Vehicle coolant control system and vehicle coolant control method

Abstract

To provide a technique for controlling a vehicle coolant that can improve thermal efficiency by utilizing heat generated by a speed reducer.SOLUTION: A vehicle coolant control system comprises: a first coolant flow passage 10; a second coolant flow passage 20; a bypass flow passage 11 that bypasses a transmission 102; a connection flow passage 30 that connects the first coolant flow passage 10 and the second coolant flow passage 20; a first switching section; a second switching section; a third switching section that switches whether coolant in the first coolant flow passage 10 is allowed to flow into the second coolant flow passage 20; and a controller 100 that controls a flow of a coolant by performing switching control of the first switching section, the second switching section and the third switching section. The controller 100 acquires a temperature of a transmission and a heating request from a user and controls the first switching section, the second switching section and the third switching section to switch whether the coolant that has passed through the transmission 102 is allowed to flow into the second coolant flow passage 20 based on the acquired transmission temperature and the heating request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerant control system and a refrigerant control method for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a coolant (refrigerant) for cooling a motor also circulates around a speed reducer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the speed reducer is cooled by lubricating oil and a refrigerant, and the heat of the refrigerant is discharged to the atmosphere by a radiator. Therefore, the heat generated from the speed reducer cannot be effectively utilized.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for controlling the refrigerant of a vehicle that can improve the thermal efficiency by utilizing the heat generated by a speed reducer.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is applied to a refrigerant control system of a vehicle. This refrigerant control system includes a flow path for circulating a refrigerant, a first refrigerant flow path connected to a radiator, a drive unit having a motor, and a transmission for changing the rotation of the motor. The first refrigerant flow path is an independent flow path from the first refrigerant flow path, and includes a second refrigerant flow path connected to a battery capable of supplying power to the motor and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the air in the vehicle interior. Further, a bypass flow path provided in the first refrigerant flow path so as to bypass the transmission, a connection flow path connecting the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path, and a first switching unit for switching whether to circulate the refrigerant through the transmission or bypass the refrigerant through the bypass flow path are provided. Further, a second switching unit for switching whether to circulate the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission and the drive unit to the radiator, a third switching unit for switching whether to circulate the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path to the second refrigerant flow path via the connection flow path, and a controller for controlling the flow of the refrigerant by switching the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit are provided. The controller acquires the transmission temperature and the heating request from the user, and controls the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit so as to switch whether to circulate the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission to the second refrigerant flow path based on the acquired transmission temperature and heating request.

[0007] According to the present invention, the controller controls whether to circulate the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the transmission to the second refrigerant flow path having a heat exchanger used for heating. Thereby, the heat of the reduction gear can be effectively utilized for heating as needed, so that the thermal efficiency can be improved.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a refrigerant control system 1 of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The refrigerant control system 1 of the vehicle includes a first refrigerant flow path 10 that circulates refrigerant through a drive unit 101, a speed reducer 102, and a radiator 103, a second refrigerant flow path 20 that circulates refrigerant through a battery 111 and a heat exchanger 112, and a controller 100 that controls the flow of refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0012] The drive unit 101 includes a motor, an inverter device, etc., and rotates and outputs the motor by supplying power from the battery 111. The output of the drive unit 101 is decelerated by the speed reducer 102 to drive drive wheels (not shown) to drive the vehicle. During deceleration of the vehicle, the regenerative power in the drive unit 101 is charged to the battery 111.

[0013] The first refrigerant flow path 10 is connected to the drive unit 101 and the speed reducer 102. By allowing the refrigerant circulating through the first refrigerant flow path 10 to flow through the flow paths formed in the drive unit 101 and the speed reducer 102, heat exchange is performed between the drive unit 101 and the speed reducer 102 and the refrigerant, and they are cooled (or heated) to be maintained at appropriate temperatures. A water pump 15 is connected to the first refrigerant flow path 10 to circulate the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 10. A radiator 103 is connected to the first refrigerant flow path 10 to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the atmosphere, and the temperature of the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 10 is reduced. Note that, for example, LLC is used as the refrigerant.

[0014] The first refrigerant flow path 10 is composed of a first flow path 10a connecting the water pump 15 and the radiator 103, a second flow path 10b connecting the radiator 103 and the speed reducer 102, a third flow path 10c connecting the speed reducer 102 and the drive unit 101, and a fourth flow path 10d connecting the drive unit 101 and the water pump 15. The refrigerant discharged by the water pump 15 returns to the water pump 15 again via the first flow path 10a, the radiator 103, the second flow path 10b, the speed reducer 102, the third flow path 10c, the drive unit 101, and the fourth flow path 10d. In FIG. 1, the refrigerant circulates counterclockwise through these components.

[0015] A bypass flow path 11 is connected between the second flow path 10b and the third flow path 10c so that the refrigerant bypasses the speed reducer 102 and flows from the second flow path 10b to the third flow path 10c. A switching valve 42 and a switching valve 41 for switching whether to let the refrigerant flow through the speed reducer 102 or bypass the speed reducer 102 are connected to the third flow path 10c and the bypass flow path 11, respectively. When the switching valve 42 is switched to the open state and the switching valve 41 is switched to the closed state, the refrigerant flows through the speed reducer 102. When the switching valve 42 is switched to the closed state and the switching valve 41 is switched to the open state, the refrigerant flows through the bypass flow path 11 without flowing through the speed reducer 102. Thereby, a first switching unit for switching whether the refrigerant flows through the speed reducer 102 or bypasses it is configured.

[0016] The second flow path 10b is provided with a switching valve 43 for switching whether to let the refrigerant flow through the radiator 103 or not. When the switching valve 43 is switched to the closed state, the refrigerant does not flow through the radiator 103. Thereby, a second switching unit for switching whether the refrigerant flows through the radiator 103 or not is configured.

[0017] In the third flow path 10c, a temperature sensor 51 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant that has flowed through the speed reducer 102 is provided between the speed reducer 102 and the switching valve 42.

[0018] The battery 111 and the heat exchanger 112 are connected to the second refrigerant flow path 20. By allowing the refrigerant circulating in the second refrigerant flow path 20 to flow through the flow path formed in the battery 111, heat exchange is performed between the battery 111 and the refrigerant, and the battery 111 is cooled (or heated) to maintain an appropriate temperature. The heat exchanger 112 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 20 and the air in the passenger compartment, and warms the air in the passenger compartment by blowing air by a fan or the like. That is, the heat exchanger 112 constitutes a part of the vehicle heating system. A water pump 25 is connected to the second refrigerant flow path 20 to circulate the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0019] The second refrigerant flow path 20 is composed of a fifth flow path 20a connecting the water pump 25 and the battery 111, a sixth flow path 20b connecting the battery 111 and the heat exchanger 112, and a seventh flow path 20c connecting the heat exchanger 112 and the water pump 25. The refrigerant discharged by the water pump 25 returns to the water pump 25 again via the fifth flow path 20a, the battery 111, the sixth flow path 20b, the heat exchanger 112, and the seventh flow path 20c. In FIG. 1, the refrigerant circulates clockwise through these.

[0020] Between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20, connection flow paths 30 (30a, 30b) for allowing the refrigerant to flow between them are provided. The connection flow path 30a is connected between the fourth flow path 10d of the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the seventh flow path 20c of the second refrigerant flow path 20. The connection flow path 30b is connected between the second flow path 10b of the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the sixth flow path 20b of the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0021] The connection flow paths 30a and 30b are respectively provided with switching valves 31 and 32. By controlling the opening and closing of the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32, it is switched whether the refrigerant flows through the connection flow paths 30a and 30b. When both the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32 are switched to the open state, the refrigerant flows between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. When both the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32 are switched to the closed state, the refrigerant does not flow between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20 and flows through them independently. Thereby, a third switching unit is configured to switch whether the refrigerant flows between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20, or the refrigerant flows independently in the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0022] The controller 100 includes a processor and a storage device, and by executing a program stored in the storage device, it controls the opening and closing of the aforementioned switching valves 31, 32, 41, 42, and 43 to control the flow of the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. The control executed by the controller 100 will be described later.

[0023] Here, the heat generated by the speed reducer 102 will be described.

[0024] The speed reducer 102 has a rotating shaft, gears, etc., and generates heat due to its rotation. In particular, when the speed reducer 102 is miniaturized, the rotation of the rotating shaft and gears increases due to the increase in the reduction ratio, and more heat may be generated. Conventionally, refrigerant has been circulated through the speed reducer and the heat has been released by a radiator to lower the temperature of the speed reducer. However, in that case, the heat recovered from the speed reducer is not effectively utilized. Also, if the heat of the speed reducer is recovered more than necessary, the temperature of the speed reducer will decrease, the friction due to the increase in the viscosity of the lubricating oil will increase, and there is also a problem that the efficiency will deteriorate instead.

[0025] Therefore, in the present embodiment, by performing the control as described below, the thermal efficiency of the vehicle is improved.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the control executed by the controller 100. This flowchart is executed by the controller 100 at a predetermined period (for example, 10 ms).

[0027] When the control starts, in step S10, the controller 100 detects the temperature of the temperature sensor 51 and obtains the temperature of the speed reducer 102 (hereinafter also referred to as the "speed reducer temperature") based on the detected refrigerant temperature. The controller 100 determines whether the obtained speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than a first predetermined temperature (for example, 130°C) at which cooling of the speed reducer 102 is required. If the speed reducer temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature, it is determined that cooling of the speed reducer 102 is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S20. If the speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature, it is determined that cooling of the speed reducer 102 is not necessary, and the process proceeds to step S30.

[0028] The speed reducer temperature can be obtained by multiplying the detected cooling water temperature by a predetermined coefficient. Note that the speed reducer temperature may be directly obtained from a sensor or the like provided in the speed reducer 102, or the speed reducer temperature may be estimated from the rotational speed of the speed reducer 102, the output torque of the drive unit 101, or the like.

[0029] In step S20, the controller 100 determines whether there is a heating request in the vehicle interior. Whether there is a heating request in the vehicle interior is determined based on whether a heating request operation has been performed by the user through an operation of the instrument panel or the like. If it is determined that there is a heating request, the process proceeds to step S50. If it is determined that there is no heating request, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0030] If it is determined in step S10 that cooling of the speed reducer 102 is not necessary, in step S30, the controller 100 determines whether there is a heating request in the vehicle interior in the same manner as in step S20. If it is determined that there is a heating request in the vehicle interior, the process proceeds to step S40, and the controller 100 determines whether the speed reducer temperature is higher than the lower limit temperature.

[0031] The lower limit temperature is a temperature set higher than the temperature at which friction increases due to an increase in the viscosity of the lubricating oil of the speed reducer 102 and the efficiency of the speed reducer 102 decreases. The lower limit temperature is set to a temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature (for example, 80 °C). When the speed reducer temperature is higher than the lower limit temperature, the process proceeds to step S50. When the speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the lower limit temperature, the process proceeds to step S70.

[0032] In step S50, the controller 100 executes heat recovery control to transfer the heat recovered from the speed reducer 102 to the heat exchanger 112. The heat recovery control will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

[0033] In step S60, the controller 100 executes heat discharge control to discharge the heat recovered from the speed reducer 102 from the radiator 103. The heat discharge control will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0034] In step S70, the controller 100 executes heat preservation control to control the temperature of the speed reducer 102 so that it does not fall below the lower limit temperature. The heat preservation control will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows the states of the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20 in the heat recovery control.

[0036] When performing heat recovery control, the controller 100 controls both the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32 to be in the open state, so that the refrigerant can flow between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. In addition, the controller 100 controls the switching valve 42 to be in the open state and controls the switching valve 41 and the switching valve 43 to be in the closed state. In this state, the water pump 25 is operated.

[0037] By this control, in the second refrigerant flow path 20, part of the refrigerant discharged from the water pump 25 flows from the sixth flow path 20b through the connection flow path 30b to the second flow path 10b of the first refrigerant flow path 10. The refrigerant recovers the heat of the speed reducer 102 by flowing through the speed reducer 102. After passing through the drive unit 101, part of the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 flows from the fourth flow path 10d through the connection flow path 30a to the seventh flow path 20c of the second refrigerant flow path 20. As a result, the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 flows through the heat exchanger 112, and the air in the vehicle interior can be heated by this refrigerant.

[0038] In this way, in the heat recovery control, the refrigerant that has flowed through the speed reducer 102 and recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 can be used for heating the vehicle interior.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows the states of the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20 in the heat discharge control.

[0040] When performing the heat discharge control, the controller 100 controls both the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32 to be in the closed state, making it impossible for the refrigerant to flow between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. Further, the controller 100 controls the switching valve 42 to be in the open state, the switching valve 41 to be in the closed state, and the switching valve 43 to be in the open state, respectively. In this state, both the water pump 15 and the water pump 25 are operated. At this time, the second refrigerant flow path 20 becomes an independent flow path from the first refrigerant flow path 10, and the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 20 is controlled to circulate between the battery 111 and the heat exchanger 112.

[0041] In the first refrigerant flow path 10, the refrigerant discharged from the water pump 15 flows through the radiator 103 and then flows to the speed reducer 102. The refrigerant recovers the heat of the speed reducer 102 by flowing through the speed reducer 102. Then, after passing through the drive unit 101, the refrigerant flows through the radiator 103 via the water pump 15. By performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the atmosphere as the refrigerant flows through the radiator 103, the heat of the refrigerant is discharged and the temperature of the refrigerant decreases.

[0042] In this way, in the heat discharge control, the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102 and recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 is cooled by the radiator 103, so the heat of the speed reducer 102 is discharged to the outside.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows the states of the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20 in the heat preservation control.

[0044] When performing the heat preservation control, the controller 100 controls both the switching valve 31 and the switching valve 32 to be in the closed state, making it impossible for the refrigerant to flow between the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. Further, the controller 100 controls the switching valve 42 to be in the closed state and the switching valves 41 and 43 to be in the open state, respectively. In this state, both the water pump 15 and the water pump 25 are operated. At this time, the second refrigerant flow path 20 becomes an independent flow path from the first refrigerant flow path 10, and the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 20 is controlled to circulate between the battery 111 and the heat exchanger 112.

[0045] In the first refrigerant flow path 10, the refrigerant discharged from the water pump 15 flows into the bypass flow path 11 without flowing through the speed reducer 102 after passing through the radiator 103. The refrigerant in the bypass flow path 11 flows into the radiator 103 via the water pump 15 after passing through the drive unit 101.

[0046] In this way, in the heat preservation control, the refrigerant is bypassed without flowing through the speed reducer 102, so the temperature of the speed reducer 102 rises due to its driving. By this control, the speed reducer 102 is controlled so as not to fall below the lower limit temperature.

[0047] As described above, the refrigerant control system 1 of the vehicle in the present embodiment includes a first refrigerant flow path 10 connecting a radiator 103, a drive unit 101 having a motor, and a speed reducer 102 that changes the rotation of the motor, a battery 111 capable of supplying power to the motor, and a heat exchanger 112 that exchanges heat with the air in the vehicle interior. The refrigerant control system 1 of the vehicle includes a bypass flow path 11 provided in the first refrigerant flow path 10 so as to bypass the speed reducer 102, and a connection flow path 30 connecting the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20. Further, the refrigerant control system 1 of the vehicle includes a first switching unit (switching valves 41, 42) that switches whether to circulate the refrigerant through the speed reducer 102 or bypass the refrigerant through the bypass flow path 11, a second switching unit (switching valve 43) that switches whether to circulate the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102 and the drive unit 101 through the radiator 103, a third switching unit (switching valves 31, 32) that switches whether to circulate the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 10 through the connection flow path 30 to the second refrigerant flow path 20, and a controller 100 that controls the flow of the refrigerant by switching the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit. The controller 100 acquires the speed reducer temperature and the heating request from the user, and controls the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit so as to switch whether to circulate the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102 to the second refrigerant flow path 20 based on the acquired speed reducer temperature (speed reducer temperature) and the heating request.

[0048] In this configuration, the controller 100 controls whether to circulate the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 through the second refrigerant flow path 20 having the heat exchanger 112 used for heating. Thereby, since the heat of the speed reducer 102 can be effectively utilized for heating as needed, the thermal efficiency can be improved.

[0049] Further, in the present embodiment, a temperature detection unit (temperature sensor 51) is provided in the first refrigerant flow path 10 to detect the temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102, and the controller 100 acquires the speed reducer temperature based on the refrigerant temperature detected by the temperature detection unit.

[0050] In this configuration, since the temperature of the reducer is obtained based on the temperature of the refrigerant, the temperature of the reducer can be obtained using the existing configuration.

[0051] Also, in this embodiment, when the obtained reducer temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature and there is a heating requirement, the controller 100 controls the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the reducer 102, controls the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow through the radiator 103, and controls the third switching unit so that the refrigerant that has passed through the reducer 102 flows through the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0052] In this configuration, when the reducer temperature is high enough to require cooling, the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the reducer 102 can be circulated through the second refrigerant flow path 20 and used for heating, so that the heat of the reducer 102 can be effectively utilized.

[0053] Also, in this embodiment, when the obtained reducer temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature and there is no heating requirement, the controller 100 controls the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the reducer 102, controls the second switching unit so that the refrigerant flows through the radiator 103, and controls the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0054] In this configuration, even when the reducer temperature is high enough to require cooling, when there is no heating requirement, the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the reducer 102 can be cooled by the radiator 103.

[0055] Also, in this embodiment, when the obtained reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature and there is no heating requirement, the controller 100 controls the first switching unit so that the refrigerant bypasses the reducer 102, controls the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow through the radiator 103, and controls the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0056] In this configuration, when the temperature of the speed reducer is low enough that cooling is not necessary, by not circulating the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102 through the second refrigerant flow path 20 and the radiator 103, the temperature of the speed reducer 102 will not drop more than necessary, so the influence of increased friction can be suppressed.

[0057] Also, in the present embodiment, when the acquired speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature and there is a heating requirement, and when the speed reducer temperature is higher than the lower limit temperature, the controller 100 controls the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the speed reducer 102, controls the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow through the radiator 103, and controls the third switching unit so that the refrigerant that has passed through the speed reducer 102 flows through the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0058] In this configuration, even when the temperature of the speed reducer is low enough that cooling is not necessary, as long as the speed reducer temperature is higher than the lower limit temperature, the refrigerant that has recovered the heat of the speed reducer 102 can be circulated through the second refrigerant flow path 20 and used for heating, so the heat of the speed reducer 102 can be utilized more effectively.

[0059] Also, in the present embodiment, when the acquired speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature and there is a heating requirement, and when the speed reducer temperature is equal to or lower than the lower limit temperature, the controller 100 controls the first switching unit so that the refrigerant bypasses the speed reducer 102, and controls the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path 10 and the second refrigerant flow path 20.

[0060] In this configuration, when the temperature of the speed reducer is low enough that cooling is not necessary and further drops below the lower limit temperature, by controlling so that the refrigerant does not flow through the speed reducer 102, the temperature of the speed reducer 102 can be increased, and the influence of increased friction can be suppressed.

[0061] As described above, embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show some application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, the switching valves 31, 32, 41, 42, and 43 are constituted by three-way valves driven by solenoids, but other configurations may also be used. For example, a switching valve configured to drive a spool by a solenoid or fluid pressure may be used.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, the speed reducer 102 for reducing the output of the drive unit 101 is provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and instead of the speed reducer 102, a transmission configured to be able to shift the reduction ratio may be provided.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0064] 1: Control device, 10: First refrigerant flow path, 11: Bypass flow path, 12: Refrigerant flow path on the speed reducer side, 15: Water pump, 20: Second refrigerant flow path, 25: Water pump, 30a: Connection flow path, 30b: Connection flow path, 31: Switching valve, 32: Switching valve, 41: Switching valve, 42: Switching valve, 43: Switching valve, 51: Temperature sensor, 100: Controller, 101: Drive unit, 102: Speed reducer, 103: Radiator, 111: Battery, 112: Heat exchanger

Claims

1. 1. A refrigerant control system for a vehicle, comprising: a first refrigerant flow path that is a flow path for circulating a refrigerant and is connected to a radiator, a drive unit having a motor, and a transmission that changes the rotation speed of the motor; a second refrigerant flow path that is independent of the first refrigerant flow path and is connected to a battery that can supply power to the motor and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air in the vehicle compartment; a bypass flow path provided in the first refrigerant flow path so as to bypass the transmission; a connecting flow path connecting the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; a first switching unit that switches between circulating the refrigerant through the transmission and bypassing the refrigerant through the bypass flow path; a second switching unit that switches whether or not the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission and the drive unit is allowed to flow through the radiator; a third switching unit that switches whether or not the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path is circulated to the second refrigerant flow path via the connection flow path; a controller that controls the flow of the refrigerant by controlling switching of the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit, The controller acquires a transmission temperature and a heating request from a user, and controls the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit to switch whether or not the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission is circulated through the second refrigerant flow path based on the acquired transmission temperature and the heating request. Vehicle refrigerant control system.

2. 10. The vehicle refrigerant control system of claim 1, a temperature detection unit provided in the first refrigerant flow path to detect a temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission; The controller acquires the transmission temperature based on the refrigerant temperature detected by the temperature detection unit. Vehicle refrigerant control system.

3. 3. The vehicle refrigerant control system according to claim 1, The controller When the acquired transmission temperature is higher than a first predetermined temperature and there is a heating request, controlling the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the transmission; controlling the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow into the radiator; controlling the third switching unit so that the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission flows into the second refrigerant flow path; Vehicle refrigerant control system.

4. 4. The vehicle refrigerant control system according to claim 3, The controller If the acquired transmission temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature and there is no heating request, controlling the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the transmission; controlling the second switching unit so that the refrigerant flows through the radiator; controlling the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; Vehicle refrigerant control system.

5. 4. The vehicle refrigerant control system according to claim 3, The controller When the acquired transmission temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature and there is no heating request, controlling the first switching unit so that the refrigerant bypasses the transmission; controlling the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow into the radiator; controlling the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; Vehicle refrigerant control system.

6. 4. The vehicle refrigerant control system according to claim 3, The controller If the acquired transmission temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature, and there is a heating request, and the transmission temperature is higher than a lower limit temperature, controlling the first switching unit so that the refrigerant passes through the transmission; controlling the second switching unit so that the refrigerant does not flow into the radiator; controlling the third switching unit so that the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission flows into the second refrigerant flow path; Vehicle refrigerant control system.

7. 4. The vehicle refrigerant control system according to claim 3, The controller If the acquired transmission temperature is equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature, and if there is a heating request, and the transmission temperature is equal to or lower than a lower limit temperature, controlling the first switching unit so that the refrigerant bypasses the transmission; controlling the third switching unit so that the refrigerant flows independently through the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; Vehicle refrigerant control system.

8. a first refrigerant flow path that is a flow path for circulating a refrigerant and is connected to a radiator, a drive unit having a motor, and a transmission that changes the rotation speed of the motor; a second refrigerant flow path that is independent of the first refrigerant flow path and is connected to a battery that can supply power to the motor and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air in the vehicle compartment; a bypass flow path provided in the first refrigerant flow path so as to bypass the transmission; a connecting flow path connecting the first refrigerant flow path and the second refrigerant flow path; a first switching unit that switches between circulating the refrigerant through the transmission and bypassing the refrigerant through the bypass flow path; a second switching unit that switches whether or not the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission and the drive unit is allowed to flow through the radiator; a third switching unit that switches whether or not the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path is circulated to the second refrigerant flow path via the connection flow path, A refrigerant control method for a vehicle, in which the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit are switched and controlled by a controller to control a flow of refrigerant, acquire a transmission temperature and a heating request from a user, and control the first switching unit, the second switching unit, and the third switching unit to switch whether or not the refrigerant that has passed through the transmission is circulated through the second refrigerant flow path based on the acquired transmission temperature and the heating request. A method for controlling refrigerant in a vehicle.

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