Vehicle air conditioning device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to smoothly execute a preparation operation performed when a hot-gas heating operation is started, and to obtain desired heating performance. A vehicle air-conditioning device is provided with: a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, an indoor heat exchange unit, and an external heat exchange unit; an air-conditioning unit in which the indoor heat exchange unit is disposed; and a control device that controls the refrigerant circuit and the air-conditioning unit, the refrigerant circuit having a hot gas bypass that decompresses at least a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and returns the refrigerant to the compressor without passing through the indoor heat exchange unit and the external heat exchange unit. The control device is capable of executing a hot-air heating operation for heating the interior of the vehicle by dissipating heat from a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor in the indoor heat exchange unit without causing the refrigerant to absorb heat in the external heat exchange unit, and performing a preparation operation when the hot-air heating operation is started. The control device is configured so that the refrigerant is circulated in the refrigerant circuit without performing or suppressing heat dissipation of the indoor heat exchange unit until the refrigerant is in a predetermined state, and so that the air volume adjustment for the air volume blown into the vehicle interior is restricted at least during the execution of the ready operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning device. Background Art

[0002] As an air conditioning apparatus for an electric vehicle (EV) having no combustion system heat source such as an engine or a vehicle having a low heat source of the combustion system, an air conditioning apparatus using a heat pump (refrigerant circuit) as a heat source is known.

[0003] In the case of an air conditioner using a heat pump, the external heat exchanger functions as a heat absorber during heating operation, and obtains a heating heat source from the outside air. Therefore, if the outside air temperature becomes extremely low, it is difficult to absorb heat from the outside air, and the heating capacity is greatly reduced. In contrast, if an electric heater such as a PTC heater is used to ensure a heat source, the battery consumption increases, and in the case of an electric vehicle, there is a concern that it will have an adverse effect on the range that can be traveled, and the equipment of the PTC heater increases the manufacturing cost of the air conditioner.

[0004] Heating using hot gas from high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from a compressor of a refrigerant circuit is a heating method that does not absorb heat and is expected to be effective in extremely low-temperature environments. This hot gas heating allows the indoor heat exchanger of a vehicle air conditioner to function as a radiator (indoor condenser), allowing the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow directly into the radiator, and the refrigerant from the radiator is decompressed and returned to the compressor via an accumulator without passing through an external heat exchanger (see Patent Document 1 below). Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-196017 Summary of the invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In order to effectively maintain hot air heating, it is necessary to limit the heat dissipation of the refrigerant circuit to the indoor condenser as much as possible and balance the heat dissipation of the refrigerant circuit with the energy consumption (input heat) of the compressor. In addition, the liquid refrigerant condensed by heat dissipation in the indoor condenser must be returned to the compressor after being gasified without evaporation.

[0007] In order to achieve this purpose, in addition to the refrigerant flow path in which the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant coming out of the compressor is depressurized and returned to the compressor after dissipating heat in the indoor condenser, a bypass refrigerant flow path (hot gas bypass) is provided for hot gas heating by branching a part of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant coming out of the compressor, depressurizing it without passing through a heat exchanger, and returning it to the compressor.

[0008] If such a hot gas bypass is provided, the gas refrigerant passing through the hot gas bypass can be mixed with the liquid refrigerant condensed by heat dissipation in the indoor condenser, and the refrigerant rich in gas can be returned to the compressor. In addition, by increasing the refrigerant flow rate flowing through the hot gas bypass, the heat dissipation in the indoor condenser can be suppressed, so by adjusting the refrigerant flow rate flowing through the hot gas bypass, the balance between the heat dissipation of the refrigerant circuit and the input heat input to the compressor can be maintained.

[0009] In such hot air heating operation, in order to obtain a predetermined heat dissipation in the indoor condenser, it is necessary to increase the energy consumption of the compressor to a certain extent. Therefore, when the hot air heating operation is started, the compressor is operated in a state of eliminating or suppressing the heat dissipation in the indoor condenser, and a preparatory operation is performed to increase the amount of energy stored in the circulating refrigerant.

[0010] During such preparatory operation, the energy consumption of the compressor is increased to a certain extent, the rotation of the blower of the vehicle air conditioning system is stopped or slowed down, and the heat dissipation in the indoor condenser is eliminated or suppressed until the amount of energy stored in the circulating refrigerant is increased (the refrigerant pressure rises). However, if the air volume of the blower is increased due to adjustments made by the occupants with respect to the vehicle air conditioning system, there are the following problems: the preparatory operation cannot be performed effectively, the time required for the preparatory operation is prolonged, or the refrigerant state required for hot air heating cannot be obtained and the desired heating performance brought about by hot air heating cannot be obtained.

[0011] The present invention aims to cope with such a problem. That is, the present invention aims to smoothly execute the preparatory operation performed at the start of the hot gas heating operation and obtain the desired heating performance by the hot gas heating. Means for solving problems

[0012] In order to solve such problems, the present invention has the following configurations. A vehicle air conditioning device comprises: a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger and an external heat exchanger; an air conditioning unit in which the indoor heat exchanger is arranged; and a control device for controlling the refrigerant circuit and the air conditioning unit, wherein the refrigerant circuit comprises a hot gas bypass, wherein the hot gas bypass decompresses at least a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and returns the decompressed refrigerant to the compressor without passing through the indoor heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger, wherein the control device is capable of performing a hot gas heating operation, in which the refrigerant is not allowed to absorb heat in the external heat exchanger, and a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor is allowed to dissipate heat in the indoor heat exchanger to heat the vehicle interior, and a preparatory operation is performed when the hot gas heating operation is started, in which the heat dissipation of the indoor heat exchanger is not performed or suppressed, and the refrigerant is circulated in the refrigerant circuit until the refrigerant reaches a specified state, and at least during the execution of the preparatory operation, the air volume adjustment of the air volume blown from the air conditioning unit into the vehicle interior by an occupant is restricted. Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention having such features, the preparatory operation performed when the hot gas heating operation is started can be smoothly executed, and a desired heating performance by hot gas heating can be obtained. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a vehicle air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram showing a control device for a vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the refrigerant circuit in the hot gas heating operation of the vehicle air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the refrigerant circuit in the heat absorption heating operation of the vehicle air conditioning system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram showing a basic operation flow of the vehicle air conditioning device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation flow of the air conditioning unit included in the vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the operation flow of the air-conditioning unit included in the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a control device for an electric vehicle (EV) including a vehicle air conditioning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different figures represent parts with the same functions, and repeated descriptions in the figures are appropriately omitted. In addition, the bold lines in the refrigerant circuit 10 in the figure represent the refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows, and among the bold lines, the black bold lines represent the flow of the high-pressure refrigerant, and the gray bold lines represent the flow of the low-pressure refrigerant after decompression. In addition, the dotted lines in the refrigerant circuit 10 represent the refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant does not flow.

[0016] [System Configuration] exist Figure 1 2 shows a configuration example of a vehicle air conditioning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration example shown here is just an example, and the specific configuration is not particularly limited.

[0017] The vehicle air conditioning device 1 includes a refrigerant circuit 10 and an air conditioning unit 20. The refrigerant circuit 10 includes a compressor 2, indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22 disposed inside the air conditioning unit 20, and an external heat exchanger 11 disposed outside the vehicle, and they are arranged along a refrigerant flow path. The indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22 are disposed to perform heat exchange between the air flowing through the air conditioning unit 20 and the refrigerant, and the external heat exchanger 11 is disposed to perform heat exchange between the external air and the refrigerant outside the vehicle.

[0018] The compressor 2 of the refrigerant circuit 10 compresses the refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 is reduced to a required pressure in an appropriately selected refrigerant flow path through, for example, a first pressure reducing unit V1, a second pressure reducing unit V2, a third pressure reducing unit V3, and a fourth pressure reducing unit V4, which are expansion valves. The refrigerant circuit 10 is provided with flow path switching valves 12 and 13 for switching the refrigerant flow path, and check valves 14 and 15 for limiting the flow direction of the refrigerant are provided as required. In addition, a liquid accumulator 16 for recovering liquid refrigerant and performing gas-liquid separation on the refrigerant is provided on the upstream side of the compressor 2 in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0019] As described above, the air conditioning unit 20 is provided with indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22 inside, and the air introduced from indoor or outdoor by the blower 23 is selectively blown into the room through the indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22. The air conditioning unit 20 is provided with a damper 24. When the damper 24 is fully opened as shown in the figure, the air introduced by the blower 23 is blown into the room through both sides of the indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22, and when the damper 24 is fully closed, the air introduced by the blower 23 is blown into the room only through the indoor heat exchanger 22. Another damper 25 provided in the air conditioning unit 20 switches the air introduced to the blower 23 between indoor and outdoor, and selectively closes the air inlet 25A connected to the outdoor and the air inlet 25B connected to the indoor.

[0020] In addition, in the above-mentioned external heat exchanger 11 and indoor heat exchangers 21 and 22, an example in which the refrigerant and the air are directly heat exchanged is described, but the refrigerant and the air may be indirectly heat exchanged through a heat medium that exchanges heat with the refrigerant. That is, it is also possible to configure the refrigerant to absorb the heat of the air through the heat medium, or to release the heat of the refrigerant to the air through the heat medium.

[0021] In addition, the vehicle air conditioning device 1 is provided with a heat medium circuit 30 as required. The heat medium circuit 30 circulates the heat medium by a circulation pump 31, heats the heat medium by a heater (ECH: Electric Coolant Heater) 32, or recovers waste heat of a temperature control object such as a battery by a temperature control object heat exchanger 33. In addition, a refrigerant heat medium heat exchanger 34 is provided in the refrigerant circuit 10 and the heat medium circuit 30, which performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the heat medium through a flow path 34A through which the refrigerant flows and a flow path 34B through which the heat medium flows.

[0022] [Control device] The vehicle air conditioning device 1 includes: Figure 2 The control device 100 shown in FIG. The control device 100 controls the refrigerant circuit 10 and the air conditioning unit 20 based on various input signals (air conditioning instruction signal, charger connection signal, etc.) and detection signals from the sensor unit 40 , and controls the heat medium circuit 30 as needed.

[0023] The sensor unit 40 that inputs the detection signal to the control device 100 includes, for example, an outside air sensor 41 that detects the outside air state such as the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity; a compressor current sensor 42 that detects the power consumption (energy consumption) of the compressor 2; a refrigerant temperature sensor 43 and a refrigerant pressure sensor 44 that detect the state of the refrigerant; an occupant sensor 45 that detects the presence or absence of an occupant in the vehicle cabin; and a supply air temperature sensor 46 that detects the supply air temperature of the air conditioning unit 20; etc. These sensors are examples. The sensor unit 40 includes various sensors that detect information required when the control device 100 performs various controls.

[0024] The control objects of the control device 100 are the compressor 2, the first decompression part V1, the second decompression part V2, the third decompression part V3, and the fourth decompression part V4 in the refrigerant circuit 10, the blower 23 and the dampers 24 and 25 in the air conditioning unit 20, and the circulation pump 31 in the heat medium circuit 30. In addition, the control device 100 controls the vehicle air conditioning device 1 according to the processing results of the control device 100.

[0025] [Hot gas heating operation] The hot gas heating operation heats the vehicle interior by causing part or all of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 to dissipate heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21 without causing the refrigerant to absorb heat in the external heat exchanger 11 .

[0026] exist Figure 3 The operation of the refrigerant circuit 10 in the hot air heating operation (including the preparatory operation) is described in the following. In this operation, a part of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 21 and the flow path switching valve 12, is reduced in pressure by the third pressure reducing unit V3 to become a low-pressure refrigerant, passes through the refrigerant heat medium heat exchanger 34, is separated into gas and liquid by the accumulator 16, and returns to the compressor 2. At this time, in the refrigerant circuit 10, the first pressure reducing unit V1 is fully closed to prevent the refrigerant from flowing to the external heat exchanger 11. In addition, the fourth pressure reducing unit V4 is fully closed to prevent the refrigerant from flowing to the indoor heat exchanger 22.

[0027] The refrigerant circuit 10 includes a hot gas bypass 10V, which reduces the pressure of at least a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 2 and returns it to the compressor 2 without passing through the indoor heat exchanger 21 and the external heat exchanger 11. In the hot gas bypass 10V, a portion of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is branched at a branch point P1 immediately downstream of the compressor 2, is reduced in pressure by a second pressure reducing section V2 (hot gas valve), and merges with the low-pressure refrigerant reduced in pressure by a third pressure reducing section V3 at a confluence point P2 immediately upstream of the accumulator 16.

[0028] By providing such a hot gas bypass 10V, the gas refrigerant after passing through the hot gas bypass 10V can be mixed with the liquid refrigerant condensed by heat dissipation in the indoor heat exchanger 21 to become a gas-rich refrigerant and return to the compressor 2. In addition, by increasing the refrigerant flow rate flowing through the hot gas bypass 10V, the heat dissipation in the indoor heat exchanger 21 can be suppressed, and by opening and closing the second pressure reducing unit V2 (hot gas valve), the refrigerant flow rate flowing through the hot gas bypass 10V is adjusted, so that the balance between the heat dissipation of the refrigerant circuit 10 and the input heat input to the compressor 2 can be maintained.

[0029] The refrigerant flow during the hot air heating operation is decompressed by the third decompression section V3 in the flow path passing through the indoor heat exchanger 21, so that the refrigerant becomes a high-pressure refrigerant on the upstream side of the third decompression section V3 and becomes a low-pressure refrigerant on the downstream side of the third decompression section V3. At this time, it is important to not perform heat exchange in the refrigerant heat medium heat exchanger 34 on the low-pressure side flow path in order to maintain the heating capacity. In addition, in the air conditioning unit 20, the air introduced by the blower 23 is heated by heat dissipation in the indoor heat exchanger 21 and is blown into the vehicle interior.

[0030] [Ready to operate] The preparatory operation performed when the hot air heating operation is started does not perform or suppresses heat dissipation in the indoor heat exchanger 21, and circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 until the refrigerant reaches a predetermined state. In one method, the operation of the refrigerant circuit 10 in the hot air heating operation is performed while the blower 23 of the air conditioning unit 20 is stopped or suppressed. In another method, the damper 24 is fully closed while the blower 23 of the air conditioning unit 20 is operated, so that the wind does not flow to the indoor heat exchanger 21, and the operation of the refrigerant circuit 10 in the hot air heating operation is performed.

[0031] In the preparatory operation, in the former method, the wind from the air conditioning unit 20 is stopped or suppressed, and in the latter method, the wind that does not pass through the indoor heat exchanger 21 temporarily flows from the air conditioning unit 20 .

[0032] In the former method, that is, during the execution of the preparatory operation in a state where the blower 23 of the air conditioning unit 20 is stopped or suppressed, if the passenger makes an adjustment such as increasing the air volume of the blown air from the air conditioning unit 20, i.e., making an adjustment to increase the air volume of the blower 23 and performing the air volume adjustment as instructed, the time required for the preparatory operation becomes longer, or the required refrigerant state cannot be obtained, the desired heating performance by hot air heating cannot be obtained, etc., and the preparatory operation cannot be performed effectively. Therefore, the control device 100 restricts the passenger from adjusting the air volume of the blown air from the air conditioning unit 20 into the vehicle interior at least during the execution of the preparatory operation.

[0033] The control device 100 can appropriately determine the restriction content of the air volume adjustment. For example, the restriction can be: invalidating the input adjustment instruction; prohibiting the operation of the air blower 23; and maintaining the state of stopping or suppressing the air blower 23.

[0034] Furthermore, it is also possible to restrict the air volume adjustment to be permitted only within a predetermined range set in advance, and prohibit the air volume adjustment beyond the predetermined range. For example, when the change of the air volume associated with the input adjustment instruction is within the prescribed range, the change of the air volume is allowed and the air volume is adjusted according to the adjustment instruction. When the change of the air volume associated with the input adjustment instruction exceeds the prescribed range, the adjustment instruction is limited to be invalid or automatically adjusted to the air volume change within the prescribed range. As an example, when the input adjustment instruction is an instruction to maximize the air volume, the air volume adjustment can be limited to the maximum air volume within the allowed prescribed range. In addition, the action of the damper 24 can be limited simultaneously with the air volume adjustment.

[0035] In addition, the control device 100 can also appropriately determine the period for limiting the air volume adjustment. For example, the period for limiting the air volume adjustment can be set to the period until the preparatory operation is completed, or to the period from the start of the preparatory operation to the completion of the preparatory operation, or to the period after the preparatory operation is completed and the hot air heating operation with heat dissipation of the indoor heat exchanger 21 has passed.

[0036] By doing so, the preparatory operation can be smoothly performed without disrupting the heat absorption and heat dissipation balance, and the hot gas heating operation can be performed after sufficient energy is accumulated in the refrigerant, thereby achieving the desired heating performance by hot gas heating.

[0037] [Endothermic heating operation] exist Figure 4 The operation of the refrigerant circuit 10 in the endothermic heating operation will be described in . In the refrigerant circuit 10 in the endothermic heating operation, the second decompression section V2 , the third decompression section V3 , the fourth decompression section V4 , and the flow path switching valve 12 are all fully closed.

[0038] In the heat absorption heating operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 21 in the air conditioning unit 20, is depressurized by the first pressure reducing unit V1, and the low-pressure refrigerant passes through the external heat exchanger 11, via the flow path switching valve 13, the check valve 14 and the accumulator 16, and returns to the compressor 2. At this time, the high-pressure refrigerant from the compressor 2 condenses and dissipates heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21, is depressurized by the first pressure reducing unit V1 to become a low-pressure refrigerant, absorbs heat and evaporates in the external heat exchanger 11, and returns to the compressor 2. In addition, in the air conditioning unit 20, the air introduced by the blower 23 is heated by the heat dissipation in the indoor heat exchanger 21 and is blown into the vehicle interior.

[0039] [Basic Actions] exist Figure 5 100. The basic operation of the vehicle air conditioning device 1 using the control device 100 is described in the following. When the vehicle air conditioning device 1 starts to operate, the signal waiting state of the air conditioning instruction signal is entered (step S01). Here, if the heating instruction is input (step S01: "Yes"), the next step S02 is transferred. If an instruction other than the heating instruction (for example, the cooling instruction) is input (step S01: "No"), the other air conditioning control is transferred to another instruction (step S01A).

[0040] In the next step S02, it is determined whether to perform the hot air heating operation. The hot air heating operation is mainly performed when the heat absorption heating cannot be performed. Therefore, for example, when the outside air sensor 41 detects an extremely low temperature, if it is determined that the hot air heating operation should be performed (step S02: "Yes"), the next step S03 is transferred. If it is determined in step S02 that the hot air heating operation is not to be performed (step S02: "No"), the above-mentioned intake air heating operation (step S11) is performed.

[0041] In step S03, it is determined whether condensed refrigerant is accumulated in the external heat exchanger 11, the refrigerant heat medium heat exchanger 34, etc. in the refrigerant circuit 10 based on the state of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10, the state of the heating operation before startup, etc. If it is determined that refrigerant is accumulated and refrigerant recovery is required (step S03: "Yes"), refrigerant recovery processing (step S04) is performed. In addition, in step S03, if it is determined that refrigerant recovery is not required (step S03: "No"), the refrigerant recovery processing (step S04) is skipped. In addition, in steps S09 and S10 after the heating is completed, if the refrigerant recovery processing is performed, steps S03 and S04 here can be omitted.

[0042] In step S05, the above-mentioned preparatory operation performed when the hot air heating operation is started is performed. In the preparatory operation, the refrigerant circuit 10 in the above-mentioned hot air heating operation is operated without or with the heat dissipation from the refrigerant circuit 10 suppressed, so that the circulating refrigerant becomes a high-pressure state and the refrigerant accumulates energy. In this preparatory operation (step S05), as described above, the blower 23 of the air conditioning unit 20 is stopped.

[0043] Then, in step S06 , the preparatory operation (step S05 ) is continued until it is determined that the refrigerant state is suitable for the hot gas heating operation (step S06 : No).

[0044] If it is confirmed that sufficient refrigerant energy has been accumulated during the preparatory operation based on the detection results of the refrigerant pressure and the power consumption of the compressor 2, the preparatory operation is judged to be completed (step S06: Yes), and the hot air heating operation with air supply is performed (step S07).

[0045] The hot air heating operation is performed until the heating end instruction is input (step S08: "No"), and if the heating end instruction is input (step S08: "Yes"), the necessity of refrigerant recovery is determined (step S09) and the refrigerant recovery process is performed if necessary (step S10) in the same manner as steps S03 and S04, and the air conditioning operation is terminated. In addition, when steps S03 and S04 are executed at the next air conditioning operation, steps S09 and S10 can be omitted.

[0046] When heat absorption heating operation is performed in step S11, the operation is continued until the subsequent heating end instruction is issued (step S12: "No"). If the heating end instruction is issued (step S12: "Yes"), the necessity of refrigerant recovery is determined (step S09) and the refrigerant recovery process is performed if necessary (step S10), and the air conditioning operation is terminated.

[0047] [Adjustment of air conditioning unit] exist Figure 6 100. The basic adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 using the control device 100 is described in the following. If the operation of the vehicle air conditioning device 1 is started, the signal waiting state of the air conditioning instruction signal is entered (step S21). When the air conditioning instruction signal input in step S21 is a hot air heating instruction (step S21: "Yes"), the next step S22 is transferred. When it is an instruction other than the hot air heating instruction (for example, a cooling instruction) (step S21: "No"), the adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 of other air conditioning control according to the instruction is transferred (step S41). If the adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 of other air conditioning control is started, the processing from step S42 to step S46 described later is performed.

[0048] When the hot air heating operation is started, a preparatory operation is first performed, in which the refrigerant circuit 10 is operated without or with the heat dissipation from the refrigerant circuit 10 suppressed, so that the circulating refrigerant becomes a high-pressure state and the refrigerant accumulates energy. Therefore, in the air conditioning unit 20, the operation of the blower 23 is stopped (step S22), and the damper 24 is fully closed (step S23), so that the refrigerant does not dissipate heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21.

[0049] Even during the execution of the preparatory operation, the control device 100 monitors whether there is an adjustment instruction from the occupant regarding the air conditioning unit 20, i.e., an input for adjusting the air volume of the air blown from the air conditioning unit 20 into the vehicle interior or a temperature adjustment for a set temperature in the vehicle interior. However, during the execution of the preparatory operation, even if there is an input of an adjustment instruction, the input adjustment instruction is limited according to the predetermined restriction content (step S24).

[0050] If it is confirmed that sufficient energy has been accumulated in the refrigerant during the preparatory operation, the preparatory operation is judged to be completed (step S25 : Yes), and the hot gas heating operation with the refrigerant releasing heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21 is executed.

[0051] During the hot air heating operation, an adjustment instruction input related to the adjustment of the set temperature and the adjustment of the blown air volume is received. If a temperature adjustment instruction is input (step S42: "Yes"), the opening of the damper 24 is controlled according to the input adjustment instruction (step S43), and the proportion of air heated by the heat dissipation of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 21 is adjusted. On the other hand, if an air volume adjustment instruction is input (step S44: "Yes"), the rotation speed of the blower 23 is controlled to a speed according to the adjustment instruction (step S45), thereby adjusting the air volume blown from the air conditioning unit 20 to the vehicle interior.

[0052] When air conditioning including hot air heating operation is performed, the operation is continued until the air conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S46: No). If the air conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S46: Yes), the adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 is ended.

[0053] [Another example of adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit] exist Figure 7 Another example of the adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 using the control device 100 is described in Figure 7 In the Figure 6 The same reference numerals are attached to the steps of the same operation. When the vehicle air conditioner 1 is started, the air conditioner instruction signal is in a signal waiting state (step S21). When the air conditioner instruction signal input in step S21 is a hot air heating instruction (step S21: "Yes"), the process moves to the next step S22. When the air conditioner instruction signal is an instruction other than the hot air heating instruction (for example, a cooling instruction) (step S21: "No"), the process moves to the adjustment operation of the air conditioner unit 20 of the other air conditioner control according to the instruction (step S41). When the adjustment operation of the air conditioner unit 20 of the other air conditioner control is started, the processes from step S42 to step S46 described later are performed.

[0054] When the hot air heating operation is started, a preparatory operation is first performed, in which the refrigerant circuit 10 is operated without or with the heat dissipation from the refrigerant circuit 10 suppressed, so that the circulating refrigerant becomes a high-pressure state and the refrigerant accumulates energy. Therefore, the operation of the blower 23 in the air conditioning unit 20 is stopped (step S22) and the damper 24 is fully closed (step S23), so that the refrigerant does not dissipate heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21.

[0055] Even during the execution of the preparatory operation, the control device 100 monitors whether there is an input of an adjustment instruction from the occupant to the air conditioning unit 20, that is, an input of an air volume adjustment for the air volume blown from the air conditioning unit 20 into the vehicle interior or a temperature adjustment for the set temperature in the interior. If there is an input of an adjustment instruction, the input adjustment instruction is invalidated (step S26) during a predetermined period described later, and both the air volume adjustment and the temperature adjustment are prohibited.

[0056] During the period in which both air volume adjustment and temperature adjustment are prohibited, a predetermined period of time continues from the start of the preparatory operation, and if the predetermined period of time has passed (step S27: "Yes"), adjustment within a certain range is allowed for the input of the adjustment instruction. Here, the predetermined period of time can be appropriately determined, for example, the end of the predetermined period of time can be any timing during the execution of the preparatory operation, when the preparatory operation is completed, or any timing after the transition to the hot air heating operation with heat dissipation of the indoor heat exchanger 21, when the hot air heating operation is completed, etc.

[0057] That is, after it is determined that the prescribed period has passed (step S27: "Yes"), if a temperature adjustment instruction is issued (step S28: "Yes"), the opening of the damper 24 is controlled only within a predetermined range in response to the input adjustment instruction (step S29), and the proportion of air heated by the heat dissipation of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 21 is adjusted. On the other hand, if an air volume adjustment instruction is issued (step S30: "Yes"), the rotation speed of the blower 23 is controlled only within a predetermined range (step S31), thereby adjusting the air volume blown from the air conditioning unit 20 to the vehicle interior. The above operation is continued until the air conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S32 : No). If the air conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S32 : Yes), the adjustment operation of the air conditioning unit 20 is terminated.

[0058] When the air conditioning instruction signal input in the above step S21 is an instruction other than the hot air heating instruction (for example, a cooling instruction) (step S21: "No"), the adjustment action of the air conditioning unit 20 is transferred to other air conditioning controls according to the instruction (step S41), and the adjustment instruction input for the temperature adjustment for the set temperature and the air volume adjustment for the blown air volume is received.

[0059] If a temperature adjustment instruction is input (step S42: "Yes"), the opening of the damper 24 is controlled according to the input adjustment instruction (step S43), and the proportion of air heated by the heat dissipation of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 21 is adjusted. On the other hand, if an air volume adjustment instruction is input (step S44: "Yes"), the rotation speed of the blower 23 is controlled to a speed according to the adjustment instruction (step S45), thereby adjusting the air volume blown from the air conditioning unit 20 into the vehicle interior.

[0060] The above operation is continued until the air-conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S46 : No). If the air-conditioning operation end instruction is issued (step S46 : Yes), the adjustment operation of the air-conditioning unit 20 is ended.

[0061] In addition, Figure 7 In the example, an example is described of an action of adjusting the adjustment instruction within a certain range (from step S28 to step S31) and ending the air conditioning action according to the instruction, but for example, an action of adjusting the air volume and temperature according to the adjustment instruction (from step S42 to step S45) may also be performed after the action of adjusting the adjustment instruction within a certain range (from step S28 to step S31).

[0062] In addition, Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 In the description, an example is given of stopping the blower 23 in step S22 and fully closing the regulating damper 24 in step S23, but the rotation speed of the blower 23 may be suppressed, or the regulating damper 24 may be adjusted to a predetermined opening degree according to the state of the refrigerant and other conditions.

[0063] [Configuration of Electric Vehicle (EV) Control Device] like Figure 7 As shown, the control device 100 provided in the vehicle air conditioning device 1 is configured as one ECU connected to various ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that control the electric vehicle (EV) through the vehicle network L. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an input / output I / F (Interface) 104, and an in-vehicle communication I / F (Interface) 105, and the hardware is connected to each other via a bus 106.

[0064] CPU101 controls the control device 100 by executing various programs stored in ROM102. ROM102 is a non-volatile memory. For example, ROM102 stores programs executed by CPU101, data required for CPU101 to execute programs, etc. RAM103 is a main storage device such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). For example, RAM103 functions as a work area used when CPU101 executes a program. Input / output I / F104 is connected to various sensors and monitors installed in the EV, inputs data to CPU101, and outputs data obtained by CPU101 calculation and processing. The in-vehicle communication I / F105 controls the data transmission and reception with other ECUs set in the EV by connecting to the vehicle network L.

[0065] The control device 100 receives data on surrounding environmental information or data on the operating status of the EV via the input / output I / F 104 and the in-vehicle communication I / F 105 , and controls the vehicle air conditioner 1 through a program executed by the CPU 101 .

[0066] The EV is equipped with a battery B. The battery B is charged by connecting a charger plug PS to a battery plug BP, and the vehicle air conditioner 1 is powered by the battery B. The connection between the plug PS and the battery plug BP is transmitted to the control device 100 via the vehicle network L as a charger connection signal.

[0067] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and even changes in design that do not deviate from the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined with each other's technology as long as there are no special contradictions or problems in their purposes and configurations. Description of reference numerals:

[0068] 1: Vehicle air conditioning device; 2: Compressor; 10: Refrigerant circuit; 10V: Hot gas bypass; 11: External heat exchanger; 12, 13: Flow path switching valve; 14, 15: Check valve; 16: Liquid storage tank; 20: Air conditioning unit; 21, 22: Indoor heat exchanger; 23: Blower; 30: Heat medium circuit; 31: Circulation pump; 32: Heater; 33: Temperature adjustment object heat exchanger; 34: Refrigerant heat medium heat exchanger; 24, 25: Adjustment damper; 25A, 25B: Air inlet; 40: Sensor unit; 41: External air sensor; 42: Compressor current sensor; 43: Refrigerant temperature sensor; 44: Refrigerant pressure sensor; 45: Occupant sensor; 46: Air supply temperature sensor; 100: Control device; V1: First pressure reducing unit; V2: Second pressure reducing unit; V3: Third pressure reducing unit; V4: Fourth pressure reducing unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle air conditioning device, It is characterized in that have: A refrigerant circuit including a compressor, an indoor heat exchange portion, and an external heat exchange portion; an air conditioning unit, in which the indoor heat exchange portion is disposed; as well as a control device for controlling the refrigerant circuit and the air conditioning unit, The refrigerant circuit includes a hot gas bypass that decompresses at least a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor without passing through the indoor heat exchange portion and the external heat exchange portion and returns the decompressed refrigerant to the compressor. The control device is capable of performing a hot air heating operation in which a portion of the refrigerant compressed by the compressor is allowed to dissipate heat in the indoor heat exchange portion to heat the vehicle interior without causing the refrigerant to absorb heat in the external heat exchange portion. When the hot air heating operation is started, a preparatory operation is performed, in which heat dissipation of the indoor heat exchange portion is not performed or is suppressed, and the refrigerant is circulated in the refrigerant circuit until the refrigerant reaches a predetermined state. At least during the execution of the preparation operation, the occupant is restricted from adjusting the air volume of the air blown from the air conditioning unit into the vehicle interior.

2. The vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The control device allows the change of the blown air volume to be within the air volume adjustment within a predetermined range.

3. The vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The control device is: prohibiting the air volume adjustment during a predetermined period from the start of execution of the preparatory operation, After the predetermined period has elapsed, the air volume adjustment is permitted within a predetermined range in which a change in the blown air volume is allowed.

4. The vehicle air conditioning device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The control device is: During the execution of the preparatory operation, the air volume adjustment is prohibited. During the hot air heating operation and after the preparatory operation is completed, the air volume adjustment is permitted so that the change in the blown air volume is within a predetermined range.

Images