Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle capable of cooling / heating a cabin without being influenced by a battery cooling circuit and reducing cost of manufacture.SOLUTION: A vehicle V includes: a battery 2; a battery cooling circuit 20 circulating a first coolant and adjusting temperature of the battery 2; a refrigeration cycle 30 for air conditioner for which has an electric compressor 32, a capacitor 33, an outdoor heat exchanger 38 and an evaporator 36 and in which a second coolant circulates; and a heater circuit 40 which has a heater core 41 and circulates a third coolant. The first coolant of the battery cooling circuit 20, the second coolant of the refrigeration cycle 30, and a third coolant of the heater circuit 40 circulate independently of each other. The capacitor 33 is configured so that the second coolant circulating in the refrigeration cycle 30 and the third coolant circulating the heater circuit 40 can exchange heat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a battery.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts to achieve a low-carbon society or a decarbonized society have been active, and research and development on electrification technologies have been conducted in vehicles as well to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency.

[0003] In an electric vehicle equipped with a battery, since the passenger compartment cannot be heated by utilizing the waste heat of the engine like a conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle, an electric heater is provided in the air-conditioning circuit provided with a heater core.

[0004] As such a heat management system for an electric vehicle, Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit in which a cooling circuit of a battery and a circuit for air conditioning provided with a heater core are connected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the circuit of Patent Document 1, since the battery cooling circuit is connected to the air conditioning circuit provided with the heater core, it may be affected by the operating status of the battery and thus may affect the quality of heating and cooling in the vehicle interior. Also, usually, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) as an air conditioning circuit is installed on the dashboard of the vehicle. However, if the battery cooling circuit is connected to the air conditioning circuit provided with the heater core, the modification from the HVAC of the ICE vehicle becomes complicated and the cost may increase.

[0007] The present invention provides a vehicle capable of performing heating and cooling in the vehicle interior without being affected by the battery cooling circuit and capable of reducing the manufacturing cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention includes a battery, a battery cooling circuit through which a first refrigerant flows to adjust the temperature of the battery, a refrigeration cycle for air conditioning having an electric compressor, a condenser, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an evaporator through which a second refrigerant flows, a heating circuit having a heater core through which a third refrigerant flows, and is a vehicle comprising: the first refrigerant in the battery cooling circuit, the second refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and the third refrigerant in the heating circuit flow independently of each other, the condenser is configured such that the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit can exchange heat.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle capable of performing heating and cooling in the vehicle interior without being affected by the battery cooling circuit and capable of reducing the manufacturing cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle V is an electric vehicle including a battery 2, a drive device 3 that is driven by the electric power supplied from the battery 2 to run the vehicle V, an HVAC 4 that controls the air conditioning in the passenger compartment, and a control device 5. The drive device 3 includes heat sources such as a motor M, an inverter, a DC-DC converter, and a charger. The HVAC 4 includes an evaporator 36 of a refrigeration cycle 30 described later, a heater core 41 of a heating circuit 40, and the like. Further, in front of the vehicle V, a radiator 51 of a drive device cooling circuit 50 described later and an outdoor heat exchanger 38 of the refrigeration cycle 30, and an electric fan 6 for promoting the heat dissipation and / or heat absorption of these are provided.

[0012] The vehicle V is equipped with a refrigerant circulation circuit 1 shown in FIG. 1. The refrigerant circulation circuit 1 includes a battery cooling circuit 20, a refrigeration cycle 30, a heating circuit 40, a drive device cooling circuit 50, and a chiller 60.

[0013] In the battery cooling circuit 20, the first refrigerant circulates to adjust the temperature of the battery 2 (BAT). The battery cooling circuit 20 includes the battery 2, a first pump P1 that circulates the first refrigerant in the battery cooling circuit 20, and a first electric heater H1 (ECH) that can heat the first refrigerant. The first refrigerant is, for example, LLC (Long Life Coolant).

[0014] In the refrigeration cycle 30, the second refrigerant circulates to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin. The refrigeration cycle 30 includes a common flow path 30a shared during cooling and heating, a cooling flow path 30b used during cooling, a heating flow path 30c used during heating, and a connection flow path 30e that connects the cooling flow path 30b and the heating flow path 30c. The second refrigerant is, for example, an air conditioner refrigerant.

[0015] The common flow path 30a includes an accumulator 31 that separates the vaporized second refrigerant and the liquid second refrigerant, an electric compressor 32 that compresses the vaporized second refrigerant, and a condenser 33 (water-cooled C) that absorbs heat from the compressed high-pressure and high-temperature second refrigerant to liquefy the second refrigerant. Since the condenser 33 is provided downstream of the electric compressor 32 in the flow direction of the second refrigerant, the heat of the compressed high-pressure and high-temperature second refrigerant can be supplied to the heating circuit 40 through the condenser 33.

[0016] The cooling flow path 30b includes a high-pressure solenoid valve 34 that switches between the cooling flow path 30b and the heating flow path 30c downstream of the condenser 33, a cooling expansion valve 35 that vaporizes the second refrigerant, and an evaporator 36 that absorbs heat from the air in the vehicle cabin by the low-pressure and low-temperature second refrigerant.

[0017] The heating flow path 30c includes a heating expansion valve 37 capable of vaporizing the second refrigerant downstream of the capacitor 33, an outdoor heat exchanger 38 that absorbs heat from the outside air with the second refrigerant that has become low-pressure and low-temperature or radiates heat to the outside air with the high-pressure and high-temperature second refrigerant, and a low-pressure solenoid valve 39 that switches between the cooling flow path 30b and the heating flow path 30c.

[0018] The connection flow path 30e is arranged to connect between the outdoor heat exchanger 38 and the low-pressure solenoid valve 39 of the heating flow path 30c and between the high-pressure solenoid valve 34 and the cooling expansion valve 35 of the cooling flow path 30b, and a check valve 62 is provided in the middle.

[0019] The heating circuit 40 allows the third refrigerant to flow through and heats the passenger compartment. The heating circuit 40 includes a second pump P2 that circulates the third refrigerant within the heating circuit 40, a second electric heater H2 (ECH) that can heat the third refrigerant, and a heater core 41 that heats the passenger compartment through heat exchange with the third refrigerant. The third refrigerant is, for example, LLC.

[0020] The same type of refrigerant may be used for the third refrigerant and the first refrigerant, but the first refrigerant, the second refrigerant, and the third refrigerant flow independently and do not mix. Therefore, the battery cooling circuit 20 can be made independent from the refrigeration cycle 30 and the heating circuit 40, so that the diversion of the HVAC of an engine vehicle can be realized at low cost.

[0021] The heating circuit 40 passes through the inside of the capacitor 33 on the downstream side of the second pump P2. The capacitor 33 is configured such that the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle 30 and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit 40 can exchange heat.

[0022] The drive device cooling circuit 50 allows the first refrigerant to flow through and cools the drive device 3 (DU). The drive device cooling circuit 50 includes a third pump P3 that circulates the first refrigerant within the drive device cooling circuit 50, the drive device 3, and a radiator 51 that cools the first refrigerant.

[0023] The drive device cooling circuit 50 is connected to be communicable with the battery cooling circuit 20 via a first switching valve 52. The first switching valve 52 is, for example, a four-way valve, and switches between a communicating state in which the drive device cooling circuit 50 and the battery cooling circuit 20 communicate with each other (see FIG. 3), and a blocking state in which communication between the drive device cooling circuit 50 and the battery cooling circuit 20 is blocked (see FIG. 2).

[0024] Further, the drive device cooling circuit 50 includes a bypass passage 53 that bypasses the radiator 51, and a second switching valve 54 disposed at a branch point of the bypass passage 53. The second switching valve 54 is, for example, a three-way valve, and switches between a bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the bypass passage 53 (see FIG. 3), and a non-bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the radiator 51 (see FIG. 2).

[0025] The chiller 60 is configured such that the first refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling circuit 20 and the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle 30 can exchange heat. The first refrigerant in the battery cooling circuit 20 passes through the inside of the chiller 60 on the downstream side of the first switching valve 52 and on the upstream side of the battery 2. The second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle 30 passes through the inside of the chiller 60 via a chiller connection passage 30d connected to the cooling passage 30b for air conditioning. A chiller expansion valve 61 for the second refrigerant to absorb heat from the chiller 60 is provided in the chiller connection passage 30d.

[0026] In the refrigerant circulation circuit 1 configured as described above, by switching the first switching valve 52, the drive device cooling circuit 50 and the battery cooling circuit 20 can be communicated with each other or the communication can be blocked, and the battery 2 can be cooled via the radiator 51 and / or the chiller 60.

[0027] By the way, since an electric vehicle cannot utilize the waste heat of an engine for warming the passenger compartment like an ICE vehicle, the power consumption during warming increases and the cruising range tends to be shortened. However, as described below, according to the refrigerant circulation circuit 1, the power consumption during warming can be reduced.

[0028] Hereinafter, three vehicle cabin heating modes by the refrigerant circulation circuit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. In the circuits of FIGS. 4 to 6, only the flow of the refrigerant in the part related to the heating of the vehicle cabin is shown by a solid line, and the other parts are shown by a broken line.

[0029] The first vehicle cabin heating mode (outside air heat absorption heating) shown in FIG. 4 is a mode in which the refrigeration cycle 30 and the heating circuit 40 cooperate to absorb heat from the outside air and heat the vehicle cabin. The first vehicle cabin heating mode (outside air heat absorption heating) is selected when the temperatures of the battery 2 and the drive device 3 are low. In this mode, the high-pressure electromagnetic valve 34 is closed, and the low-pressure electromagnetic valve 39 is opened to put the refrigeration cycle 30 into the heating operation state.

[0030] In this state, the second refrigerant that has become low pressure and low temperature by the heating expansion valve 37 absorbs heat from the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 38, and is compressed by the electric compressor 32 to become high pressure and high temperature and is sent to the condenser 33. In the condenser 33, the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle 30 and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit 40 exchange heat, and the third refrigerant that has absorbed heat from the second refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle 30 flows through the heating circuit 40. Then, the heat of the third refrigerant is radiated from the heater core 41 of the heating circuit 40 to the vehicle cabin, and the vehicle cabin is heated.

[0031] In this way, in the first vehicle cabin heating mode (outside air heat absorption heating), since the heat pump of the refrigeration cycle 30 can be used to absorb heat from the outside air, the power consumption of the second electric heater H2 during heating can be suppressed. Thereby, the cruising range of the vehicle V during heating can be extended.

[0032] The second passenger compartment heating mode (outdoor air heat absorption heating + waste heat recovery heating) shown in Fig. 5 is a mode in which the battery cooling circuit 20, the refrigeration cycle 30, the heating circuit 40, the drive device cooling circuit 50, and the chiller 60 cooperate to absorb heat from the outdoor air and recover waste heat to heat the passenger compartment. The second passenger compartment heating mode (outdoor air heat absorption heating + waste heat recovery heating) is selected when the temperatures of the battery 2 and the drive device 3 are high. In this mode, the high-pressure solenoid valve 34 and the low-pressure solenoid valve 39 are opened to put the refrigeration cycle 30 into the heating operation state, and the refrigeration cycle 30 is connected to the chiller 60 via the chiller connection flow path 30d. Further, the first switching valve 52 is set to a communicating state in which the drive device cooling circuit 50 and the battery cooling circuit 20 communicate with each other, and the second switching valve 54 is set to a bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the bypass flow path 53.

[0033] In this state, the first refrigerant heated by the heat of the battery 2 or the drive device 3 circulates through the battery cooling circuit 20 and the drive device cooling circuit 50 without being cooled by the radiator 51 and passes through the chiller 60. On the other hand, the second refrigerant that has become low-pressure and low-temperature by the chiller expansion valve 61 absorbs heat from the first refrigerant by heat exchange in the chiller 60. Further, the second refrigerant that has become low-pressure and low-temperature by the heating expansion valve 37 absorbs heat from the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 38. Then, these second refrigerants are compressed by the electric compressor 32 to become high-pressure and high-temperature and are sent to the condenser 33. In the condenser 33, heat exchange occurs between the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle 30 and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit 40, and the third refrigerant that has absorbed heat from the second refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle 30 flows through the heating circuit 40. Then, the heat of the third refrigerant is radiated from the heater core 41 of the heating circuit 40 to the passenger compartment, and the passenger compartment is heated.

[0034] In this way, in the second passenger compartment heating mode (outdoor air heat absorption heating + waste heat recovery heating), in addition to being able to absorb heat from the outdoor air by using the heat pump of the refrigeration cycle 30, the waste heat of the battery 2 and the drive device 3 can be absorbed via the chiller 60, so that the power consumption of the second electric heater H2 during heating can be further suppressed. Thereby, the cruising range of the vehicle V during heating can be further extended.

[0035] In addition, the first refrigerant circulating through the battery cooling circuit 20 and the drive device cooling circuit 50 can be radiated and cooled by the chiller 60, thereby cooling the battery 2 and the drive device 3.

[0036] In addition, when the temperature of the third refrigerant is low with respect to the heating demand in the first passenger compartment heating mode (outside air heat absorption heating) and the second passenger compartment heating mode (outside air heat absorption heating + waste heat recovery heating), the heating demand can be satisfied by heating with the second electric heater H2.

[0037] The third passenger compartment heating mode (ECH heating) shown in FIG. 6 is a mode in which the heating circuit 40 heats the passenger compartment alone. The third passenger compartment heating mode (ECH heating) is selected when the outside air temperature is low. In this mode, since the outside air temperature is low and outside air heat absorption is not possible, the electric compressor 32 is stopped and the second electric heater H2 is turned on. In this state, the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit 40 is heated by the second electric heater H2. Then, the heat of the third refrigerant is radiated from the heater core 41 of the heating circuit 40 to the passenger compartment, and the passenger compartment is heated.

[0038] As described above, in the third passenger compartment heating mode (ECH heating), even when the outside air temperature is low and the effect of outside air heat absorption cannot be expected, the passenger compartment can be heated by the second electric heater H2.

[0039] As described above, various embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that they also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention, the components in the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined.

[0040] At least the following matters are described in this specification. Although the corresponding components and the like in the above-described embodiments are shown in parentheses, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0041] (1) A battery (battery 2), A battery cooling circuit (battery cooling circuit 20) through which a first refrigerant flows to adjust the temperature of the battery, A refrigeration cycle (refrigeration cycle 30) for air conditioning having an electric compressor (electric compressor 32), a condenser (condenser 33), an outdoor heat exchanger (outdoor heat exchanger 38), and an evaporator (evaporator 36), through which a second refrigerant flows, A vehicle (vehicle V) including a heating circuit (heating circuit 40) having a heater core (heater core 41) through which a third refrigerant flows, The first refrigerant in the battery cooling circuit, the second refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and the third refrigerant in the heating circuit flow independently of each other, The condenser is configured such that the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit can exchange heat, Vehicle.

[0042] According to (1), since the refrigerants flowing through the battery cooling circuit for the battery, the refrigeration cycle for cooling, and the heating circuit for heating are independent of each other, the air conditioning in the vehicle interior can be performed without being affected by the battery cooling circuit, and the comfort of the vehicle is improved. Further, in a conventional engine vehicle, an HVAC was mounted, but by separating the battery cooling circuit from the refrigeration cycle and the heating circuit, the diversion of the HVAC of the engine vehicle can be realized at low cost.

[0043] (2) The vehicle according to (1), In the refrigeration cycle, the condenser is provided downstream of the electric compressor, Vehicle.

[0044] According to (2), the heat of the high-temperature and high-pressure second refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor can be supplied to the heating circuit through the condenser.

[0045] (3) The vehicle according to (2), The heating circuit includes an electric heater (second electric heater H2), Vehicle.

[0046] (3) According to this, when sufficient heating cannot be achieved with the heat of the second refrigerant supplied from the refrigeration cycle, heating can be performed by using the heat of the electric heater provided in the heating circuit.

[0047] (4) A vehicle according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a chiller (chiller 60) in which the first refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling circuit and the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle can exchange heat. Vehicle.

[0048] (4) According to this, the battery can be cooled by radiating the heat of the first refrigerant flowing through the first battery cooling circuit to the second refrigerant with the chiller.

[0049] (5) A vehicle according to (4), a drive device (drive device 3), a drive device cooling circuit (drive device cooling circuit 50) through which the first refrigerant flows and cools the drive device, and a first switching valve (first switching valve 52) that switches between a communicating state in which the drive device cooling circuit and the battery cooling circuit communicate with each other and a blocking state in which communication between the drive device cooling circuit and the battery cooling circuit is blocked. Vehicle.

[0050] (5) According to this, by setting the first switching valve to the communicating state, the waste heat of the drive device can be used to warm the battery or for cabin heating.

[0051] (6) A vehicle according to (5), wherein the drive device cooling circuit includes a radiator (radiator 51), a bypass flow path (bypass flow path 53) that bypasses the radiator, and a second switching valve (second switching valve 54) that switches between a bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the bypass flow path and a non-bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the radiator. Vehicle.

[0052] According to (6), by setting the second switching valve to the bypass state, it becomes possible to use the waste heat of the drive device without discharging it to the outside of the vehicle.

[0053] (7) A vehicle according to (6), setting the first switching valve to the communicating state and setting the second switching valve to the bypass state, heating the third refrigerant by absorbing heat from the first refrigerant via the chiller and absorbing heat from the second refrigerant via the condenser, and using it for heating the passenger compartment, Vehicle.

[0054] According to (7), by using the waste heat of the drive device for heating the passenger compartment, the power consumption of the electric compressor can be suppressed.

Explanation of Signs

[0055] V Vehicle 2 Battery 3 Drive device 20 Battery cooling circuit 30 Refrigeration cycle 32 Electric compressor 33 Condenser 36 Evaporator 38 Outdoor heat exchanger 40 Heating circuit 41 Heater core 50 Drive device cooling circuit 51 Radiator 52 First switching valve 53 Bypass flow path 54 Second switching valve 60 Chiller H2 Second electric heater (electric heater)

Claims

1. A battery, A battery cooling circuit through which a first refrigerant flows to adjust the temperature of the battery, A refrigeration cycle for air conditioning having an electric compressor, a condenser, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an evaporator, through which a second refrigerant flows, A heating circuit having a heater core through which a third refrigerant flows, and a vehicle comprising: The first refrigerant in the battery cooling circuit, the second refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and the third refrigerant in the heating circuit flow independently of each other, The condenser is configured such that the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle and the third refrigerant flowing through the heating circuit can exchange heat, A vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the condenser is provided downstream of the electric compressor in the refrigeration cycle, A vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the heating circuit includes an electric heater, A vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a chiller through which the first refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling circuit and the second refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle can exchange heat, A vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, A drive device, A drive device cooling circuit through which the first refrigerant flows to cool the drive device, and a first switching valve for switching between a communicating state in which the drive device cooling circuit communicates with the battery cooling circuit and a blocking state in which communication between the drive device cooling circuit and the battery cooling circuit is blocked, A vehicle.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the drive device cooling circuit includes a radiator, a bypass flow path bypassing the radiator, a second switching valve that switches between a bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the bypass flow path and a non-bypass state in which the first refrigerant passes through the radiator. Vehicle.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the first switching valve is in the communicating state and the second switching valve is in the bypass state, heat of the drive device is absorbed from the first refrigerant through the chiller and heat is absorbed from the second refrigerant through the condenser to heat the third refrigerant for use as heating of the passenger compartment. Vehicle.

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