Air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with double cooling liquid heat exchangers

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of automobiles, in particular to an air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with double cooling liquid heat exchangers, which comprises a cold storage module, a water-air evaporator, a fan, a storage room temperature sensor, a water pump and a temperature sensor. The combustible refrigerant has a combustion risk and cannot be led to a passenger compartment area, so that after being cooled by the plate heat exchanger, the refrigerant is conveyed to the refrigerator water-air evaporator through the water pump. The cold accumulation module is fully loaded with a cold accumulation agent, the cold accumulation agent is a phase change material and has huge latent heat, redundant cold energy is stored in the cold accumulation module through a secondary refrigerant, and the refrigerator can achieve the long-time low-temperature working condition. Cooling capacity is brought into the refrigerating chamber through the fan, heat exchange can be accelerated through forced convection, and the cooling rate is increased. The vehicle-mounted air conditioner system with the combustible refrigerant is coupled with the vehicle-mounted refrigerator system, and a new thought is provided for optimization of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator through the design of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner system with the combustible refrigerant and the vehicle-mounted refrigerator system with the combustible refrigerant.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles, and particularly to an air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual coolant heat exchanger. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the automotive industry, in-vehicle refrigerators, as important devices to improve driving and riding comfort, have gradually become standard equipment in many vehicles. However, traditional in-vehicle refrigerators face many challenges in terms of design and safety performance, especially when using flammable refrigerants. Due to the potential combustion risk of flammable refrigerants, directly introducing them into the vehicle interior poses a safety hazard. Therefore, the installation and use locations of refrigerants are strictly restricted and are usually only placed in areas far from the passenger compartment such as the front of the vehicle. To overcome this technical problem, an air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual coolant heat exchanger has emerged. This new type of refrigerator uses a dual coolant circulation system to completely isolate the refrigerant from the passenger compartment, ensuring the safety and reliability of the refrigeration process. At the same time, the introduction of air-cooling technology further improves the heat dissipation efficiency, enabling the refrigerator to operate stably under complex environmental conditions. This innovative design not only solves the safety problem of flammable refrigerants but also provides a new technical path for the miniaturization, high efficiency, and intelligence of in-vehicle refrigerators, meeting the dual demands of modern automotive users for comfort and safety. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual coolant heat exchanger to solve the safety and practicality problems existing in traditional in-vehicle refrigerators when using flammable refrigerants. Since flammable refrigerants have a potential combustion risk and cannot enter the vehicle interior, they can only be installed in areas far from the passenger compartment such as the front of the vehicle, which makes it difficult for the design of traditional in-vehicle refrigerators to balance refrigeration efficiency, safety, and space layout. The present invention innovatively uses a dual coolant heat exchanger system to completely isolate the flammable refrigerant in the front of the vehicle, and at the same time uses air-cooling technology to improve the heat dissipation performance and combines a cold storage function to ensure that the refrigerator can still continuously provide a low-temperature environment after the vehicle engine is turned off or the refrigeration system is shut down. The present invention aims to achieve efficient refrigeration, safety and reliability, energy conservation and environmental protection, and long-term cold storage capacity of the in-vehicle refrigerator, meeting the diverse needs of modern automotive users for comfort, safety, and practicality.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, an embodiment of the present invention provides an air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual coolant heat exchanger, including a cold storage module, a water-air evaporator, a fan, a storage room temperature sensor, a water pump, and a temperature sensor.

[0005] The cold storage module includes a cold storage evaporator, a cold storage agent, a cold storage agent container, a cold storage temperature sensor, a cold storage container cover plate, and a cold storage module outlet pipeline.

[0006] The cold storage agent is a phase change material with high latent heat at the phase change temperature. The cold storage agent is stored in a cold storage agent container and exchanges heat through a cold storage evaporator to reduce the temperature of the cold storage agent to the phase change temperature, thereby realizing the long-term heat preservation function of the refrigerator. If the compressor stops or fails, causing the in-vehicle refrigerator to malfunction, the cold storage module can still supply the stored energy to the storage compartment.

[0007] Since flammable refrigerants pose a potential combustion risk and cannot enter the vehicle interior, they can only be installed in areas away from the passenger compartment such as the front of the vehicle. Therefore, the in-vehicle refrigerator is integrated into the vehicle air conditioning system through a plate heat exchanger. The pipeline of the in-vehicle refrigerator circulates a secondary refrigerant, and through the vehicle air conditioning refrigeration cycle, the plate heat exchanger exchanges heat with the secondary refrigerant. The water pump transports the cooled secondary refrigerant into the water-air evaporator of the in-vehicle refrigerator, and the cold secondary refrigerant quickly cools the storage compartment; after the secondary refrigerant exits the water-air evaporator, it enters the cold storage module, exchanges heat with the cold storage agent, and finally returns to the plate heat exchanger to complete the cycle.

[0008] The fan is placed above the water-air evaporator, and the air cooled by the evaporator is brought into the storage compartment by the fan to form a cycle.

[0009] The cold storage temperature sensor probe extends into the cold storage module to monitor the temperature of the cold storage agent, facilitating the controller to determine whether the refrigerator needs to start the compressor for cold storage at this time.

[0010] The storage compartment temperature sensor is placed at the center of the storage compartment of the in-vehicle refrigerator to monitor the air temperature of the storage compartment, facilitating the controller to determine whether the refrigerator needs to start the fan to bring cold air into the storage compartment and maintain the storage compartment temperature within the user-set temperature range.

[0011] The present invention designs an air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger, which is integrated into the vehicle thermal management system with flammable refrigerants. Flammable refrigerants have a combustion risk and cannot enter the vehicle interior, so the secondary refrigerant is cooled through a plate heat exchanger and then led to the in-vehicle refrigerator, which not only meets safety requirements but also increases comfort. The cold storage agent stores a large amount of latent heat through phase change and can still maintain the refrigerated temperature of the storage compartment for a long time after the compressor is turned off. This architecture can significantly reduce the start-stop frequency and operating time of the compressor of the in-vehicle refrigerator, thereby reducing the overall vehicle energy consumption and increasing the cruising range. In addition, when the compressor stops or malfunctions, the cold storage module can continuously release cold energy to ensure that the food storage function is not affected and enhance the reliability of the system. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the air-cooled in-vehicle refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the water-air evaporator and cold storage module structure of the air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the assembly of the water-air evaporator and cold storage module of the air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0016] In the figure:

[0017] 1 - Interior area of the passenger compartment.

[0018] 2 - Exterior area of the passenger compartment, 201 - Compressor, 202 - Condenser, 203 - Electronic expansion valve, 204 - Plate heat exchanger, 205 - Water pump.

[0019] 3 - Air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger, 301 - Water-air evaporator inlet pipe, 302 - Water-air evaporator, 303 - Water-air evaporator outlet pipe, 304 - Cold storage module, 305 - Temperature sensor, 306 - Cold storage module outlet pipe, 307 - First fan, 308 - Second fan, 309 - Cold storage temperature sensor. Detailed implementation manners

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are based on the technical solutions of the present invention and give detailed implementation manners and specific operation processes, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0021] The system schematic diagram of the present invention is as Figure 1 shown, and the structure is as Figures 2 to 4 shown.

[0022] The interior area 1 of the passenger compartment includes the air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator 3 with a dual-coolant heat exchanger.

[0023] The exterior area 2 of the passenger compartment is the front part of the vehicle, which includes an automotive air-conditioning system using a flammable refrigerant, including: compressor 201, condenser 202, electronic expansion valve 203, plate heat exchanger 204, and water pump 205. The system in the exterior area of the passenger compartment is a common refrigeration cycle in vehicles and will not be described in detail here. Since the flammable refrigerant cannot be led to the interior area 1 of the passenger compartment, the plate heat exchanger 204 is used to cool the secondary refrigerant, and then the low-temperature secondary refrigerant is led to the interior area 1 of the passenger compartment through the water pump 205.

[0024] The low-temperature secondary refrigerant enters the water-air evaporator 302 through the inlet pipeline 301 and exchanges heat with the air in the evaporator. The cooled air is forced into the refrigerator storage compartment by the first fan 307 and the second fan 308, forming a circulating air flow. This forced convection design significantly improves the cooling efficiency of the storage compartment: after the cold air completes heat exchange in the storage compartment, it flows back to the evaporator to be recooled and then is sent back to the storage compartment by the fan, realizing a continuous and efficient refrigeration cycle.

[0025] The cold storage module 304 is connected to the water-air evaporator 302 through the water-air evaporator outlet pipeline 303. The secondary refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator enters the cold storage module 304 through the outlet pipeline. The refrigerant in it stores a large amount of latent heat when reaching the phase change temperature, enabling the system to maintain the temperature of the refrigerator storage compartment even when the compressor 201 stops. This design not only extends the heat preservation time, reduces the start-stop frequency of the compressor, reduces the energy consumption of the whole vehicle, and improves the cruising range; moreover, when the compressor fails, the cold storage module can continuously supply cold to ensure the safety of food storage.

[0026] The temperature sensor 305 is used to monitor the temperature of the secondary refrigerant.

[0027] The secondary refrigerant flows out of the cold storage module 304, flows back to the plate heat exchanger 204 through the cold storage module outlet pipeline 306, exchanges heat with the low-temperature combustible refrigerant, and is then sent into the water-air evaporator 302 by the water pump 205 again to form a cycle.

[0028] The cold storage temperature sensor 309 extends into the interior from the top of the cold storage module 304 and is in direct contact with the refrigerant, and is used to monitor the temperature of the refrigerant.

[0029] The present invention couples the vehicle-mounted refrigerator refrigeration system and the combustible refrigeration system. Since the combustible refrigerant cannot be introduced into the vehicle interior, the water-air evaporator 302 of the vehicle-mounted refrigerator of the present invention exchanges heat with the plate heat exchanger 204 through the secondary refrigerant. This solution not only ensures safety, but also improves comfort and practicality. The air-cooled vehicle-mounted refrigerator with a dual-coolant heat exchanger of the present invention adopts a cold storage plus air-cooling system. The cold storage module 304 can store a large amount of latent heat and slowly release it into the storage compartment through the fan. The use of the cold storage module 304 can reduce the startup time of the compressor, achieve energy conservation and consumption reduction, and ensure the safety of food storage.

[0030] The above embodiments only illustratively explain the design principle, use and function of the present invention, rather than limiting the present invention. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical idea disclosed by the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers, characterized in that: The air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers includes a cold storage module, a water-air evaporator, a fan, a storage compartment temperature sensor, a water pump and a temperature sensor; The cold storage module includes a cold storage evaporator, a cold storage agent, a cold storage agent container, a cold storage temperature sensor, a cold storage container cover plate and a cold storage module outlet pipeline; The refrigerant is a phase change material having a high latent heat at a phase change temperature. The refrigerant is stored in a refrigerant container and heat is exchanged by a refrigerant evaporator to reduce the refrigerant temperature to a phase change temperature. The car refrigerator is integrated into the car air conditioning system through a plate heat exchanger. The refrigerant passes through the circulating pipeline of the car refrigerator. Through the refrigeration cycle of the car air conditioning, the plate heat exchanger exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The water pump transports the cooled refrigerant to the water-air evaporator of the car refrigerator. The cold refrigerant quickly cools the storage room. After the refrigerant comes out of the water-air evaporator, it enters the cold storage module, exchanges heat with the refrigerant, and finally returns to the plate heat exchanger to complete the cycle. The fan is placed above the water-air evaporator, and the air cooled by the evaporator is brought into the storage room by the fan to form a circulation; The cold storage temperature sensor probe is inserted into the cold storage module to monitor the temperature of the cold storage agent; The storage compartment temperature sensor is placed in the center of the vehicle refrigerator storage compartment and is used to monitor the air temperature of the storage compartment.

2. The air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers according to claim 1 is characterized in that The cold storage module can store cold energy. If the compressor stops or other branches are not working, the car refrigerator can still continue to cool for a long time by storing cold energy.

3. The air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers according to claim 1, characterized in that The coolant is a phase change material with a high latent heat at the phase change temperature. The cool storage module filled with coolant can store a large amount of cold, thereby realizing the long-term heat preservation function of the refrigerator.

4. The air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers according to claim 1, characterized in that The refrigerator is cooled by the refrigerant. After the plate heat exchanger cools the refrigerant, the water pump transports the cooled refrigerant to the water-air evaporator of the refrigerator.

5. The air-cooled vehicle refrigerator with dual coolant heat exchangers according to claim 1, characterized in that When the fan is turned on, forced convection can be generated to speed up the cooling rate.

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