Heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system

Abstract

Title: Heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device The invention relates to a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (4), in particular for a vehicle (3), said device comprising: - a circulation box (6) with at least one airflow (8); - a heat exchanger (10) configured at least to heat the airflow and disposed in the circulation box (6); - an electric heater (12) configured to form a plurality of distinct heating zones, said electric heater being disposed in the circulation box (6), downstream of said heat exchanger;and - at least one partition wall arranged in the circulation box, this partition wall extending only downstream of the electric radiator, this partition wall being arranged to form, downstream of the heating zones of the electric radiator, at least two separate airflows which are heated respectively by the heating zones. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 1;

Description

Title of the invention: Heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device

[0001] The field of the present invention relates to a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device, particularly for vehicles. The present invention also relates to an air conditioning system comprising such a device.

[0002] The vehicle may be of the land, sea or air type. The vehicle may be, for example, a motor vehicle.

[0003] A heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning (HVAC) device is known in itself, comprising a circulation box with at least one airflow, and a heat exchanger for heating the airflow passing through said box.

[0004] Said housing includes, in a manner known per se, a bypass channel for the heat exchanger, this channel being configured to allow fluid circulation of an airflow, in particular from said heat exchanger. The bypass channel thus allows the circulation of the unheated or untempered airflow within said housing.

[0005] Said heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device further comprises dampers, referred to as mixing dampers, for mixing the hot airflow that has passed through the heat exchanger and the unheated airflow that has passed through the bypass duct. The temperature of the airflow exiting said housing thus depends on the proportions between the hot airflow and the unheated airflow used for mixing the airflows.

[0006] However, these mixing flaps generate mechanical noises that are harmful to the comfort of a driver, one or more passengers of the vehicle and result in an increase in the size of the housing of said device.

[0007] There is a need to overcome these aforementioned disadvantages.

[0008] The invention thus relates to a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device, particularly for vehicles, said device comprising:

[0009] - a circulation box for at least one airflow;

[0010] - a heat exchanger configured at least to heat the airflow, in particular a condenser, located in the circulation housing;

[0011] - an electric radiator, in particular of the PTC type ("positive temperature coefficient") (in English), configured to form a plurality of distinct heating zones, said electric radiator being disposed in the circulation box, downstream of said heat exchanger; and said device being configured so that the heat exchanger is fully passable for this airflow; and

[0012] - at least one partition arranged in the circulation housing, this partition wall extending only downstream of the electric radiator, this partition wall being arranged to form, downstream of the heating zones of the electric radiator, at least two separate airflows which are heated respectively by the heating zones.

[0013] Advantageously, in the invention, said device is configured such that there is no operating mode in which the airflow through said heat exchanger is obstructed, namely that there is no mixing as such. Preferably, in all operating modes, said exchanger is fully open. This means that there is no temperature regulation by mixing in the usual sense; that is to say, in the present invention, the average air temperature is regulated primarily by the temperature of the exchanger, and not by a mixture of hot and cold air.

[0014] In the case where there is a bypass channel above the heat exchanger, this bypass channel serves simply to induce temperature stratification. The term "above" indicates that an element is positioned or oriented upwards in a vertical direction V (in the direction of gravity), particularly of a vehicle.

[0015] In the invention, said device does not include a partition upstream of the electric radiator, nor upstream of the heat exchanger. More precisely, the airflow entering the electric radiator is not separated before it has even passed through the electric radiator.

[0016] It is only downstream of the heating zones of the electric radiator that the airflows are separated by the partition. The separated airflows exit the heating zones of the electric radiator, such that the circulation box does not have, downstream of the heating zones of the electric radiator, any stratification chamber in which the separated airflows can mix.

[0017] Thanks to the presence of a plurality of heating zones of the electric radiator, it is possible to do without the use of movable flaps, such as mixing flaps, intended to obstruct or allow the passage of the airflow(s), these flaps being classically located between the electric radiator and the outlet of the circulation box.

[0018] In fact, it is the plurality of heating zones of the radiator that allows for the formation of a temperature stratification of the airflow. For example, it is possible to have an upper left heating zone of the electric radiator that is hotter than an upper right heating zone, so that the airflow exiting the heating zone The upper left will be warmer than the airflow coming out of the upper right heating zone, and this without using the movable flaps.

[0019] Furthermore, thanks to the fact that the device does not have any movable flaps (or the device has only one movable flap, that of the bypass channel) in the circulation housing, the mechanical noise generated by the device is reduced, thus increasing the comfort of the driver and / or the passenger(s). In particular, the level of mechanical noise remains consistent regardless of the heating mode selected, for example, for the heating mode in which the front seats (driver and passenger) are heated and / or the heating mode in which the rear seats (passengers) are heated.

[0020] Furthermore, the absence of movable flaps in the circulation box makes it possible to simplify the design of said device, and to reduce the complexity and bulk of the circulation box of said device, in particular in a longitudinal direction, referred to as X. In the description that follows, a longitudinal direction X corresponds to a main extension direction of said device.

[0021] According to one aspect of the invention, the heat exchanger is configured to selectively heat and / or cool the airflow entering said exchanger.

[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, said device comprises an additional heat exchanger, in particular upstream of said heat exchanger, this additional heat exchanger being configured to cool or heat the airflow entering said heat exchanger. Said device is advantageously configured such that the additional heat exchanger is fully pass-through for the airflow entering said additional heat exchanger.

[0023] The features, variants, and different embodiments of the invention can be combined in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be conceived comprising only a selection of features, described hereafter in isolation from the other described features, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage and / or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0024] According to one aspect of the invention, the electric radiator comprises at least two distinct heating zones. Preferably, the electric radiator comprises at least four distinct heating zones, more particularly at least six, or even at least eight distinct heating zones.

[0025] Thus, these heating zones make it possible to create variable temperature stratification between the outgoing airflows of each distinct heating zone. For example, in the case where the electric radiator has four heating zones distinct, the upper left heating zone may be warmer than the upper right heating zone, which may be colder than the rest of the heating zones, so there is temperature stratification.

[0026] According to one aspect of the invention, the heating zone or zones of the electric radiator comprise a plurality of heating elements, these heating elements being able to be activated independently of each other.

[0027] According to one aspect of the invention, each heating zone comprises the same number of heating elements.

[0028] According to one aspect of the invention, the electric heater can be used as a heating boost function to quickly bring passengers to comfort before the refrigerant / coolant system reaches its full performance.

[0029] According to one aspect of the invention, said device does not include a bypass channel for the heat exchanger.

[0030] Thus, the device does not include any bypass door. In this way, the device is more compact and produces less noise (or a constant noise level in all operating modes). This improves the comfort and control of the device.

[0031] Alternatively, the circulation housing includes at least one bypass channel, this channel being configured to allow fluid circulation of an airflow from a heat exchanger or evaporator. The circulation housing includes at least one bypass door configured to allow the airflow to pass through the bypass channel.

[0032] According to one aspect of the invention, the electric heater is configured to operate at high voltage or low voltage. High voltage is defined as a voltage greater than 120 V. In particular, the high-voltage electric heater is adapted to increase the temperature of the airflow to a predetermined level, specifically in each heating zone.

[0033] The electric heater, particularly of the PTC type, can be used to accelerate the heating of the airflow(s) in order to improve passenger comfort in the vehicle, before the device reaches its maximum performance. In other words, the electric heater compensates for the thermal inertia of the device.

[0034] According to one aspect of the invention, said device comprises at least one control valve. Advantageously, the control valve is part of the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system or of a heat pump.

[0035] Alternatively, said device comprises only a control valve.

[0036] According to one aspect of the invention, said device comprises an evaporator configured to cool the airflow upstream of the heat exchanger, this evaporator being disposed in the circulation housing.

[0037] According to one aspect of the invention, the partition wall(s) are arranged to be on an intersection of at least two distinct and adjacent heating zones.

[0038] According to one aspect of the invention, the partition wall(s) are arranged to be offset from at least one intersection between at least two distinct and adjacent heating zones.

[0039] According to one aspect of the invention, said device comprises at least two partition walls extending from the downstream side of the electric radiator.

[0040] According to one aspect of the invention, the partition wall(s) extend perpendicularly from the downstream side of the electric radiator.

[0041] According to one aspect of the invention, the partition walls are perpendicular to each other. Advantageously, these partition walls form a cross, this cross being formed by a vertical partition wall and another horizontal partition wall that are perpendicular to each other.

[0042] According to one aspect of the invention, said device includes flaps for distributing the airflow at the outlet of the circulation box.

[0043] The invention also relates to an air conditioning system, in particular for a vehicle, said system comprising:

[0044] - a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device as described higher; and

[0045] - a control unit configured to control said device, such so that the heat exchanger and / or the electric radiator can be switched on or off independently of each other.

[0046] According to one aspect of the invention, the control unit is configured to control said device, in such a way that the evaporator is activated or deactivated independently of the heat exchanger or electric heater.

[0047] According to one aspect of the invention, the control unit is configured to activate at least one of the heating zones of the electric radiator when the outside temperature of the vehicle is below a predetermined temperature.

[0048] For example, the control unit is configured to deactivate all heating zones of the electric radiator while the heat exchanger is deactivated and the evaporator is activated. In this way, maximum cooling of the airflow exiting the electric radiator is achieved.

[0049] For example, the control unit is configured to activate all heating zones of the electric radiator while the heat exchanger is activated. In this way, maximum heating of the airflow exiting the electric radiator is achieved.

[0050] According to one aspect of the invention, the air conditioning system comprises a heat pump, in particular a direct type heat pump, configured to heat or cool a vehicle passenger compartment using a heat transfer fluid. For example, the heat transfer fluid comprises at least one of the following refrigerants: R-744 (CO2), R-134a, or R-1234yf, or a Coolant-type heat transfer fluid. According to one aspect of the invention, the direct type heat pump can be efficiently controlled (at an optimal COP) because the temperature of the air exiting the heat exchanger (which operates with refrigerant from the heat pump) is lower (this exiting air being heated only by the electric heater, PTC, in a single position for comfort / stratification reasons) compared to a conventional HVAC system (with a bypass path).In a conventional HVAC system, the heat pump system must operate at the highest temperature required, and the heated air is mixed with cold air from the bypass path for comfort and stratification purposes.

[0051] The invention also relates to a method of controlling a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device as described above, said method comprising: - activating at least one heating zone of the electric radiator.

[0052] According to one aspect of the invention, the process comprises the following steps:

[0053] - activate an evaporator;

[0054] - deactivate the heat exchanger located downstream of the evaporator; and

[0055] - deactivate all heating zones of the electric radiator, the radiator electric being located downstream of the heat exchanger, so as to obtain maximum cooling of the airflow exiting the electric radiator.

[0056] According to one aspect of the invention, the process comprises the following steps:

[0057] - activate an evaporator;

[0058] - activate the heat exchanger located downstream of the evaporator,

[0059] so as to obtain an outgoing airflow, in particular heated or cooled, from the heat exchanger.

[0060] According to one aspect of the invention, the process comprises the following steps:

[0061] - activate an evaporator;

[0062] - activate the heat exchanger located downstream of the evaporator;

[0063] - activate at least one heating zone of the electric radiator so as to obtain a heated airflow exiting, specifically heated or cooled, from the electric radiator.

[0064] According to one aspect of the invention, the process comprises the following steps:

[0065] - activate an evaporator;

[0066] - activate a heat exchanger located downstream of the evaporator; and

[0067] - activate all heating zones of the electric radiator, the electric radiator being located downstream of the heat exchanger, so as to obtain a flow of heated air coming out of the electric radiator.

[0068] Alternatively, the process includes the following step:

[0069] - deactivate an evaporator. This evaporator deactivation step can be applied in place of the evaporator activation step, in the process steps mentioned above.

[0070] It should first be noted that the terms upstream and downstream used in the following description refer to the direction of airflow. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second", "third", ... are used solely to distinguish the components concerned from one another and do not imply any order or potential importance of said components.

[0071] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description on the one hand, and several illustrative and non-limiting examples of embodiments given with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings on the other hand, in which:

[0072] [Fig.1] Fig.1 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system according to one embodiment variant;

[0073] [Fig.2] Fig.2 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of the radiator electrical according to an example of an embodiment of the invention; and

[0074] [Fig.3] Fig.3 is a schematic and partial cross-sectional representation of a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning system according to another embodiment.

[0075] Figure 1 shows an air conditioning system 2 of a vehicle 3 according to an embodiment of the invention. This system 2 comprises:

[0076] - a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device 4, for a vehicle 3.

[0077] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device 4 comprises:

[0078] - a circulation box 6 of a plurality of airflows 8;

[0079] - a condenser 10, arranged in the circulation housing 6;

[0080] - an electric radiator 12, in particular of the PTC type ("positive temperature") coefficient (in English), configured to form a plurality of distinct heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, said electric radiator 12 being disposed in the circulation box 6, downstream of said condenser 10; and

[0081] - two 16v, 16h partition walls arranged in the circulation box 6, these partition walls extending only downstream of electric radiator 12, these partition walls being arranged to form, downstream of the electric radiator heating zones, four separate airflows 8 which are heated respectively by the four heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4.

[0082] In other words, said device 4 does not have a separating partition upstream of the electric radiator 12, nor upstream of the condenser 10. More precisely, the airflow 8 entering the electric radiator 12 is not separated before it has even passed through the electric radiator 12.

[0083] It is only downstream of the heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12 that the different airflows are formed by means of the separating partitions 16v, 16h. The separate airflows exit the heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12, such that the circulation box 6 does not have, downstream of the heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12, any stratification chamber in which the separate airflows can mix.

[0084] Moreover, the partition walls 16v, 16h allow, for example, to obtain heating zones having distinct temperatures (for example on the left and right) downstream of the electric radiator 12. Without these partition walls 16v, 16h, an indefinite mixing of airflow would be obtained, and this would lead to overconsumption of electrical energy.

[0085] Furthermore, if operation with lower performance of the device is required, only the required area can be heated by the electric radiator, without wasting energy on an unused area of ​​the electric radiator.

[0086] Thanks to the presence of a plurality of heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12, it is possible to do without the use of movable flaps, such as mixing flaps, intended to obstruct or allow the passage of air flows 8, these flaps being classically located between the electric radiator 12 and the outlet of the circulation box 6.

[0087] In fact, it is the plurality of heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the radiator 12 that allow a temperature stratification of the airflow 8 to form. As can be seen in particular in [Fig.2], for example, it is possible to have an upper left heating zone Z1 of the electric radiator 12 hotter than an upper right heating zone Z2, so that the airflow 8 exiting the upper left heating zone Z1 will be hotter than the airflow 8 exiting the upper right heating zone Z2, and this without using the movable flaps.

[0088] Furthermore, thanks to the fact that said device 4 does not have movable flaps in the circulation housing 6, the mechanical noises generated by said device 4 are reduced, thus increasing the comfort of the driver and / or the passenger(s). In particular, the level of mechanical noise remains consistent regardless of the heating mode selected, for example, for the heating mode in which the front seats (driver and passenger) are heated and / or the heating mode for which the rear seats (passengers) are heated.

[0089] In addition, the absence of movable flaps in the circulation box 6 makes it possible to simplify the design of said device 4, and to reduce the complexity and bulk of the circulation box 6 of said device, in particular in a longitudinal direction, known as in X.

[0090] As illustrated in [Fig.1], said device 4 includes an evaporator 20 configured to cool the airflow 8 upstream of the condenser 10, this evaporator 20 being disposed in the circulation box 6. Said device 4 includes distribution flaps 21 for the airflow at the outlet of the circulation box 6.

[0091] Referring in particular to [Fig.1], said device 4 does not include a bypass channel for the condenser 10.

[0092] Thus, the device does not include any bypass door. In this way, the device has a more compact design and less noise (or constant noise).

[0093] Alternatively, as illustrated in [Fig.3], the circulation box 6 includes a bypass channel 50, this channel being configured to allow fluidic circulation of an airflow from the evaporator 20. The circulation box 6 includes a bypass door 60 configured to allow the airflow 8 to pass into the bypass channel 50.

[0094] The bypass channel 50 is above the condenser 10; this bypass channel serves simply to induce temperature stratification. The term "above" indicates that an element is positioned or oriented upwards in a vertical direction V (in the direction of gravity).

[0095] The partition walls 16v, 16h are arranged to be on intersections of the four distinct heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 and adjacent to each other.

[0096] The device 4 comprises two partition walls extending from the downstream side of the electric radiator 12. The partition walls 16v, 16h extend perpendicularly from the downstream side of the electric radiator 12. The partition walls 16v, 16h form a cross between them, this cross being formed by a vertical partition wall 16v and another horizontal partition wall 16h which are perpendicular to each other.

[0097] The heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12 comprise a plurality of heating elements, these heating elements being able to be activated independently of each other. Each heating zone Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 comprises the same number of heating elements.

[0098] Alternatively, the number of heating elements differs from one heating zone to another in such a way that the heating of separate airflows is different from one zone from one heating zone to another. In other words, the heat density varies from one heating zone to another.

[0099] Alternatively, the number of heating elements differs within the same heating zone, such that the heating of airflow by this heating zone creates a stratification in this zone (not shown).

[0100] As shown in [Fig. 2], said device 4 comprises airflow ducts 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 configured to guide airflows. These airflow ducts 30, 32, 34, 36 are arranged perpendicular to the electric heater 12. These airflow ducts 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 comprise:

[0101] - two ventilation airflow ducts 30, 32, respectively intended to guide the airflow towards the front seats (driver and passenger) and towards the rear seats (passengers), these airflow ducts being located symmetrically with respect to the horizontal partition 16h and centered with respect to the vertical partition 16v;

[0102] - two airflow ducts 34 intended for the lateral areas relative to the seats, these airflow ducts being located symmetrically with respect to the vertical partition wall;

[0103] - an airflow duct 36 intended for the foot areas; and

[0104] - an airflow duct 38 intended for defrosting.

[0105] Said system 2 further comprises: - a control unit 22 configured to control said device 4, in such a way that the condenser 10 or the electric heater 12 can be activated or deactivated independently of each other.

[0106] The control unit 22 is configured to control said device 4, in such a way that the evaporator 20 is activated or deactivated independently of the condenser 10 or the electric heater 12.

[0107] The control unit 22 is configured to activate at least one of the heating zones of the electric heater 12 when the outside temperature of a vehicle is below a predetermined temperature.

[0108] For example, the control unit 22 is configured to deactivate all heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12 while the condenser 10 is deactivated and the evaporator 20 is activated. In this way, maximum cooling of the airflow exiting the electric radiator 12 is achieved.

[0109] For example, the control unit 22 is configured to activate all heating zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4 of the electric radiator 12 while the condenser 10 is activated. In this way, maximum heating of the airflow exiting the electric radiator 12 is achieved.

[0110] The air conditioning system 2 further includes a heat pump (not shown), in particular a direct type heat pump, configured to heat or cool a vehicle passenger compartment using a heat transfer fluid. For example, the heat transfer fluid includes at least one of the following refrigerants: R-744 (CO2), R-134a, or R-1234yf.

[0111] In the example described, the electric heater 12 is configured to operate at high voltage or low voltage. High voltage is defined as a voltage greater than 120 V. In particular, the high-voltage electric heater 12 is adapted to increase the temperature of the airflows 8 to a predetermined level in each heating zone.

Claims

Demands

1. A heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (4), in particular for a vehicle (3), said device comprising: - a circulation box (6) of at least one airflow (8); - a heat exchanger (10), in particular a condenser (10), configured at least to heat the airflow and disposed in the circulation box (6); and said device being configured so that the heat exchanger (10) is fully passable for this airflow (8); and - an electric heater (12), in particular of the PTC type, configured to form a plurality of distinct heating zones (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4), said electric heater being disposed in the circulation box (6), downstream of said heat exchanger;and - at least one partition wall (16v, 16h) arranged in the circulation box (6), this partition wall extending only downstream of the electric radiator (12), this partition wall being arranged to form, downstream of the heating zones (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4) of the electric radiator (12), at least two separate airflows (8) which are heated respectively by the heating zones (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4).;

2. Device (4) according to claim 1, wherein the electric radiator (12) comprises at least four distinct heating zones (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4), more particularly at least six, or even at least eight distinct heating zones.

3. Device (4) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said device 4 does not include a bypass channel for the heat exchanger (10).

4. Device (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the partition wall(s) (16v, 16h) are arranged to be on an intersection of at least two distinct and adjacent heating zones (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4).

5. Device (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least two separating partitions (16v, 16h) extending from the downstream side of the electric radiator

6. Device (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising distribution flaps (21) for the airflow (8) at the outlet of the circulation box (6).

7. Device (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an additional heat exchanger, in particular upstream of said heat exchanger, this additional heat exchanger being configured to cool or heat the airflow entering said heat exchanger.

8. Air conditioning system (2), in particular of a vehicle (3), said system comprising: - a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (4) according to any one of the preceding claims; and - a control unit (22) configured to control said device, in such a way that the heat exchanger (10) and / or the electric heater (12) can be switched on or off independently of each other.

9. System (2) according to claim 8, wherein the control unit (22) is configured to activate at least one of the heating zones of the electric heater (12) when the outside temperature of the vehicle (3) is below a predetermined temperature.

10. System (2) according to claim 8 or 9, comprising a heat pump, in particular of the direct type, configured to heat or cool a passenger compartment of the vehicle (3) using a heat transfer fluid.

11. Method of controlling a heating, ventilation and / or air conditioning device (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, said method comprising: - activating at least one heating zone (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4) of the electric heater (12).

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