flow path 28 can suppress the condensed and liquefied refrigerant from flowing down to the compressor 11 during shutdown, thereby suppressing liquid compression when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0111] In the present embodiment, since the rising portion 28 a is formed inside the flow path plate 110 , the rising portion 28 a can be formed while suppressing an increase in the volume of the compressor assembly 100 as much as possible.

[0112] (The third form of giving)

[0113] In this embodiment, if Figure 7 As shown, a liquid storage portion 119 that is recessed downward is formed in the refrigerant flow path 118 inside the flow path plate 110 . Figure 7 The up-down arrows in numeral 1 indicate the up-down direction of the electric vehicle on which the compressor assembly 100 is mounted.

[0114] The refrigerant condensed and liquefied during the shutdown is stored in the liquid storage portion 119. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the refrigerant condensed and liquefied during the shutdown from flowing into the compressor 11 when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the accumulator 20 is arranged below the flow path plate 110 so that the refrigerant condensed during shutdown is easily stored in the accumulator 20. This is because the condensed and liquefied refrigerant during shutdown is easily flowed down from the flow path plate 110 to the accumulator 20 due to gravity.

[0116] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the liquid storage portion 119 is formed to store the liquid-phase refrigerant inside the flow channel plate 110 , so that the accumulator 20 can be arranged laterally or above the flow channel plate 110 .

[0117] In the above embodiment, the air conditioning chiller 18 is arranged above the flow path plate 110, and the accumulator 20 is arranged below the flow path plate 110, so that the refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the air conditioning chiller 18 during shutdown is easily stored in the accumulator 20. This is because the refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the air conditioning chiller 18 during shutdown is easily flowed down to the accumulator 20 due to gravity. Thus, the refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the air conditioning chiller 18 during shutdown is suppressed from flowing into the compressor 11 through the bypass flow path 25 when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0118] On the other hand, if the liquid storage portion 119 of the present embodiment is formed in the bypass flow path 25, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant condensed and liquefied in the air-conditioning cold machine 18 during shutdown from flowing into the compressor 11 through the bypass flow path 25 when the compressor 11 is restarted, thereby enabling the air-conditioning cold machine 18 to be arranged below the flow path plate 110.

[0119] When the suction refrigerant flow path 28 is formed inside the flow path plate 110 as in the above-described second embodiment, the liquid storage portion 119 may be formed in the suction refrigerant flow path 28 .

[0120] In the present embodiment, the flow channel plate 110 has a liquid storage portion 119 in which the refrigerant flow channel 118 is recessed downward so that the liquid-phase refrigerant is stored.

[0121] Thus, since the liquefied refrigerant is stored in the liquid storage portion 119 when the compressor 11 is stopped, it is possible to suppress the liquefied refrigerant from flowing down toward the compressor 11 due to gravity. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of liquid compression when the compressor 11 is restarted.

[0122] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made as described below without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0123] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle air conditioner 1 is described as the heat pump cycle device to which the compressor unit is applied. However, the heat pump cycle device to which the compressor unit is applied is not limited to the vehicle air conditioner.

[0124] For example, a stationary air conditioner with a temperature control function may be used to control the temperature of a temperature control target object (eg, a computer, a computer server device, or other electrical equipment) while performing indoor air conditioning.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the temperature of the battery is regulated as an example of the vehicle-mounted device to be temperature regulated, but the vehicle-mounted device is not limited to the battery. For example, the temperature of the inverter, PCU, drive axle, ADAS control device, etc. may also be regulated.

[0126] The inverter supplies power to the motor generator, etc. The PCU is a power control unit that performs power conversion and power distribution. The drive axle is a power transmission mechanism that integrates the transmission, differential gear, etc. The control device for ADAS is a control device for advanced driver assistance systems.

[0127] The specific structure of the compressor assembly 100 is not limited to the structure disclosed in the above embodiment.

[0128] For example, the components of the heat pump cycle 10 integrated with the compressor assembly 100 are not limited to the components disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment. If the compressor 11, at least one evaporator, and the accumulator 20 are integrated with at least the flow path plate 110, the other components may be integrated or not.

[0129] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which an aluminum alloy is used as a material for forming the flow path plate 110 is described, but the material of the flow path plate 110 is not limited to an aluminum alloy.

[0130] The specific structure of the heat pump cycle device using the compressor assembly is not limited to the structure disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0131] For example, the refrigerant of the heat pump cycle 10 is not limited to R1234yf. R134a, R600a, R410A, R404A, R32, R407C, etc. may be used as the refrigerant. Alternatively, a mixed refrigerant in which a plurality of refrigerants are mixed may be used.

[0132] For example, the high temperature heat medium of the high temperature heat medium circuit 30 and the low temperature heat medium of the first low temperature heat medium circuit 40 and the second low temperature heat medium circuit 50 are not limited to the ethylene glycol aqueous solution. As the high temperature heat medium and the low temperature heat medium, dimethyl polysiloxane or a solution containing nanofluid, etc., an antifreeze solution, a water-based liquid refrigerant containing alcohol, etc., a liquid medium containing oil, etc. may also be used.

[0133] The operation mode of the heat pump cycle 10 using the compressor assembly is not limited to the mode disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0134] The refrigerant flow path inside the flow path plate 110 may be provided with an inclination or a step so that the refrigerant flow path inside the flow path plate 110 descends downward toward the accumulator 20 .

[0135] Thus, the refrigerant condensed during the shutdown naturally flows down due to gravity and is easily stored in the accumulator 20 , and thus it is possible to suppress the refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 11 when the operation is resumed.

[0136] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the flow channel plate 110 is formed by casting, but the flow channel plate 110 may be formed by bonding metal plates or combining cut pieces.

[0137] The present invention is described according to the embodiments, but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and structures. The present invention also includes various modifications and variations within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and methods, even other combinations and methods including only one element among these, or including more than one element or less than multiple elements, are all within the scope and thought of the present invention.

[0138] The features of the compressor assembly disclosed in this specification are as follows.

[0139] (Item 1)

[0140] A compressor assembly comprising:

[0141] an evaporator (18, 19) for evaporating a refrigerant of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle;

[0142] a liquid storage portion (20) storing the refrigerant in a liquid phase;

[0143] a compressor (11) that sucks in and compresses the refrigerant; and

[0144] a flow path forming member (110) on which the evaporator, the liquid storage unit, and the compressor are mounted and which forms at least a portion of the flow path of the refrigerant,

[0145] The compressor is arranged on the lower side of the flow path forming member,

[0146] An inhaled refrigerant flow path (28) in which the gas phase refrigerant sucked into the compressor flows among the refrigerant flow paths has a rising portion (28a) rising upward toward the compressor.

[0147] (Item 2)

[0148] According to the compressor assembly described in Item 1, the liquid storage portion is arranged on the lower side of the flow path forming member.

[0149] (Item 3)

[0150] According to the compressor assembly described in item 1 or 2, the evaporator is arranged on the upper side of the flow path forming member.

[0151] (Item 4)

[0152] A compressor assembly according to any one of items 1 to 3,

[0153] A suction refrigerant pipe (122) is provided, the suction refrigerant pipe being a pipe component forming a passage of the refrigerant from the flow path forming component to the compressor in the suction refrigerant flow path,

[0154] The flow path forming member is provided with an inhaled refrigerant outlet (116) through which the refrigerant flows out and which is connected to the inhaled refrigerant pipe.

[0155] The rising portion (28a) is formed by the suction refrigerant pipe rising upward from the suction refrigerant outlet.

[0156] (Item 5)

[0157] A compressor assembly according to any one of items 1 to 4,

[0158] The flow path forming member is a plate-shaped member extending in the horizontal direction.

[0159] The compressor is fixed to the lower surface of the flow path forming member.

[0160] (Item 6)

[0161] According to the compressor assembly described in any one of items 1 to 5, the flow path forming member has a liquid storage portion (119) that makes the flow path of the refrigerant recessed downward to store the refrigerant in a liquid phase.

[0162] (Item 7)

[0163] According to the compressor assembly described in any one of items 1 to 6, the rising portion is formed inside the flow path forming member.

Claims

1. A compressor assembly, characterized in that: have: an evaporator (18, 19) for evaporating a refrigerant of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle; a liquid storage portion (20) storing the refrigerant in a liquid phase; A compressor (11) that sucks in and compresses the refrigerant; as well as a flow path forming member (110) on which the evaporator, the liquid storage unit, and the compressor are mounted and which forms at least a portion of the flow path of the refrigerant, The compressor is arranged on the lower side of the flow path forming member, An inhaled refrigerant flow path (28) in which the gas phase refrigerant sucked into the compressor flows among the refrigerant flow paths has a rising portion (28a) rising upward toward the compressor.

2. The compressor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The liquid storage portion is disposed on a lower side of the flow path forming member.

3. The compressor assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The evaporator is arranged above the flow path forming member.

4. The compressor assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A suction refrigerant pipe (122) is provided, the suction refrigerant pipe being a pipe component forming a passage of the refrigerant from the flow path forming component to the compressor in the suction refrigerant flow path, The flow path forming member is provided with an inhaled refrigerant outlet (116) through which the refrigerant flows out and which is connected to the inhaled refrigerant pipe. The rising portion (28a) is formed by the suction refrigerant pipe rising upward from the suction refrigerant outlet.

5. The compressor assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The flow path forming member is a plate-shaped member extending in the horizontal direction. The compressor is fixed to the lower surface of the flow path forming member.

6. The compressor assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The flow path forming member has a liquid storage portion (119) that makes the flow path of the refrigerant recessed downward to store the refrigerant in a liquid phase.

7. The compressor assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The rising portion is formed inside the flow path forming member.

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