Air conditioning system, refrigeration and heating method, and automobile

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air conditioning system, a refrigeration and heating method and a car, belonging to the technical field of automobile air conditioning systems. The air conditioning system includes a circulating medium, a heater, a refrigeration air conditioner, a radiator and a pump body. The heater is used to heat the circulating medium; the refrigeration air conditioner is used to refrigerate the circulating medium; the radiator is filled with the circulating medium; the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the heater and the radiator, or the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the refrigeration air conditioner and the radiator. The present invention utilizes the circulating medium after refrigeration or heating to flow through the radiator, and the radiator radiates cold or heat to the outside world to achieve the purpose of refrigeration or heating. There is no need to set an evaporator in the cab, so that the structure can be simplified to reduce the cost of the whole vehicle, and the environmental pollution in the cab and the health risks of the driver and passengers caused by the leakage of refrigerant are eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automobile air-conditioning systems, and in particular to an air-conditioning system, a refrigeration and heating method, and an automobile. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing global awareness of environmental protection and the transformation of energy structure, new energy vehicles, as an important carrier for reducing carbon emissions and promoting green travel, are receiving increasing attention for their technological innovation and development. Among the many technical components of new energy vehicles, the performance and efficiency of the air-conditioning system are directly related to the comfort experience of drivers and passengers and the overall energy efficiency of the vehicle. At present, the air-conditioning systems of mainstream new energy vehicles generally follow the principle of refrigerant evaporation and heat absorption for refrigeration operation. The system uses an evaporator built into the air-conditioning box and a blower to blow air across the surface of the evaporator, so that the air is cooled due to the refrigerant evaporation and heat absorption, thereby achieving the purpose of lowering the temperature inside the car.

[0003] However, although this cooling technology plays an important role in improving the comfort of the in-vehicle environment, the existing air-conditioning system still faces several significant problems and defects in design, which restricts its further development and optimization:

[0004] Complex structure and control mechanism: In the current air conditioning system design, in order to achieve both cooling and heating functions, the air conditioning box needs to integrate two completely different components: the water heating core and the evaporator. During the cooling process, the system relies on the evaporation heat absorption effect of the refrigerant; while during heating, the hot water circulating in the water heating core releases heat to increase the temperature inside the car. This design not only requires different heat transfer paths and media, but also requires a complex cold and warm air door rotation control mechanism to switch between cooling and heating modes, which undoubtedly increases the structural complexity and control difficulty of the system, and reduces the overall efficiency and reliability of the system.

[0005] Refrigerant leakage risk and in-vehicle air quality: As the core component of the refrigeration system, the sealing of the evaporator is of vital importance. However, under the influence of long-term operation and environmental factors (such as vibration and temperature changes), the evaporator has the potential risk of refrigerant leakage. Once the refrigerant leaks, not only will the cooling effect be greatly reduced, but the refrigerant may also interact with moisture, dust, etc. in the air, causing unpleasant odors in the car, seriously affecting the riding experience and health of the driver and passengers.

[0006] In view of the above problems, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of new energy vehicle air-conditioning system, aiming to simplify the system structure, improve control efficiency, and effectively avoid the environmental and health risks caused by refrigerant leakage, so as to further improve the overall energy efficiency and environmental performance of new energy vehicles while ensuring the comfort of drivers and passengers. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning system, a refrigeration and heating method and a vehicle to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art. The circulating medium after refrigeration or heating is used to flow through a radiator, and the cold or heat is dissipated to the outside through the radiator to achieve the purpose of refrigeration or heating. There is no need to set an evaporator in the cab, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the cost of the whole vehicle, and eliminating the environmental pollution in the cab and the health risks of the driver and passengers caused by refrigerant leakage.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0009] The present invention provides an air conditioning system, comprising a circulating medium, a heater, a refrigerating air conditioner, a radiator and a pump body, wherein the heater is used to heat the circulating medium; the refrigerating air conditioner is used to cool the circulating medium; the circulating medium flows in the radiator; the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the heater and the radiator, or the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the refrigerating air conditioner and the radiator.

[0010] In one embodiment, the refrigeration air conditioner includes an evaporator, and the evaporator is connected to a refrigeration path of the circulating medium.

[0011] In one embodiment, the heater is a PTC heater.

[0012] In one embodiment, the pump body adopts an air conditioning water pump, and the air conditioning water pump, the heater, the radiator and the evaporator form a circulation path of the circulating medium. When the evaporator is working, it is a cooling path, and when the heater is working, it is a heating path.

[0013] In one embodiment, the pump body includes a hot water pump and a cooling water pump, the hot water pump, the heater and the radiator form a heating path for the circulating medium; the cooling water pump, the radiator and the evaporator form a cooling path for the circulating medium.

[0014] In one embodiment, the radiator includes a first radiator and a second radiator which are arranged in parallel, the first radiator is used to be arranged in a cab, and the second radiator is used to be arranged in a power battery.

[0015] In one embodiment, it also includes a first four-way valve and a second four-way valve, wherein the four ports of the first four-way valve are respectively connected to the outlet of the first radiator, the outlet of the second radiator, the inlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the heater, and the four ports of the second four-way valve are respectively connected to the inlet of the first radiator, the inlet of the second radiator, the outlet of the evaporator and the outlet of the heater.

[0016] In one embodiment, a blower is further included, and wind from the blower enters the cab after being cooled or heated by the first radiator.

[0017] The present invention provides a cooling and heating method, comprising the following contents: utilizing the flow of a circulating medium to carry heat or cold; heating the circulating medium by a heater and then flowing it through a radiator, so that the radiator radiates heat to the outside; cooling the circulating medium by a refrigeration air conditioner and then flowing it through the radiator, so that the radiator radiates cold to the outside.

[0018] The present invention also provides a car, comprising the air conditioning system as described above.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0020] The present invention utilizes a heater to heat the circulating medium, utilizes a refrigeration air conditioner to cool the circulating medium, and allows the cooled or heated circulating medium to flow through a radiator, which dissipates cold or heat to the outside, thereby achieving the purpose of cooling or heating the cab or the power battery. There is no need to set an evaporator in the cab, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the cost of the entire vehicle, and preventing environmental pollution in the cab and health risks to drivers and passengers caused by refrigerant leakage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an air conditioning system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another air conditioning system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Among them, 1. blower; 2. first radiator; 3. heater; 4. air conditioning water pump; 41. refrigeration water pump; 42. hot water pump; 5. evaporator; 6. compressor; 7. condenser; 8. expansion valve; 9. fan; 10. first four-way valve; 11. second four-way valve; 12. power battery; 13. second radiator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning system, a refrigeration and heating method and a vehicle to solve the problems existing in the prior art. The circulating medium after refrigeration or heating is used to flow through a radiator, and the cold or heat is dissipated to the outside through the radiator to achieve the purpose of refrigeration or heating. There is no need to set an evaporator in the cab, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the cost of the whole vehicle, and eliminating the environmental pollution in the cab and the health risks of the driver and passengers caused by refrigerant leakage.

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the present invention provides an air conditioning system, including a circulating medium, a heater, a refrigerating air conditioner, a radiator and a pump body. The circulating medium can be liquid water or a mixed liquid of water and ethylene glycol, or a coolant or antifreeze. The heater 3 is used to heat the circulating medium. The circulating medium flows through the heater 3 through a pipeline. The heater 3 can be an electric heating tube or an electric heating wire. The refrigerating air conditioner is used to cool the circulating medium. The circulating medium flows through the refrigerating air conditioner through a pipeline. The refrigerating air conditioner is placed outside the cab as a whole, which reduces the occupation of the space in the cab on the one hand and avoids the pollution of the cab environment caused by the leakage of the refrigerant on the other hand. The radiator can adopt a fin type or a coil type structure. The circulating medium flows in the radiator. It should be noted that the radiator should not be understood as being able to only dissipate heat, but can also dissipate cold, that is, the circulating medium exchanges heat with the external environment of the radiator through the radiator. When the temperature of the circulating medium is higher than the external environment, the external environment is heated, and when the temperature of the circulating medium is lower than the external environment, the external environment is cooled. In addition, the external environment mentioned here refers to the object that the air-conditioning system needs to heat or cool, which can be a space (such as a cab) or an object (such as a power battery 12). The pump body is used to provide power for the flow of the circulating medium. There can be only one pump body, in which case it can drive both the circulating medium after cooling and the circulating medium after heating. There can also be two or more pump bodies, for example, including a first pump body and a second pump body. The first pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the heater 3 and the radiator to carry the heat of the heater 3 to the radiator through the circulating medium. The second pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the refrigeration air conditioner and the radiator to carry the cold of the refrigeration air conditioner to the radiator through the circulating medium.

[0029] The present invention utilizes the heater 3 to heat the circulating medium, utilizes the refrigeration air conditioner to cool the circulating medium, and allows the cooled or heated circulating medium to flow through the radiator, and dissipates cold or heat to the outside through the radiator, thereby achieving the purpose of cooling or heating the cab or the power battery 12. There is no need to set an evaporator 5 in the cab, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the cost of the entire vehicle, and eliminating the environmental pollution in the cab and the health risks of the driver and passengers caused by refrigerant leakage.

[0030] In one embodiment, the refrigeration air conditioner includes a compressor 6, a condenser 7 (a fan 9 for cooling is provided correspondingly), an expansion valve 8 and an evaporator 5, the refrigerant flows in the refrigeration air conditioner, and the evaporator 5 is connected to the refrigeration path of the circulating medium. When the refrigeration air conditioner is in operation, the compressor 6 compresses the gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state, and sends it to the condenser 7 for cooling. After cooling, it becomes a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The medium-temperature liquid refrigerant is throttled and depressurized to a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid mixture through the expansion valve 8, and absorbs the heat of the circulating medium passing through the evaporator 5 and vaporizes, becoming a gaseous state, and then returns to the compressor 6 to continue compression, and continues to circulate for refrigeration. Thus, through the evaporator 5, the low-temperature refrigerant cools the relatively high-temperature circulating medium, so that the circulating medium carries the cold transferred by the refrigerant, and finally reaches the radiator to dissipate to the external environment.

[0031] In one embodiment, the heater 3 uses a PTC heater. PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) is a positive temperature coefficient thermistor. Its characteristic is that as the temperature rises, the resistance value increases, thereby reducing the current consumption and the heat generated. This automatic adjustment and current limiting feature enables the PTC heating system to automatically cut off the power after the temperature reaches the set value, thereby playing a safety protection role. The PTC heater is usually composed of a PTC ceramic heating element and an aluminum tube, and has the advantages of low thermal resistance and high heat exchange efficiency. Its working principle is that when current passes through the PTC material, the material heats up and the temperature rises. As the temperature rises, the resistance value of the PTC material increases, thereby limiting the current and maintaining a constant temperature state. This design enables the PTC heater to have the characteristics of automatic constant temperature, power saving and high safety performance, and there will be no "reddening" phenomenon on the surface, avoiding safety hazards such as burns and fires.

[0032] In one embodiment, if Figure 1As shown, the pump body is set separately. At this time, the pump body adopts an air conditioning water pump 4. The air conditioning water pump 4 can drive the circulation medium after heating and the circulation medium after cooling. The air conditioning water pump 4, the heater 3, the radiator and the evaporator 5 form a circulation path for the circulation medium. The position of the air conditioning water pump 4 is not limited. It can be set between any two of the heater 3, the radiator and the evaporator 5. When the evaporator 5 (refrigeration air conditioner) is working, it is a refrigeration path. At this time, the evaporator 5 refrigerates the circulation medium. The circulation medium after refrigeration is driven by the air conditioning water pump 4 (flowing through the stopped heater 3) and flows to the radiator. The circulation medium dissipates coldness in the radiator and absorbs heat from the external environment. The circulation medium after absorbing heat enters the evaporator 5 again, and circulates in this way to achieve the refrigeration effect of the radiator. When the heater 3 is working, it is a heating path. At this time, the heater 3 heats the circulating medium, and the heated circulating medium flows to the radiator to dissipate heat and absorb the coldness of the external environment. The cooled circulating medium (flowing through the stopped evaporator 5) enters the heater 3 again through the drive of the air-conditioning water pump 4, and circulates in this way to achieve the heating effect of the radiator.

[0033] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the pump body includes a hot water pump 42 and a cooling water pump 41. The hot water pump 42, the heater 3 and the radiator form a heating path for the circulating medium. The hot water pump 42 can be set on the inlet side of the radiator or on the outlet side of the radiator. The circulating flow of the circulating medium is realized through the hot water pump 42. The cooling water pump 41, the radiator and the evaporator 5 form a cooling path for the circulating medium. The cooling water pump 41 can be set on the inlet side of the radiator or on the outlet side of the radiator. The heating path and the cooling path can be switched. When switching, the evaporator 5 and the heater 3 need to be switched on and off at the same time. The separate setting of the heating path and the cooling path facilitates the setting of branch pipelines of the air-conditioning system. Multiple groups of radiators can be set at the same time to meet more abundant cooling or heating needs. The cab and the power battery 12 can be cooled or heated at the same time.

[0034] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the radiator includes a first radiator 2 and a second radiator 13 arranged in parallel. The first radiator 2 is used to be arranged in the cab to cool or heat the environment in the cab to improve the comfort of the driver and passengers. The first radiator 2 can use a water heating core, which is similar to a radiator structure and has a large heat dissipation area. The second radiator 13 is used to be arranged in the power battery 12 to cool or heat the power battery 12 to improve the safety performance of the power battery 12 or the activity of the power battery 12. The second radiator 13 can use a coil and be laid inside or on the surface of the power battery 12.

[0035] In one embodiment, if Figure 2As shown, the first four-way valve 10 and the second four-way valve 11 are also included. The four ports of the first four-way valve 10 are respectively connected to the outlet of the first radiator 2, the outlet of the second radiator 13, the inlet of the evaporator 5 and the inlet of the heater 3. The four ports of the first four-way valve 10 can be opened and closed to control the flow direction of the circulating medium. Through the setting of the first four-way valve 10, the circulating medium flowing out of the first radiator 2 or the circulating medium flowing out of the second radiator 13 continues to enter the evaporator 5 for cooling, or the circulating medium flowing out of the first radiator 2 or the circulating medium flowing out of the second radiator 13 continues to enter the heater 3 for heating. The four ports of the second four-way valve 11 are respectively connected to the inlet of the first radiator 2, the inlet of the second radiator 13, the outlet of the evaporator 5 and the outlet of the heater 3. The four ports of the second four-way valve 11 can be opened and closed to control the flow direction of the circulating medium. Through the setting of the second four-way valve 11, the circulating medium after being cooled by the evaporator 5 can continue to enter the first radiator 2 for cooling or continue to enter the second radiator 13 for cooling, or, the circulating medium after being heated by the heater 3 can continue to enter the first radiator 2 for heating or continue to enter the second radiator 13 for heating.

[0036] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the blower 1 is also included. The wind blown by the blower 1 passes through the first radiator 2, becomes cold air after being cooled by the first radiator 2, and becomes hot air after being heated by the first radiator 2. The cold air enters the cab to cool the environment in the cab, and the hot air enters the cab to heat the environment in the cab. Whether heating or cooling, the same blower 1 can be used for operation. The wind passing through the blower 1 has only one flow direction, which passes through the first radiator 2. Therefore, the heating and cooling air door motor and the control air door mechanism can be eliminated. It is only necessary to change the temperature of the circulating medium flowing in the first radiator 2, which can reduce the control structure and make the structure of the air conditioning system simpler.

[0037] Reference again Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a cooling and heating method, which can adopt the air conditioning system described above, or other structures or devices that can achieve corresponding functions, including the following contents:

[0038] The circulation medium carries heat or cold by its flow. The circulation medium can store heat or cold and release heat or cold, and has good thermal conductivity.

[0039] The circulating medium is heated by the heater 3 and then flows through the radiator, so that the radiator radiates heat to the outside;

[0040] The circulating medium is cooled by the refrigeration air conditioner and then flows through the radiator, so that the radiator radiates cold air to the outside.

[0041] The present invention does not directly rely on the evaporator 5 when cooling, but transfers the cold of the evaporator 5 to the circulating medium, and then transfers the cold to the radiator through the circulating medium for cooling. Therefore, the circulating medium can conduct heat during heating and conduct cold during cooling, eliminating the evaporator 5 set in the cab, and correspondingly canceling the expansion valve 8, the heating and cooling door control mechanism and the control motor on the cab air-conditioning side, reducing the setting of the complex structure and greatly reducing the cost of the whole vehicle.

[0042] The present invention also provides an automobile, including the air-conditioning system as described above. The automobile mentioned here can be a traditional fuel vehicle or a new energy vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, a hydrogen energy vehicle, an oil-electric hybrid vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, etc. As long as the air-conditioning system of the present invention is applied, it should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0043] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, characterized in that: include: Circulating medium; A heater, the heater is used to heat the circulating medium; A refrigeration air conditioner, the refrigeration air conditioner is used to cool the circulating medium; a radiator, in which the circulating medium flows; and a pump body, wherein the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the heater and the radiator, or the pump body is used to drive the circulating medium to circulate between the refrigeration air conditioner and the radiator.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigeration air conditioner includes an evaporator connected to a refrigeration path of the circulating medium.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heater adopts a PTC heater.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The pump body adopts an air conditioning water pump. The air conditioning water pump, the heater, the radiator and the evaporator form a circulation path of the circulating medium. The evaporator is a cooling path when working, and the heater is a heating path when working.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The pump body includes a hot water pump and a cooling water pump. The hot water pump, the heater and the radiator form a heating path for the circulating medium; the cooling water pump, the radiator and the evaporator form a cooling path for the circulating medium.

6. The air conditioning system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The radiator includes a first radiator and a second radiator which are arranged in parallel. The first radiator is used to be arranged in a cab, and the second radiator is used to be arranged in a power battery.

7. The air conditioning system according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a first four-way valve and a second four-way valve, wherein the four ports of the first four-way valve are respectively connected to the outlet of the first radiator, the outlet of the second radiator, the inlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the heater, and the four ports of the second four-way valve are respectively connected to the inlet of the first radiator, the inlet of the second radiator, the outlet of the evaporator and the outlet of the heater.

8. The air conditioning system according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a blower, and the wind from the blower enters the cab after being cooled or heated by the first radiator.

9. A cooling and heating method, characterized in that: Includes the following: Use the flow of circulating medium to carry heat or cold; The circulating medium is heated by the heater and then flows through the radiator, so that the radiator radiates heat to the outside; The circulating medium is cooled by a refrigeration air conditioner and then flows through the radiator, so that the radiator radiates cold energy to the outside.

10. An automobile, characterized in that: Comprising an air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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