Air conditioner for vehicle

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner for a vehicle which is capable of recovering heat from air emitted to cabin outside by simple cycle structure and enhancing air conditioning performance without providing a specialized heat exchanger for waste heat recovery.SOLUTION: An air conditioner 1 for a vehicle includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high temperature side unit 20, a low temperature side unit 30 and a control device 50. The high temperature side unit 20 accommodates a condenser 12 in its inside and includes a high temperature side air introduction part 21 and a high temperature side blowing place changeover part 24. The low temperature side unit 30 accommodates a vaporizer 14 in its inside and includes a low temperature side air introduction part 31 and a low temperature side blowing place changeover part 34. The control device 50 introduces inside air Ai and outside air Ao to at least one of the condenser 12 and the vaporizer 14 simultaneously and switches blowing place of at least one of the air passing the condenser 12 and the air passing the vaporizer 14 to inside of a passenger compartment R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioner using a heat pump cycle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in a vehicle air conditioner using a heat pump cycle, a technology described in Patent Document 1 is known as a technology for saving power by recovering heat from air exhausted from the passenger compartment to the outside of the passenger compartment in an outside air introduction mode.

[0003] In the vehicle air conditioning system of Patent Document 1, a heat exchanger for recovering exhaust heat is added to the refrigeration cycle in the exhaust passage through which air flows from the passenger compartment to the outside of the passenger compartment, and the heat contained in the exhaust air is recovered by controlling the operation of a four-way valve, etc. to switch the refrigerant circuit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-155245 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, a total heat exchanger or a sensible heat exchanger can be used as the heat exchanger for exhaust heat recovery. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 leads to an increase in the number of parts, an increase in the mounting space, an increase in the mounting weight, etc., due to the addition of a heat exchanger for exhaust heat recovery to the refrigeration cycle.

[0006] Furthermore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the configuration of the refrigeration cycle including the heat exchanger for exhaust heat recovery becomes complicated, which may increase the burden on the operation control of the refrigeration cycle.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system that can recover heat from air exhausted outside the vehicle cabin using a simple cycle configuration, without the need for a heat exchanger dedicated to exhaust heat recovery, thereby improving air conditioning performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A vehicle air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a heat pump cycle (10), a high-temperature side unit (20), a low-temperature side unit (30), and a control unit (50). The heat pump cycle includes a condenser (12) that condenses the high-pressure refrigerant by dissipating heat contained in the refrigerant, and an evaporator (14) that absorbs heat from the low-pressure refrigerant to evaporate it. The high-temperature side unit houses the condenser therein and constitutes an air passage for the blown air passing through the condenser. The low-temperature side unit houses the evaporator therein and constitutes an air passage for the blown air passing through the evaporator. The control unit controls the operation of the high-temperature side unit and the low-temperature side unit.

[0009] The high-temperature side unit has a high-temperature side air inlet (21) and a high-temperature side air destination switching part (24). The high-temperature side air inlet introduces at least one of room air (Ai) present inside the passenger compartment (R) and outside air (Ao) present outside the passenger compartment as a target for heat dissipation in the condenser. The high-temperature side air destination switching part switches the destination of the air after heat dissipation in the condenser to at least one of the inside of the passenger compartment and the outside of the passenger compartment.

[0010] The low-temperature side unit has a low-temperature side air inlet (31) and a low-temperature side air destination switching part (34). The low-temperature side air inlet introduces at least one of inside air and outside air as an air source for absorbing heat in the evaporator. The low-temperature side air destination switching part switches the destination of the air that has absorbed heat in the evaporator to at least one of the inside of the passenger compartment and the outside of the passenger compartment.

[0011] The control unit controls at least one of the high-temperature-side air inlet and the low-temperature-side air inlet to simultaneously introduce inside air and outside air into at least one of the condenser and the evaporator. In addition to this operation, the control unit controls the operation of the high-temperature-side air blowing destination switching unit and the low-temperature-side air blowing destination switching unit to switch the blowing destination of at least one of the air that has passed through the condenser and the air that has passed through the evaporator to the inside of the vehicle cabin.

[0012] Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner, when performing air conditioning operation with outside air introduced into the vehicle cabin, inside air and outside air are simultaneously introduced into at least one of the condenser and the evaporator, and at least one of the air that has passed through the condenser and the air that has passed through the evaporator can be supplied to the vehicle cabin. This allows the vehicle air conditioner to effectively utilize the exhaust heat contained in the inside air exhausted from the vehicle cabin as the outside air is introduced into the vehicle cabin, thereby improving the air conditioning performance of the heat pump cycle.

[0013] In addition, the reference symbols in parentheses for each means described in this column and in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an outside air introduction heating mode in the vehicle air conditioner. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an outside air introduction heating eco mode in the vehicle air conditioner. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an outside air introduction cooling eco mode in the vehicle air conditioner. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram relating to the arrangement of an evaporator in a low-temperature side unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram relating to the arrangement of an evaporator in a low-temperature side unit in the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram relating to the arrangement of a condenser in a high temperature side unit in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram relating to the arrangement of a condenser in a high temperature side unit in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram relating to the arrangement of an evaporator in a low-temperature side unit in the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, a number of embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals may be used to designate parts corresponding to matters described in the preceding embodiment, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted. In each embodiment, when only a part of the configuration is described, other embodiments described previously may be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to combinations of parts that are specifically indicated as being possible in each embodiment, it is also possible to partially combine embodiments even if not indicated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0016] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. A vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment is mounted on, for example, an electric vehicle, which is a vehicle that obtains driving force for traveling from an electric motor. The vehicle air conditioner 1 conditions the interior of the vehicle, which is the space to be air-conditioned, in the electric vehicle, and has an in-vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function that adjusts the temperature of in-vehicle equipment such as a battery.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment includes a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature side unit 20, a low-temperature side unit 30, and a control device 50. The double line drawn between the high-temperature side unit 20 and the low-temperature side unit 30 in Fig. 1 indicates a partition wall W that separates the inside of the vehicle compartment R from the outside O. This point is the same in the subsequent drawings.

[0018] First, a description will be given of a heat pump cycle 10 constituting the vehicle air conditioner 1. In the vehicle air conditioner 1, the heat pump cycle 10 adjusts the temperature of air blown into the vehicle compartment R. The heat pump cycle 10 has a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 13, an evaporator 14, and an accumulator 15, and is configured as a so-called accumulator cycle.

[0019] The heat pump cycle 10 employs an HFO refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) as a refrigerant. The heat pump cycle 10 constitutes a vapor compression subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant pressure on the high-pressure side does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigerant is mixed with refrigeration oil (e.g., PAG oil) for lubricating the compressor 11. A portion of the refrigeration oil circulates through the heat pump cycle 10 together with the refrigerant.

[0020] The compressor 11 draws in, compresses, and discharges refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10. The compressor 11 is disposed in a drive unit compartment at the front side of the vehicle interior. The drive unit compartment forms a space in which at least a part of a drive unit (e.g., an electric motor) for outputting drive force for traveling is disposed.

[0021] The compressor 11 is an electric compressor in which a fixed displacement compression mechanism having a fixed discharge capacity is rotationally driven by an electric motor. The rotation speed of the compressor 11 (i.e., the refrigerant discharge capacity) is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0022] One of the inlets and outlets of a refrigerant passage in the condenser 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The condenser 12 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and flowing through the refrigerant passage and the air flowing through an air passage in the high-temperature side unit 20. The condenser 12 is disposed in an air passage formed in the casing of the high-temperature side unit 20. The condenser 12 dissipates heat contained in the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to the blown air flowing through the high-temperature side unit 20, heating the blown air.

[0023] One refrigerant inlet / outlet side of an expansion valve 13 is connected to the other inlet / outlet of the refrigerant passage in the condenser 12. The expansion valve 13 is a pressure reducing section that reduces the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10. The expansion valve 13 is an electric variable throttle mechanism having a valve body that changes the throttle opening and an electric actuator (specifically, a stepping motor) that displaces the valve body. The operation of the expansion valve 13 is controlled by a control pulse output from the control device 50.

[0024] The expansion valve 13 has a full opening function that functions simply as a refrigerant passage without exerting any refrigerant pressure reducing or flow rate regulating action when the valve is fully opened, and a full closing function that closes the refrigerant passage when the valve is fully closed.

[0025] The other refrigerant inlet / outlet of the expansion valve 13 is connected to one refrigerant inlet / outlet side of a refrigerant passage in the evaporator 14. The evaporator 14 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve 13 and flowing through the refrigerant passage and the air flowing inside the low-temperature side unit 30. The evaporator 14 is disposed in an air passage formed in the casing of the low-temperature side unit 30. The evaporator 14 cools the blown air by making the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve 13 absorb heat contained in the blown air flowing through the low-temperature side unit 30.

[0026] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14 are so-called tank-and-tube type heat exchangers.

[0027] The other inlet / outlet of the refrigerant passage in the evaporator 14 is connected to the inlet side of the accumulator 15. The accumulator 15 is a low-pressure liquid storage section that separates the refrigerant that has flowed into it into gas and liquid and stores the separated liquid-phase refrigerant as surplus refrigerant in the cycle. The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the gas-phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 15.

[0028] According to the heat pump cycle 10 configured in this manner, the heat absorbed by the evaporator 14 is used to heat the air that is radiated by the condenser 12 and sent into the vehicle compartment R, thereby heating the vehicle compartment R. Moreover, the heat pump cycle 10 absorbs heat from the air supplied to the vehicle compartment R by the evaporator 14 and radiates the heat by the condenser 12, thereby supplying air cooled by the heat absorption into the vehicle compartment R, thereby cooling the vehicle compartment R.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of the high temperature side unit 20 constituting the vehicle air conditioner 1. The high temperature side unit 20 is a unit that integrates a plurality of components in order to switch the introduction of blown air to be dissipated heat by the condenser 12 and the blown air destination heated by the condenser 12 in the vehicle air conditioner 1. The high temperature side unit 20 is disposed, for example, inside a drive unit room formed on the front side of the vehicle interior R.

[0030] 1, high temperature side unit 20 has condenser 12, high temperature side air inlet section 21, high temperature side blower 22, and high temperature side blower destination switching section 24. In high temperature side unit 20, components such as condenser 12 are housed inside a casing that forms the outer shell of high temperature side unit 20. The casing of high temperature side unit 20 is molded from a resin (specifically, polypropylene) that has a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength, and has an air passage therein.

[0031] As described above, the condenser 12 is disposed in the air passage of the high temperature side unit 20. Therefore, the air passage is an air passage for circulating the blown air passing through the condenser 12. Furthermore, the high temperature side air inlet section 21 is disposed on the most upstream side of the air flow of the air passage in the high temperature side unit 20.

[0032] The high temperature side air introduction section 21 is configured to have an inside air introduction port 21a, an outside air introduction port 21b, and an introduction switching door 21c. The inside air introduction port 21a is an opening for introducing the inside air Ai, which is the air present in the vehicle interior R, into the air passage of the high temperature side unit 20, and is formed in the casing of the high temperature side unit 20. The outside air introduction port 21b is an opening for introducing the outside air Ao, which is the air present outside O, into the air passage of the high temperature side unit 20, and is formed in the casing of the high temperature side unit 20 so as to be adjacent to the inside air introduction port 21a. An outside air introduction passage communicating with the outside O is connected to the outside air introduction port 21b.

[0033] The inlet switching door 21c is connected to an electric actuator (not shown) and switches between the inside air inlet 21a and the outside air inlet 21b to open and close. The operation of the electric actuator for the inlet switching door 21c is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. Therefore, the high temperature side air inlet section 21 can adjust the ratio of the air (the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao) introduced into the condenser 12.

[0034] A high-temperature side blower 22 is disposed downstream of the air flow of high-temperature side air inlet section 21. High-temperature side blower 22 is an electric blower that draws in air that has flowed into the air passage of high-temperature side unit 20 and blows it toward condenser 12 and high-temperature side blower destination switching section 24. The rotation speed (i.e., blowing capacity) of high-temperature side blower 22 is controlled by a control voltage output from control device 50.

[0035] Furthermore, inside the air passage of the high-temperature side unit 20, a partition wall 23 is formed along the extension direction of the air passage between the high-temperature side air inlet portion 21 and the condenser 12. The partition wall 23 of the high-temperature side unit 20 cooperates with the inlet switching door 21c to divide the air passage of the high-temperature side unit 20 into two. That is, the partition wall 23 cooperates with the inlet switching door 21c to divide the air passage into an air passage extending from the inside air inlet 21a toward a part of the condenser 12 and an air passage extending from the outside air inlet 21b toward another part of the condenser 12.

[0036] A high-temperature side destination switching section 24 is formed in a portion that forms the most downstream portion of the air passage in the high-temperature side unit 20. The high-temperature side destination switching section 24 is a mechanism that switches the destination of the air that has passed through the condenser 12 to at least one of the interior of the vehicle compartment R and the exterior O, and has a high-temperature side indoor air passage 25, an interior door 26, a high-temperature side exterior air passage 27, and an exterior door 28.

[0037] The high temperature side indoor air supply passage 25 is formed downstream of the condenser 12 in the air passage of the high temperature side unit 20, and has a high temperature side indoor air supply port 25a. The high temperature side indoor air supply port 25a is an opening that communicates between the inside of the vehicle compartment R and the high temperature side indoor air supply passage 25, and supplies air that has passed through the condenser 12 into the vehicle compartment R. The high temperature side indoor air supply passage 25 can be said to be an air passage through which the blown air that has passed through the condenser 12 flows toward the inside of the vehicle compartment R.

[0038] The high temperature side interior air outlet 25a has a plurality of openings (not shown) for blowing air that has passed through the condenser 12 into the vehicle compartment R. The openings include a face opening, a foot opening, and a defroster opening. The face opening is an opening for blowing air toward the upper body of an occupant in the vehicle compartment. The foot opening is an opening for blowing air toward the feet of an occupant. The defroster opening is an opening for blowing air toward the inner surface of the vehicle front windshield.

[0039] An air outlet mode switching door (not shown) is disposed upstream of these openings. The air outlet mode switching door switches the opening from which the conditioned air is blown out by opening and closing each opening. The air outlet mode switching door is driven by an electric actuator for driving the air outlet mode switching door. The operation of the electric actuator for driving the air outlet mode switching door is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0040] The indoor door 26 is a door member for opening and closing the upstream portion of the high-temperature side indoor air passage 25, and is connected to an electric actuator (not shown). The operation of the electric actuator for the indoor door 26 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. By controlling the operation of the indoor door 26, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the blown air that passes through the condenser 12 and is supplied to the vehicle compartment R. The indoor door 26 can also be switched between a fully open state in which the high-temperature side indoor air passage 25 is opened to a maximum extent, and a fully closed state in which the high-temperature side indoor air passage 25 is closed.

[0041] The high-temperature side exterior air passage 27 is formed alongside the high-temperature side indoor air passage 25 downstream of the condenser 12 in the air passage of the high-temperature side unit 20, and has a high-temperature side exterior air outlet 27a. The high-temperature side exterior air outlet 27a is an opening that connects the outside of the vehicle compartment R (i.e., the outside O) with the high-temperature side indoor air passage 25, and discharges air that has passed through the condenser 12 to the outside O. Therefore, the high-temperature side exterior air passage 27 can be said to be an air passage through which the blown air that has passed through the condenser 12 flows towards the outside O.

[0042] The exterior door 28 is a door member for opening and closing the upstream portion of the high-temperature side exterior air passage 27, and is connected to an electric actuator (not shown). The operation of the electric actuator for the exterior door 28 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. By controlling the operation of the exterior door 28, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the blown air that passes through the condenser 12 and is discharged to the outside O. It is also possible for the exterior door 28 to be switched between a fully open state in which the high-temperature side exterior air passage 27 is opened to its maximum extent, and a fully closed state in which the high-temperature side exterior air passage 27 is closed.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of the low-temperature side unit 30 constituting the vehicle air conditioner 1. The low-temperature side unit 30 is a unit that integrates a plurality of components in order to introduce the blown air to be absorbed by the evaporator 14 and to switch the blown air destination whose heat has been absorbed by the evaporator 14 in the vehicle air conditioner 1. The low-temperature side unit 30 is disposed inside the drive unit chamber formed on the front side of the vehicle interior R, similar to the high-temperature side unit 20.

[0044] 1, low-temperature side unit 30 has evaporator 14, low-temperature side air inlet section 31, low-temperature side blower 32, and low-temperature side blower destination switching section 34. In low-temperature side unit 30, components such as evaporator 14 are housed inside a casing that forms the outer shell of low-temperature side unit 30. The casing of low-temperature side unit 30 is molded from a resin (specifically, polypropylene) that has a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength, and has an air passage therein.

[0045] As described above, the evaporator 14 is disposed in the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30. Therefore, the air passage is an air passage for circulating the blown air passing through the evaporator 14. Furthermore, the low-temperature side air inlet section 31 is disposed on the most upstream side of the air flow of the air passage in the low-temperature side unit 30.

[0046] The low-temperature side air introduction section 31 is configured to have an inside air introduction port 31a, an outside air introduction port 31b, and an introduction switching door 31c. The inside air introduction port 31a is an opening for introducing the inside air Ai, which is the air inside the vehicle compartment R, into the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, and is formed in the casing of the low-temperature side unit 30. The outside air introduction port 31b is an opening for introducing the outside air Ao, which is the air outside O, into the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, and is formed in the casing of the low-temperature side unit 30 so as to be adjacent to the outside air introduction port 31b. An outside air introduction passage communicating with the outside O is connected to the outside air introduction port 31b.

[0047] The inlet switching door 31c is connected to an electric actuator (not shown) and switches between the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b to open and close. The operation of the electric actuator for the inlet switching door 31c is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. Therefore, the low-temperature side air inlet 31 can adjust the ratio of the air (the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao) introduced into the evaporator 14.

[0048] A low-temperature side blower 32 is disposed downstream of the air flow of low-temperature side air inlet section 31. Low-temperature side blower 32 draws in air that has flowed into the air passage of low-temperature side unit 30, and blows the air toward evaporator 14 and low-temperature side blower destination switching section 34. The rotation speed (i.e., blowing capacity) of low-temperature side blower 32 is controlled by a control voltage output from control device 50.

[0049] Furthermore, inside the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, a partition wall 33 is formed between the low-temperature side air inlet 31 and the evaporator 14 along the direction in which the air passage extends. The partition wall 33 of the low-temperature side unit 30 cooperates with the inlet switching door 31c to divide the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30 into two. That is, the partition wall 33 cooperates with the inlet switching door 31c to divide the air passage into an air passage extending from the inside air inlet 31a toward a part of the evaporator 14 and an air passage extending from the outside air inlet 31b toward another part of the evaporator 14.

[0050] A low-temperature side destination switching section 34 is formed in a portion that forms the most downstream portion of the air passage in the low-temperature side unit 30. The low-temperature side destination switching section 34 is a mechanism that switches the destination of the air that has passed through the evaporator 14 to at least one of the interior of the vehicle compartment R and the exterior O, and has a low-temperature side indoor air passage 35, an interior door 36, a low-temperature side exterior air passage 37, and an exterior door 38.

[0051] Low-temperature side indoor air blowing passage 35 is formed downstream of evaporator 14 in the air passage of low-temperature side unit 30, and has low-temperature side indoor air blowing port 35a. Low-temperature side indoor air blowing port 35a is an opening that connects the interior of vehicle compartment R to low-temperature side indoor air blowing passage 35, and supplies air that has passed through evaporator 14 into vehicle compartment R. Low-temperature side indoor air blowing passage 35 can be said to be an air passage through which the blown air that has passed through evaporator 14 flows toward the interior of vehicle compartment R.

[0052] The low-temperature side interior air outlet 35a has a plurality of openings (not shown) for blowing out the air that has passed through the evaporator 14 into the vehicle compartment R. The openings include a face opening, a foot opening, and a defroster opening. The face opening, the foot opening, and the defroster opening have the same functions as those of the high-temperature side unit 20 described above. Furthermore, a blowing mode switching door (not shown) is disposed upstream of these openings. The function of each blowing mode switching door is also controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50, similar to the high-temperature side unit 20 described above.

[0053] The indoor door 36 is a door member for opening and closing the upstream portion of the low-temperature side indoor air passage 35, and is connected to an electric actuator (not shown). The operation of the electric actuator for the indoor door 36 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. By controlling the operation of the indoor door 36, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the blown air that passes through the evaporator 14 and is supplied to the vehicle interior R. The indoor door 36 can also be switched between a fully open state in which the low-temperature side indoor air passage 35 is opened to a maximum extent, and a fully closed state in which the low-temperature side indoor air passage 35 is closed.

[0054] Low-temperature side exterior air passage 37 is formed alongside low-temperature side interior air passage 35 downstream of condenser 12 in the air passage of low-temperature side unit 30, and has low-temperature side exterior air outlet 37a. Low-temperature side exterior air outlet 37a is an opening that connects low-temperature side interior air passage 35 with the outside of passenger compartment R (i.e., the outside O), and discharges air that has passed through evaporator 14 to the outside O. Therefore, low-temperature side exterior air passage 37 can be said to be an air passage through which the blown air that has passed through evaporator 14 flows towards the outside O.

[0055] The exterior door 38 is a door member for opening and closing the upstream portion of the low-temperature side exterior air passage 37, and is connected to an electric actuator (not shown). The operation of the electric actuator for the exterior door 38 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50. By controlling the operation of the exterior door 38, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the blown air that passes through the evaporator 14 and is discharged to the outside O. It is also possible for the exterior door 38 to be switched between a fully open state in which the low-temperature side exterior air passage 37 is opened to its maximum extent, and a fully closed state in which the low-temperature side exterior air passage 37 is closed.

[0056] Next, the control system of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The control device 50 is composed of a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and its peripheral circuits. The control device 50 performs various calculations and processes based on an air conditioning control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 2, the controlled equipment connected to the control device 50 includes a compressor 11, an expansion valve 13, a high-temperature side air inlet section 21, a high-temperature side blower 22, a high-temperature side air destination switching section 24, a low-temperature side air inlet section 31, a low-temperature side blower 32, a low-temperature side air destination switching section 34, etc.

[0058] The high temperature side air inlet section 21 includes an electric actuator for the inlet switching door 21c, and the low temperature side air inlet section 31 includes an electric actuator for the inlet switching door 31c. The high temperature side air blowing destination switching section 24 includes an electric actuator for the indoor door 26 and an electric actuator for the outdoor door 28. The low temperature side air blowing destination switching section 34 includes an electric actuator for the indoor door 36 and an electric actuator for the outdoor door 38.

[0059] Various control sensors are connected to the input side of the control device 50. The control sensors include an inside air temperature sensor 51a, an outside air temperature sensor 51b, a solar radiation amount sensor 51c, etc. Further control sensors include a high pressure sensor 51d, an evaporator temperature sensor 51e, a first refrigerant temperature sensor 51f, a second refrigerant temperature sensor 51g, etc.

[0060] The inside air temperature sensor 51a is an inside air temperature detection unit that detects an inside air temperature Tr, which is the temperature inside the vehicle interior R. As shown in FIG. 1, the inside air temperature sensor 51a is disposed inside the vehicle interior R. The outside air temperature sensor 51b is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature Tam, which is the temperature outside the vehicle O. The outside air temperature sensor 51b is disposed, for example, outside the vehicle interior R.

[0061] The solar radiation sensor 51c is a solar radiation detection unit that detects the amount of solar radiation As irradiated into the vehicle interior R. The high-pressure pressure sensor 51d is a high-pressure pressure detection unit that detects the high-pressure pressure Pd of the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The evaporator temperature sensor 51e is a temperature detection unit that detects the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the evaporator 14. The first refrigerant temperature sensor 51f is a temperature detection unit that detects a first refrigerant temperature T1, which is the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant passage of the condenser 12. The second refrigerant temperature sensor 51g is a temperature detection unit that detects a second refrigerant temperature T2, which is the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator 14.

[0062] Furthermore, an operation panel 52 arranged near an instrument panel located at the front of the vehicle interior R is connected to the input side of the control device 50. Various operation switches are provided on the operation panel 52, and operation signals from the various operation switches are input to the control device 50. The various operation switches provided on the operation panel 52 specifically include an auto switch, an air conditioner switch, an air volume setting switch, a temperature setting switch, an eco switch, etc.

[0063] The auto switch is an operational switch for setting or canceling automatic control operation of the heat pump cycle 10. The air conditioner switch is an operational switch for requesting cooling of air by the evaporator 14. The air volume setting switch is an operational switch for manually setting the volume of the blown air supplied into the passenger compartment R, and is an operational switch for determining the blowing capacity of at least one of the high-temperature side blower 22 and the low-temperature side blower 32.

[0064] The temperature setting switch is an operational switch for setting a target temperature Tset in the vehicle compartment R. The eco switch is an operational switch that is operated when determining whether to enable an eco mode that allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 to achieve the required air conditioning capacity with less energy (e.g., electricity) consumption during air conditioning operation in the vehicle compartment R.

[0065] The control device 50 is also configured as an integrated unit that controls various control target devices connected to its output side. Therefore, the configuration (i.e., hardware and software) that controls the operation of each control target device constitutes a control unit that controls the operation of each control target device.

[0066] For example, in the control device 50, a component that controls the operation of the compressor 11 of the heat pump cycle 10 is a compressor control unit 50a. Also, in the control device 50, a component that controls the operation of the expansion valve 13 of the heat pump cycle 10 is a pressure reduction control unit 50b.

[0067] In the control device 50, the configuration that controls the operation of the high-temperature side air inlet 21 and the low-temperature side air inlet 31 to set the air to be introduced into the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14 when air-conditioning the vehicle interior R is performed is the introduced air switching control unit 50c. In addition, in the control device 50, the configuration that controls the operation of the high-temperature side air destination switching unit 24 and the low-temperature side air destination switching unit 34 to set the destination of the air that has passed through the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14 when air-conditioning the vehicle interior R is the air destination switching control unit 50d.

[0068] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment described above will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1 has four air conditioning operation modes to condition the interior of the vehicle compartment R. Specifically, when conditioning the interior of the vehicle compartment R, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be switched to any one of the operation modes of an outside air introduction heating mode, an inside air circulation heating mode, an outside air introduction cooling mode, and an inside air circulation cooling mode.

[0069] In addition, the vehicle air conditioner 1 is configured to be able to set an eco mode for each of these four air conditioning operation modes, which reduces energy consumption and efficiently exerts air conditioning capacity. That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can also be switched to any one of the operation modes of the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the inside air circulation heating eco mode, the outside air introduction cooling eco mode, and the inside air circulation cooling eco mode.

[0070] First, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment in the outside air introduction heating mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[0071] In the outside air introduction heating mode, the high temperature side air introduction section 21 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled by the introduction switching door 21c to close the inside air introduction port 21a and open the outside air introduction port 21b. Also, the low temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled by the introduction switching door 31c to open the inside air introduction port 31a and the outside air introduction port 31b and to form a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 33.

[0072] In the outside air introduction heating mode, the high temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 24 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled so as to open the high temperature side indoor air blowing duct 25 by the indoor door 26 and close the high temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 27 by the outdoor door 28. The low temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 34 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled so as to close the low temperature side indoor air blowing duct 35 by the indoor door 36 and open the low temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 37 by the outdoor door 38.

[0073] By controlling the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 to this state, one aspect of an outside air introduction mode in which outside air is introduced into the vehicle compartment R is realized.

[0074] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating mode, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 and the throttle opening of the expansion valve 13 are appropriately determined according to the target temperature set for the heating operation, and are each controlled to achieve the target temperature.

[0075] As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating mode, the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11, the condenser 12, the expansion valve 13, the evaporator 14, the accumulator 15, and the compressor 11 in that order. Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating mode, in the condenser 12, heat possessed by the high-pressure refrigerant is dissipated to the blown air introduced from the high-temperature side air inlet portion 21. Also, in the evaporator 14, heat possessed by the blown air introduced via the low-temperature side air inlet portion 31 is absorbed by the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve 13.

[0076] In the high temperature side unit 20 in the outside air introduction heating mode, outside air is drawn into the air passage through the outside air introduction port 21b by the operation of the high temperature side blower 22. The outside air drawn into the air passage is heated by heat exchange with the high pressure refrigerant as it passes through the condenser 12, and is supplied into the passenger compartment R. In this way, the passenger compartment R is heated.

[0077] In the low-temperature side unit 30 in the outside air introduction heating mode, the inside air Ai in the passenger compartment R and the outside air Ao from the outside O are introduced into the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30 through the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b that are opened in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31. When flowing through the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, the blown air exchanges heat with the low-pressure refrigerant in the evaporator 14, and then is discharged to the outside O.

[0078] As a result, exhaust air composed of the inside air Ai passes through a portion of the area of ​​the evaporator 14, while the outside air Ao passes through the remaining area of ​​the evaporator 14. Since the exhaust air derived from the inside air Ai containing exhaust heat passes through the evaporator 14 functioning as a heat absorber, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can recover and effectively utilize the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai, thereby efficiently heating the passenger compartment R.

[0079] The outside air introduction heating mode is one of the heating operation modes that is adopted when the inside air temperature is higher than the outside air temperature. Therefore, by absorbing heat from the exhaust air derived from the inside air Ai in the evaporator 14, the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai can be recovered and used as a heating heat source, so that the heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be improved.

[0080] Moreover, in the outside air introduction heating mode, air containing the inside air Ai can be exhausted from the passenger compartment R to the outside O via the low temperature side unit 30, and air containing the outside air Ao can be introduced into the passenger compartment R via the high temperature side unit 20. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 to prevent the inside of the passenger compartment R from becoming negative pressure.

[0081] In addition, in the outside air introduction heating mode, the operation of the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled to introduce outside air Ao into the vehicle compartment R, thereby improving comfort inside the vehicle compartment R while suppressing the increase in carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle compartment R and the heat loss associated with the introduction of outside air.

[0082] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment in the outside air introduction heating eco mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[0083] The outside air introduction heating eco mode is an operation mode that realizes the outside air introduction heating operation realized in the outside air introduction heating mode while reducing energy consumption, and is executed by setting the eco switch on the operation panel 52 to ON.

[0084] In the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the high temperature side air introduction section 21 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled by the introduction switching door 21c to open the inside air introduction port 21a and the outside air introduction port 21b and to form a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 23. Similarly to the outside air introduction heating mode, the low temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled by the introduction switching door 31c to open the inside air introduction port 31a and the outside air introduction port 31b and to form a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 33.

[0085] In the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the high temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 24 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled so as to open the high temperature side indoor air blowing duct 25 by the indoor door 26 and close the high temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 27 by the outdoor door 28. Also, the low temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 34 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled so as to close the low temperature side indoor air blowing duct 35 by the indoor door 36 and open the low temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 37 by the outdoor door 38.

[0086] By controlling the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 to this state, one aspect of an outside air introduction mode in which outside air is introduced into the vehicle compartment R is realized.

[0087] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heating eco mode, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 and the throttle opening of the expansion valve 13 are appropriately determined according to the target temperature set for the heating operation, and are each controlled to achieve the target temperature.

[0088] As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11, condenser 12, expansion valve 13, evaporator 14, accumulator 15, and compressor 11 in that order. Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, in the condenser 12, heat possessed by the high-pressure refrigerant is dissipated to the blown air introduced from the high-temperature side air inlet 21. Also, in the evaporator 14, heat possessed by the blown air introduced via the low-temperature side air inlet 31 is absorbed by the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve 13.

[0089] In the high temperature side unit 20 in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the high temperature side blower 22 is operated to draw the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao into the air passage through the inside air inlet 21a and the outside air inlet 21b. The inside air Ai and the outside air Ao drawn into the air passage are heated by heat exchange with the high pressure refrigerant as they pass through the condenser 12, and are supplied into the passenger compartment R. In this way, the inside of the passenger compartment R is heated.

[0090] In the low-temperature side unit 30 in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the inside air Ai in the passenger compartment R and the outside air Ao from the outside O are introduced into the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30 through the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b that are opened in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31. When flowing through the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, the blown air exchanges heat with the low-pressure refrigerant in the evaporator 14, and then is discharged to the outside O.

[0091] As a result, exhaust air composed of the inside air Ai passes through a portion of the area of ​​the condenser 12, while the outside air Ao passes through the remaining area of ​​the condenser 12. With regard to the temperature of the blown air passing through the condenser 12, it is considered that the temperature of the blown air composed of the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao, as in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, will be higher than the temperature of the blown air composed of the inside air Ai, as in the outside air introduction heating mode.

[0092] As a result, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, by changing the temperature of the air that is the target of heat dissipation in the condenser 12, the air conditioning capacity (i.e., heating capacity) of the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction heating eco mode can be improved.

[0093] Furthermore, exhaust air composed of the inside air Ai passes through a portion of the region of the evaporator 14, while the outside air Ao passes through the remaining region of the evaporator 14. Since the exhaust air derived from the inside air Ai containing exhaust heat passes through the evaporator 14 functioning as a heat absorber, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can recover and effectively utilize the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai, thereby efficiently heating the passenger compartment R.

[0094] The outside air introduction heating eco mode is one of the heating operation modes that is adopted when the inside air temperature is higher than the outside air temperature. Therefore, by absorbing heat from the exhaust air derived from the inside air Ai in the evaporator 14, the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai can be recovered and used as a heating heat source, thereby improving the heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1.

[0095] Moreover, according to the outside air introduction heating eco mode, air containing the inside air Ai can be exhausted from the passenger compartment R to the outside O via the low temperature side unit 30, and air containing the outside air Ao can be introduced into the passenger compartment R via the high temperature side unit 20. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 to prevent the inside of the passenger compartment R from becoming negative pressure.

[0096] In addition, in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the operation of the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled to introduce outside air Ao into the vehicle cabin R, thereby improving comfort inside the vehicle cabin R while suppressing the increase in carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle cabin R and the heat loss associated with the introduction of outside air.

[0097] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode will be described with reference to FIG.

[0098] The outside air cooling eco mode is an operation mode that realizes the outside air cooling operation realized in the outside air cooling mode while reducing energy consumption, and is executed by setting the eco switch on the operation panel 52 to ON.

[0099] In the outside air introduction cooling eco mode, the high temperature side air introduction section 21 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled by the introduction switching door 21c to open the inside air introduction port 21a and the outside air introduction port 21b and to form an air passage partition together with the partition wall 23. Also, the low temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled by the introduction switching door 31c to close the inside air introduction port 31a and open the outside air introduction port 31b.

[0100] In the outside air introduction cooling eco mode, the high temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 24 of the high temperature side unit 20 is controlled so as to close the high temperature side indoor air blowing duct 25 by the indoor door 26 and to open the high temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 27 by the outdoor door 28. Also, the low temperature side air blowing destination switching unit 34 of the low temperature side unit 30 is controlled so as to open the low temperature side indoor air blowing duct 35 by the indoor door 36 and to close the low temperature side outdoor air blowing duct 37 by the outdoor door 38.

[0101] By controlling the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 to this state, one aspect of an outside air introduction mode in which outside air is introduced into the vehicle compartment R is realized.

[0102] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air cooling eco mode, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 and the throttle opening of the expansion valve 13 are appropriately determined according to the target temperature set for cooling operation, and are each controlled to achieve the target temperature.

[0103] As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air cooling eco mode, the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 11, the condenser 12, the expansion valve 13, the evaporator 14, the accumulator 15, and the compressor 11 in that order. Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air cooling eco mode, in the condenser 12, heat possessed by the high-pressure refrigerant is dissipated to the blown air introduced from the high-temperature side air inlet 21. Also, in the evaporator 14, heat possessed by the blown air introduced via the low-temperature side air inlet 31 is absorbed by the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve 13.

[0104] In the high temperature side unit 20 in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode, the high temperature side blower 22 is operated to draw the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao into the air passage through the inside air inlet 21a and the outside air inlet 21b. As a result, exhaust air made up of the inside air Ai passes through a portion of the area of ​​the condenser 12, and the outside air Ao passes through the remaining area of ​​the condenser 12. The inside air Ai and the outside air Ao drawn into the air passage are heated by heat exchange with the high pressure refrigerant as they pass through the condenser 12, and are discharged to the outside O.

[0105] In addition, in the low-temperature side unit 30 in the outside-air introduction cooling eco mode, outside air Ao from the outside O is introduced into the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30 through the outside-air introduction port 31b that is opened in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31. When flowing through the air passage of the low-temperature side unit 30, the blown air exchanges heat with the low-pressure refrigerant in the evaporator 14, and is then supplied into the passenger compartment R through the open low-temperature side indoor air supply passage 35. That is, in the outside-air introduction cooling eco mode, cooling of the passenger compartment R is achieved.

[0106] Here, assuming a situation in which the cooling operation is performed inside the passenger compartment R, that is, a situation in which the electric vehicle is left under the scorching sun of summer, the inside air temperature inside the passenger compartment R will be higher than the outside air temperature outside the room O. In that case, regarding the temperature of the blown air passing through the condenser 12, the temperature of the blown air composed of the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao is considered to be lower than the blown air composed of the inside air Ai, as in the outside air introduction cooling mode.

[0107] As a result, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, the temperature of the air that is the target of heat dissipation in the condenser 12 can be lowered, thereby improving the air conditioning capacity (i.e., cooling capacity) of the heat pump cycle 10 in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode.

[0108] Furthermore, exhaust air composed of the inside air Ai passes through a portion of the region of the condenser 12, while outside air Ao passes through the remaining region of the condenser 12. By dividing the blown air, which is the target of heat dissipation, into a region through which the inside air Ai passes and a region through which the outside air Ao passes and passing the divided regions through the condenser 12, it is possible to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the condenser 12, and it is possible to efficiently cool the passenger compartment R.

[0109] The outside air cooling eco mode is one of the cooling operation modes that is adopted when the inside air temperature is higher than the outside air temperature. Therefore, by lowering the temperature of the blown air that is the heat dissipation target in the condenser 12, the amount of heat dissipation on the high pressure side of the heat pump cycle 10 can be increased, improving the cooling and heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1 and realizing efficient cooling operation.

[0110] According to the outside air introduction cooling eco mode, air containing the outside air Ao is introduced from the outside O into the vehicle compartment R via the low temperature side unit 30, and the heat pumped up by the heat pump cycle 10 is dissipated to the air containing the outside air Ao in the high temperature side unit 20, and the heat is exhausted to the outside O. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 to prevent the inside of the vehicle compartment R from becoming negative pressure.

[0111] As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment has a heat pump cycle 10, a high-temperature side unit 20, a low-temperature side unit 30, and a control device 50. The high-temperature side unit 20 constitutes an air passage for the air blown through the condenser 12, and has a high-temperature side air inlet section 21 and a high-temperature side air destination switching section 24. The low-temperature side unit 30 constitutes an air passage for the air blown through the evaporator 14, and has a low-temperature side air inlet section 31 and a low-temperature side air destination switching section 34.

[0112] The control device 50 controls at least one of the high-temperature-side air inlet portion 21 and the low-temperature-side air inlet portion 31 to simultaneously introduce the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao to at least one of the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14. In conjunction with this operation, the control device 50 controls the operation of the high-temperature-side air blowing destination switching portion 24 and the low-temperature-side air blowing destination switching portion 34 to switch the blowing destination of at least one of the air that has passed through the condenser 12 and the air that has passed through the evaporator 14 to the inside of the vehicle compartment R.

[0113] Therefore, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, when performing an air conditioning operation in which outside air Ao is introduced into the vehicle compartment R, the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao can be simultaneously introduced into at least one of the condenser 12 and the evaporator 14. At the same time, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can supply at least one of the air that has passed through the condenser 12 and the air that has passed through the evaporator 14 into the vehicle compartment R. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can effectively utilize the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai discharged from the vehicle compartment R in conjunction with the introduction of the outside air into the vehicle compartment R, thereby improving the air conditioning performance of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0114] According to the outside air introduction heating mode shown in FIG. 3, the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 simultaneously introduces the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao to the evaporator 14, and the high-temperature side air blowing destination switching section 24 supplies the blowing air heated in the condenser 12 into the vehicle interior R.

[0115] As a result, in the outside air introduction heating mode, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can efficiently absorb the exhaust heat discharged to the outside O in the evaporator 14 and utilize the exhaust heat as a heat source, thereby improving the heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1.

[0116] 4, the high-temperature side air inlet portion 21 simultaneously introduces the room air Ai and the outside air Ao to the condenser 12, and the low-temperature side air inlet portion 31 simultaneously introduces the room air Ai and the outside air Ao to the evaporator 14. Simultaneously with the introduction of the room air Ai and the outside air Ao, the high-temperature side air outlet switching portion 24 supplies the blown air heated by the condenser 12 into the vehicle interior R.

[0117] As a result, in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the vehicle air conditioner 1 efficiently absorbs the exhaust heat discharged to the outside O in the evaporator 14 and uses the exhaust heat as a heat source, thereby improving the heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1. Furthermore, in the outside air introduction heating eco mode, the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao are simultaneously introduced into the condenser 12, so that the amount of heat dissipated in the condenser 12 can be increased and the efficiency of the heating operation can be improved.

[0118] According to the outside air introduction cooling eco mode shown in FIG. 5, the high temperature side air introduction section 21 simultaneously introduces the inside air Ai and the outside air Ao to the condenser 12, and the low temperature side air blowing destination switching section 34 supplies the blown air cooled by the evaporator 14 into the vehicle interior R.

[0119] As a result, in the outside air cooling eco mode, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can effectively utilize the exhaust heat exhausted to the outside O to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the condenser 12, thereby improving the cooling performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1.

[0120] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment different from the above-mentioned embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 is changed according to the situation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 that is considered important. The other configurations (heat pump cycle 10, high-temperature side unit 20, etc.) in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0121] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 is determined with an emphasis on exhibiting high capacity at the beginning of operation in the outside air introduction heating mode or the like.

[0122] Here, the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 according to the second embodiment will be described. As described above, a so-called tank-and-tube type heat exchanger is adopted as the evaporator 14 in the vehicle air conditioner 1. As shown in Fig. 6, the evaporator 14 has a pair of refrigerant tanks consisting of a first refrigerant tank 61 and a second refrigerant tank 62, and a heat exchange section 65 in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 are arranged in a stacked manner.

[0123] The heat exchanger 65 is configured by stacking a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 at intervals in a predetermined direction. Air passages are formed between adjacent refrigerant tubes 66 to allow air to circulate for heat exchange with the refrigerant. Fins 67 are arranged in each air passage in the heat exchanger 65 to promote heat exchange between the refrigerant and air.

[0124] The first refrigerant tank 61 is formed in a metal box shape extending along the stacking direction of the refrigerant tubes 66, and has a plurality of partition walls 64 therein. The inside of the first refrigerant tank 61 is partitioned by two partition walls 64 into a first storage section 70a, a third storage section 70c, and a fifth storage section 70e.

[0125] The second refrigerant tank 62, like the first refrigerant tank 61, is formed in a metal box shape and is disposed opposite the first refrigerant tank 61 via a heat exchanger 65 configured with a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66. A partition wall 64 is disposed in the internal space of the second refrigerant tank 62. Therefore, the internal space of the second refrigerant tank 62 is divided by the partition wall 64 into a second storage section 70b and a fourth storage section 70d.

[0126] The first refrigerant tank 61 is disposed at one end side of a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66, and the second refrigerant tank 62 is disposed at the other end side of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66. The internal space of the first refrigerant tank 61 and the internal space of the second refrigerant tank 62 are in communication with each other via the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66.

[0127] A refrigerant inlet 68 through which the refrigerant flows in is disposed on one side of the first storage portion 70a of the first refrigerant tank 61. One ends of a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 constituting the heat exchange portion 65 are connected to the first storage portion 70a, and the other ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 are connected to the second storage portion 70b of the second refrigerant tank 62. In the following description, of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66, those connected to the first storage portion 70a and the second storage portion 70b are referred to as first tubes 66a.

[0128] In the following description, of the multiple refrigerant tubes 66, the one connected to the second storage portion 70b of the second refrigerant tank 62 and the third storage portion 70c of the first refrigerant tank 61 is referred to as the second tube 66b. And, of the multiple refrigerant tubes 66, the one connected to the third storage portion 70c of the first refrigerant tank 61 and the fourth storage portion 70d of the second refrigerant tank 62 is referred to as the third tube 66c.

[0129] Among the multiple refrigerant tubes 66, one connected to the fourth storage portion 70d of the second refrigerant tank 62 and the fifth storage portion 70e of the first refrigerant tank 61 is referred to as a fourth tube 66d. A refrigerant outlet 69 through which the refrigerant that has circulated inside the evaporator 14 flows out is arranged on one side surface of the fifth storage portion 70e of the first refrigerant tank 61.

[0130] 6, the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet 68 to the refrigerant outlet 69 so as to reciprocate between the first refrigerant tank 61 and the second refrigerant tank 62. That is, the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet 68 into the first storage section 70a of the first refrigerant tank 61, and flows through the first tube 66a, the second storage section 70b, the second tube 66b, the third storage section 70c, the third tube 66c, the fourth storage section 70d, the fourth tube 66d, and the fifth storage section 70e in this order. After flowing into the fifth storage section 70e, the refrigerant flows out of the evaporator 14 from the refrigerant outlet 69 disposed in the fifth storage section 70e.

[0131] Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed inside the low-temperature side unit 30 with an emphasis on exhibiting high capacity at the beginning of operation in the outside air introduction heating mode, etc. In the second embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed inside the low-temperature side unit 30 such that the inside air Ai introduced via the low-temperature side air introduction portion 31 passes through a portion corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14.

[0132] In the following description, the area through which the inside air Ai introduced into the low-temperature side unit 30 passes and which can improve the air conditioning capacity of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is referred to as the inside air inflow area Aa. The inside air inflow area Aa is set in a part of the heat exchange section 65 in the evaporator 14.

[0133] The inside air inflow region Aa in the second embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 65 that corresponds to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. Specifically, the inside air inflow region Aa according to the second embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14 from the first storage section 70a of the first refrigerant tank 61 to the second storage section 70b of the second refrigerant tank 62 (i.e., the portion formed by the first tube 66a).

[0134] As described above, the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b are disposed adjacent to each other in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low-temperature side unit 30. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed so that the inside air inflow area Aa in the evaporator 14 is located on the side closer to the inside air inlet 31a inside the low-temperature side unit 30, and the part corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow is located on the side closer to the outside air inlet 31b.

[0135] In addition, in the outside air introduction heating mode or the like, the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 opens the inside air introduction port 31a and the outside air introduction port 31b, and the introduction switching door 31c forms a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 33. That is, in this case, the air passage inside the low-temperature side unit 30 is partitioned by the introduction switching door 31c and the partition wall 33 into an air passage extending from the inside air introduction port 31a and an air passage extending from the outside air introduction port 31b.

[0136] The evaporator 14 is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit 30 so that when the air passage is divided into two by the inlet switching door 31c and the partition wall 33, the inside air inflow area Aa in the second embodiment is located inside the air passage extending from the inside air inlet 31a.

[0137] By arranging the evaporator 14 inside the low-temperature side unit 30 in the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to blow the inside air Ai having exhaust heat to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. This makes it possible to increase the temperature difference between the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 14 and the blown air flowing inside the low-temperature side unit 30, and therefore the amount of heat exchange between the blown air and the refrigerant can be increased.

[0138] As a result, according to the vehicle air conditioning system 1 of the second embodiment, the evaporator 14 can recover a large amount of exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai, and can respond to cases where high capacity is required at the beginning of operation, such as in the outside air introduction heating mode.

[0139] As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioning device 1 of the second embodiment, even if the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 is changed, the same functional effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained from the configuration and operation.

[0140] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed in the low-temperature side unit 30 such that the inside air Ai introduced from the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 passes through a portion (inside air inflow area Aa) corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment to increase the temperature difference between the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 14 and the blown air flowing inside the low-temperature side unit 30, thereby increasing the amount of heat exchange between the blown air and the refrigerant. In other words, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the second embodiment can exert high capacity at the beginning of operation in the outside air introduction heating mode or the like.

[0141] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment different from the above-mentioned embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment, the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 is set with emphasis on the usage situation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 different from that of the second embodiment. The other configurations (heat pump cycle 10, high-temperature side unit 20, etc.) in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0142] The evaporator 14 according to the third embodiment is disposed inside the air passage in the low-temperature side unit 30, with the aim of emphasizing the stability of air-conditioning operation in the outside air introduction heating mode and the like. Here, the evaporator 14 according to the third embodiment is configured as a tank-and-tube type heat exchanger, as shown in Fig. 7.

[0143] That is, the evaporator 14 has a pair of refrigerant tanks consisting of a first refrigerant tank 61 and a second refrigerant tank 62, and a heat exchange unit 65 in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 are arranged in a stacked manner. The configurations of the pair of refrigerant tanks and the heat exchange unit 65 are the same as those in the second embodiment. Therefore, in the evaporator 14 in the third embodiment, the flow of the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet 68 to the refrigerant outlet 69 is the same as that in the second embodiment.

[0144] Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed inside the low-temperature side unit 30, with an emphasis on the stability of air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction heating mode and the like. In the third embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed inside the low-temperature side unit 30 such that the inside air Ai introduced via the low-temperature side air introduction portion 31 passes through a portion corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14.

[0145] 7, the inside air inflow area Aa in the third embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 65 that corresponds to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. Specifically, the inside air inflow area Aa according to the third embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14 from the fourth storage section 70d of the second refrigerant tank 62 to the fifth storage section 70e of the first refrigerant tank 61 (i.e., the portion formed by the fourth tube 66d).

[0146] As described above, the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b are disposed adjacent to each other in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low-temperature side unit 30. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed so that the inside air inflow area Aa in the evaporator 14 is located on the side closer to the inside air inlet 31a inside the low-temperature side unit 30, and the part corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow is located on the side closer to the outside air inlet 31b.

[0147] Further, the air passage inside the low-temperature side unit 30 is divided by the inlet switching door 31c and the partition wall 33 into an air passage extending from the inside air inlet 31a and an air passage extending from the outside air inlet 31b.

[0148] The evaporator 14 is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit 30 so that when the air passage is divided into two by the inlet switching door 31c and the partition wall 33, the inside air inflow area Aa in the third embodiment is located inside the air passage extending from the inside air inlet 31a.

[0149] By arranging the evaporator 14 inside the low-temperature side unit 30 in the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to blow the inside air Ai having exhaust heat to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. As a result, it is possible to blow the inside air Ai from the passenger compartment R to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 14 that has a low dryness and a high liquid phase component. In other words, since heat exchange with the inside air Ai can be performed in a portion with a high heat transfer coefficient, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can improve the efficiency of the heat pump cycle 10 and improve the stability of air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction heating mode and the like.

[0150] As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioning device 1 of the third embodiment, even if the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the low-temperature side unit 30 is changed depending on the usage environment, it is possible to obtain the same functional effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment due to the configuration and operation.

[0151] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment, the evaporator 14 is disposed so that the inside air Ai introduced via the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 passes through a portion (inside air inflow area Aa) corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator 14. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the third embodiment can exchange heat between the refrigerant in the portion with a high heat transfer coefficient and the inside air Ai, thereby improving the efficiency of the heat pump cycle 10 and improving the stability of air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction heating mode or the like.

[0152] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high temperature side unit 20 is changed according to the situation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 that is considered important. The other configurations (heat pump cycle 10, low temperature side unit 30, etc.) in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiments, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0153] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high temperature side unit 20 is determined with an emphasis on exhibiting high capacity at the beginning of operation in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode or the like.

[0154] Here, the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high temperature side unit 20 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. As described above, a so-called tank-and-tube type heat exchanger is adopted as the condenser 12 in the vehicle air conditioner 1. As shown in Fig. 8, the condenser 12 has a pair of refrigerant tanks consisting of a first refrigerant tank 81 and a second refrigerant tank 82, and a heat exchange section 85 in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes 86 are arranged in a stacked manner.

[0155] The heat exchanger 85 is configured by stacking a plurality of refrigerant tubes 86 at intervals in a predetermined direction. The heat exchanger 85 is configured similarly to the heat exchanger 65 of the evaporator 14 described above, and fins 87 are arranged in each air passage formed between adjacent refrigerant tubes 86.

[0156] The first refrigerant tank 81 is formed in a metal box shape extending along the stacking direction of the refrigerant tubes 86, and is configured similarly to the first refrigerant tank 61 of the above-described evaporator 14. The inside of the first refrigerant tank 81 is partitioned by two partition walls 84 into a first storage section 90a, a third storage section 90c, and a fifth storage section 90e.

[0157] The second refrigerant tank 82 is configured in the same manner as the first refrigerant tank 81 and the second refrigerant tank 62 of the above-described evaporator 14. The internal space of the second refrigerant tank 82 is partitioned by a partition wall 84 into a second storage section 90b and a fourth storage section 90d.

[0158] The first refrigerant tank 81 is disposed at one end side of a plurality of refrigerant tubes 86, and the second refrigerant tank 82 is disposed at the other end side of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 86. The internal space of the first refrigerant tank 81 and the internal space of the second refrigerant tank 82 are in communication with each other via the plurality of refrigerant tubes 86.

[0159] A refrigerant inlet 88 through which the refrigerant flows in is disposed on one side of the first storage portion 90a of the first refrigerant tank 81. One ends of a plurality of refrigerant tubes 86 constituting the heat exchange portion 85 are connected to the first storage portion 90a, and the other ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 86 are connected to the second storage portion 90b of the second refrigerant tank 82. In the following description, of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 86, those connected to the first storage portion 90a and the second storage portion 90b are referred to as first tubes 86a.

[0160] In the following description, of the multiple refrigerant tubes 86, the one connected to the second storage portion 90b of the second refrigerant tank 82 and the third storage portion 90c of the first refrigerant tank 81 is referred to as the second tube 86b. And, of the multiple refrigerant tubes 86, the one connected to the third storage portion 90c of the first refrigerant tank 81 and the fourth storage portion 90d of the second refrigerant tank 82 is referred to as the third tube 86c.

[0161] Among the multiple refrigerant tubes 86, one connected to a fourth storage portion 90d of the second refrigerant tank 82 and a fifth storage portion 90e of the first refrigerant tank 81 is referred to as a fourth tube 86d. A refrigerant outlet 89, through which the refrigerant that has circulated inside the condenser 12 flows out, is arranged on one side surface of the fifth storage portion 90e of the first refrigerant tank 81.

[0162] 8, the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet 88 to the refrigerant outlet 89 so as to go back and forth between the first refrigerant tank 81 and the second refrigerant tank 82. That is, the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet 88 into the first storage section 90a of the first refrigerant tank 81, and flows through the first tube 86a, the second storage section 90b, the second tube 86b, the third storage section 70c, the third tube 86c, the fourth storage section 90d, the fourth tube 86d, and the fifth storage section 90e in this order. After flowing into the fifth storage section 90e, the refrigerant flows out of the condenser 12 from the refrigerant outlet 89 disposed in the fifth storage section 90e.

[0163] Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed inside the high temperature side unit 20 with an emphasis on exhibiting high capacity at the beginning of operation in outside air introduction cooling eco mode, etc. In the fourth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed inside the high temperature side unit 20 such that the inside air Ai introduced via the high temperature side air introduction portion 21 passes through a portion corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12.

[0164] In the following description, the area through which the inside air Ai introduced into the high temperature side unit 20 passes and which can improve the air conditioning capacity of the vehicle air conditioner 1 is referred to as the inside air inflow area Aa. The inside air inflow area Aa is set in a part of the heat exchange section 85 in the condenser 12.

[0165] The inside air inflow region Aa in the fourth embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 85 that corresponds to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. Specifically, the inside air inflow region Aa according to the fourth embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 85 of the condenser 12 from the first storage section 90a of the first refrigerant tank 81 to the second storage section 90b of the second refrigerant tank 82 (i.e., the portion formed by the first tube 86a).

[0166] As described above, the inside air inlet 21a and the outside air inlet 21b are disposed adjacent to each other in the high temperature side air inlet section 21 of the high temperature side unit 20. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed so that the inside air inflow area Aa in the condenser 12 is located on the side closer to the inside air inlet 21a inside the high temperature side unit 20, and the part corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow is located on the side closer to the outside air inlet 21b.

[0167] In addition, in an outside air introduction cooling eco mode or the like, the high temperature side air introduction section 21 opens the inside air introduction port 21a and the outside air introduction port 21b, and the introduction switching door 21c forms a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 23. That is, in this case, the air passage inside the high temperature side unit 20 is partitioned by the introduction switching door 21c and the partition wall 23 into an air passage extending from the inside air introduction port 21a and an air passage extending from the outside air introduction port 21b.

[0168] The condenser 12 is arranged inside the high temperature side unit 20 so that when the air passage is divided into two by the inlet switching door 21c and the partition wall 23, the inside air inflow area Aa in the fourth embodiment is located inside the air passage extending from the inside air inlet 21a.

[0169] By arranging the condenser 12 inside the high temperature side unit 20 in the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to send the inside air Ai having exhaust heat to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. This makes it possible to increase the temperature difference between the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 12 and the blown air flowing inside the high temperature side unit 20, and therefore it is possible to increase the amount of heat exchange between the blown air and the refrigerant (i.e., the amount of heat dissipated in the condenser 12).

[0170] As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment can effectively utilize the exhaust heat contained in the inside air Ai by the condenser 12 to improve the operating efficiency of the heat pump cycle 10. That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment can effectively utilize the exhaust heat of the inside air Ai discharged from the vehicle compartment R to respond to a case where a large capacity is required at the beginning of operation, such as in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode.

[0171] As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioning device 1 of the fourth embodiment, even if the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high-temperature side unit 20 is changed, the same functional effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained from the configuration and operation.

[0172] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed in the high temperature side unit 20 such that the inside air Ai introduced from the high temperature side air introduction section 21 passes through a portion (inside air inflow area Aa) corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment to increase the temperature difference between the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 12 and the blown air flowing inside the high temperature side unit 20, thereby increasing the amount of heat exchange between the blown air and the refrigerant. That is, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fourth embodiment can exert a large capacity at the beginning of operation in an outside air introduction cooling eco mode or the like.

[0173] Fifth embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment, the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high temperature side unit 20 is set with emphasis on the usage situation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 different from that of the fourth embodiment. The other configurations (heat pump cycle 10, low temperature side unit 30, etc.) in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiments, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0174] The condenser 12 according to the fifth embodiment is disposed inside the air passage in the high temperature side unit 20 for the purpose of emphasizing the stability of air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode etc. Here, the condenser 12 according to the fifth embodiment is configured as a tank-and-tube type heat exchanger as shown in Fig. 9 .

[0175] That is, the condenser 12 has a pair of refrigerant tanks consisting of a first refrigerant tank 81 and a second refrigerant tank 82, and a heat exchange unit 85 in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes 86 are arranged in a stacked manner. The configurations of the pair of refrigerant tanks and the heat exchange unit 85 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment. Therefore, in the condenser 12 in the fifth embodiment, the flow of the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet 88 to the refrigerant outlet 89 is the same as that in the fourth embodiment.

[0176] Here, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed inside the high temperature side unit 20 with an emphasis on the stability of air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode and the like. In the fifth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed inside the high temperature side unit 20 such that the inside air Ai introduced via the high temperature side air introduction portion 21 passes through a portion corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12.

[0177] 9, the inside air inflow area Aa in the fifth embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 65 that corresponds to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. Specifically, the inside air inflow area Aa in the fifth embodiment is set in a portion of the heat exchange section 85 of the condenser 12 from the fourth storage section 90d of the second refrigerant tank 82 to the fifth storage section 90e of the first refrigerant tank 81 (i.e., the portion formed by the fourth tube 86d).

[0178] As described above, the inside air inlet 21a and the outside air inlet 21b are disposed adjacent to each other in the high temperature side air inlet section 21 of the high temperature side unit 20. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed so that the inside air inflow area Aa in the condenser 12 is located on the side closer to the inside air inlet 21a inside the high temperature side unit 20, and the part corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow is located on the side closer to the outside air inlet 21b.

[0179] Further, the air passage inside the high temperature side unit 20 is divided by the inlet switching door 21c and the partition wall 23 into an air passage extending from the inside air inlet 21a and an air passage extending from the outside air inlet 21b.

[0180] The condenser 12 is arranged inside the high temperature side unit 20 so that when the air passage is divided into two by the inlet switching door 21c and the partition wall 23, the inside air inflow area Aa in the fifth embodiment is located inside the air passage extending from the inside air inlet 21a.

[0181] By arranging the condenser 12 inside the high temperature side unit 20 in the above-mentioned manner, it is possible to blow the inside air Ai having exhaust heat to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. As a result, it is possible to blow the inside air Ai from the passenger compartment R to the refrigerant flowing through the condenser 12 that has a low dryness and contains a large amount of liquid phase components.

[0182] That is, since heat exchange with the inside air Ai can be performed in the portion with a high heat transfer coefficient, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can increase the amount of heat dissipated in the condenser 12 and improve the efficiency of the heat pump cycle 10. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment can improve the operating efficiency of the air conditioning operation in the outside air introduction cooling eco mode or the like, and can improve the stability of the air conditioning operation.

[0183] As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioning device 1 of the fifth embodiment, even if the arrangement of the condenser 12 in the high-temperature side unit 20 is changed depending on the usage environment, it is possible to obtain the same advantageous effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments due to the configuration and operation.

[0184] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment, the condenser 12 is disposed so that the inside air Ai introduced via the high-temperature air introduction section 21 passes through a portion (inside air inflow area Aa) corresponding to the downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser 12. As a result, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the fifth embodiment can exchange heat between the refrigerant in the portion with a high heat transfer coefficient and the inside air Ai, thereby improving the efficiency of the heat pump cycle 10 and improving the stability of air conditioning operation in an outside air introduction cooling eco mode or the like.

[0185] Sixth embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment different from the above-described embodiments will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the sixth embodiment, the configuration of the evaporator 14 housed in the low-temperature side unit 30 and the arrangement of the evaporator 14 inside the low-temperature side unit 30 are different from those of the above-described embodiments. The other configurations (heat pump cycle 10, high-temperature side unit 20, etc.) in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the sixth embodiment are the same as those of the above-described embodiments, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0186] As shown in Fig. 10, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the sixth embodiment, a heat exchanger having a different configuration from those of the second and third embodiments described above is adopted as the evaporator 14. Therefore, the configuration of the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment has a plurality of refrigerant tanks (first refrigerant tank 61 to third refrigerant tank 63) and a heat exchange section 65 in which a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 are arranged in a stacked manner. That is, the evaporator 14 of the sixth embodiment is a tank-and-tube type heat exchanger, similar to the second embodiment described above.

[0187] The heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment is configured by stacking a plurality of refrigerant tubes 66 extending in the direction of gravity (i.e., the vertical direction) in the horizontal direction. Air passages are formed between the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66, and fins 67 are arranged between the plurality of refrigerant tubes 66.

[0188] 10, a first refrigerant tank 61 and a third refrigerant tank 63 are disposed above the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment. The first refrigerant tank 61 is disposed on one side (e.g., the front side) above the evaporator 14, and has a refrigerant inlet 68 on its upper surface. The third refrigerant tank 63 is disposed on the other side (e.g., the rear side) above the evaporator 14, and has a refrigerant outlet 69 on its upper surface.

[0189] A second refrigerant tank 62 is disposed below the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment. The second refrigerant tank 62 is connected to the first refrigerant tank 61 via a heat exchanger 65 disposed on one side of the evaporator 14. The second refrigerant tank 62 is connected to a third refrigerant tank 63 via a heat exchanger 65 disposed on the other side of the evaporator 14.

[0190] Therefore, in the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment, when the refrigerant flows into the first refrigerant tank 61 from the refrigerant inlet 68, it flows toward the second refrigerant tank 62 through each refrigerant tube 66 constituting the heat exchange section 65 on one side. The refrigerant in the second refrigerant tank 62 flows to the third refrigerant tank 63 through each refrigerant tube 66 constituting the heat exchange section 65 on the other side of the evaporator 14, and flows out of the evaporator 14 from the refrigerant outlet 69. For this reason, in the evaporator 14 according to the sixth embodiment, two heat exchange sections 65 are arranged side by side from one side to the other side, and heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant flowing in each heat exchange section 65 and the blown air introduced into the low-temperature side unit 30.

[0191] In the vehicle air conditioner 1, when the vehicle interior R is heated, the evaporator 14 is used as a heat absorber, and a refrigerant with a temperature lower than the outside air temperature flows through each refrigerant tube 66 constituting the heat exchanger 65 of the evaporator 14. As a result, it is expected that condensed water, frost, and ice will be generated on the surface of the heat exchanger 65 of the evaporator 14.

[0192] Normally, condensed water generated in the heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14 and moisture from melted frost or ice flow downward due to the influence of gravity and are discharged to the outside through a drain (not shown) located at the bottom of the evaporator 14.

[0193] Here, when the outside air temperature is below 0° C., for example, moisture resulting from condensation water, frost, and ice adhering to the heat exchanger 65 may freeze on the surface of the heat exchanger 65 and block the air passage in the heat exchanger 65. If the air passage in the heat exchanger 65 is blocked, the heat exchange performance of the evaporator 14 decreases, which causes a decrease in the air conditioning performance of the vehicle air conditioner 1.

[0194] For this reason, in the sixth embodiment, the arrangement of the evaporator 14 in the high temperature side unit 20 is determined in order to suppress a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the evaporator 14 due to moisture originating from condensed water or the like.

[0195] Specifically, in the sixth embodiment, the evaporator 14 is positioned so that the inside air inflow area Aa, through which the inside air Ai introduced via the high temperature side air introduction section 21 flows, is located on the lower side of the heat exchange section 65 (the second refrigerant tank 62 side).

[0196] As described above, the inside air inlet 31a and the outside air inlet 31b are disposed adjacent to each other in the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low-temperature side unit 30. For this reason, in the sixth embodiment, the low-temperature side unit 30 is disposed such that the inside air inlet 31a of the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 is located on the lower side in the direction of gravity, and the outside air inlet 31b is located on the upper side relative to the inside air inlet 31a.

[0197] By arranging an evaporator 14 having the configuration shown in Figure 10 inside the low-temperature side unit 30 arranged in this manner, the internal air inflow area Aa of the evaporator 14 in the sixth embodiment is located on the side closer to the internal air inlet 31a inside the low-temperature side unit 30.

[0198] In addition, in the case of an outside air introduction heating mode or the like, the low-temperature side air introduction section 31 of the low-temperature side unit 30 opens the inside air introduction port 31a and the outside air introduction port 31b, and the introduction switching door 31c forms a partition of the air passage together with the partition wall 33. That is, in this case, the air passage inside the low-temperature side unit 30 is divided by the introduction switching door 31c and the partition wall 33 into an air passage extending from the inside air introduction port 31a and an air passage extending from the outside air introduction port 31b. The air passage extending from the inside air introduction port 31a is located below the air passage extending from the outside air introduction port 31b.

[0199] The evaporator 14 of the sixth embodiment is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit 30 so that, when the air passage is divided into two by the inlet switching door 31c and the partition wall 33, the inside air inflow area Aa is located inside the air passage extending from the inside air inlet 31a.

[0200] As a result, in the heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14, a portion downstream of the drainage path for moisture originating from condensed water and the like is set as the inside air inflow area Aa. That is, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1, it is possible to blow inside air Ai having exhaust heat to the portion downstream of the drainage path, and it is possible to prevent the refreezing of moisture originating from condensed water and the like and to prevent a decrease in heat exchange performance.

[0201] As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioning system 1 of the sixth embodiment, even when an evaporator 14 having a stacked arrangement of multiple refrigerant tubes 66 extending in the vertical direction is adopted, it is possible to obtain the same functional effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments due to the configuration and operation.

[0202] 10, the vehicle air conditioner 1 according to the sixth embodiment can apply the inside air Ai introduced through the low-temperature air introduction section 31 to a position (inside air inflow area Aa) corresponding to the downstream side of the evaporator 14 in the direction of gravity. This allows the vehicle air conditioner 1 to suppress refreezing of moisture downstream of the drainage path in the heat exchange section 65 of the evaporator 14. Furthermore, by suppressing the refreezing of moisture derived from condensed water, etc., the vehicle air conditioner 1 can suppress a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the evaporator 14 and prevent a decrease in air conditioning performance.

[0203] (Other embodiments) The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made as follows without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0204] (a) In the above-described embodiment, an accumulator cycle having a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 13, an evaporator 14, and an accumulator 15 is used as the heat pump cycle 10, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0205] The heat pump cycle 10 in the present disclosure is sufficient to have at least a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion valve 13, and an evaporator 14, and may have a configuration in which further components are added. For example, a receiver cycle may be used in which a receiver is disposed between the condenser 12 and the expansion valve 13. The receiver is a gas-liquid separation section that separates the refrigerant flowing out from the condenser into gas and liquid phases and allows the liquid phase refrigerant to flow downstream, and also stores surplus refrigerant in the cycle.

[0206] (b) In the above embodiment, the heat pump cycle 10 has one condenser 12 and one evaporator 14, and the total number of heat exchangers constituting the heat pump cycle 10 is two, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the total number of heat exchangers constituting the heat pump cycle 10 may be three or more. Specifically, the heat pump cycle 10 may be configured by adding an outdoor heat exchanger to the one condenser 12 and the one evaporator 14.

[0207] (c) In the above-described embodiment, high-temperature side blower 22 is disposed inside high-temperature side unit 20, and low-temperature side blower 32 is disposed inside low-temperature side unit 30, but the type of blower is not limited as long as it can blow air in a predetermined direction. For example, an axial fan or a centrifugal fan may be used as high-temperature side blower 22 and low-temperature side blower 32.

[0208] (d) In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1 etc., the various doors (inlet switching door 21c, indoor door 26, outdoor door 28) in the high temperature side unit 20 are configured with door members that rotate around a support shaft, but this is not limited to this embodiment. Similarly, the various doors (inlet switching door 31c, indoor door 36, outdoor door 38) in the low temperature side unit 30 are configured with door members that rotate around a support shaft, but this is not limited to this embodiment. The configuration of the various doors in the high temperature side unit 20 and the low temperature side unit 30 can be changed as appropriate, and for example, sliding doors may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0209] 1. Vehicle air conditioning system 10 Heat pump cycle 12 Condenser 14 Evaporator 20 High temperature unit 21 High temperature air inlet 24 High temperature side airflow switching section 30 Low temperature unit 31 Low temperature air inlet 34 Low temperature side airflow switching section

Claims

1. A heat pump cycle (10) having a condenser (12) that condenses a high-pressure refrigerant by dissipating heat contained in the refrigerant, and an evaporator (14) that absorbs heat from a low-pressure refrigerant to evaporate the refrigerant; a high-temperature side unit (20) that houses the condenser therein and forms an air passage for blowing air through the condenser; a low-temperature side unit (30) that houses the evaporator therein and forms an air passage for blowing air through the evaporator; A control unit (50) that controls the operation of the high-temperature side unit and the low-temperature side unit, The high temperature side unit is a high-temperature side air introduction section (21) that introduces at least one of inside air (Ai) present inside a passenger compartment (R) and outside air (Ao) present outside the passenger compartment as a heat dissipation target in the condenser; a high-temperature side air blowing destination switching unit (24) that switches the blowing destination of the air that has been heat-dissipated by the condenser to at least one of the inside of the vehicle compartment and the outside of the vehicle compartment, The low-temperature side unit includes: a low-temperature side air introduction section (31) that introduces at least one of the inside air and the outside air as a heat absorption target in the evaporator; a low-temperature side air blowing destination switching unit (34) that switches the blowing destination of the air that has absorbed heat in the evaporator to at least one of the inside of the vehicle compartment and the outside of the vehicle compartment, The control unit is At least one of the high-temperature side air inlet and the low-temperature side air inlet is controlled to simultaneously introduce the inside air and the outside air into at least one of the condenser and the evaporator, An air conditioning system for a vehicle that controls the operation of the high-temperature side air blowing destination switching unit and the low-temperature side air blowing destination switching unit to switch the blowing destination of at least one of the air that has passed through the condenser and the air that has passed through the evaporator to the inside of the vehicle compartment.

2. 2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit such that the inside air introduced through the low-temperature side air inlet passes through a portion (Aa) corresponding to an upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator.

3. 2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit such that the inside air introduced through the low-temperature side air inlet passes through a portion (Aa) corresponding to a downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the evaporator.

4. 2. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is arranged inside the low-temperature side unit such that the inside air introduced through the low-temperature side air inlet passes through a portion (Aa) of the evaporator that is on the lower side in the direction of gravity.

5. 5. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the condenser is arranged inside the high-temperature side unit such that the inside air introduced through the high-temperature side air inlet passes through a portion (Aa) corresponding to the upstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser.

6. 5. The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the condenser is arranged inside the high-temperature side unit such that the inside air introduced through the high-temperature side air inlet passes through a portion (Aa) corresponding to a downstream side of the refrigerant flow inside the condenser.

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