Heat pump system for vehicle

Abstract

A heat pump system for a vehicle may effectively adjust a temperature of a heating element by using a cooler in which refrigerant and coolant are heat exchanged. Meanwhile, by using a rear heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) module equipped with a heat exchanger, the heat pump system can effectively perform cooling and heating of the rear seat.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority and benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2023 - 0176610, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 7, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a heat pump system for a vehicle that can effectively regulate the temperature of a heating element and effectively perform cooling and heating of the rear seat. Background art

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

[0005] The air - conditioning unit is configured to maintain the interior of the vehicle at an appropriate temperature regardless of external temperature changes, and is configured to heat or cool the interior of the vehicle. This is achieved by performing heat exchange using a condenser and an evaporator, in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor passes through the condenser, the liquid receiver dryer, the expansion valve, and the evaporator, and then circulates back to the compressor.

[0006] In other words, the air - conditioning unit condenses the high - temperature and high - pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed from the compressor through the condenser, allows the refrigerant to pass through the liquid receiver dryer and the expansion valve, and then evaporates the refrigerant in the evaporator in the cooling mode to reduce the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle.

[0007] In recent years, with the increasing concerns about energy efficiency and environmental pollution, it is desired to develop an eco - friendly vehicle that can substantially replace internal combustion engine vehicles. Eco - friendly vehicles are classified into electric vehicles powered by fuel cells or electricity as a power source and hybrid vehicles powered by an engine and a battery.

[0008] In these eco - friendly vehicles, a separate heater is not used as in the air - conditioning of ordinary vehicles. In addition, the air - conditioning used in eco - friendly vehicles is generally referred to as a heat pump system.

[0009] An electric vehicle driven by a fuel - cell power source generates driving force by converting the chemical reaction energy between oxygen and hydrogen into electrical energy. In this process, heat energy is generated by the chemical reaction in the fuel cell. Therefore, it is desired to ensure the performance of the fuel cell by effectively removing the generated heat.

[0010] In addition, a hybrid vehicle drives an electric motor by using electric power supplied by the above-described fuel cell or storage battery, and generates driving force together with an engine that uses ordinary fuel. Therefore, in order to ensure the performance of the electric motor, heat generated from the fuel cell or storage battery and the electric motor should be effectively removed.

[0011] With the development of autonomous driving technology and the proliferation of dedicated vehicles, the cabin area is increasingly used as an office space, a rest space, a game space, etc. Therefore, the demand for the cabin space is gradually increasing.

[0012] Therefore, during the adjustment of the vehicle interior temperature, a temperature imbalance may occur between the front and rear seats. To prevent this, the vehicle is equipped with a front heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) module and a rear HVAC module to separately adjust the temperatures of the front and rear seats.

[0013] Since a conventional rear HVAC module only performs a cooling function, an improvement is desired such that it can also perform a heating function.

[0014] However, in order to perform both the cooling and heating functions in the rear HVAC module, separate heat exchangers for cooling and heating and an open / close door for controlling the flow direction of blown air (ambient air) can be configured. As a result, there are disadvantages of high production costs and an increase in the total weight of the vehicle due to the addition of components.

[0015] In addition, connection pipes can be connected to supply an operating fluid to each heat exchanger included in the rear HVAC module, resulting in an unfavorable complex layout of the connection pipes and limited space availability in a narrow installation space.

[0016] The above information disclosed in the background art section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the present disclosure. Therefore, the background art section may contain information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present disclosure provides a heat pump system for a vehicle, which can effectively adjust the temperature of a heating element by using a cooler in which a refrigerant and a coolant perform a heat exchange.

[0018] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a heat pump system for a vehicle, which can effectively perform cooling and heating of the rear seats by using a rear heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) module equipped with a heat exchanger.

[0019] A heat pump system for a vehicle may include a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant and a front HVAC module. The front HVAC module may internally include an internal condenser, an evaporator connected to the compressor via a refrigerant line, and an open / close door configured to regulate air that has passed through the evaporator to selectively introduce it into the internal condenser when cooling or heating the vehicle interior. The front HVAC may be configured to regulate the temperature of the front seats. The heat pump system may further include: a first heat exchanger connected to the internal condenser via a refrigerant line; a first expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the first heat exchanger and the evaporator; a first connection line having a first end connected to the refrigerant line between the first heat exchanger and the first expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the evaporator and the compressor; and a cooler disposed on the first connection line and configured to perform a heat exchange between a selectively introduced coolant and the refrigerant to regulate the temperature of the coolant. The heat pump system may further include a second heat exchanger configured to perform a heat exchange between the refrigerant that has passed through the internal condenser or the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant that has passed through at least one of the evaporator and the cooler, so that the condensation level can be increased by increasing the subcooling of the refrigerant. The second heat exchanger may be disposed on the refrigerant line. The heat pump system may further include: a rear connection line connected to the refrigerant line through at least one valve; and a rear HVAC module internally including a third heat exchanger connected to the rear connection line and configured to regulate the temperature of the rear seats when cooling or heating the vehicle interior.

[0020] The second heat exchanger may be respectively connected to the refrigerant line connecting the first heat exchanger and the first expansion valve and the refrigerant line connecting the evaporator and the compressor.

[0021] A heat pump system for a vehicle may further include: a second expansion valve disposed on the first connection line at the upstream end of the cooler; a second connection line having a first end connected to the second expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the first heat exchanger; a third expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the first heat exchanger; and a third connection line having a first end connected to the third expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The heat pump system may further include: a first valve disposed on the refrigerant line at the upstream end of the first expansion valve and connected to the first end of the rear connection line; a fourth expansion valve disposed on the rear connection line between the first valve and the third heat exchanger; a bypass line having a first end connected to the rear connection line between the third heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve and a second end connected to the rear connection line between the first valve and the fourth expansion valve; and a check valve disposed on the bypass line.

[0022] The first heat exchanger may be configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant through heat exchange with ambient air based on the selective operation of the third expansion valve.

[0023] The second expansion valve and the third expansion valve may be electronic expansion valves configured to selectively expand the supplied refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0024] A heat pump system for a vehicle may further include: a second valve connected to the second end of the rear connection pipeline; a fourth connection pipeline having a first end connected to the second valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the evaporator and the second heat exchanger; and a fifth connection pipeline having a first end connected to the second valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant pipeline between the compressor and the internal condenser.

[0025] In the cooling mode inside the vehicle, the first connection pipeline may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The second connection pipeline may be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The third connection pipeline may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The rear connection pipeline may be opened by the operation of the first valve and the second valve. The bypass pipeline may be closed by the operation of the check valve. The fourth connection pipeline may be opened by the operation of the second valve. The fifth connection pipeline may be closed by the operation of the second valve. The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser may flow along the refrigerant pipeline and may flow into the first heat exchanger along the refrigerant pipeline opened by the third expansion valve. The refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger may flow through the second valve along the fourth connection pipeline connected to the rear connection pipeline. The first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve may expand the introduced refrigerant. The operation of the second expansion valve may be stopped, and the third expansion valve may cause the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline to flow to the first heat exchanger without expansion.

[0026] The second heat exchanger may perform heat exchange between the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger and the refrigerants that have respectively passed through the evaporator and the third heat exchanger.

[0027] In the heating mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the first valve and the first expansion valve can be closed by the operation of the first valve. The refrigerant pipeline connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator can be closed by the first expansion valve. The refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger and the partial refrigerant pipeline connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The first connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The second connecting pipeline can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The third connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. The rear connecting pipeline can be opened by the operations of the first valve and the second valve. The bypass pipeline can be opened by the operation of the check valve. The fourth connecting pipeline can be closed by the operation of the second valve. The fifth connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second valve. Part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant pipeline. The remaining refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the third heat exchanger along the fifth connecting pipeline and the rear connecting pipeline. The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser can flow into the second heat exchanger along the third connecting pipeline opened by the third expansion valve. The refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger can flow along the bypass pipeline and the rear connecting pipeline to the refrigerant pipeline, and then can flow into the first connecting pipeline. The operations of the first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve can be stopped. The second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant introduced via the first connecting pipeline and can make the expanded refrigerant flow into the cooler. The third expansion valve can make the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline flow to the third connecting pipeline without expansion.

[0028] The second heat exchanger can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant that has passed through the internal condenser and the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler.

[0029] In the heating and dehumidifying mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator can be opened by the operation of the first expansion valve. The refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant pipeline connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The first connection pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The second connection pipeline can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The third connection pipeline can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. The rear connection pipeline can be opened by the operations of the first valve and the second valve. The bypass pipeline can be opened by the operation of the check valve. The fourth connection pipeline can be closed by the operation of the second valve. The fifth connection pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second valve. Part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant pipeline. The remaining refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the third heat exchanger along the fifth connection pipeline and the rear connection pipeline. The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser can flow into the second heat exchanger along the third connection pipeline opened by the third expansion valve. The refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger can flow along the bypass pipeline and the rear connection pipeline and then can flow into the refrigerant pipeline through the first valve. The first expansion valve can expand the refrigerant introduced from the rear connection pipeline via the refrigerant pipeline. The second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant introduced via the first connection pipeline and can make the expanded refrigerant flow into the cooler. The third expansion valve can make the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline flow to the third connection pipeline without expansion, and the operation of the fourth expansion valve can be stopped.

[0030] The second heat exchanger can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced via the third connection pipeline and the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator and the cooler and introduced via the refrigerant pipeline.

[0031] In the hot gas heating mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline connecting the first valve and the first expansion valve can be closed by the operation of the first valve. The refrigerant pipeline connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator can be closed by the first expansion valve. The refrigerant pipeline connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger and the partial refrigerant pipeline connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve. The first connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve. The second connecting pipeline can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve. The third connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve. The rear connecting pipeline can be closed by the operations of the first valve and the second valve. The bypass pipeline can be closed by the operation of the check valve. The fourth connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second valve. The fifth connecting pipeline can be opened by the operation of the second valve. A part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant pipeline. The remaining refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be introduced into the second heat exchanger from the fifth connecting pipeline along the fourth connecting pipeline. The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser can flow into the second heat exchanger along the third connecting pipeline opened by the third expansion valve. The operations of the first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve can be stopped. The second expansion valve can expand the refrigerant introduced via the first connecting pipeline and can make the expanded refrigerant flow into the cooler. The third expansion valve can make the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline flow to the third connecting pipeline without expansion.

[0032] The second heat exchanger can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced via the third connecting pipeline and the refrigerant introduced from both the cooler and the fourth connecting pipeline via the refrigerant pipeline.

[0033] The first valve and the second valve can be three-way valves configured to distribute the flow rate and control the flow of the refrigerant.

[0034] The third heat exchanger can be configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by heat exchange with the ambient air introduced into the rear HVAC module based on the selective operation of the fourth expansion valve.

[0035] The heat pump system for the vehicle can further include a liquid receiver provided on the refrigerant pipeline between the second heat exchanger and the compressor.

[0036] The second heat exchanger can be a double-tube heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between refrigerants having different temperatures.

[0037] The cooler can be connected to the heating element via a coolant pipeline in which coolant circulates.

[0038] The cooler can be configured to perform heat exchange between the coolant introduced via the coolant pipeline and the refrigerant to recover the waste heat of the heating element or cool the heating element.

[0039] As described above, according to a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment, the temperature of a heating element can be effectively adjusted by using a cooler in which a refrigerant and a coolant perform heat exchange.

[0040] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by effectively performing cooling and heating of the rear seats of a vehicle by using a rear HVAC module provided with a heat exchanger, the layout of connection pipelines can be simplified, thereby easily ensuring an installation space.

[0041] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by minimizing the configuration of the rear HVAC module, the production cost can be reduced, and at the same time, the total weight of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0042] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by effectively managing the temperature of heating elements including electrical components and a battery module, the optimal performance of the electrical components and the battery module can be achieved. In addition, by effectively managing the battery module, the total driving distance of the vehicle can be increased.

[0043] In addition, according to the present disclosure, in a heating mode inside the vehicle, ambient air heat and waste heat of a heating element can be selectively used, and thus the heating efficiency can be improved.

[0044] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by adopting a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between a low-temperature refrigerant and a high-temperature refrigerant, an increase in subcooling of the refrigerant can be promoted, and the overall performance and efficiency can be improved.

[0045] In addition, according to an embodiment, the manufacturing cost and weight can be reduced by simplifying the entire system, and thus the space utilization rate can be improved.

[0046] Other effects that can be obtained or predicted through embodiments will be explicitly or implicitly described in the detailed description of the present disclosure. In other words, various effects predicted according to an embodiment will be described in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0048] Figure 2 is an operation diagram for a cooling mode inside a vehicle in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0049] Figure 3 is an operation diagram for a heating mode inside a vehicle in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0050] Figure 4It is an operation diagram for the heating and dehumidification modes for the vehicle interior in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0051] Figure 5 It is an operation diagram for the hot air heating mode for the vehicle interior in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0052] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the configurations described in the accompanying drawings are only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and do not cover the entire scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may exist when applying this specification.

[0054] To clarify the present disclosure, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted. Also, throughout the specification, the same elements or equivalents are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0055] In addition, the dimensions and thicknesses of the respective elements are arbitrarily shown in the drawings, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Further, in the drawings, the thicknesses of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. are exaggerated for clarity.

[0056] In addition, unless otherwise explicitly stated to the contrary, the term "comprise" and its variants, such as "comprises" or "comprising", should be understood to include the stated elements but not exclude any other elements.

[0057] When a component, device, element, etc. of the present disclosure is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the component, device, or element should be regarded as "configured to" meet the purpose or perform the operation or function.

[0058] In addition, terms described in the specification, such as "... unit", "... means", "... portions", "... part", and "... member", mean units of integrated elements that perform at least one function or operation.

[0059] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0060] According to a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment, the temperature of the heating element 4 can be effectively adjusted by using the cooler 20, in which the refrigerant and the coolant perform heat exchange, and the cooling and heating of the rear seat can be effectively performed by using the rear HVAC module 112 equipped with the third heat exchanger 113.

[0061] The heating element 4 may include an electrical component and a battery module. The electrical component may include a power control device, an inverter, or an on-board charger (OBC).

[0062] In other words, referring to Figure 1 , the heat pump system may include a compressor 10, a front HVAC module 12, a first heat exchanger 15, a first expansion valve 16, an evaporator 17, a cooler 20, a first connection pipeline 21, a second heat exchanger 30, a rear connection pipeline 111, and a rear HVAC module 112.

[0063] First, the compressor 10 may compress the introduced refrigerant and cause the compressed refrigerant to flow toward the refrigerant pipeline 11 so that the refrigerant can circulate along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0064] In this embodiment, the front HVAC module 12 may adjust the temperature of the front seat inside the vehicle. The front HVAC module 12 may be internally provided with an internal condenser 13 and an evaporator 17 connected via the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0065] The on / off door 14 may be disposed inside the front HVAC module 12 between the evaporator 17 and the internal condenser 13, and the on / off door is configured to adjust the ambient air that has passed through the evaporator 17 to selectively flow into the internal condenser 13.

[0066] When heating the interior of the vehicle, the on / off door 14 may be opened so that the ambient air that has passed through the evaporator 17 can be introduced into the internal condenser 13.

[0067] In other words, the high-temperature refrigerant supplied to the internal condenser 13 can increase the temperature of the ambient air passing through the internal condenser 13. In other words, the introduced ambient air can be converted to a high-temperature state while passing through the internal condenser 13 and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the vehicle interior.

[0068] Conversely, when cooling the interior of the vehicle, the on / off door 14 may close one side of the internal condenser 13 so that the ambient air cooled while passing through the evaporator 17 can be directly introduced into the vehicle interior.

[0069] Therefore, the ambient air passing through the evaporator 17 can be cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 17 while passing through the evaporator 17. The cooled ambient air can be introduced into the vehicle interior, and thus the vehicle interior can be cooled.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first heat exchanger 15 may be connected to the internal condenser 13 via the refrigerant pipeline 11. The first heat exchanger 15 may be disposed at the front of the vehicle.

[0071] In other words, the first heat exchanger 15 may be an air-cooled heat exchanger configured to effect heat exchange between the introduced refrigerant and ambient air.

[0072] The first expansion valve 16 may be disposed on the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first heat exchanger 15 and the evaporator 17. The first expansion valve 16 may selectively expand the introduced refrigerant.

[0073] The heat pump system may further include a liquid receiver 18 disposed on the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the evaporator 17 and the compressor 10. The liquid receiver 18 may supply only gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 10, thereby improving the efficiency and durability of the compressor 10.

[0074] In this embodiment, the cooler 20 may be disposed on the first connection pipeline 21. The cooler 20 may be connected to the heating element 4 via the coolant pipeline 2 of the coolant circulation. Therefore, the coolant may selectively circulate through the interior of the cooler 20.

[0075] The cooler 20 configured in this way may adjust the temperature of the coolant by effecting heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced into the first connection pipeline 21 and the selectively introduced coolant.

[0076] More specifically, the cooler 20 may effect heat exchange between the supplied refrigerant and the coolant to adjust the temperature of the coolant. The cooler 20 may be a water-cooled heat exchanger that effects heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced therein and the coolant.

[0077] The first end of the first connection pipeline 21 may be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the first heat exchanger 15 and the first expansion valve 16. The second end of the first connection pipeline 21 may be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the evaporator 17 and the compressor 10.

[0078] More specifically, the second end of the first connection pipeline 21 may be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the evaporator 17 and the liquid receiver 18.

[0079] In other words, the cooler 20 may effect heat exchange between the coolant selectively introduced via the coolant pipeline 2 and the selectively supplied refrigerant to adjust the temperature of the coolant. The coolant that has undergone heat exchange at the cooler 20 may be circulated to the heating element 4 via the coolant pipeline 2.

[0080] A water pump (not shown) may be provided on the coolant line 2. In other words, the coolant may be circulated via the coolant line 2 according to the operation of the water pump (not shown).

[0081] Therefore, the coolant that exchanges heat with the refrigerant at the cooler 20 can regulate the temperature of the electrical components and the battery module included in the heating element 4 while being selectively supplied to the heating element 4.

[0082] In other words, in the heating mode inside the vehicle or the heating and dehumidifying mode inside the vehicle, the coolant can be circulated via the coolant line 2 so that the coolant that has passed through the heating element 4 can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0083] The cooler 20 can exchange heat between the coolant introduced via the coolant line 2 and the refrigerant to recover the waste heat of the heating element 4, or can cool the heating element 4 by using the coolant that exchanges heat with the refrigerant.

[0084] In the present embodiment, the second heat exchanger 30 may be provided on the refrigerant line 11. The second heat exchanger 30 can cause the refrigerant that has passed through the internal condenser 13 or the first heat exchanger 15 to exchange heat with the refrigerant that has passed through at least one of the evaporator 17 and the cooler 20, so that the condensation level can be increased by increasing the subcooling of the refrigerant.

[0085] The second heat exchanger 30 may be respectively connected to the refrigerant line 11 connecting the first heat exchanger 15 and the first expansion valve 16 and the refrigerant line 11 connecting the evaporator 17 and the compressor 10.

[0086] The second heat exchanger 30 configured as such may be a double-tube heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between refrigerants having different temperatures from each other.

[0087] The heat pump system configured as such may further include a second expansion valve 23, a second connection line 31, a third connection line 41, and a third expansion valve 43.

[0088] First, the second expansion valve 23 may be provided on the first connection line 21 at the upstream end of the cooler 20.

[0089] The second expansion valve 23 may be an electronic expansion valve configured to selectively expand the supplied refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0090] Based on the flow direction of the refrigerant flowing along the first connection line 21 toward the cooler 20, the second expansion valve 23 may be provided at the upstream end of the cooler 20.

[0091] In other words, the upstream end of the cooler 20 can be set based on the flow direction of the refrigerant. Based on the direction in which the refrigerant flows along the first connection pipeline 21, the position where the refrigerant flows into the cooler 20 can be defined as the upstream end of the cooler 20, and the position where the refrigerant is discharged from the cooler 20 can be defined as the downstream end of the cooler 20.

[0092] In this embodiment, the first end of the second connection pipeline 31 can be connected to the second expansion valve 23. The second end of the second connection pipeline 31 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the internal condenser 13 and the first heat exchanger 15.

[0093] The third expansion valve 43 can be provided on the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the internal condenser 13 and the first heat exchanger 15.

[0094] The third expansion valve 43 can be an electronic expansion valve, which is configured to selectively expand the supplied refrigerant while controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0095] According to the selective operation of the third expansion valve 43, the first heat exchanger 15 can condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air.

[0096] The first end of the third connection pipeline 41 can be connected to the third expansion valve 43. The second end of the third connection pipeline 41 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the first heat exchanger 15 and the second heat exchanger 30.

[0097] In the heat pump system configured as such, the refrigerant discharged from one or both of the evaporator 17 and the cooler 20 can exchange heat with the refrigerant supplied from the internal condenser 13 or the first heat exchanger 15 at the second heat exchanger 30, and then can be supplied to the compressor 10.

[0098] In other words, the refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser 13 or the first heat exchanger 15 and the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant discharged from one or both of the evaporator 17 and the cooler 20 can flow into the second heat exchanger 30.

[0099] Therefore, the second heat exchanger 30 can perform additional heat exchange between the low-temperature refrigerant and the medium-temperature refrigerant to further reduce the temperature of the intermediate refrigerant and can improve the condensation level.

[0100] Therefore, the second heat exchanger 30 can further condense the refrigerant condensed at the internal condenser 13 or the first heat exchanger 15 to increase the subcooling of the refrigerant. Therefore, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be improved, and the coefficient of performance is the cooling capacity coefficient compared with the required compressor power.

[0101] The rear connection pipeline 111 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11 through at least one valve.

[0102] In addition, a third heat exchanger 113 connected to the rear connection pipeline 111 may be disposed within the rear HVAC module 112. When cooling or heating the vehicle interior, the rear HVAC module 112 may adjust the temperature of the rear seats.

[0103] The heat pump system may further include a first valve V1, a fourth expansion valve 114, a bypass pipeline 115, a check valve 116, a second valve V2, a fourth connection pipeline 117, and a fifth connection pipeline 118.

[0104] First, the first valve V1 may be disposed on the refrigerant pipeline 11 at the upstream end of the first expansion valve 16. The first end of the rear connection pipeline 111 may be connected to the first valve V1.

[0105] In other words, the first valve V1 may be disposed on the refrigerant pipeline 11 between the second heat exchanger 30 and the first expansion valve 16. The first valve V1 configured in this way may selectively allow the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11 to flow to at least one or all of the first expansion valve 16 and the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0106] The fourth expansion valve 114 may be disposed on the rear connection pipeline 111 between the first valve V1 and the third heat exchanger 113. The fourth expansion valve 114 may selectively expand the refrigerant introduced via the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0107] According to the selective operation of the fourth expansion valve 114, the third heat exchanger 113 may condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air introduced into the rear HVAC module 112.

[0108] The first end of the bypass pipeline 115 may be connected to the rear connection pipeline 111 between the third heat exchanger 113 and the fourth expansion valve 114. The second end of the bypass pipeline 115 may be connected to the rear connection pipeline 111 between the first valve V1 and the fourth expansion valve 114.

[0109] The check valve 116 may be disposed on the bypass pipeline 115.

[0110] The check valve 116 may selectively open and close the bypass pipeline 115 depending on the flow direction of the refrigerant along the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0111] In other words, the check valve 116 may be a one-way valve, and when the refrigerant flows along the rear connection pipeline 111 from the third heat exchanger 113 to the fourth expansion valve 114, the check valve 116 may open the bypass pipeline 115.

[0112] Conversely, when the refrigerant flows from the first valve V1 along the rear connection pipeline 111 to the fourth expansion valve 114, the check valve 116 may close the bypass pipeline 115.

[0113] Therefore, the bypass line 115 can bypass the refrigerant through the operation of the check valve 116, so that the refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can be prevented from being introduced into the fourth expansion valve 114.

[0114] On the other hand, the bypass line 115 can be closed through the operation of the check valve 116, so that the refrigerant flowing from the first valve V1 through the rear connection line 111 can be introduced into the fourth expansion valve 114.

[0115] In this embodiment, the second valve V2 can be connected to the second end of the rear connection line 111.

[0116] The first valve V1 and the second valve V2 can be three-way valves capable of distributing flow rates and controlling the flow of the refrigerant.

[0117] The first end of the fourth connection line 117 can be connected to the second valve V2. The second end of the fourth connection line 117 can be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the evaporator 17 and the second heat exchanger 30.

[0118] In addition, the first end of the fifth connection line 118 can be connected to the second valve V2. The second end of the fifth connection line 118 can be connected to the refrigerant line 11 between the compressor 10 and the internal condenser 13.

[0119] When cooling or heating the vehicle interior, the fourth connection line 117 and the fifth connection line 118 configured as such can be selectively opened and closed through the operation of the second valve V2.

[0120] Hereinafter, Figures 2 - 5 The operation and action of the heat pump system for a vehicle according to the above configuration will be described in detail.

[0121] First, Figure 2 The operation in the vehicle interior cooling mode will be described in detail.

[0122] Figure 2 is an operation diagram of the vehicle interior cooling mode in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0123] Referring to Figure 2 , in the cooling mode of the vehicle interior, the refrigerant line 11 can be fully opened to connect the respective components.

[0124] In this state, the first connection line 21 can be closed through the operation of the second expansion valve 23. At the same time, the second connection line 31 can be closed through the operation of the second expansion valve 23.

[0125] In other words, the operation of the second expansion valve 23 can be stopped.

[0126] The third connecting pipeline 41 can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0127] In this embodiment, the rear connecting pipeline 111 can be opened by the operations of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2. Therefore, the rear connecting pipeline 111 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0128] The bypass pipeline 115 can be closed by the operation of the check valve 116.

[0129] In addition, the fourth connecting pipeline 117 can be opened by the operation of the second valve V2. In addition, the fifth connecting pipeline 118 can be closed by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0130] In this state, when the compressor 10 operates to cool the interior of the vehicle, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the internal condenser 13 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0131] At this time, the opening / closing door 14 can be closed so that the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 does not pass through the internal condenser 13.

[0132] The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser 13 can flow along the refrigerant pipeline 11 and can flow into the first heat exchanger 15 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 opened by the third expansion valve 43.

[0133] The third expansion valve 43 can cause the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11 to flow into the first heat exchanger 15 without expansion.

[0134] Therefore, the first heat exchanger 15 can receive the refrigerant from the third expansion valve 43 and can condense it by heat exchange with the ambient air.

[0135] The refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger 15 can flow along the refrigerant pipeline 11 to the second heat exchanger 30. The refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchanger 30 can be introduced into the first valve V1 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0136] Part of the refrigerant introduced into the first valve V1 can be introduced into the first expansion valve 16 along the refrigerant pipeline 11. The first expansion valve 16 can expand the introduced refrigerant.

[0137] The refrigerant expanded at the first expansion valve 16 can be introduced into the evaporator 17 along the refrigerant pipeline 11. The evaporator 17 can evaporate the introduced refrigerant by heat exchange with the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12.

[0138] The refrigerant evaporated at the evaporator 17 can flow along the refrigerant pipeline 11 through the second heat exchanger 30 and then flow to the accumulator 18.

[0139] The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant introduced into the first valve V1 can be introduced into the fourth expansion valve 114 along the rear connection pipeline 111. The fourth expansion valve 114 can expand the introduced refrigerant.

[0140] The refrigerant expanded at the fourth expansion valve 114 can be introduced into the third heat exchanger 113 along the rear connection pipeline 111. The third heat exchanger 113 can evaporate the introduced refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air introduced into the rear HVAC module 112.

[0141] The refrigerant evaporated at the third heat exchanger 113 can be introduced into the second valve V2 along the rear connection pipeline 111 and then can flow along the opened fourth connection pipeline 117.

[0142] In other words, the refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow along the fourth connection pipeline 117 connected to the rear connection pipeline 111 through the second valve V2.

[0143] Therefore, the refrigerant evaporated at the evaporator 17 and the third heat exchanger 113 respectively can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 and then can flow to the accumulator 18.

[0144] The second heat exchanger 30 can exchange heat between the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger 15 and the refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 17 and the third heat exchanger 113 respectively.

[0145] In other words, the second heat exchanger 30 can further condense the refrigerant condensed at the first heat exchanger 15 to increase the subcooling of the refrigerant. Therefore, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be improved, and the coefficient of performance is the cooling capacity coefficient compared with the required compressor power.

[0146] In addition, the refrigerant that has passed through the accumulator 18 can repeat the above process while being supplied to the compressor 10.

[0147] The ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can be cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant of the evaporator 17 while passing through the evaporator 17.

[0148] At this time, the on / off door 14 can be closed so that the cooled ambient air cannot pass through the internal condenser 13. Therefore, the cooled ambient air can be directly introduced into the front seats inside the vehicle, and thus the front seats inside the vehicle can be smoothly cooled.

[0149] Meanwhile, the ambient air introduced into the rear HVAC module 112 can be cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant of the third heat exchanger 113 while passing through the third heat exchanger 113. The cooled ambient air can be directly introduced into the rear seats inside the vehicle, and thus the rear seats inside the vehicle can be smoothly cooled.

[0150] The refrigerant with an increasing condensation level that sequentially passes through the first heat exchanger 15 and the second heat exchanger 30 is expanded and supplied to the evaporator 17 and the third heat exchanger 113, so that the refrigerant can be evaporated to a lower temperature.

[0151] In other words, in this embodiment, the first heat exchanger 15 can cool the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air, and the second heat exchanger 30 can additionally condense the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the low-temperature refrigerant.

[0152] Through this operation, the heat pump system can more effectively condense the refrigerant. Therefore, it may be advantageous to form a subcooled refrigerant.

[0153] In addition, since the subcooled refrigerant can be evaporated to a temperature lower than that of the evaporator 17 and the third heat exchanger 113, the air temperature passing through the evaporator 17 and the third heat exchanger 113 can be further reduced. Therefore, the cooling performance and efficiency can be improved.

[0154] While repeating the above process, in the cooling mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant can stably cool the front seats and the rear seats.

[0155] Although in this embodiment, the interior of the vehicle is cooled, it is not limited thereto. When dehumidification is required while cooling the interior of the vehicle, the opening / closing door 14 can be opened toward the internal condenser 13.

[0156] Therefore, the air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can be cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant introduced into the evaporator 17. Thereafter, the cooled ambient air can be dehumidified while passing through the internal condenser 13 and introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby stably cooling and dehumidifying the vehicle interior.

[0157] In this embodiment, reference Figure 3 The operation in the heating mode inside the vehicle is described in detail.

[0158] Figure 3 is an operation diagram of the heating mode inside the vehicle in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0159] See Figure 3 , in the heating mode inside the vehicle, the heat pump system can recover the waste heat of the heating element 4.

[0160] In this embodiment, in the heating mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first valve V1 and the first expansion valve 16 can be closed by the operation of the first valve V1.

[0161] At the same time, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first expansion valve 16 and the evaporator 17 can be closed by the first expansion valve 16. The operation of the first expansion valve 16 can be stopped.

[0162] In addition, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the third expansion valve 43 and the first heat exchanger 15 and the partial refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first heat exchanger 15 and the second heat exchanger 30 can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0163] The first connection pipeline 21 can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve 23.

[0164] In this embodiment, the second connection pipeline 31 can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. The third connection pipeline 41 can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0165] The rear connection pipeline 111 can be opened by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2. Therefore, the rear connection pipeline 111 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0166] Meanwhile, the bypass pipeline 115 can be opened by the operation of the check valve 116.

[0167] In addition, the fourth connection pipeline 117 can be closed by the operation of the second valve V2. In addition, the fifth connection pipeline 118 can be opened by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0168] In this state, when the compressor 10 operates in a manner of heating the vehicle interior, part of the refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the internal condenser 13 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0169] At this time, the opening / closing door 14 can be opened so that the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can pass through the internal condenser 13.

[0170] Therefore, in the front HVAC module 12, when passing through the evaporator 17 that is not supplied with refrigerant, the ambient air can be introduced at room temperature and is not cooled. Thereafter, the ambient air can be converted to a high temperature state while passing through the internal condenser 13, and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby realizing the heating of the front seats in the vehicle interior.

[0171] The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser 13 can be introduced into the third connection pipeline 41 by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0172] The third expansion valve 43 can cause the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11 to flow to the third connection pipeline 41 without expansion.

[0173] The refrigerant via the third connection pipeline 41 can be introduced into the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11. Thereafter, the refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchanger 30 can flow to the first connection pipeline 21.

[0174] The refrigerant introduced into the first connection pipeline 21 can flow through the first connection pipeline 21 to the second expansion valve 23. The second expansion valve 23 can expand the refrigerant introduced through the first connection pipeline 21 and cause the expanded refrigerant to flow into the cooler 20.

[0175] The coolant heated by absorbing the waste heat from the heating element 4 can be supplied to the cooler 2 via the coolant pipeline 2. The heated coolant can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0176] At this time, the cooler 20 can recover the waste heat of the heating element 4 from the coolant, and the temperature of the coolant rises through the heat exchange between the expanded refrigerant and the coolant.

[0177] In other words, for the heat pump system when heating the vehicle interior according to the expectation in this embodiment, by utilizing the waste heat of the heating element 4 to increase the temperature of the refrigerant, the power consumption of the compressor 10 can be reduced and the heating efficiency can be improved.

[0178] The refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20 can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 and then can flow to the accumulator 18.

[0179] The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the third heat exchanger 113 along the fifth connection pipeline 118 and the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0180] Therefore, the ambient air in the rear HVAC module 112 can be converted to a high temperature state while passing through the third heat exchanger 113 and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby realizing the heating of the rear seat in the vehicle interior.

[0181] The refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow along the rear connection pipeline 111 and then can flow along the opened bypass pipeline 115. Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow through the bypass pipeline 115 without passing through the fourth expansion valve 114 and then can be introduced into the first valve V1 along the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0182] The refrigerant introduced into the first valve V1 can flow along the refrigerant pipeline 11 connected to the first end of the first connection pipeline 21 and can flow into the first connection pipeline 21.

[0183] In other words, the refrigerant that has passed through the internal condenser 13 and the refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow through the first connection pipeline 21.

[0184] The refrigerant flowing along the first connection pipeline 21 can expand at the second expansion valve 23 and then can be introduced into the cooler 20.

[0185] In addition, the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20 may pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11, and then may be introduced into the accumulator 18.

[0186] Therefore, the second heat exchanger 30 may perform heat exchange between the refrigerant that has passed through the internal condenser 13 and the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20.

[0187] In other words, the second heat exchanger 30 may further condense the refrigerant condensed at the internal condenser 13 to increase the subcooling of the refrigerant. Therefore, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be improved, and the coefficient of performance is the cooling capacity coefficient compared with the required compressor power.

[0188] In addition, the refrigerant that has passed through the accumulator 18 may repeat the above process while being supplied to the compressor 10.

[0189] While repeating these processes, in the heating mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant can smoothly heat the front seats and the rear seats.

[0190] In other words, for the heat pump system for heating the interior of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, by using the waste heat of the heating element 4 recovered at the cooler 20 to increase the temperature of the refrigerant, the power consumption of the compressor 10 can be reduced and the heating efficiency can be improved.

[0191] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the heating efficiency and performance can be improved while minimizing the use of a separate electric heater.

[0192] In this embodiment, reference Figure 4 The operations of the heating and dehumidifying modes inside the vehicle are described in detail.

[0193] Figure 4 is an operation diagram of the heating and dehumidifying modes inside the vehicle in a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0194] Reference Figure 4 , in the heating and dehumidifying modes inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first expansion valve 16 and the evaporator 17 may be opened by the operation of the first expansion valve 16.

[0195] The first expansion valve 16 may expand the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0196] At the same time, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the third expansion valve 43 and the first heat exchanger 15 and the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first heat exchanger 15 and the second heat exchanger 30 may be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0197] The first connection pipeline 21 may be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve 23.

[0198] In this embodiment, the second connection pipeline 31 can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. The third connection pipeline 41 can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0199] The rear connection pipeline 111 can be opened by the operations of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2. Therefore, the rear connection pipeline 111 can be connected to the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0200] A part of the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first valve V1 and the first end of the first connection pipeline 21 can be closed by the operation of the first valve V1.

[0201] Meanwhile, the bypass pipeline 115 can be opened by the operation of the check valve 116.

[0202] In addition, the fourth connection pipeline 117 can be closed by the operation of the second valve V2. In addition, the fifth connection pipeline 118 can be opened by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0203] In this state, when the compressor 10 operates to heat and dehumidify the interior of the vehicle, part of the refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the internal condenser 13 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0204] The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser 13 can be introduced into the third connection pipeline 41 by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0205] The third expansion valve 43 can cause the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11 to flow to the third connection pipeline 41 without expansion.

[0206] The refrigerant via the third connection pipeline 41 can be introduced into the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11. Thereafter, the refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchanger 30 can flow to the first connection pipeline 21.

[0207] The refrigerant introduced into the first connection pipeline 21 can flow to the second expansion valve 23 via the first connection pipeline 21. The second expansion valve 23 can expand the refrigerant introduced via the first connection pipeline 21 and cause the expanded refrigerant to flow into the cooler 20.

[0208] The coolant heated by absorbing the waste heat from the heating element 4 can be supplied to the cooler 2 via the coolant pipeline 2. The heated coolant can be supplied to the cooler 20.

[0209] The cooler 20 can recover the waste heat of the heating element 4 from the coolant, and the temperature of the coolant is increased by the heat exchange between the expanded refrigerant and the coolant.

[0210] In other words, the heat pump system when heating the vehicle interior according to the expectation in the present embodiment can reduce the power consumption of the compressor 10 and improve the heating efficiency by using the waste heat of the heating element 4 to increase the temperature of the refrigerant.

[0211] The refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20 can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 and then can flow to the accumulator 18.

[0212] The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the third heat exchanger 113 along the fifth connection pipeline 118 and the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0213] Therefore, the ambient air in the rear HVAC module 112 can be converted to a high-temperature state while passing through the third heat exchanger 113 and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby realizing the heating of the rear seat in the vehicle interior.

[0214] The refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow along the rear connection pipeline 111 and then can flow along the open bypass pipeline 115. Therefore, the refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger 113 can flow to the bypass pipeline 115 without passing through the fourth expansion valve 114 and then can be introduced into the first valve V1 along the rear connection pipeline 111.

[0215] The refrigerant introduced into the first valve V1 can flow along the refrigerant pipeline 11 connected to the first expansion valve 16 and can be introduced into the first expansion valve 16.

[0216] The first expansion valve 16 can expand the refrigerant. The refrigerant expanded at the first expansion valve 16 can be introduced into the evaporator 17 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0217] The opening / closing door 14 can be opened so that the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can pass through the evaporator 17 and then flow into the internal condenser 13.

[0218] Therefore, the ambient air dehumidified by passing through the evaporator 17 can be converted to a high-temperature state while passing through the internal condenser 13 and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby heating and dehumidifying the vehicle interior.

[0219] In other words, the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can be dehumidified by the low-temperature refrigerant introduced into the evaporator 17 while passing through the evaporator 17. Thereafter, by being converted to a high-temperature state while passing through the internal condenser 13 and being introduced into the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior can be stably heated and dehumidified.

[0220] The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 17 can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 together with the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20 and then be introduced into the accumulator 18.

[0221] The second heat exchanger 30 can perform heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced from the internal condenser 13 via the third connection pipeline 41 and the refrigerant pipeline 11 and the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 17 and the cooler 20 and introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0222] In other words, the second heat exchanger 30 can further condense the refrigerant condensed at the internal condenser 13 to increase the subcooling of the refrigerant. Therefore, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be improved, and the coefficient of performance is the cooling capacity coefficient compared with the required compressor power.

[0223] In addition, the refrigerant that has passed through the accumulator 18 can repeat the above process while being supplied to the compressor 10.

[0224] While repeating the above process, in the heating and dehumidifying mode inside the vehicle, the heat pump system can heat and dehumidify the front seats. At the same time, the heat pump system can stably heat the rear seats.

[0225] In addition, in this embodiment, reference Figure 5 describes in detail the operation in the hot gas heating mode inside the vehicle.

[0226] Figure 5 is an operation diagram of the hot gas heating mode inside the vehicle of a heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0227] Reference Figure 5 , when the ambient air heat and the waste heat of the heating element 4 are insufficient, the heat pump system may not be able to recover heat.

[0228] In other words, when in the early stage of driving a vehicle, when it is desired to heat the inside of the vehicle in a state where the external temperature is low and the heat generated by the heating element 4 is insufficient, the heat pump system can heat the inside of the vehicle by directly using high-pressure and high-temperature refrigerant.

[0229] Heating the inside of the vehicle only with refrigerant can be called the hot gas heating mode.

[0230] In this embodiment, in the hot gas heating mode inside the vehicle, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first valve V1 and the first expansion valve 16 can be closed by the operation of the first valve V1.

[0231] At the same time, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first expansion valve 16 and the evaporator 17 can be closed by the first expansion valve 16. The operation of the first expansion valve 16 can be stopped.

[0232] In addition, the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the third expansion valve 43 and the first heat exchanger 15 and a part of the refrigerant pipeline 11 connecting the first heat exchanger 15 and the second heat exchanger 30 can be closed by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0233] The first connection pipeline 21 can be opened by the operation of the second expansion valve 23.

[0234] In this embodiment, the second connection pipeline 31 can be closed by the operation of the second expansion valve 23. The third connection pipeline 41 can be opened by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0235] The rear connection pipeline 111 can be closed by the operation of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2. At the same time, the bypass pipeline 115 can be closed by the operation of the check valve 116.

[0236] In addition, the fourth connection pipeline 117 can be opened by the operation of the second valve V2. In addition, the fifth connection pipeline 118 can be opened by the operation of the second valve V2.

[0237] In this state, when the compressor 10 operates in a manner of heating the vehicle interior, a part of the refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the internal condenser 13 along the refrigerant pipeline 11.

[0238] At this time, the opening / closing door 14 can be opened so that the ambient air introduced into the front HVAC module 12 can pass through the internal condenser 13.

[0239] Therefore, in the front HVAC module 12, when passing through the evaporator 17 where no refrigerant is supplied, the ambient air can be introduced at room temperature and is not cooled. Thereafter, the ambient air can be converted to a high temperature state while passing through the internal condenser 13 and then introduced into the vehicle interior, thereby achieving heating of the front seats in the vehicle interior.

[0240] The refrigerant discharged from the internal condenser 13 can be introduced into the third connection pipeline 41 opened by the operation of the third expansion valve 43.

[0241] The third expansion valve 43 can cause the refrigerant introduced via the refrigerant pipeline 11 to flow to the third connection pipeline 41 without expansion.

[0242] The refrigerant flowing via the third connection pipeline 41 can be introduced into the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11. Thereafter, the refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchanger 30 can flow to the first connection pipeline 21.

[0243] The refrigerant introduced into the first connection pipeline 21 can flow through the first connection pipeline 21 to the second expansion valve 23. The second expansion valve 23 can expand the refrigerant introduced through the first connection pipeline 21 and make the expanded refrigerant flow into the cooler 20.

[0244] The refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20 can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 and then can flow to the accumulator 18.

[0245] The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be introduced into the second valve V2 along the fifth connection pipeline 118.

[0246] The refrigerant introduced into the second valve V2 can flow along the opened fourth connection pipeline 117, can pass through the second heat exchanger 30 along the refrigerant pipeline 11 together with the refrigerant that has passed through the cooler 20, and then can flow to the accumulator 18.

[0247] The refrigerant introduced into the accumulator 18 can be separated into gas and liquid, and the gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant separated into gas and liquid can be introduced into the compressor 10, and the above process can be repeatedly performed in this compressor.

[0248] Therefore, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can quickly flow through the above process. Therefore, the heating of the hot air inside the vehicle can be performed more effectively.

[0249] In other words, when the heat source is insufficient in the early stage of driving a vehicle under low external temperature conditions, the heat pump system can heat the interior of the vehicle by using the high-temperature refrigerant supplied from the compressor 10 while repeatedly performing the above operations.

[0250] Therefore, as described above, when applying the heat pump system for a vehicle according to an embodiment, the temperature of the heating element 4 can be effectively adjusted by using a cooler 20 that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant.

[0251] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by effectively performing the cooling and heating of the rear seat by using the rear HVAC module 112 provided with the third heat exchanger 113, the layout of the connecting pipes can be simplified, and it becomes easier to ensure the installation space.

[0252] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by minimizing the configuration of the rear HVAC module 112, the production cost can be reduced, and at the same time, the total weight of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0253] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by effectively managing the temperature of the heating element 4 including the electrical components and the battery module, the optimal performance of the electrical components and the battery module can be achieved. In addition, by effectively managing the battery module, the total driving distance of the vehicle can be increased.

[0254] In addition, according to the present disclosure, in the heating mode inside the vehicle, the heating efficiency can be improved by selectively using the ambient air heat and the waste heat of the heating element 4.

[0255] In addition, according to the present disclosure, by adopting the second heat exchanger 30 configured to perform heat exchange between the low-temperature refrigerant and the high-temperature refrigerant, it is possible to contribute to increasing the subcooling of the refrigerant and improving the overall performance and efficiency.

[0256] In addition, according to one embodiment, the manufacturing cost and weight can be reduced by simplifying the entire system, thereby improving the space utilization rate.

[0257] Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with the presently considered practical embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0258] Description of Reference Numerals

[0259] 2: Coolant pipeline

[0260] 4: Heating element

[0261] 10: Compressor

[0262] 11: Refrigerant pipeline

[0263] 12: Front HVAC module

[0264] 13: Internal condenser

[0265] 14: Open / close door

[0266] 15: First heat exchanger

[0267] 16: First expansion valve

[0268] 17: Evaporator

[0269] 18: Receiver

[0270] 20: Cooler

[0271] 21: First connection pipeline

[0272] 23: Second expansion valve

[0273] 30: Second heat exchanger

[0274] 31: Second connection pipeline

[0275] 41: Third connection pipeline

[0276] 43: Third expansion valve

[0277] 111: Rear connection pipeline

[0278] 112: Rear HVAC module

[0279] 113: Third heat exchanger

[0280] 114: Fourth expansion valve

[0281] 115: Bypass pipeline

[0282] 116: Check valve

[0283] 117: Fourth connection pipeline

[0284] 118: Fifth connection pipeline

[0285] V1, V2: First valve and second valve

Claims

1. A heat pump system for a vehicle, wherein: Include: a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant; A front heating, ventilation and air conditioning module, wherein heating, ventilation and air conditioning is referred to as HVAC, the front HVAC module is configured to adjust the temperature of the front seats and includes: Internal condenser; an evaporator connected to the compressor via a refrigerant line; and an opening / closing door configured to condition ambient air that has passed through the evaporator to be selectively introduced into the interior condenser when cooling or heating the interior of the vehicle; a first heat exchanger connected to the internal condenser via the refrigerant line; a first expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the first heat exchanger and the evaporator; A first connecting pipeline, comprising: a first end of the refrigerant line connected between the first heat exchanger and the first expansion valve; and a second end of the refrigerant line connected between the evaporator and the compressor; a cooler disposed on the first connecting line and configured to perform heat exchange between a coolant and the refrigerant to adjust a temperature of the coolant; a second heat exchanger disposed on the refrigerant line and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the internal condenser or the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant having passed through at least one of the evaporator and the cooler, thereby increasing a condensation level by increasing subcooling of the refrigerant; a rear connecting line connected to the refrigerant line via at least one valve; and A rear HVAC module is provided with a third heat exchanger therein, the third heat exchanger being connected to the rear connecting line and configured to adjust the temperature of the rear seats when cooling or heating the vehicle interior.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The second heat exchanger is connected to the refrigerant line connecting the first heat exchanger and the first expansion valve and the refrigerant line connecting the evaporator and the compressor, respectively.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: a second expansion valve, which is disposed on the first connecting pipeline at the upstream end of the cooler; a second connecting line having a first end connected to the second expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the interior condenser and the first heat exchanger; a third expansion valve disposed on the refrigerant line between the internal condenser and the first heat exchanger; a third connecting line having a first end connected to the third expansion valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger; a first valve disposed on the refrigerant line at an upstream end of the first expansion valve and connected to a first end of the rear connection line; a fourth expansion valve, which is arranged on the rear connecting line between the first valve and the third heat exchanger; a bypass line having a first end connected to the rear connecting line between the third heat exchanger and the fourth expansion valve, and a second end connected to the rear connecting line between the first valve and the fourth expansion valve; as well as A check valve is arranged on the bypass line.

4. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein: The first heat exchanger is configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air based on selective operation of the third expansion valve.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein: The second expansion valve and the third expansion valve are electronic expansion valves configured to selectively expand supplied refrigerant while controlling a flow of the refrigerant.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein: Also includes: a second valve connected to a second end of the rear connecting line; a fourth connecting line having a first end connected to the second valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the evaporator and the second heat exchanger; as well as A fifth connecting line has a first end connected to the second valve and a second end connected to the refrigerant line between the compressor and the interior condenser.

7. The heat pump system according to claim 6, wherein: In cooling mode for the interior of the vehicle described: the first connecting line is closed by operation of the second expansion valve; the second connecting line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; The third connecting line is closed by operation of the third expansion valve; The rear connecting line is opened by operation of the first valve and the second valve; The bypass line is closed by operation of the check valve; the fourth connecting line is opened by the operation of the second valve; the fifth connecting line is closed by the operation of the second valve; The refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser flows along the refrigerant line and flows into the first heat exchanger along the refrigerant line opened by the third expansion valve; the refrigerant having passed through the third heat exchanger flows along the fourth connecting line connected to the rear connecting line through the second valve; The first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve expand the introduced refrigerant; said operation of said second expansion valve is stopped; and The third expansion valve allows the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line to flow toward the first heat exchanger without expansion.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: The second heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant having passed through the evaporator and the third heat exchanger, respectively.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 6, wherein: In heating mode for the interior of the vehicle in question: The refrigerant line connecting the first valve and the first expansion valve is closed by the operation of the first valve; The refrigerant line connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator is closed by the first expansion valve; The refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger and a portion of the refrigerant line connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are closed by the operation of the third expansion valve; The first connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; the second connecting line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; the third connecting line is opened by the operation of the third expansion valve; The rear connecting line is opened by operation of the first valve and the second valve; The bypass line is opened by operation of the check valve; the fourth connecting line is closed by the operation of the second valve; the fifth connecting line is opened by the operation of the second valve; A portion of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant line; The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the third heat exchanger along the fifth connecting line and the rear connecting line; The refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser flows into the second heat exchanger along the third connecting line opened by the third expansion valve; The refrigerant having passed through the third heat exchanger flows toward the refrigerant line along the bypass line and the rear connecting line, and then flows into the first connecting line; The operations of the first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve are stopped; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the first connecting line and causes the expanded refrigerant to flow into the cooler; and The third expansion valve allows the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line to flow to the third connecting line without expansion.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 9, wherein: The second heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant having passed through the interior condenser and the refrigerant having passed through the cooler.

11. The heat pump system according to claim 6, wherein: In heating and dehumidification mode for the interior of the vehicle: The refrigerant line connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator is opened by the operation of the first expansion valve; the refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant line connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are closed by the operation of the third expansion valve; The first connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; the second connecting line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; the third connecting line is opened by the operation of the third expansion valve; The rear connecting line is opened by operation of the first valve and the second valve; The bypass line is opened by operation of the check valve; the fourth connecting line is closed by the operation of the second valve; the fifth connecting line is opened by the operation of the second valve; A portion of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant line; The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the third heat exchanger along the fifth connecting line and the rear connecting line; The refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser flows into the second heat exchanger along the third connecting line opened by the third expansion valve; The refrigerant having passed through the third heat exchanger flows along the bypass line and the rear connection line, and then flows into the refrigerant line through the first valve; the first expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced from the rear connection line via the refrigerant line; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the first connecting line and causes the expanded refrigerant to flow into the cooler; the third expansion valve allows the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line to flow to the third connecting line without expansion; and The operation of the fourth expansion valve is stopped.

12. The heat pump system according to claim 11, wherein: The second heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced through the third connecting line and the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator and the cooler and introduced through the refrigerant line.

13. The heat pump system according to claim 6, wherein: In hot gas heating mode of the vehicle interior: The refrigerant line connecting the first valve and the first expansion valve is closed by the operation of the first valve; The refrigerant line connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator is closed by the first expansion valve; The refrigerant line connecting the third expansion valve and the first heat exchanger, and a portion of the refrigerant line connecting the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are closed by the operation of the third expansion valve; The first connecting line is opened by operation of the second expansion valve; the second connecting line is closed by the operation of the second expansion valve; the third connecting line is opened by the operation of the third expansion valve; The rear connecting line is closed by operation of the first valve and the second valve; The bypass line is closed by operation of the check valve; the fourth connecting line is opened by the operation of the second valve; the fifth connecting line is opened by the operation of the second valve; A portion of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the internal condenser along the refrigerant line; The remaining refrigerant in the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the second heat exchanger from the fifth connecting line along the fourth connecting line; The refrigerant discharged from the interior condenser flows into the second heat exchanger along the third connecting line opened by the third expansion valve; The operations of the first expansion valve and the fourth expansion valve are stopped; The second expansion valve expands the refrigerant introduced through the first connecting line and causes the expanded refrigerant to flow into the cooler; and The third expansion valve allows the refrigerant introduced through the refrigerant line to flow to the third connecting line without expansion.

14. The heat pump system according to claim 13, wherein: The second heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the refrigerant introduced through the third connecting line and the refrigerant introduced from both the cooler and the fourth connecting line through the refrigerant line.

15. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein: The first valve and the second valve are three-way valves configured to distribute flow and control the flow of the refrigerant.

16. The heat pump system according to claim 3, wherein: The third heat exchanger is configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the ambient air introduced into the rear HVAC module based on selective operation of the fourth expansion valve.

17. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The invention also includes a liquid accumulator, which is arranged on the refrigerant pipeline between the second heat exchanger and the compressor.

18. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The second heat exchanger is a double pipe heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerants having different temperatures.

19. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The cooler is connected to the heating element via a coolant line in which the coolant circulates.

20. The heat pump system according to claim 19, wherein: The cooler is configured to perform heat exchange between the coolant introduced through the coolant line and the refrigerant to recover waste heat of the heating element or cool the heating element.

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