Heat pump system for vehicle

Abstract

A heat pump system for a vehicle includes a compressor, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module, a heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, a connection line, and a cooler. The heat pump system may increase a flow rate of a refrigerant by employing a gas injection device selectively operated when heating an interior of a vehicle, thereby improving a heating performance of heating the interior of the vehicle.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0155331 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 10, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle capable of improving heating performance by adopting a gas injection device that selectively operates when heating the interior of the vehicle. Background Art

[0004] Generally, a vehicle air conditioning system includes an air conditioning unit that circulates a refrigerant to heat or cool the interior of the vehicle.

[0005] The air conditioning unit is used to maintain the interior of the vehicle at an appropriate temperature regardless of changes in the outside temperature, and is configured to heat the interior of the vehicle (heating) or cool the interior of the vehicle (cooling). This is achieved through heat exchange between the condenser and the evaporator as the refrigerant discharged by the compressor is recirculated through the condenser, receiver-dryer, expansion valve and evaporator back to the compressor.

[0006] In other words, in cooling mode, the air conditioning unit reduces the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle by condensing the high-temperature, high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant compressed from the compressor by the condenser, passing the refrigerant through the receiver-drier and the expansion valve, and then evaporating the refrigerant in the evaporator.

[0007] Recently, with the increasing attention paid to energy efficiency and environmental pollution, it is expected that environmentally friendly vehicles that can actually replace internal combustion engine vehicles will be developed. Environmentally friendly vehicles are divided into electric vehicles driven by fuel cells or electricity as a power source and hybrid vehicles driven by engines and batteries.

[0008] In these environmentally friendly vehicles, unlike the air conditioners of ordinary vehicles, no separate heater is used. In addition, the air conditioners used in environmentally friendly vehicles are generally called heat pump systems.

[0009] Electric vehicles powered by fuel cell power sources generate driving force by converting the chemical reaction energy between oxygen and hydrogen into electrical energy. In this process, the chemical reaction in the fuel cell generates heat energy. Therefore, effectively removing the generated heat is crucial to ensure the performance of the fuel cell.

[0010] In addition, hybrid vehicles use the power supplied from the above fuel cell or battery to drive the motor, and generate driving force together with the engine operated by normal fuel. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively remove the heat generated by the fuel cell or battery and the motor to ensure the performance of the motor.

[0011] Therefore, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle according to the related art, a cooling device, a heat pump system, and a battery cooling system need to be respectively configured as separate closed loops to prevent the motor, electrical components, and batteries including a fuel cell from heating up.

[0012] Therefore, the size and weight of the cooling module provided at the front of the vehicle increase, and the layout of connection lines supplying refrigerant and coolant to each of the heat pump system, the cooling device, and the battery cooling system in the engine compartment becomes complicated.

[0013] In addition, since a battery cooling system for heating or cooling the battery according to the vehicle state is separately provided in order to obtain the best performance of the battery, a plurality of valves for selectively interconnecting the connection lines are required. As a result, noise and vibration generated by frequent opening and closing operations of the valves are transmitted to the vehicle interior, thereby reducing riding comfort.

[0014] Furthermore, when heating the interior of the vehicle, heating performance may be reduced due to insufficient heat source, power consumption may be increased due to use of the electric heater, and power consumption of the compressor may be increased.

[0015] The above information disclosed in the Background section is only for enhancing understanding of the background of the present invention. Therefore, the Background section may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0016] The present invention provides a heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system being capable of improving heating performance by adopting a gas injection device that selectively operates to increase the flow rate of a refrigerant when heating the interior of the vehicle.

[0017] A heat pump system for a vehicle, comprising: a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module, in which an internal condenser, an evaporator connected to the compressor via a refrigerant line, and an opening / closing door are provided, the opening / closing door being configured to adjust ambient air that has passed through the evaporator to selectively flow into the internal condenser based on a cooling or heating mode inside the vehicle. The heat pump system may also include a heat exchanger connected to the internal condenser via a refrigerant line, and may be configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser and the air. In addition, the heat pump system may include: a first expansion valve connected to the heat exchanger via a refrigerant line; a connecting line having a first end connected to the refrigerant line between the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the heat exchanger and the evaporator; a cooler disposed on the connecting line and configured to adjust the temperature of the coolant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant introduced into the connecting line and the selectively introduced coolant; and a second expansion valve disposed on the connecting line at the upstream end of the cooler. The heat pump system may further include a gas injection device connected to a refrigerant line between the interior condenser and the heat exchanger. The gas injection device may be configured to: selectively expand and flow the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser; selectively supply a portion of the supplied refrigerant to the compressor; and increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line. The flow of the refrigerant is controlled based on at least one mode for temperature regulation of the vehicle interior.

[0018] The gas injection device may include a gas-liquid separator disposed on the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the heat exchanger and configured to separate and selectively discharge gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant. The gas injection device may also include a third expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the gas-liquid separator, and may include a fourth expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the gas-liquid separator and the heat exchanger. The gas injection device may also include a first pipeline having a first end connected to the third expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the gas-liquid separator and the fourth expansion valve, and may include a second pipeline having a first end connected to the second expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the gas-liquid separator and the fourth expansion valve. The gas injection device may also include a supply line having a first end connected to the gas-liquid separator and a second end connected to the compressor.

[0019] The third expansion valve may be configured to selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser and supply the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator, or selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser. The third expansion valve may also be configured to allow the expanded refrigerant to flow into the first pipeline so that the refrigerant can bypass the gas-liquid separator.

[0020] The heat pump system for a vehicle may further include a dehumidification line having a first end connected to the fourth expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the first expansion valve and the evaporator.

[0021] The fourth expansion valve may be configured to selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the third expansion valve via the first line or the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator. The fourth expansion valve may also be configured to supply the refrigerant to one or both of the heat exchanger and the dehumidification line.

[0022] When dehumidification is included when heating the vehicle interior, the dehumidification line may be opened by operation of the fourth expansion valve.

[0023] The third expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve may be selectively operated in at least one mode, and may selectively expand the refrigerant supplied to the gas injection device while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0024] In the state of heating the interior of the vehicle, when the third expansion valve expands and supplies refrigerant, the gas-liquid separator can operate. In addition, the gas-liquid separator can supply gaseous refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant to the compressor through the supply line to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line.

[0025] The second expansion valve, the third expansion valve, and the fourth expansion valve may be three-way type electronic expansion valves configured to selectively expand the refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0026] At least one mode may include: a first mode, in which the gas-liquid separator operates to recover waste heat from ambient air and waste heat from electrical components while heating the interior of the vehicle; a second mode, in which the gas-liquid separator operates to heat the interior of the vehicle and recover waste heat from electrical components; a third mode, in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate to recover waste heat from ambient air and waste heat from electrical components while heating the interior of the vehicle; a fourth mode, in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate to recover waste heat from electrical components while heating the interior of the vehicle; and a fifth mode, in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate to cool the battery module while cooling the interior of the vehicle.

[0027] In the first mode, the operation of the first expansion valve may be stopped. The connecting line may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The refrigerant line connected to the first expansion valve from the first end of the connecting line may be closed. Part of the refrigerant line connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator may be closed. The first line may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The second line may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The supply line may be opened. The second expansion valve may supply the refrigerant introduced via the connecting line to the cooler with or without expansion. The third expansion valve may expand the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant line, and the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the gas-liquid separator. The fourth expansion valve may expand the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator, and the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the heat exchanger. The gas-liquid separator may supply the gaseous refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant to the compressor via the opened supply line.

[0028] In the second mode, the operation of the first expansion valve may be stopped. The refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve. The refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve may be closed. Part of the refrigerant line connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator may be closed. Part of the connecting line connected to the second expansion valve from the first end of the connecting line may be closed. The remaining connecting line connected to the cooler from the second end of the connecting line may be opened. The first line may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The second line may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The supply line may be opened. The refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator to the refrigerant line may be supplied to the second expansion valve along the opened second line. The second expansion valve may expand the refrigerant introduced via the second line, and the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the cooler. The third expansion valve may expand the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant line, and the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the gas-liquid separator. The operation of the fourth expansion valve may be stopped, and the gas-liquid separator may supply the gaseous refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant to the compressor via the opened supply line.

[0029] In the third mode, the operation of the first expansion valve may be stopped. The connecting line may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The refrigerant line connected to the first expansion valve from the first end of the connecting line may be closed. Part of the refrigerant line connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator may be closed. The first line may be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. Part of the refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and part of the refrigerant line connecting the second end of the first line and the gas-liquid separator may be closed. The second line may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The supply line may be closed. The second expansion valve may supply the refrigerant introduced via the connecting line to the cooler without expansion. At least one of the third expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve may expand the supplied refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the heat exchanger.

[0030] In the fourth mode, the operation of the first expansion valve may be stopped. The refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve. The refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve may be closed. Part of the refrigerant line connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator may be closed. Part of the connecting line connected to the second expansion valve from the first end of the connecting line may be closed. The remaining connecting line connected to the cooler from the second end of the connecting line may be opened. The first line may be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. Part of the refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and part of the refrigerant line connecting the second end of the first line and the gas-liquid separator may be closed. The second line may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The supply line may be closed. At least one of the second expansion valve and the third expansion valve may expand the introduced refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant may be introduced into the cooler, and the operation of the fourth expansion valve may be stopped.

[0031] In the fifth mode, the refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the evaporator can be opened by the operation of the first expansion valve. The connecting line can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The first line can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. Part of the refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and part of the refrigerant line connecting the second end of the first line and the gas-liquid separator can be closed. The second line can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The supply line can be closed. The first expansion valve can expand the supplied refrigerant and supply the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator through the refrigerant line. The second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant supplied via the connecting line and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler. The third expansion valve can make the refrigerant supplied via the refrigerant line flow to the first line without expansion. The fourth expansion valve can supply the supplied refrigerant to the heat exchanger without expansion.

[0032] The cooler may be connected to the electric component via a first coolant line through which the coolant circulates, and may be connected to the battery module via a second coolant line through which the coolant circulates.

[0033] When recovering waste heat of the electric component, the first coolant line may be opened to connect the cooler and the electric component.

[0034] When cooling the battery module, or recovering waste heat of the battery module, the second coolant line may be opened to connect the cooler and the battery module.

[0035] The heat pump system for a vehicle may further include a accumulator disposed on the refrigerant line between the evaporator and the compressor.

[0036] As described above, according to the heat pump system for a vehicle according to the embodiment, when heating the interior of the vehicle, the flow rate of the refrigerant is increased by using the selectively operated gas injection device, thereby improving the heating performance.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the present invention, waste heat of electric components can be recovered by using a cooler in which a coolant and a refrigerant perform heat exchange, and the temperature of a battery module can be adjusted.

[0038] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the performance of the system can be maximized by utilizing the gas injection device while minimizing the number of components, so that the system can be streamlined and simplified.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the present invention, ambient air heat and waste heat of electrical components can be selectively recovered for heating the interior of the vehicle, so that heating efficiency can be improved.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the embodiments, by effectively regulating the temperature of the battery module, optimal performance of the battery module may be achieved, and the overall mileage of the vehicle may be increased due to effective management of the battery module.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, it is possible to reduce manufacturing cost and weight by simplifying the entire system, thereby improving space utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0043] Figure 2 is an operation diagram of a first mode of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0044] Figure 3 is an operation diagram of a second mode of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0045] Figure 4 is an operation diagram of a third mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0046] Figure 5 is an operation diagram of a fourth mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0047] Figure 6 is an operation diagram of a fifth mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the configurations depicted in the drawings are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and do not cover the entire scope of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalent forms and changes may exist when applying this specification.

[0050] In order to clarify the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted. Likewise, in the entire specification, the same elements or equivalent forms are represented by the same reference numerals.

[0051] In addition, the size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily shown in the drawings, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, in the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0052] In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the term “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

[0053] In addition, terms such as “unit,” “means,” “portion,” “section,” and “member” described in the specification refer to a unit of an integrated element that performs at least one function or operation.

[0054] When a component, device, element, etc. of the present invention is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the component, device or element should be considered herein as being "configured to" satisfy the purpose or perform the operation or function.

[0055] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0056] According to the heat pump system for a vehicle of the embodiment, cooling and heating performance can be improved by adopting the gas injection device 30 configured to selectively operate in a selected air conditioning mode of the vehicle interior in the cooling mode or the heating mode.

[0057] According to the vehicle heat pump system, a cooling device in which a coolant circulates and an air conditioning unit, which is an air conditioning device for cooling and heating the interior of a vehicle, may be connected to each other.

[0058] In other words, reference Figure 1 The heat pump system may include a cooling device and an air conditioning unit. The air conditioning unit may include a compressor 10, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module 12, a heat exchanger 13, a first expansion valve 14, an evaporator 15, a cooler 20, a connecting line 21, a second expansion valve 23 and a gas injection device 30.

[0059] First, the cooling device may include the electrical components 102 and the battery modules 104, with a coolant circulated therein.

[0060] The cooling device may further include a radiator (not shown). The radiator may be disposed at the front of the vehicle. The heat exchanger 13 may be disposed at the rear of the radiator.

[0061] In addition, a cooling fan 13a may be provided at the rear of the heat exchanger 13. Therefore, the radiator may cool the coolant through the operation of the cooling fan and heat exchange with ambient air.

[0062] The electric component 102 may be connected to the cooler 20 via a first coolant line 112 through which the coolant circulates. The battery module 104 may be connected to the cooler 20 via a second coolant line 114 through which the coolant circulates.

[0063] When recovering waste heat of the electrical component 102 while heating the vehicle interior, the first coolant line 112 may be opened to connect the cooler 20 and the electrical component 102 .

[0064] Furthermore, when cooling the battery module 104 , or when recovering waste heat of the battery module 104 while heating the vehicle interior, the second coolant line 114 may be opened to connect the cooler 20 and the battery module 104 .

[0065] The coolant may selectively circulate the first coolant line 112 and the second coolant line 114 by operation of a water pump (not shown).

[0066] The electrical components 102 may include an electric power control unit (EPCU), a motor, an inverter, an on-board charger (OBC), an autonomous driving controller, and the like.

[0067] The power control device, the inverter, the motor, or the autonomous driving controller generates heat when driving, and the charger generates heat when charging the battery module 104 .

[0068] The electric component 102 configured in this manner may be disposed on the first coolant line 112 and may be cooled by water cooling.

[0069] In other words, when the waste heat of the electric component 102 is recovered while heating the interior of the vehicle, the heat generated by the power control device, the motor, the inverter, the charger, or the autonomous driving controller can be recovered.

[0070] The battery module 104 can provide power to the electric components 102 and the drive motor. In addition, the battery module 104 can be configured as a water-cooled design, which is cooled by the coolant flowing along the second coolant line 114.

[0071] In the present embodiment, the compressor 10 may compress the supplied refrigerant.

[0072] The HVAC module 12 may be provided with an internal condenser 12 a and an evaporator 15 therein, and be connected to the compressor 10 via a refrigerant line 11 .

[0073] An opening / closing door 12 b configured to condition the air having passed through the evaporator 15 to selectively flow into the interior condenser 12 a based on cooling or heating of the vehicle interior may be additionally provided inside the HVAC module 12 .

[0074] In other words, the opening / closing door 12 b may be opened when heating the interior of the vehicle, thereby introducing ambient air that has passed through the evaporator 15 into the interior condenser 12 a .

[0075] In contrast, when cooling the vehicle interior, the opening / closing door 12 b may close one side of the interior condenser 12 a so that ambient air cooled while passing through the evaporator 15 may be directly introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0076] In the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 13 may be connected to the interior condenser 12a via the refrigerant line 11. The heat exchanger 13 may condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12a and the air. In other words, the heat exchanger 13 may be an air-cooled heat exchanger.

[0077] The first expansion valve 14 may be disposed on the refrigerant line 11 between the heat exchanger 13 and the evaporator 15 .

[0078] In addition, the evaporator 15 may be connected to the heat exchanger 13 via the refrigerant line 11. When the refrigerant expanded by the first expansion valve 14 is introduced, the evaporator 15 may evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the air introduced into the HVAC module 12.

[0079] The air conditioning unit may further include an accumulator 16. The accumulator 16 may be disposed on the refrigerant line 11 between the evaporator 15 and the compressor 10.

[0080] The accumulator 16 may supply only gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 10 , thereby improving efficiency and durability of the compressor 10 .

[0081] In the present embodiment, a first end of the connection line 21 may be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the heat exchanger 13 and the first expansion valve 14. A second end of the connection line 21 may be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the compressor 10 and the evaporator 15.

[0082] The cooler 20 may be disposed on the connection line 21. The cooler 20 may selectively circulate the coolant through one or both of the first coolant line 112 and the second coolant line 114.

[0083] In other words, the cooler 20 may be a water-cooled heat exchanger into which a coolant is introduced.

[0084] Therefore, the cooler 20 may perform heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced into the connection line 21 and the coolant selectively introduced from one or both of the first coolant line 112 and the second coolant line 114. As a result, the cooler 20 may adjust the temperature of the coolant.

[0085] In the present embodiment, the second expansion valve 23 may be provided on the connection line 21 at the upstream end of the cooler 20 .

[0086] The second expansion valve 23 may be a three-way type electronic expansion valve configured to selectively expand the refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant and having two inlets and one outlet.

[0087] An upstream end of the cooler 20 and a downstream end of the cooler 20 may be disposed based on a flow direction of the refrigerant.

[0088] In other words, based on the direction in which the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 , the position where the refrigerant flows into the cooler 20 may be defined as the upstream end of the cooler 20 , and the position where the refrigerant is discharged from the cooler 20 may be defined as the downstream end of the cooler 20 .

[0089] When the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 is cooled by using the coolant that has been exchanged with the refrigerant, the second expansion valve 23 configured in this way may expand the introduced refrigerant and flow the expanded refrigerant to the cooler 20 .

[0090] In other words, when cooling the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 when cooling the vehicle interior, the second expansion valve 23 may expand the introduced refrigerant to reduce the temperature and flow the expanded refrigerant into the cooler 20. As a result, the second expansion valve 23 may further reduce the temperature of the coolant passing through the cooler 20.

[0091] Therefore, the coolant whose temperature is reduced while passing through the cooler 20 may be introduced into the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 , thereby achieving more efficient cooling.

[0092] In contrast, when recovering waste heat generated from the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 when heating the vehicle interior, the second expansion valve 23 may selectively expand the refrigerant introduced through the connecting line 21 .

[0093] In other words, when heating the vehicle interior, the heat exchanger 13 may evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with ambient air. Then, the evaporated refrigerant may be introduced into the second expansion valve 23 via the connecting line 21 .

[0094] At this time, the cooler 20 may recover waste heat of the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 while performing heat exchange between the supplied refrigerant and the coolant supplied from the electric component 102 or the battery module 104 .

[0095] When the refrigerant is supplied from the gas injection device 30 when heating the vehicle interior, the second expansion valve 23 may supply the refrigerant to the cooler 20 with or without expansion.

[0096] In addition, the gas injection device 30 may be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the interior condenser 12 a and the heat exchanger 13 .

[0097] The gas injection device 30 may selectively expand and flow the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser 12 a . In addition, the gas injection device 30 may selectively supply part of the supplied refrigerant to the compressor 10 to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11 .

[0098] The gas injection device 30 thus configured can be selectively operated when heating the vehicle interior.

[0099] The gas injection device 30 may include a gas-liquid separator 31 , a third expansion valve 32 , a fourth expansion valve 33 , a first pipeline 34 , a second pipeline 35 , and a supply pipeline 36 .

[0100] First, the gas-liquid separator 31 may be provided on the refrigerant line 11 between the interior condenser 12a and the heat exchanger 13. The gas-liquid separator 31 may separate and selectively discharge gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant from among the internally introduced refrigerant.

[0101] The third expansion valve 32 may be disposed on the refrigerant line 11 between the interior condenser 12 a and the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0102] The third expansion valve 32 may selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12 a and supply the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0103] In contrast, the third expansion valve 32 may selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12 a , and may flow the expanded refrigerant into the first line 34 , so that the refrigerant may bypass (eg, detour) the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0104] The fourth expansion valve 33 may be disposed on the refrigerant line 11 between the gas-liquid separator 31 and the heat exchanger 13 .

[0105] The fourth expansion valve 33 may selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator 31 , and may supply the expanded refrigerant or the unexpanded refrigerant to the heat exchanger 13 .

[0106] In the present embodiment, one end of the first pipeline 34 may be connected to the third expansion valve 32 . A second end of the first pipeline 34 may be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the gas-liquid separator 31 and the fourth expansion valve 33 .

[0107] The first line 34 may allow the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12 a based on the operation of the third expansion valve 32 to bypass the gas-liquid separator 31 so that the refrigerant may not pass therethrough.

[0108] In the present embodiment, a first end of the second pipeline 35 may be connected to the second expansion valve 23. A second end of the second pipeline 35 may be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the gas-liquid separator 31 and the fourth expansion valve 33.

[0109] In addition, the supply line 36 may connect the gas-liquid separator 31 and the compressor 10. In other words, a first end of the supply line 36 may be connected to the gas-liquid separator 31. A second end of the supply line 36 may be connected to the compressor 10.

[0110] When the refrigerant is supplied to the gas-liquid separator 31 , the supply line 36 configured in this manner may selectively supply the gaseous refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator 31 to the compressor 10 .

[0111] In other words, the supply line 36 may connect the gas-liquid separator 31 and the compressor 10 so that the gas refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator 31 may be selectively introduced into the compressor 10 .

[0112] The heat pump system may further include a dehumidification line 50. A first end of the dehumidification line 50 may be connected to the fourth expansion valve 33. A second end of the dehumidification line 50 may be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the first expansion valve 14 and the evaporator 15.

[0113] The fourth expansion valve 33 may selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the third expansion valve 32 through the first line 34 or the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator 31 , and may supply the refrigerant to one or both of the heat exchanger 13 and the dehumidification line 50 .

[0114] In other words, when dehumidification is required when heating the vehicle interior, the dehumidification line 50 may be opened by operating the fourth expansion valve 33 .

[0115] In the gas injection device 30 thus configured, in a state where the vehicle interior is heated, the gas-liquid separator 31 may be operated with the third expansion valve 32 expanding the refrigerant and supplying the expanded refrigerant.

[0116] In more detail, when the third expansion valve 32 expands the refrigerant and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator 31, the gas-liquid separator 31 may supply the gaseous refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant to the compressor 10 via the supply line 36 to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11.

[0117] In the gas injection device 30 thus configured, the third expansion valve 32 and the fourth expansion valve 33 can selectively operate in at least one mode for temperature regulation of the vehicle interior, and can selectively expand the refrigerant supplied to the gas injection device 30 while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0118] In the present embodiment, the third expansion valve 32 and the fourth expansion valve 33 may be three-way type electronic expansion valves configured to selectively expand the refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant and having one inlet and two outlets.

[0119] The heat pump system thus configured can control the flow of the refrigerant based on at least one mode of temperature regulation of the vehicle interior.

[0120] The at least one mode may include first to fifth modes.

[0121] First, in the first mode, the gas-liquid separator 31 is operable, and while heating the vehicle interior, ambient air heat and waste heat of the electric components 102 may be recovered.

[0122] In the second mode, the gas-liquid separator 31 is operable, and waste heat of the electric component 102 may be recovered while heating the vehicle interior.

[0123] In the third mode, the gas-liquid separator 31 may not operate, and ambient air heat and waste heat of the electric components 102 may be recovered when heating the vehicle interior.

[0124] In the fourth mode, the gas-liquid separator 31 may not operate, and waste heat of the electric component 102 may be recovered while heating the vehicle interior.

[0125] Furthermore, in the fifth mode, the gas-liquid separator 31 may not operate, and the battery module 104 may be cooled while cooling the interior of the vehicle.

[0126] refer to Figure 2-6 The operation and action of the heat pump system according to the thus configured embodiment are described in detail.

[0127] First, in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment, referring to Figure 2Operation according to the first mode is described in detail, in which the gas-liquid separator 31 operates to recover ambient air heat and waste heat of the electric components 102 while heating the vehicle interior.

[0128] Figure 2 is an operation diagram of a first mode of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0129] refer to Figure 2 In the first mode, when the gas-liquid separator 31 is in operation, the heat pump system can recover ambient air heat and waste heat of the electrical component 102 from the ambient air.

[0130] First, in order to heat the vehicle interior, the compressor 10 is operated so that the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0131] In such a state, the first expansion valve 14 stops operating. Therefore, the refrigerant is not supplied to the evaporator 15.

[0132] The connection line 21 may be opened by operating the second expansion valve 23. The second expansion valve 23 may supply the refrigerant introduced through the connection line 21 to the cooler 20 with or without expansion.

[0133] The refrigerant line 11 connected from the first end of the connection line 21 to the first expansion valve 14 may be closed. In addition, parts of the refrigerant line 11 connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator 15 may be closed.

[0134] In the present embodiment, the first line 34 may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0135] The third expansion valve 32 may expand the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line 11 and supply the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0136] The second line 35 may be closed by operation of the second expansion valve 23 .

[0137] The supply line 36 may be opened. In addition, the dehumidification line 50 may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33.

[0138] Therefore, the gas-liquid separator 31 may supply the gaseous refrigerant among the internally introduced refrigerant to the compressor 10 via the opened supply line 36 .

[0139] In other words, the gas injection device 30 may allow the gaseous refrigerant separated when passing through the gas-liquid separator 31 to flow back to the compressor 10 via the supply line 36 , thereby increasing the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11 .

[0140] The fourth expansion valve 33 may expand the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator 31 via the refrigerant line 11. The refrigerant expanded by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33 may be supplied to the heat exchanger 13 along the refrigerant line 11.

[0141] In other words, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator 31 may flow toward the heat exchanger 13 along the refrigerant line 11 , which is opened by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33 .

[0142] The heat exchanger 13 may evaporate the refrigerant supplied from the fourth expansion valve 33 along the refrigerant line 11 by exchanging heat with the ambient air. At this time, the refrigerant may absorb ambient air heat from the ambient air.

[0143] The refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger 13 may flow along the refrigerant line 11 and flow into the opened connecting line 21 .

[0144] The second expansion valve 23 may supply the refrigerant introduced from the heat exchanger 13 through the refrigerant line 11 to the cooler 20 with or without expansion.

[0145] The refrigerant introduced into the chiller 20 may cool the coolant while exchanging heat with the coolant supplied from the electric component 102 via the first coolant line 112 .

[0146] At this time, the coolant can recover the waste heat of the electric component 102 while cooling the electric component 102, thereby increasing the temperature. Through such operations, the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0147] The cooler 20 may recover waste heat of the electric component 102 while performing heat exchange between a coolant supplied from the electric component 102 and a refrigerant via the first coolant line 112 .

[0148] Therefore, the refrigerant that has recovered ambient air heat at the heat exchanger 13 and recovered waste heat of the electric components 102 at the cooler 20 may pass through the accumulator 16 along the refrigerant line 11 connected to the connecting line 21 and then be supplied to the compressor 10 .

[0149] In other words, the refrigerant having passed through the accumulator 16 and the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator 31 via the supply line 36 may be introduced into the compressor 10. The introduced refrigerant may be compressed by the operation of the compressor 10.

[0150] The refrigerant compressed at the compressor 10 may be supplied to the interior condenser 12a via a refrigerant line 11. The refrigerant supplied to the interior condenser 12a may increase the temperature of ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12.

[0151] The opening / closing door 12b is opened so that the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 and having passed through the evaporator 15 can pass through the interior condenser 12a.

[0152] Therefore, when passing through the evaporator 15 not supplied with refrigerant, the ambient air introduced from the outside can be introduced at room temperature, which has not been cooled. The introduced ambient air can be converted into a high temperature state when passing through the interior condenser 12a, and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0153] In addition, the refrigerant condensed at the interior condenser 12 a may be supplied to the gas-liquid separator 31 by operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0154] The heat pump system can then repeat the above process.

[0155] Therefore, the heat pump system according to the embodiment can recover ambient air heat at the heat exchanger 13 while driving the vehicle together with the operation of the gas injection device 30. The heat pump system can smoothly recover waste heat from the coolant whose temperature is increased at the cooler 20 while passing through the electric component 102. As a result, the overall heating performance and efficiency of the heat pump system can be improved.

[0156] Furthermore, according to the present invention, heating efficiency and performance can be improved while minimizing the use of a separate electric heater.

[0157] In addition, the gas injection device 30 may increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11 , so that the heating performance may be maximized.

[0158] Although the present embodiment has described that the waste heat of the electric component 102 is recovered together with the ambient air heat, the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and the waste heat of the battery module 104 may also be recovered together.

[0159] In this embodiment, reference Figure 3 The operation according to the second mode in which the gas-liquid separator 31 operates for recovering waste heat of the electric component 102 while heating the vehicle interior is described in detail.

[0160] Figure 3 is an operation diagram of a second mode of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0161] refer to Figure 3 In the second mode, the heat pump system can recover waste heat of the electrical component 102 while the gas-liquid separator 31 is operating.

[0162] First, in order to heat the vehicle interior, the compressor 10 is operated so that the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0163] In such a state, the first expansion valve 14 stops operating. Therefore, the refrigerant is not supplied to the evaporator 15.

[0164] Meanwhile, the refrigerant line 11 connecting the heat exchanger 13 and the fourth expansion valve 33 may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33. In addition, the refrigerant line 11 connecting the heat exchanger 13 and the first expansion valve 14 may be closed.

[0165] Parts of the refrigerant line 11 connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator 15 may be closed.

[0166] In addition, part of the connection line 21 connected from the first end of the connection line 21 to the second expansion valve 23 may be closed. In addition, the remaining connection line 21 connected from the second end of the connection line 21 to the cooler 20 may be opened.

[0167] In the present embodiment, the first pipeline 34 may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 32. Meanwhile, the second pipeline 35 may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve 23.

[0168] In addition, the supply line 36 may be opened. The third expansion valve 32 may expand the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line 11 and supply the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0169] The refrigerant line 11 connected from the second end of the second line 35 to the fourth expansion valve 33 may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33. In addition, the dehumidification line 50 may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33.

[0170] In this case, the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33 may be stopped.

[0171] Therefore, the gas-liquid separator 31 may supply the gaseous refrigerant among the internally introduced refrigerant to the compressor 10 via the opened supply line 36 .

[0172] In other words, the gas injection device 30 may allow the gaseous refrigerant separated when passing through the gas-liquid separator 31 to flow back to the compressor 10 via the supply line 36 , thereby increasing the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11 .

[0173] The refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator 31 to the refrigerant line 11 may be supplied to the second expansion valve 23 along the opened second line 35 .

[0174] The second expansion valve 23 may expand the refrigerant introduced through the second line 35 and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler 20 .

[0175] The refrigerant introduced into the chiller 20 may cool the coolant while exchanging heat with the coolant supplied from the electric component 102 via the first coolant line 112 .

[0176] At this time, the coolant can recover the waste heat of the electric component 102 while cooling the electric component 102, thereby increasing the temperature. Through such operations, the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0177] The cooler 20 may recover waste heat of the electric component 102 while performing heat exchange between a coolant supplied from the electric component 102 and a refrigerant via the first coolant line 112 .

[0178] Therefore, the refrigerant that has recovered the waste heat of the electric component 102 at the cooler 20 may pass through the accumulator 16 along the refrigerant line 11 connected to the connection line 21 and then be supplied to the compressor 10 .

[0179] In other words, the refrigerant having passed through the accumulator 16 and the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator 31 via the supply line 36 may be introduced into the compressor 10. The introduced refrigerant may be compressed by the operation of the compressor 10.

[0180] The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 10 may be supplied to the interior condenser 12a via the refrigerant line 11. The refrigerant supplied to the interior condenser 12a may increase the temperature of ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12.

[0181] The opening / closing door 12 b is opened so that the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 and having passed through the evaporator 15 can pass through the interior condenser 12 a .

[0182] Therefore, when passing through the evaporator 15 not supplied with refrigerant, the ambient air introduced from the outside can be introduced at room temperature, which has not been cooled. The introduced ambient air can be converted into a high temperature state when passing through the interior condenser 12a, and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0183] In addition, the refrigerant condensed at the interior condenser 12 a may be supplied to the gas-liquid separator 31 by operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0184] The heat pump system can then repeat the above process.

[0185] Therefore, the heat pump system according to the embodiment can smoothly recover waste heat from the coolant whose temperature is increased at the cooler 20 while passing through the electric component 102, while driving the vehicle together with the operation of the gas injection device 30. As a result, the overall heating performance and efficiency of the heat pump system can be improved.

[0186] Furthermore, according to the present invention, heating efficiency and performance can be improved while minimizing the use of a separate electric heater.

[0187] In addition, the gas injection device 30 may increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line 11 , so that the heating performance may be maximized.

[0188] Although the present embodiment describes that the waste heat of the electric component 102 is recovered, it is not limited thereto, and the waste heat of the battery module 104 may also be recovered.

[0189] In this embodiment, reference Figure 4 Operation according to the third mode, in which the gas-liquid separator 31 does not operate, for recovering ambient air heat and waste heat of the electric components 102 while heating the vehicle interior, is described in detail.

[0190] Figure 4 is an operation diagram of a third mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0191] refer to Figure 4 In the third mode, the heat pump system can recover ambient air heat and waste heat of the electrical components 102 from the ambient air when the gas-liquid separator 31 is not in operation.

[0192] First, in order to heat the vehicle interior, the compressor 10 is operated so that the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0193] In such a state, the first expansion valve 14 stops operating. Therefore, the refrigerant is not supplied to the evaporator 15.

[0194] The connection line 21 may be opened by operation of the second expansion valve 23. The second expansion valve 23 may supply the refrigerant introduced through the connection line 21 to the cooler 20 without expansion.

[0195] The refrigerant line 11 connected from the first end of the connection line 21 to the first expansion valve 14 may be closed. In addition, parts of the refrigerant line 11 connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator 15 may be closed.

[0196] In the present embodiment, the first line 34 may be opened by operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0197] Therefore, the third expansion valve 32 may allow the introduced refrigerant from the interior condenser 12 a to flow toward the first line 34 , so that the refrigerant may bypass the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0198] By such operation, the flow of the refrigerant into the gas-liquid separator 31 may be blocked. In other words, the refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser 12a may not be introduced into the gas-liquid separator 31.

[0199] A portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the third expansion valve 32 and the gas-liquid separator 31 and a portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the second end of the first line 34 and the gas-liquid separator 31 may be closed.

[0200] The second line 35 may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. In addition, the supply line 36 may be closed.

[0201] In such a state, at least one of the third expansion valve 32 and the fourth expansion valve 33 may expand the introduced refrigerant, and thus the expanded refrigerant may be supplied to the heat exchanger 13 .

[0202] In other words, one or both of the third expansion valve 32 and the fourth expansion valve 33 may expand the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12 a and supply the expanded refrigerant to the heat exchanger 13 .

[0203] The heat exchanger 13 may evaporate the refrigerant supplied along the refrigerant line 11 by exchanging heat with the ambient air. At this time, the refrigerant may absorb ambient air heat from the ambient air.

[0204] The refrigerant evaporated at the heat exchanger 13 may flow along the refrigerant line 11 and flow into the opened connecting line 21 .

[0205] The second expansion valve 23 may supply the refrigerant introduced from the heat exchanger 13 through the refrigerant line 11 to the cooler 20 without expansion.

[0206] The refrigerant introduced into the chiller 20 may cool the coolant while exchanging heat with the coolant supplied from the electric component 102 via the first coolant line 112 .

[0207] At this time, the coolant can recover the waste heat of the electric component 102 while cooling the electric component 102, thereby increasing the temperature. Through such operations, the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0208] The cooler 20 may recover waste heat of the electric component 102 while performing heat exchange between a coolant supplied from the electric component 102 and a refrigerant via the first coolant line 112 .

[0209] Therefore, the refrigerant that has recovered ambient air heat at the heat exchanger 13 and recovered waste heat of the electric components 102 at the cooler 20 may pass through the accumulator 16 along the refrigerant line 11 connected to the connecting line 21 and then be supplied to the compressor 10 .

[0210] In other words, the refrigerant having passed through the accumulator 16 may be introduced into the compressor 10. The introduced refrigerant may be compressed by the operation of the compressor 10.

[0211] The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 10 may be supplied to the interior condenser 12a via the refrigerant line 11. The refrigerant supplied to the interior condenser 12a may increase the temperature of ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12.

[0212] The opening / closing door 12 b is opened so that the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 and having passed through the evaporator 15 can pass through the interior condenser 12 a .

[0213] Therefore, when passing through the evaporator 15 not supplied with refrigerant, the ambient air introduced from the outside can be introduced at room temperature, which has not been cooled. The introduced ambient air can be converted into a high temperature state while passing through the interior condenser 12a, and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0214] In addition, the refrigerant condensed in the interior condenser 12a may flow along the first line 34 opened by the third expansion valve 32. The refrigerant flowing through the first line 34 may be supplied to the heat exchanger 13 via the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33.

[0215] The heat pump system can then repeat the above process.

[0216] Therefore, the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump system can recover ambient air heat at the heat exchanger 13, and can smoothly recover waste heat of the coolant whose temperature is increased at the cooler 20 while passing through the electric component 102. As a result, the overall heating performance and efficiency of the heat pump system can be improved.

[0217] Furthermore, according to the present invention, heating efficiency and performance can be improved while minimizing the use of a separate electric heater.

[0218] Although the present embodiment describes that the waste heat of the electric component 102 and the ambient air heat are recovered together, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. At least one of the ambient air heat, the waste heat of the electric component 102 , or the waste heat of the battery module 104 may be selectively recovered.

[0219] In this embodiment, reference Figure 5 The operation according to the fourth mode in which the gas-liquid separator 31 does not operate for recovering waste heat of the electric component 102 while heating the vehicle interior is described in detail.

[0220] Figure 5 is an operation diagram of a fourth mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0221] refer to Figure 5 In the fourth mode, the heat pump system can recover waste heat of the electrical component 102 when the gas-liquid separator 31 is not in operation.

[0222] First, in order to heat the vehicle interior, the compressor 10 is operated so that the refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0223] In such a state, the first expansion valve 14 stops operating. Therefore, the refrigerant is not supplied to the evaporator 15.

[0224] Meanwhile, the refrigerant line 11 connecting the heat exchanger 13 and the fourth expansion valve 33 may be closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33. In addition, the refrigerant line 11 connecting the heat exchanger 13 and the first expansion valve 14 may be closed.

[0225] Parts of the refrigerant line 11 connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator 15 may be closed.

[0226] In addition, part of the connection line 21 connected from the first end of the connection line 21 to the second expansion valve 23 may be closed. In addition, the remaining connection line 21 connected from the second end of the connection line 21 to the cooler 20 may be opened.

[0227] In the present embodiment, the first line 34 may be opened by operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0228] Therefore, the third expansion valve 32 may allow the introduced refrigerant from the interior condenser 12 a to flow toward the first line 34 , so that the refrigerant may bypass the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0229] By such operation, it is possible to block the refrigerant from flowing into the gas-liquid separator 31. In other words, the refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser 12a may not be introduced into the gas-liquid separator 31.

[0230] A portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the third expansion valve 32 and the gas-liquid separator 31 and a portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the second end of the first line 34 and the gas-liquid separator 31 may be closed.

[0231] The second line 35 may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. In addition, the supply line 36 may be closed.

[0232] At least one of the second expansion valve 23 and the third expansion valve 32 may expand the introduced refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant may be introduced into the cooler 20 .

[0233] In addition, the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33 may be stopped.

[0234] In other words, one or both of the second expansion valve 23 and the third expansion valve 32 may expand the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser 12 a and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler 20 .

[0235] The refrigerant introduced into the chiller 20 may cool the coolant while exchanging heat with the coolant supplied from the electric component 102 via the first coolant line 112 .

[0236] At this time, the coolant can recover the waste heat of the electric component 102 while cooling the electric component 102, thereby increasing the temperature. Through such operations, the coolant with an increased temperature can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0237] The cooler 20 may recover waste heat of the electric component 102 while performing heat exchange between a coolant supplied from the electric component 102 and a refrigerant via the first coolant line 112 .

[0238] Therefore, the refrigerant that has recovered the waste heat of the electric components 102 at the cooler 20 may pass through the accumulator 16 along the refrigerant line 11 connected to the connection line 21 and then be supplied to the compressor 10 .

[0239] In other words, the refrigerant having passed through the accumulator 16 may be introduced into the compressor 10. The introduced refrigerant may be compressed by the operation of the compressor 10.

[0240] The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 10 may be supplied to the interior condenser 12a via the refrigerant line 11. The refrigerant supplied to the interior condenser 12a may increase the temperature of ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12.

[0241] The opening / closing door 12 b is opened so that the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 and having passed through the evaporator 15 can pass through the interior condenser 12 a .

[0242] Therefore, when passing through the evaporator 15 not supplied with refrigerant, the ambient air introduced from the outside can be introduced at room temperature, which has not been cooled. The introduced ambient air can be converted into a high temperature state while passing through the interior condenser 12a, and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0243] In addition, the refrigerant condensed in the interior condenser 12a may flow along the first line 34 in which the third expansion valve 32 is opened. The refrigerant flowing through the first line 34 may be supplied to the cooler 20 along the second line 35.

[0244] The heat pump system can then repeat the above process.

[0245] Therefore, the refrigerant circulating in the heat pump system can smoothly recover the waste heat of the coolant whose temperature is increased at the chiller 20 while passing through the electric component 102. As a result, the overall heating performance and efficiency of the heat pump system can be improved.

[0246] Furthermore, according to the present invention, heating efficiency and performance can be improved while minimizing the use of a separate electric heater.

[0247] Although the present embodiment describes that the waste heat of the electric component 102 is recovered, it is not limited thereto. At least one of the waste heat of the electric component 102 and the waste heat of the battery module 104 may be selectively recovered.

[0248] Although the dehumidification line 50 is described as being closed in the first to fourth modes, it is not limited thereto. When dehumidification is required while heating the vehicle interior, the dehumidification line 50 may be opened by the operation of the fourth expansion valve 33 .

[0249] At this time, the fourth expansion valve 33 may expand the refrigerant introduced from the interior condenser 12a or the gas-liquid separator 31. Thereafter, the fourth expansion valve 33 may allow the expanded refrigerant to flow toward the dehumidification line 50.

[0250] Therefore, the expanded refrigerant may be introduced into the evaporator 15 along the dehumidification line 50 and a portion of the refrigerant line 11. The opening / closing door 12b is opened so that the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 and having passed through the evaporator 15 may pass through the interior condenser 12a.

[0251] In other words, the ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 can be dehumidified by the low-temperature refrigerant introduced into the evaporator 15 while passing through the evaporator 15. Thereafter, by being converted into a high-temperature state while passing through the interior condenser 12a and then introduced into the vehicle interior, it can heat and dehumidify the vehicle interior.

[0252] Through this type of operation, the heat pump system can heat the vehicle interior while performing dehumidification at the same time.

[0253] In addition, reference Figure 6 The operation according to the fifth mode is described in detail, in which the gas-liquid separator 31 does not operate for cooling the battery module 104 while cooling the vehicle interior.

[0254] Figure 6 is an operation diagram of a fifth mode of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0255] refer to Figure 6 In the fifth mode, the heat pump system may cool the battery module 104 in a state where the gas-liquid separator 31 is not operated.

[0256] First, in order to cool the vehicle interior, the compressor 10 is operated so that refrigerant flows along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0257] In such a state, the refrigerant line 11 connecting the heat exchanger 13 and the evaporator 15 may be opened by the operation of the first expansion valve 14 .

[0258] The connecting line 21 may be opened by operation of the second expansion valve 23 .

[0259] At the same time, the first line 34 may be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve 32 .

[0260] Therefore, the third expansion valve 32 may allow the introduced refrigerant from the interior condenser 12 a to flow toward the first line 34 , so that the refrigerant may bypass the gas-liquid separator 31 .

[0261] The third expansion valve 32 may allow the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line 11 to flow to the first line 34 without being expanded.

[0262] By such operation, it is possible to block the refrigerant from flowing into the gas-liquid separator 31. In other words, the refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser 12a may not be introduced into the gas-liquid separator 31.

[0263] A portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the third expansion valve 32 and the gas-liquid separator 31 and a portion of the refrigerant line 11 connecting the second end of the first line 34 and the gas-liquid separator 31 may be closed.

[0264] The second line 35 may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. In addition, the supply line 36 may be closed.

[0265] In other words, the refrigerant flowing through the first line 34 may be introduced into the fourth expansion valve 33 along the portion of the refrigerant line 11 .

[0266] The fourth expansion valve 33 may supply the supplied refrigerant to the heat exchanger 13 without expansion.

[0267] The heat exchanger 13 may condense the refrigerant supplied along the refrigerant line 11 by exchanging heat with ambient air. The refrigerant condensed at the heat exchanger 13 may flow along the refrigerant line 11.

[0268] Part of the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant line 11 from the heat exchanger 13 may be introduced into the opened connecting line 21 .

[0269] The second expansion valve 23 may expand the refrigerant introduced through the connection line 21 and supply the expanded refrigerant to the cooler 20 .

[0270] The refrigerant introduced into the cooler 20 may cool the coolant while exchanging heat with the coolant supplied from the battery module 104 via the second coolant line 114 .

[0271] The coolant cooled in the cooler 20 is supplied to the battery module 104 along the second coolant line 114. Therefore, the battery module 104 can be effectively cooled by the coolant cooled at the cooler 20.

[0272] In other words, the coolant circulating through the second coolant line 114 may effectively cool the battery module 104 while repeatedly performing the above-mentioned operation.

[0273] The remaining refrigerant among the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant line 11 from the heat exchanger 13 may be introduced into the first expansion valve 14 along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0274] The first expansion valve 14 may expand the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 13 via the refrigerant line 11 and make the expanded refrigerant flow toward the refrigerant line 11 .

[0275] In other words, the refrigerant expanded at the first expansion valve 14 may be introduced into the evaporator 15 along the refrigerant line 11 .

[0276] Ambient air introduced into the HVAC module 12 may be cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant introduced into the evaporator 15 while passing through the evaporator 15 .

[0277] At this time, the opening / closing door 12b may be closed so that the cooled ambient air cannot pass through the interior condenser 12a. Therefore, the cooled ambient air can cool the vehicle interior by being directly introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0278] The refrigerant having passed through the evaporator 15 and the cooler 20, respectively, may be introduced into the accumulator 16. Thereafter, the refrigerant may pass through the accumulator 16 and flow into the compressor 10.

[0279] The refrigerant introduced into the compressor 10 may be compressed by the operation of the compressor 10 .

[0280] The refrigerant compressed at the compressor 10 may pass through the interior condenser 12 a and may then be supplied to the third expansion valve 32 along the refrigerant line 11 , wherein the above process may be repeatedly performed.

[0281] In other words, the heat pump system according to the embodiment may cool the vehicle interior without operating the gas injection device 30 while repeatedly performing the above-mentioned process.

[0282] Meanwhile, the heat pump system may effectively cool the battery module 104 by using the low-temperature coolant cooled at the cooler 20 .

[0283] Therefore, as described above, according to the heat pump system for a vehicle of the embodiment, the flow rate of the refrigerant may be increased by adopting the gas injection device 30 configured to selectively operate when heating the vehicle interior, thereby improving the heating performance.

[0284] The cooler 20 , which performs heat exchange using a coolant and a refrigerant, can recover waste heat of the electric component 102 and adjust the temperature of the battery module 104 .

[0285] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the gas injection device can be used to maximize the performance of the system while minimizing the number of components, thereby achieving streamlining and simplification of the system.

[0286] Furthermore, according to the present invention, when heating the interior of the vehicle, by selectively recovering the ambient air heat or the waste heat of the electric component 102 and using it for heating the interior of the vehicle, the heating efficiency can be improved.

[0287] Furthermore, according to an embodiment, by effectively regulating the temperature of the battery module 104 , optimal performance of the battery module 104 may be achieved, and the overall mileage of the vehicle may be increased due to effective management of the battery module 104 .

[0288] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, it is possible to reduce manufacturing cost and weight by simplifying the entire system, thereby improving space utilization.

[0289] While the invention has been described in conjunction with what are presently considered to be practical embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0290] <Description of Reference Numerals>

[0291] 10: Compressor

[0292] 11: Refrigerant pipeline

[0293] 12: HVAC module

[0294] 12a: Internal condenser

[0295] 12b: Open / Close Door

[0296] 13: Heat exchanger

[0297] 13a: Cooling fan

[0298] 14: First expansion valve

[0299] 15: Evaporator

[0300] 16: Liquid reservoir

[0301] 20: Cooler

[0302] 21: Connecting pipelines

[0303] 23: Second expansion valve

[0304] 30: Gas injection device

[0305] 31: Gas-liquid separator

[0306] 32: The third expansion valve

[0307] 33: Fourth expansion valve

[0308] 34, 35: First pipeline and second pipeline

[0309] 36: Supply pipeline

[0310] 50: Dehumidification pipeline

[0311] 102: Electrical components

[0312] 104: Battery module

[0313] 112, 114: first coolant line and second coolant line

Claims

1. A heat pump system for a vehicle, the heat pump system comprising: a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; an HVAC module having an interior condenser, an evaporator connected to the compressor via a refrigerant line, and an opening / closing door disposed therein, the opening / closing door being configured to condition ambient air having passed through the evaporator to selectively flow into the interior condenser based on a cooling or heating mode of the vehicle interior; a heat exchanger connected to the interior condenser via the refrigerant line and configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser and air; a first expansion valve connected to the heat exchanger via the refrigerant line; a connecting line having a first end connected to the refrigerant line between the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the heat exchanger and the evaporator; a cooler disposed on the connecting line and configured to adjust the temperature of the coolant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant introduced into the connecting line and the selectively introduced coolant; a second expansion valve disposed on the connecting line at the upstream end of the cooler; and a gas injection device connected to the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the heat exchanger, the gas injection device being configured to selectively expand and flow the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser, selectively supply a portion of the supplied refrigerant to the compressor, and increase a flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line, Wherein, the flow of the refrigerant is controlled based on at least one mode for temperature regulation of the vehicle interior.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The gas injection device comprises: a gas-liquid separator disposed on the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the heat exchanger and configured to separate and selectively discharge gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant; a third expansion valve, which is arranged on the refrigerant pipeline between the internal condenser and the gas-liquid separator; a fourth expansion valve, which is arranged on the refrigerant pipeline between the gas-liquid separator and the heat exchanger; a first pipeline having a first end connected to the third expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the gas-liquid separator and the fourth expansion valve; a second pipeline having a first end connected to the second expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the gas-liquid separator and the fourth expansion valve; and A supply line has a first end connected to the gas-liquid separator and a second end connected to the compressor.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein: The third expansion valve is configured as: selectively expanding the refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser and supplying the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator; or The refrigerant supplied from the interior condenser is selectively expanded and the expanded refrigerant is flowed into the first line so that the refrigerant bypasses the gas-liquid separator. 4 . The heat pump system according to claim 2 , further comprising a dehumidification line having a first end connected to the fourth expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the first expansion valve and the evaporator.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 4, wherein: The fourth expansion valve is configured to selectively expand the refrigerant supplied from the third expansion valve via the first line or expand the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator, and supply the refrigerant to one or both of the heat exchanger and the dehumidification line.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 4, wherein: When dehumidification is included in heating the vehicle interior, the dehumidification line is opened by operation of the fourth expansion valve.

7. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein: The third expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve are configured to selectively operate in the at least one mode for temperature regulation of the vehicle interior, and selectively expand the refrigerant supplied to the gas injection device while controlling a flow of the refrigerant.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein: In a state of heating the vehicle interior, when the third expansion valve expands and supplies the refrigerant, the gas-liquid separator operates and supplies the gaseous refrigerant in the supplied refrigerant to the compressor through the supply line to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant line.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein: The second expansion valve, the third expansion valve, and the fourth expansion valve are three-way type electronic expansion valves configured to selectively expand the refrigerant while controlling a flow of the refrigerant.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 2, wherein: The at least one mode comprises: a first mode in which the gas-liquid separator operates to recover ambient air heat and waste heat from electrical components while heating the vehicle interior; a second mode in which the gas-liquid separator operates to heat the vehicle interior and recover the waste heat of the electrical components; a third mode, in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate, for recovering the ambient air heat and the waste heat of the electrical components while heating the vehicle interior; a fourth mode in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate for recovering the waste heat of the electrical components while heating the vehicle interior; and A fifth mode in which the gas-liquid separator does not operate is used to cool the battery module while cooling the vehicle interior.

11. The heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein: In the first mode: The operation of the first expansion valve is stopped; The connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; connecting the first end of the connecting line to the refrigerant line of the first expansion valve and closing; closing a portion of the refrigerant pipeline connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator; The first pipeline is closed by operation of the third expansion valve; the second line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; the supply line is open; The second expansion valve supplies the refrigerant introduced through the connecting line to the cooler with or without expansion; the third expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator; the fourth expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied from the gas-liquid separator and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the heat exchanger; and The gas-liquid separator supplies the gaseous refrigerant among the supplied refrigerant to the compressor via the opened supply line.

12. The heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein: In the second mode: The operation of the first expansion valve is stopped; the refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve is closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve; The refrigerant pipeline connecting the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve is closed; closing a portion of the refrigerant pipeline connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator; closing a portion of the connecting pipeline connected to the second expansion valve at a first end of the connecting pipeline; connecting the second end of the connecting line to the remaining connecting line of the cooler and opening; The first pipeline is closed by operation of the third expansion valve; the second line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; the supply line is open; The refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator to the refrigerant pipeline is supplied to the second expansion valve along the opened second pipeline; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the second pipeline and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; the third expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator; The operation of the fourth expansion valve is stopped; and The gas-liquid separator supplies the gaseous refrigerant among the supplied refrigerant to the compressor via the opened supply line.

13. The heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein: In the third mode: The operation of the first expansion valve is stopped; The connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; connecting the first end of the connecting line to the refrigerant line of the first expansion valve and closing; closing a portion of the refrigerant pipeline connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator; The first pipeline is opened by operation of the third expansion valve; The part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and the part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the second end of the first pipeline and the gas-liquid separator are closed; the second line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; The supply line is closed; The second expansion valve supplies the refrigerant introduced through the connecting line to the cooler without expansion; and At least one of the third expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve expands the supplied refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant is supplied to the heat exchanger.

14. The heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein: In the fourth mode: The operation of the first expansion valve is stopped; the refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve is closed by the operation of the fourth expansion valve; The refrigerant pipeline connecting the heat exchanger and the first expansion valve is closed; closing a portion of the refrigerant pipeline connected to the upstream end and the downstream end of the evaporator; closing a portion of the connecting pipeline connected to the second expansion valve at a first end of the connecting pipeline; connecting the second end of the connecting line to the remaining connecting line of the cooler and opening; The first pipeline is opened by operation of the third expansion valve; The part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and the part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the second end of the first pipeline and the gas-liquid separator are closed; the second line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; The supply line is closed; at least one of the second expansion valve and the third expansion valve expands the supplied refrigerant so that the expanded refrigerant is introduced into the cooler; and The operation of the fourth expansion valve is stopped.

15. The heat pump system according to claim 10, wherein: In the fifth mode: The refrigerant line connecting the heat exchanger and the evaporator is opened by operation of the first expansion valve; The connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; The first pipeline is opened by operation of the third expansion valve; The part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the gas-liquid separator and the part of the refrigerant pipeline connecting the second end of the first pipeline and the gas-liquid separator are closed; the second line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; The supply line is closed; The first expansion valve expands the supplied refrigerant and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator via the refrigerant line; the second expansion valve expands the refrigerant supplied via the connecting line and supplies the expanded refrigerant to the cooler; the third expansion valve allows the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant line to flow to the first line without expansion; and The fourth expansion valve supplies the supplied refrigerant to the heat exchanger without expansion.

16. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The cooler is connected to the electric component via a first coolant line of the coolant circulation, and is connected to the battery module via a second coolant line of the coolant circulation.

17. The heat pump system according to claim 16, wherein: When recovering waste heat of the electric component, the first coolant line is opened to connect the cooler and the electric component.

18. The heat pump system according to claim 16, wherein: When cooling the battery module, or when recovering waste heat of the battery module, the second coolant line is opened to connect the cooler and the battery module.

19. The heat pump system according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid accumulator disposed on the refrigerant line between the evaporator and the compressor.

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