Refrigeration cycle equipment

Abstract

A compressor (12) is driven by electric power that is supplied from a battery (2). A condenser (13) condenses a refrigerant discharged from the compressor (12). An air conditioning expansion valve (15) decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser (13). An air conditioning evaporator (16) evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between air that is supplied into a cabin and the refrigerant flowed out of the air-conditioning expansion valve (15). A battery cooling expansion valve (17) decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser (13). A battery cooling evaporator (18) evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between a heat medium for cooling the battery (2), or the battery (2), and the refrigerant flowed out of the battery cooling expansion valve (17). When it is determined that the amount of electric power to be supplied to a drive unit (5) of a bodywork system increases, an ECU (20) performs control to increase the priority of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator (18) relative to the priority of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator (16).

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-044235 filed on March 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle device mounted on a special electric vehicle that drives a mounting system with electric power and cools a vehicle interior and a battery using a plurality of evaporators installed in a refrigerant circuit.

Background Art

[0003] In electric vehicles such as electric cars and hybrid cars, electrical energy stored in a power storage device such as a secondary battery (hereinafter simply referred to as "battery") is supplied to a vehicle driving motor via an inverter or the like to drive the vehicle. Further, in special electric vehicles such as garbage trucks and dump trucks, electrical energy stored in the battery is used not only for the vehicle driving motor but also for driving a mounting system. The battery self-heats during vehicle driving and driving of the mounting system, and when it becomes high temperature, not only cannot obtain sufficient functions but also causes deterioration and damage, so cooling means for maintaining the temperature below a certain level is required. In recent years, in order to ensure battery cooling performance, means for cooling a battery using a refrigerant circuit have been devised. These cool the battery by absorbing the heat of the battery using an evaporator of the refrigerant circuit. Specific implementation means thereof are as follows. · Means for cooling the battery through air using an air-refrigerant heat exchanger (i.e., an evaporator for battery cooling) · Means for cooling the battery through cooling water using a water-refrigerant heat exchanger · Means for directly or indirectly cooling the battery with a refrigerant using a refrigerant heat exchanger · Means for cooling the battery through oil using an oil-refrigerant heat exchanger. In this case, the oil is preferably insulating.

[0004] The refrigeration cycle device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to provide air conditioning and battery cooling by installing an evaporator for cooling batteries and the like in a refrigerant circuit for air conditioning. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-186989 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] However, Patent Document 1 does not address the problems that arise when a refrigeration cycle device is installed on an electric special-purpose vehicle whose bodywork system is powered by electricity. In an electric special-purpose vehicle whose bodywork system is powered by electricity, the battery generates heat when the bodywork system is driven. If the battery cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device is insufficient, the battery temperature will rise, and the battery's input and output will be limited. This leads to problems such as a decrease in the operating speed of the bodywork system and a decrease in the work efficiency of the operator.

[0007] This disclosure aims to provide a refrigeration cycle device that enables increased work efficiency when driving a bodywork system in an electric special-purpose vehicle whose bodywork system is driven by electricity.

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special-purpose vehicle that drives the drive unit of the bodywork system with power supplied from a battery is: A compressor powered by electricity supplied from a battery, which compresses the refrigerant, A condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor through heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, An air conditioning evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, A battery cooling evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium or a refrigerant flowing out from a battery cooling expansion valve, The system includes an electronic control device that, when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the bodywork system is increasing, controls the system to prioritize the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or battery provided by the battery cooling evaporator over the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator.

[0009] According to this, when the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the bodywork system increases, battery cooling takes priority over air conditioning. Therefore, the rise in battery temperature associated with the increase in the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the bodywork system is suppressed, and sufficient power is supplied from the battery to the drive unit of the bodywork system. Consequently, this refrigeration cycle device can prevent a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit of the bodywork system and improve the work efficiency of the workers.

[0010] The priority of cooling capacity refers to the allocation ratio between the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle system.

[0011] Furthermore, according to another aspect of this disclosure, a refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special-purpose vehicle that drives the drive unit of the bodywork system with power supplied from a battery, A compressor powered by electricity supplied from a battery, which compresses the refrigerant, A condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor through heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, An air conditioning evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, A battery cooling evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium or a refrigerant flowing out from a battery cooling expansion valve, The system includes an electronic control device that controls the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor within a predetermined range of upper limit rotational speed when no power is supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system, The refrigerant discharged from the compressor outlet circulates in the following order: condenser, air conditioning expansion valve, air conditioning evaporator, and compressor inlet; and the refrigerant circuit is configured to circulate in the following order: condenser, battery cooling expansion valve, battery cooling evaporator, and compressor inlet. If the electronic control unit determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the vehicle body system is increasing, it executes a control to set the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor to a rotational speed higher than a predetermined upper limit rotational speed.

[0012] According to this, by setting the compressor's upper limit rotational speed higher than a predetermined upper limit rotational speed, the overall cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle system is improved. As a result, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator is also improved, and the rise in battery temperature due to the increase in the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is suppressed, so that sufficient power is supplied from the battery to the drive unit of the mounting system. Therefore, this refrigeration cycle system can prevent a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit of the mounting system and improve the work efficiency of the workers.

[0013] The reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between that component and the specific components described in the embodiments described later. In the following explanation, an electronic control unit will be referred to as an ECU. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This graph shows the relationship between battery temperature and input / output characteristics. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]It is a flowchart of control processing executed by an ECU included in a refrigeration cycle device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] In the refrigeration cycle device of the comparative example, it is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity during the operation of the rack-mounted system. [Figure 6] In the refrigeration cycle device of the first embodiment, it is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity during the operation of the rack-mounted system. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart of control processing executed by an ECU included in a refrigeration cycle device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart of control processing executed by an ECU included in a refrigeration cycle device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart of control processing executed by an ECU included in a refrigeration cycle device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] In the refrigeration cycle device according to the third embodiment, it is a table showing the relationship between the battery cooling requirement level, the allowable deterioration temperature, etc. <U+ [Figure 13] It is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity when the allowable deterioration temperature is 2°C. [Figure 14] It is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity when the allowable deterioration temperature is 5°C. [Figure 15] It is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity when the allowable deterioration temperature is 10°C. [Figure 16] It is a graph showing the air conditioning capacity and the battery cooling capacity when only battery cooling is performed. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart of control processing executed by an ECU included in a refrigeration cycle device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 19]This is a flowchart of the control processing performed by the ECU in the refrigeration cycle device according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 20] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 21] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 22] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the eighth embodiment. [Figure 23] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the ninth embodiment. [Figure 24] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the 10th embodiment. [Figure 25] This figure shows a schematic system of an electric special-purpose vehicle equipped with a refrigeration cycle device according to the 11th embodiment. [Figure 26] This is a flowchart of the control processing performed by the ECU in the refrigeration cycle device according to the 12th embodiment. [Figure 27] This is a flowchart of the control processing performed by the ECU in the refrigeration cycle device according to the 13th embodiment. [Figure 28] This is a flowchart of the control processing performed by the ECU in the refrigeration cycle device according to the 14th embodiment. [Figure 29] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the 15th embodiment. [Figure 30] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the 16th embodiment. [Figure 31] This is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the 17th embodiment. [Figure 32] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a refrigeration cycle device according to the 18th embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equivalent to each other will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0016] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The refrigeration cycle device of the first embodiment is mounted on an electric special vehicle that drives the bodywork system with electricity.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 is equipped with a battery pack 2. The battery pack 2 is a rechargeable and dischargeable energy storage device. Hereafter, the battery pack 2 will simply be referred to as "battery 2". The electric special-purpose vehicle 1 runs by supplying the power stored in battery 2 to the vehicle's driving motor 4 via an inverter 3 or the like.

[0018] Furthermore, the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 supplies power stored in the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 that drives the bodywork system. The drive unit 5 of the bodywork system includes, for example, an inverter 6, a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, and a cylinder 9. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the motor 7 via the inverter 6, the rotation of the motor 7 drives the hydraulic pump 8, and the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 8 drives the cylinder 9. As a result, for example, a dump truck, which is an example of an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, can raise and lower its cargo bed. Note that the vehicle driving motor 4 and the motor 7 of the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system may be motor generators.

[0019] Furthermore, the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 supplies the electricity stored in the battery 2 to the compressor 12 and other components of the refrigeration cycle system 10.

[0020] Here, the relationship between the input / output function of battery 2 and the battery temperature will be explained with reference to Figure 2.

[0021] In the graph in Figure 2, the output characteristics of battery 2 are shown by solid line A, and the input characteristics of battery 2 are shown by solid line B. As shown in the graph in Figure 2, when the temperature of battery 2 falls below a predetermined optimal temperature range (for example, 10°C to 40°C), the internal resistance increases, causing both the output and input characteristics to deteriorate. Furthermore, when the temperature of battery 2 rises above the predetermined optimal temperature range, both the output and input characteristics deteriorate, and there is a risk of deterioration or damage to the battery cells. Therefore, in order for battery 2 to exhibit the desired performance, it is necessary to warm up battery 2 when the temperature falls below the predetermined optimal temperature range and to cool battery 2 when the temperature falls above the predetermined optimal temperature range. In this respect, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment is configured to perform both in-vehicle air conditioning and battery cooling with a single refrigerant circuit.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment includes a refrigerant circuit 11, a heat transfer medium circuit 19, and an ECU 20, etc. The refrigerant circuit 11 consists of a compressor 12, a condenser 13, a liquid reservoir 14, an expansion valve 15 for air conditioning, an evaporator 16 for air conditioning, an expansion valve 17 for battery cooling, and an evaporator 18 for battery cooling, etc. The heat transfer medium circuit 19 cools the battery 2. The ECU 20 controls the operation of each part.

[0023] The refrigerant circuit 11 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 12a of the compressor 12 circulates in the following order: condenser 13, liquid reservoir 14, air conditioning expansion valve 15, air conditioning evaporator 16, and the suction port 12b of the compressor 12. In addition, the refrigerant circuit 11 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 12a of the compressor 12 circulates as described above, as well as in the following order: condenser 13, liquid reservoir 14, battery cooling expansion valve 17, battery cooling evaporator 18, and the suction port 12b of the compressor 12. That is, in the first embodiment, in one refrigerant circuit 11, the air conditioning expansion valve 15 and air conditioning evaporator 16 are connected in parallel with the battery cooling expansion valve 17 and battery cooling evaporator 18. As the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 11, for example, an HFC-based refrigerant (e.g., R134a, R407C), an HFO-based refrigerant (e.g., R1234yf), or a natural refrigerant (e.g., carbon dioxide) may be used.

[0024] The compressor 12 is an electric compressor powered by electricity supplied from the battery 2. The compressor 12 compresses the refrigerant drawn in from the suction port 12b and discharges it from the discharge port 12a. The rotational speed of the compressor 12 is controlled by the ECU 20.

[0025] The condenser 13 is a heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 through heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air of the vehicle.

[0026] The liquid reservoir 14 is a liquid reservoir that stores excess refrigerant, which fluctuates according to the cycle load. The liquid reservoir 14 separates the refrigerant flowing in from the condenser 13 into gaseous and liquid phase refrigerant, and sends only the liquid phase refrigerant downstream.

[0027] The air conditioning expansion valve 15 depressurizes and expands the refrigerant supplied from the liquid reservoir 14, converting it into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state before supplying it to the air conditioning evaporator 16. In the first embodiment, for example, a mechanical expansion valve is used as the air conditioning expansion valve 15. The mechanical expansion valve is configured such that the opening (i.e., the flow path opening area) is mechanically adjusted so that the degree of superheating of the refrigerant, detected by a temperature-sensing tube (not shown) located at the outlet of the air conditioning evaporator 16, remains constant. The mechanical expansion valve is also called a thermostatic expansion valve.

[0028] The air conditioning evaporator 16 is a heat exchanger that cools the air by evaporating the refrigerant flowing through it, which flows out of the air conditioning expansion valve 15, and the air blown by the air conditioning fan 21. The refrigerant flowing out of the air conditioning evaporator 16 is drawn into the intake port 12b of the compressor 12. The air cooled by the air conditioning evaporator 16 is then blown into the vehicle interior to cool the interior.

[0029] The battery cooling expansion valve 17 depressurizes and expands the refrigerant supplied from the liquid reservoir 14, converting it into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state which is then supplied to the battery cooling evaporator 18. In the first embodiment, an electric expansion valve is used as the battery cooling expansion valve 17. The battery cooling expansion valve 17 is configured such that the flow path opening area is adjusted according to the opening degree specified by the ECU 20. The ECU 20 specifies the opening degree (i.e., the flow path opening area) so that the superheating degree of the refrigerant at the outlet of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is kept constant.

[0030] The battery cooling evaporator 18 is a heat exchanger that cools the heat transfer medium by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling evaporator 18, which flows out from the battery cooling expansion valve 17, and the heat transfer medium flowing through the heat transfer medium circuit 19. The refrigerant flowing out of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is drawn into the suction port 12b of the compressor 12. The heat transfer medium cooled in the battery cooling evaporator 18 circulates through the heat transfer medium circuit 19, cooling the battery 2.

[0031] The heat transfer fluid circuit 19 is a circuit in which a heat transfer fluid circulates through piping connecting the battery cooling evaporator 18, the battery cooling pump 22, and the battery cooler 23. Examples of heat transfer fluids used include LLC, water, insulating fluid, oil, and insulating oil. LLC stands for Long Life Coolant.

[0032] The battery cooling evaporator 18 can employ a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between LLC (Long Life Coolant) or water as a heat transfer medium and a refrigerant. A water-refrigerant heat exchanger is sometimes called a chiller.

[0033] The battery cooling pump 22 is an electric pump powered by electricity supplied from the battery 2. The operation of the battery cooling pump 22 is controlled by the ECU 20.

[0034] The battery cooler 23 is a heat exchanger that cools the battery 2 (specifically, the battery cells in the battery pack) by exchanging heat between the heat transfer medium circulating in the heat transfer circuit 19 and the battery 2, thereby allowing the heat transfer medium to absorb the heat generated by the battery 2.

[0035] The ECU20 is primarily composed of a microcomputer equipped with a processor and memory such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. The memory is a non-transitional tangible storage medium. The ECU20 controls the operation of each part of the refrigeration cycle device 10 (for example, the compressor 12, the battery cooling expansion valve 17, the air conditioning blower 21, the battery cooling pump 22, etc.) by having the processor execute programs stored in the memory.

[0036] The control processing performed by the ECU20 in the first embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4. In the flowchart shown in the figure and in the following explanation, steps will simply be denoted as "S".

[0037] This control is executed repeatedly at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0038] First, in S10 of Figure 4, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a request to drive the mounting system. This determination may be made if it is estimated that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system will increase. Specifically, the ECU 20 may determine that there is a request to drive the mounting system when an unshown switch for driving the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is pressed by the user (specifically, the driver or worker). Alternatively, the ECU 20 may determine that there is a request to drive the mounting system when the required power of the mounting system increases, for example, when the required water volume of a pump truck increases as an example of an electric special vehicle 1.

[0039] If it is determined in S10 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S20. In S20, the ECU20 performs battery cooling capacity priority control. Battery cooling capacity priority control is a control that increases the priority of the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or battery 2 by the battery cooling evaporator 18 over the priority of the cooling capacity of the air by the air conditioning evaporator 16.

[0040] As described above, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment is configured such that an air conditioning expansion valve 15 and an air conditioning evaporator 16 are connected in parallel to a battery cooling expansion valve 17 and a battery cooling evaporator 18 in a single refrigerant circuit 11. Generally, the total cooling capacity of a refrigeration cycle device 10 having a single refrigerant circuit 11 is limited by the upper limit rotational speed of a single compressor 12. Therefore, if the priority of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is increased and the priority of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 is decreased, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases. In other words, the priority of cooling capacity is the distribution ratio between the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10.

[0041] In the first embodiment, specifically, when the ECU 20 performs battery cooling capacity priority control, it specifies an opening degree for the battery cooling expansion valve 17, which is an electric expansion valve, to increase the flow path opening area. Increasing the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve 17 increases the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18, and increases the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium by the battery cooling evaporator 18. The ECU 20 may also increase the rotation speed of the battery cooling pump 22 and increase the flow rate of the heat transfer medium supplied to the battery cooling evaporator 18 according to the degree of superheating of the refrigerant flowing out of the battery cooling evaporator 18. As a result, even if the amount of self-heating of the battery 2 increases with the increase in the amount of power supplied to the mounting system, the rise in battery temperature is suppressed and the battery 2 is maintained at the optimal temperature in which it can perform its charge and discharge functions. Therefore, sufficient power is supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system, so that a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit 5 is prevented.

[0042] On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the ECU20 performs normal control. Normal control is a control method that does not assign priority to the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18. In this case, the distribution ratio of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is determined by chance.

[0043] The effects and advantages of the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment described above will be explained in comparison with the refrigeration cycle device of the comparative example.

[0044] In the comparative example's refrigeration cycle system, the ECU 20 does not perform the battery cooling capacity priority control described above when the mounting system is driven. Therefore, in the comparative example, as shown in Figure 5, even when the mounting system is driven, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 is large, while the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is small. Consequently, as the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system increases, the temperature of the battery 2 rises and the input / output limit of the battery 2 is imposed, which may result in insufficient power being supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system. As a result, in the comparative example's refrigeration cycle system, the operating speed of the drive unit 5 of the mounting system decreases, which may worsen the worker's work efficiency.

[0045] In contrast, in the first embodiment of the refrigeration cycle device 10, the ECU 20 performs battery cooling capacity priority control when the mounting system is driven. Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, when the mounting system is driven, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases. Consequently, the rise in battery temperature due to the increase in the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is suppressed, and sufficient power is supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system without any input / output restrictions on the battery 2. As a result, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment can prevent a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit 5 of the mounting system and improve the work efficiency of the worker.

[0046] Furthermore, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the first embodiment can provide the following effects. (1) The refrigerant circuit 11 of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 12a of the compressor 12 circulates in the order of condenser 13, air conditioning expansion valve 15, air conditioning evaporator 16, and compressor 12 inlet 12b. Furthermore, the refrigerant circuit 11 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port 12a of the compressor 12 circulates as described above, as well as in the order of condenser 13, battery cooling expansion valve 17, battery cooling evaporator 18, and compressor 12 inlet 12b. Therefore, if the priority of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is increased and the priority of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 is decreased, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases. According to this configuration, in one refrigerant circuit 11, the air conditioning expansion valve 15 and air conditioning evaporator 16 are connected in parallel with the battery cooling expansion valve 17 and battery cooling evaporator 18. Generally, the total cooling capacity of a refrigeration cycle device 10 having one refrigerant circuit 11 is limited by the upper limit rotational speed of one compressor 12. Therefore, if the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is increased, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases.

[0047] (2) In the first embodiment, when the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it increases the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve 17. According to this, increasing the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve 17 increases the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0048] (3) In the first embodiment, when the ECU 20 receives a request to drive the bodywork system, it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system will increase. This provides a specific example of how the ECU 20 can determine that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system is increasing.

[0049] (4) In the first embodiment, when the user operates a switch and a request to drive the mounting system is made, the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system will increase. This provides a specific example of how the ECU 20 can determine that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system is increasing.

[0050] (Modified version of the first embodiment) A modification of the first embodiment will now be described. The modification of the first embodiment mainly involves changing the control performed by the ECU20 compared to the first embodiment, and is otherwise the same as the first embodiment, so only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0051] In the control process described in the first embodiment above, when the ECU 20 performs battery cooling capacity priority control in S20, it performs control to increase the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve 17. In contrast, in the modified version of the first embodiment, when the ECU 20 performs battery cooling capacity priority control in S20, it performs control to increase the rotation speed of the battery cooling pump 22 and increase the flow rate of the heat transfer medium supplied to the battery cooling evaporator 18.

[0052] Increasing the flow rate of the heat transfer medium supplied to the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve 17 in proportion to the degree of superheating of the refrigerant flowing out of the battery cooling evaporator 18, thereby increasing the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the battery cooling evaporator 18. As a result, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0053] (Second Embodiment) Next, we will describe the second embodiment. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the control performed by the ECU20 is mainly modified, and other aspects are the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0054] The control process performed by the ECU20 in the second embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7. This control is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0055] First, in the process of S10 in Figure 7, the ECU20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system, similar to the process described in the first embodiment. If it is determined in S10 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S21.

[0056] In S21, the ECU20 performs a control to reduce the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 as a priority control for battery cooling capacity. Specifically, the ECU20 performs at least one of the following (A), (B), (C), and (D) as a control to reduce the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16.

[0057] (A) The ECU 20 reduces the rotational speed of the air conditioning fan 21, thereby reducing the amount of air supplied to the air conditioning evaporator 16. As a result, the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve 15 decreases in proportion to the degree of superheating of the refrigerant flowing out of the air conditioning evaporator 16, and the flow rate of refrigerant flowing to the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases. Consequently, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing to the battery cooling evaporator 18 in one refrigerant circuit 11 increases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0058] (B) When the air conditioning expansion valve 15 is configured as an electric expansion valve, the ECU 20 specifies an opening degree for the air conditioning expansion valve 15 to reduce the flow path opening area. Reducing the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve 15 reduces the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18. When the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 decreases, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases in one refrigerant circuit 11, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased. In this case, the battery cooling expansion valve 17 may be an electric expansion valve, a mechanical expansion valve, or a combination of a mechanical expansion valve and a solenoid valve.

[0059] (C) If the air conditioning expansion valve 15 is an electric expansion valve, the ECU 20 may completely close the air conditioning expansion valve 15. When the air conditioning expansion valve 15 is completely closed, the flow of refrigerant to the battery cooling evaporator 18 is blocked, and the flow rate of refrigerant to the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases accordingly, so that the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased. In this case as well, the battery cooling expansion valve 17 may be an electric expansion valve, a mechanical expansion valve, or a combination of a mechanical expansion valve and a solenoid valve.

[0060] (D) Also, as shown in Figure 8, if the air conditioning expansion valve 15 is configured as a combination of a mechanical expansion valve air conditioning expansion valve 15 and a solenoid valve 24, the ECU 20 may instruct the solenoid valve 24 to close as a control to reduce the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16. Closing the solenoid valve 24 can produce the same effects as described in (C) above.

[0061] On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the ECU20 performs normal control, as described in the first embodiment.

[0062] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the second embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) In the second embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it reduces the amount of air supplied to the air conditioning evaporator 16. According to this, reducing the airflow rate supplied to the air conditioning evaporator 16 reduces the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve 15 in proportion to the degree of superheating of the refrigerant flowing out of the air conditioning evaporator 16, thereby reducing the refrigerant flow rate to the air conditioning evaporator 16. As a result, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 in one refrigerant circuit 11 increases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0063] (2) In the second embodiment, when the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it reduces the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve 15. According to this, reducing the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve 15 reduces the refrigerant flow rate to the air conditioning evaporator 16. As a result, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 in one refrigerant circuit 11 increases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0064] (3) In the second embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system is increasing, it closes the refrigerant circuit 11 leading to the air conditioning evaporator 16. According to this, refrigerant will no longer flow to the air conditioning evaporator 16, and as a result, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 in one refrigerant circuit 11 will increase, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 will increase. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0065] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment will now be described. The third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the control performed by the ECU20 is mainly modified, and other aspects are the same as the first embodiment, so only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0066] As shown in Figure 9, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the third embodiment is equipped with a temperature sensor 25 for detecting the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16. The temperature sensor 25 may be an evaporator fin temperature sensor provided on fins (not shown) of the air conditioning evaporator 16, or it may be an evaporator outlet air temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the air blown out from the air conditioning evaporator 16. The temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 detected by the temperature sensor 25 is transmitted to the ECU 20. The ECU 20 of the third embodiment is configured to allow setting a tolerance temperature for deterioration, which is a temperature at which the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 detected by the temperature sensor 25 deviates to a higher temperature than the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16.

[0067] The control processing performed by the ECU20 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 10 and 11. This control is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0068] First, let's explain by referring to the flowchart in Figure 10. At S110 in the flowchart in Figure 10, the ECU 20 calculates the temperature degradation temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 as detected by the temperature sensor 25, relative to the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16. The degradation temperature is the temperature at which the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16, as detected by the temperature sensor 25, deviates to the higher side relative to the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16. In other words, the degradation temperature is the temperature difference between the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 and the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 as detected by the temperature sensor 25, when the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 as detected by the temperature sensor 25 is higher than the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16. The ECU 20 then determines whether the degradation temperature is above the allowable degradation temperature.

[0069] If the deterioration temperature is above the allowable deterioration temperature, the ECU20 proceeds to S120. In S120, the ECU20 reduces the opening degree (i.e., the flow path opening area) of the battery cooling expansion valve 17, which is an electric expansion valve. As a result, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 decreases, and the refrigerant flow rate to the air conditioning evaporator 16 increases accordingly, causing the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 to decrease. Therefore, the deterioration temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 detected by the temperature sensor 25 relative to the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases, and the deterioration temperature approaches the allowable deterioration temperature.

[0070] On the other hand, if the deterioration temperature is below the allowable deterioration temperature, the ECU 20 proceeds to S130. In S130, the ECU 20 increases the opening degree (i.e., the flow path opening area) of the battery cooling expansion valve 17, which is an electric expansion valve. As a result, the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases, and the refrigerant flow rate to the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases accordingly, causing the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 to rise. Therefore, the deterioration temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 detected by the temperature sensor 25 increases relative to the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16, and the deterioration temperature approaches the allowable deterioration temperature.

[0071] Next, we will explain with reference to the flowchart in Figure 11. In the flowchart in Figure 11, the process in S10 is the same as described in the first embodiment, in which the ECU20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system. If it is determined in S10 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S22.

[0072] In S22, the ECU20 performs a control that prioritizes battery cooling capacity, thereby increasing the allowable temperature for deterioration. As a result, when the deterioration temperature falls below the allowable temperature for deterioration, the ECU20 increases the opening degree (i.e., the flow path opening area) of the battery cooling expansion valve 17, as explained in S130 above. This increases the refrigerant flow rate to the battery cooling evaporator 18, and increases the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10. Therefore, the priority of the cooling capacity provided by the battery cooling evaporator 18 can be increased.

[0073] In addition, in S22, if the battery cooling requirement level is high, the ECU20 may, as battery cooling capacity priority control, implement control to switch to battery cooling-only operation instead of control to increase the allowable temperature for deterioration. In battery cooling-only operation, the solenoid valve 24 installed upstream of the air conditioning expansion valve 15 is closed, or the air conditioning expansion valve 15, which is composed of an electric expansion valve, is closed, so that the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle flows only from the battery cooling expansion valve 17 to the battery cooling evaporator 18.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the ECU20 performs normal control, as described in the first embodiment.

[0075] Here, an example of the relationship between the battery cooling requirement level and the allowable degradation temperature is shown in the table in Figure 12. Note that the table in Figure 12 shows the state when the vehicle's air conditioning switch is turned on.

[0076] As shown in the table in Figure 12, when the battery temperature is below 40 degrees Celsius, the battery cooling requirement level is 0. At this time, since battery 2 is within the optimal temperature range, there is no need for battery cooling, and no allowable deterioration temperature is set for the air conditioning evaporator 16.

[0077] When the battery temperature is between 40°C and 50°C and the mounting system is not driven, the battery cooling requirement level is 1. At this time, battery cooling is performed, and the allowable deterioration temperature for the air conditioning evaporator 16 is set to, for example, 2°C. In this case, as shown in Figure 13, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 is large, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is small.

[0078] As shown in the table in Figure 12, when the battery temperature is between 40°C and 50°C and the mounting system is driven, the battery cooling requirement level is 2. At this time, battery cooling is performed, and the allowable deterioration temperature for the air conditioning evaporator 16 is set to, for example, 5°C. In this case, as shown in Figure 14, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases compared to Figure 13, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases compared to Figure 13.

[0079] As shown in the table in Figure 12, when the battery temperature is 50°C or higher and the mounting system is not driven, the battery cooling requirement level is 3. At this time, battery cooling is performed, and the allowable deterioration temperature for the air conditioning evaporator 16 is set to, for example, 10°C. In this case, as shown in Figure 15, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 decreases compared to Figure 14, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases compared to Figure 14.

[0080] As shown in the table in Figure 12, when the battery temperature is 50°C or higher and the mounting system is driven, the battery cooling requirement level is 4. At this time, battery cooling is performed, and instead of control that increases the allowable temperature for deterioration, control is implemented to switch to battery cooling-only operation. In this case, as shown in Figure 16, the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 becomes 0, and the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 becomes the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18.

[0081] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the third embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) In the third embodiment, the ECU 20 is configured to set a tolerance temperature for deterioration, which is the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 detected by the temperature sensor 25 that deviates to a higher temperature than the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16. The ECU 20 sets the tolerance temperature for deterioration when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system will increase. According to this, by setting a tolerance temperature for deterioration, it is permissible for the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 to deviate from the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 to the higher side. As a result, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 decreases, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases accordingly. Consequently, the rise in battery temperature due to the increase in the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is suppressed, and sufficient power is supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system. As a result, a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is prevented, and the work efficiency of the workers can be improved.

[0082] (2) In the third embodiment, the ECU 20 sets the allowable deterioration temperature to a larger value as the battery cooling requirement level increases. According to this, the larger the allowable deterioration temperature is set to, the greater the deviation of the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator 16 from its target temperature to the higher side is permissible. As a result, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator 16 within the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 decreases significantly, and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 increases significantly. Consequently, battery cooling corresponding to the battery cooling requirement level is performed, and sufficient power is supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system. As a result, a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is prevented, and the work efficiency of the workers can be improved.

[0083] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, we will describe the fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the control performed by the ECU20 is mainly modified, and other aspects are the same as the first embodiment, so only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0084] The control process performed by the ECU20 in the fourth embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 17. This control is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0085] First, in the process of S10 in Figure 17, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a request to drive the mounting system, similar to the process described in the first embodiment. If it is determined in S10 that there is a request to drive the mounting system, the process proceeds to S23.

[0086] In S23, ECU20 performs refrigeration cycle performance enhancement control. Specifically, as refrigeration cycle performance enhancement control, ECU20 performs at least one of the following (E), (F), and (G).

[0087] (E) Generally, the compressor 12 has a predetermined upper limit rotational speed set considering the product life, etc. The ECU 20 sets the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor 12 to a higher rotational speed than the predetermined upper limit rotational speed as a control to increase the refrigeration cycle performance. As a result the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor 12 is increased, the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases, and consequently the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 also increases.

[0088] (F) Generally, the compressor 12 has a predetermined upper limit rotational speed set as a measure against NV. NV stands for Noise Vibration. The ECU 20, as a control to increase the refrigeration cycle performance, sets the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor 12 to a higher rotational speed than the upper limit rotational speed predetermined as a measure against NV. As a result, the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor 12 is increased, which increases the overall cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10, and consequently, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 also increases.

[0089] (G) Generally, the compressor 12 has a predetermined maximum permitted power set by the vehicle. The ECU 20, as a control to increase the refrigeration cycle performance, sets the maximum permitted power of the compressor 12 to a higher power than the maximum permitted power predetermined by the vehicle. As a result, the maximum power supplied to the compressor 12 increases, which increases the rotational speed of the compressor 12. Therefore, the total cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 increases, and consequently, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 also increases.

[0090] On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the ECU20 performs normal control, as described in the first embodiment.

[0091] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the fourth embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) In the fourth embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it performs control to set the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor 12 to a rotational speed higher than a predetermined upper limit rotational speed. As a result, the overall cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10 is improved, and consequently, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 is also improved. Therefore, the rise in battery temperature due to the increase in the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is suppressed, and sufficient power is supplied from the battery 2 to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system. Consequently, this refrigeration cycle device 10 prevents a decrease in the operating speed of the drive unit 5 of the mounting system and improves the work efficiency of the workers.

[0092] (2) In the fourth embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it performs control to set the upper limit permitted power supplied to the compressor 12 to a power higher than a predetermined upper limit permitted power. This increases the rotational speed of the compressor 12, thereby improving the overall cooling capacity of the refrigeration cycle device 10.

[0093] (Fifth embodiment) Next, we will describe the fifth embodiment. The fifth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 11 and the control performed by the ECU 20 are changed, but other aspects are the same as the first embodiment, so only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0094] As shown in Figure 18, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the fifth embodiment is equipped with two refrigerant circuits: a first refrigerant circuit 111 and a second refrigerant circuit 112. The first refrigerant circuit 111 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the outlet 121a of the first compressor 121 circulates in the following order: first condenser 131, first liquid reservoir 141, air conditioning expansion valve 15, air conditioning evaporator 16, and the inlet 121b of the first compressor 121. The first refrigerant circuit 111 is an air conditioning refrigeration cycle. The second refrigerant circuit 112 is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the outlet 122a of the second compressor 122 circulates in the following order: second condenser 132, second liquid reservoir 142, battery cooling expansion valve 17, battery cooling evaporator 18, and the inlet 122b of the second compressor 122. The second refrigerant circuit 112 is a battery cooling refrigeration cycle.

[0095] Both the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122 are electric compressors and are driven by power supplied from the battery 2. Generally, the refrigeration cycle device 10 has a predetermined upper limit of permitted power specified by the vehicle. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the total upper limit of permitted power supplied from the battery 2 to the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122 is defined.

[0096] Next, the control processing performed by the ECU20 of the fifth embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 19. This control is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0097] First, in the process of S10 in Figure 19, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system, similar to the process described in the first embodiment. If it is determined in S10 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S24.

[0098] In S24, the ECU20 performs a control that prioritizes battery cooling capacity, increasing the cooling capacity of the battery cooling refrigeration cycle (i.e., the second refrigerant circuit 112) and suppressing the cooling capacity of the air conditioning refrigeration cycle (i.e., the first refrigerant circuit 111). Specifically, the ECU20 performs at least one of the following (H) and (I) as part of this control.

[0099] (H) The ECU 20 performs control to increase the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor 122 and decrease the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor 121. Specifically, the ECU 20 performs control to set the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor 122 to a higher rotational speed than the upper limit rotational speed predetermined for the second compressor 122. At the same time, the ECU 20 performs control to set the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor 121 to a lower rotational speed than the upper limit rotational speed predetermined for the first compressor 121. As a result, the rotational speed of the second compressor 122 increases, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 provided in the battery cooling refrigeration cycle (i.e., the second refrigerant circuit 112) increases.

[0100] (I) The ECU 20 performs control to increase the maximum power supplied to the second compressor 122 and decrease the maximum power supplied to the first compressor 121. Specifically, the ECU 20 performs control to set the maximum permitted power of the second compressor 122 to a power higher than the predetermined maximum permitted power for the second compressor 122. At the same time, the ECU 20 performs control to set the maximum permitted power of the first compressor 121 to a power lower than the predetermined maximum permitted power for the first compressor 121. As a result, the rotational speed of the second compressor 122 increases, and the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the battery cooling refrigeration cycle (i.e., the second refrigerant circuit 112) increases.

[0101] On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the ECU20 performs normal control, as described in the first embodiment.

[0102] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the fifth embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) In the fifth embodiment, the refrigeration cycle device 10 may be configured to include two refrigerant circuits, such as a refrigeration cycle for battery cooling (i.e., a second refrigerant circuit 112) and a refrigeration cycle for air conditioning (i.e., a first refrigerant circuit 111). In this configuration as well, the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the fifth embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first to fourth embodiments described above.

[0103] (2) In the fifth embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it lowers the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor 121 and raises the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor 122. According to this, lowering the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor 121 reduces the power supplied from the battery 2 to the first compressor 121, and increasing the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor 122 increases the power supplied from the battery 2 to the second compressor 122. Therefore, in a configuration where upper limits on permitted power supplied from the battery 2 to the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122 are defined, the power used by the two refrigeration cycles can be offset. Consequently, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 provided in the battery cooling refrigeration cycle (i.e., the second refrigerant circuit 112) can be increased.

[0104] (3) In the fifth embodiment, if the ECU 20 determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit 5 of the mounting system is increasing, it lowers the upper limit of power supplied to the first compressor 121 and raises the upper limit of power supplied to the second compressor 122. According to this, lowering the maximum power supplied from battery 2 to the first compressor 121 reduces the rotational speed of the first compressor 121, and increasing the maximum power supplied from battery 2 to the first compressor 121 increases the rotational speed of the second compressor 122. Therefore, in a configuration where the maximum permitted power supplied from battery 2 to the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122 is defined, the power used by the two refrigeration cycles can be offset. Consequently, the cooling capacity of the battery cooling evaporator 18 provided in the battery cooling refrigeration cycle (i.e., the second refrigerant circuit 112) can be increased.

[0105] In the fifth embodiment described above, when the ECU 20 determines that there is a drive request for the drive unit 5 of the mounting system, it performs control in S24 to increase the cooling capacity of the battery cooling refrigeration cycle and suppress the cooling capacity of the air conditioning refrigeration cycle, but it is not limited to this. For example, if the total power used by the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122 has a margin over the upper limit of the permitted power supplied from the battery 2 to the first compressor 121 and the second compressor 122, the ECU 20 may increase only the power supplied to the second compressor 122. In other words, it may increase only the cooling capacity of the battery cooling refrigeration cycle. Also, for example, if the rotational speed of the second compressor 122 has a margin over the upper limit of the control rotational speed predetermined for the second compressor 122, the ECU 20 may increase only the rotational speed of the second compressor 122. In other words, it may increase only the cooling capacity of the battery cooling refrigeration cycle.

[0106] (Sixth to eleventh embodiments) The sixth to eleventh embodiments describe other examples of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 described above with reference to Figure 1 in the first embodiment.

[0107] (Sixth Embodiment) As shown in Figure 20, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 of the sixth embodiment includes, for example, an inverter 6, a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, a first cylinder 91 and a second cylinder 92. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the motor 7 via the inverter 6, the rotation of the motor 7 drives the hydraulic pump 8, and the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 8 drives the first cylinder 91 and the second cylinder 92.

[0108] (Seventh Embodiment) As shown in Figure 21, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the seventh embodiment of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 includes, for example, an inverter 6, a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, a cylinder 9, and a hydraulic motor 71. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the motor 7 via the inverter 6, the rotation of the motor 7 drives the hydraulic pump 8, and the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 8 drives the cylinder 9 and the hydraulic motor 71.

[0109] (Eighth embodiment) As shown in Figure 22, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 of the eighth embodiment includes, for example, an inverter 6, a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, and n cylinders 9. Hereinafter, n is a natural number. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the motor 7 via the inverter 6, the rotation of the motor 7 drives the hydraulic pump 8, and the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 8 drives the n cylinders 9.

[0110] (Ninth Embodiment) As shown in Figure 23, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 of the ninth embodiment includes, for example, an inverter 6, a motor 7, a hydraulic pump 8, n cylinders 9 and n hydraulic motors 71. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the motor 7 via the inverter 6, the rotation of the motor 7 drives the hydraulic pump 8, and the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 8 drives the n cylinders 9 and n hydraulic motors 71.

[0111] (Tenth embodiment) As shown in Figure 24, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the electric special-purpose vehicle 1 of the 10th embodiment includes, for example, an inverter 6 and an electric cylinder 93. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the electric cylinder 93 via the inverter 6, the electric cylinder 93 is driven.

[0112] (11th embodiment) As shown in Figure 25, the drive unit 5 of the bodywork system of the 11th embodiment of the electric special vehicle 1 includes, for example, a first inverter 61, a second inverter 62, an electric cylinder 93, and an electric motor 72. When power is supplied from the battery 2 to the electric cylinder 93 via the first inverter 61, the electric cylinder 93 is driven. Similarly, when power is supplied from the battery 2 to the electric motor 72 via the second inverter 62, the electric motor 72 is driven.

[0113] (12th embodiment) The twelfth embodiment is a modified version of the first to third embodiments described above. The control process performed by the ECU20 of the twelfth embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 26. This control is repeatedly performed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0114] First, in S11 of Figure 26, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system from at least one device. Here, "at least one device" refers to at least one of the devices that constitute the drive unit 5 of the mounting system described in the first and sixth to twelfth embodiments above. This is the same in the thirteenth and fourteenth embodiments described later.

[0115] If it is determined in S11 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S25. The process in S25 is the same as the processes in S20, S21, or S22 described in the first to third embodiments and the modified version of the first embodiment.

[0116] On the other hand, if it is determined in S11 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. The process in S30 is the same as the process described in the first embodiment, etc.

[0117] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 12th embodiment described above can achieve the same effects as the first to third embodiments and the modified version of the first embodiment described above.

[0118] (13th embodiment) The 13th embodiment is a modification of the 4th embodiment described above. The control processing performed by the ECU20 of the 13th embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 27. This control is repeatedly performed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0119] First, in S11 of Figure 27, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system from at least one device, similar to what was described in the 12th embodiment.

[0120] If it is determined in S11 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S23. The process in S23 is the same as the process in S23 described in the fourth embodiment above.

[0121] On the other hand, if it is determined in S11 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. The process in S30 is the same as the process described in the first embodiment, etc.

[0122] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 13th embodiment described above can achieve the same effects and advantages as the 4th embodiment described above.

[0123] (14th Embodiment) The 14th embodiment is a modification of the 5th embodiment described above. The control processing performed by the ECU20 of the 14th embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 28. This control is repeatedly performed at a predetermined control cycle when the power to the electric special vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0124] First, in S11 of Figure 28, the ECU 20 determines whether or not there is a drive request for the mounting system from at least one device, similar to what was described in the 12th embodiment.

[0125] If it is determined in S11 that there is a drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S24. The process in S24 is the same as the process in S24 described in the fifth embodiment above.

[0126] On the other hand, if it is determined in S11 that there is no drive request for the mounting system, the process proceeds to S30. The process in S30 is the same as the process described in the first embodiment, etc.

[0127] The refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 14th embodiment described above can achieve the same effects as the 5th embodiment described above.

[0128] (Regarding electric special-purpose vehicle 1) Here, we will explain the effects and benefits of applying the refrigeration cycle device 10 of this disclosure to various electric special-purpose vehicles 1.

[0129] <Dump truck> This disclosure may also be applied to dump trucks equipped with a device for tilting the loading bed to unload the cargo in one go. The dump truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, unloads the cargo in one go by tilting the loading bed using the power of the battery 2. In this case, the operation of tilting the loading bed and unloading the cargo can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0130] <Garbage truck> This disclosure can also be applied to refuse trucks primarily used for collecting waste and transporting it to processing facilities. The refuse truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to scoop up waste with a rotating plate and push the waste into the cargo box with a pushing plate. It also discharges waste by tilting the cargo bed. In this process, waste collection and discharge of the collected waste can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0131] <Aerial work platform> This disclosure may also be applied to aerial work platforms equipped with a work platform (i.e., a place on which workers stand while working) for performing work at heights. The aerial work platform, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to raise and lower the work platform, rotate it, etc. In this case, the raising and lowering and rotation of the work platform can be performed smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode, etc., as described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0132] <Crane> This disclosure may also be applied to crane trucks equipped with a crane device for loading and unloading cargo. The crane truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to operate the crane device and perform loading and unloading of cargo. In this case, the loading and unloading work can be performed smoothly by using the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0133] <Water truck> This disclosure may also be applied to water trucks equipped with a watering device. The water truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to operate the watering device and perform cleaning work, etc. In this case, the cleaning work, etc. can be performed smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode, etc., as described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0134] <Tank car> This disclosure may also be applied to tank trucks for transporting solids, liquids, and gases. The tank truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to operate a discharge pump, thereby sucking and discharging the load. In this process, the suction and discharging of the load can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0135] <Vehicle transporter> This disclosure may also be applied to vehicle carriers for transporting vehicles. The vehicle carrier, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to operate the cargo bed and winch, thereby loading and unloading vehicles. In this process, the loading and unloading of vehicles can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode and the like described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0136] <Vehicles with detachable body> This disclosure can also be applied to detachable-body vehicles equipped with a container transfer mechanism. The detachable-body vehicle, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, performs the transfer of containers by operating a transfer mechanism such as an arm using power from the battery 2. In this case, the transfer work can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0137] <Suction car> This disclosure may also be applied to a suction vehicle equipped with a suction device and a tank. The suction vehicle, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, collects sludge and the like by operating the suction device using the power of the battery 2. In this case, the collection work can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode and the like described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0138] <Mixer truck> This disclosure may also apply to mixer trucks equipped with a mixing drum in the cargo bed. The mixer truck, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to rotate the mixing drum and agitate the contents being transported inside. In this case, agitation can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0139] <Concrete pump truck> This disclosure may also apply to concrete pump trucks equipped with a pump for pumping concrete. The concrete pump truck, as an electric special vehicle 1, pumps concrete by operating the pump using the power of the battery 2. In this case, the pumping of concrete can be carried out smoothly by the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0140] <Fire engine> This disclosure can also be applied to fire engines equipped with a pump for drawing up water for firefighting, and to fire ladder trucks equipped with a ladder drive. The fire engine, as an electric special-purpose vehicle 1, uses the power of the battery 2 to operate the pump, thereby drawing up water and moving the ladder. In this process, firefighting activities can be carried out smoothly by using the battery cooling priority mode described in each embodiment of this disclosure.

[0141] (15th Embodiment) The 15th embodiment is a modification of the 1st to 4th, 12th, and 13th embodiments described above. The 15th embodiment has some changes to its configuration compared to the 1st to 4th, 12th, and 13th embodiments described above.

[0142] As shown in Figure 29, the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 15th embodiment is a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the battery 2. The battery cooling evaporator 18 directly cools the battery 2. Alternatively, a spacer or the like (not shown) may be placed between the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the battery 2, so that the battery cooling evaporator 18 cools the battery 2 via the spacer or the like.

[0143] The control described in the first to fourth, twelfth, and thirteenth embodiments can be applied to the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the fifteenth embodiment.

[0144] (16th Embodiment) The 16th embodiment is also a modification of the 1st to 4th, 12th, and 13th embodiments described above. The 16th embodiment has some changes to its configuration compared to the 1st to 4th, 12th, and 13th embodiments described above.

[0145] As shown in Figure 30, the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 16th embodiment is a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing inside the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the air blown by the battery cooling blower 26. The air blown by the battery cooling blower 26 and cooled in the battery cooling evaporator 18 is blown out toward the battery 2 to cool the battery 2.

[0146] The control described in the first to fourth, twelfth, and thirteenth embodiments can be applied to the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the sixteenth embodiment.

[0147] (17th Embodiment) The 17th embodiment is a modification of the 5th and 14th embodiments described above. The 17th embodiment has some changes to its configuration compared to the 5th and 14th embodiments described above.

[0148] As shown in Figure 31, the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 17th embodiment is a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the battery 2. The battery cooling evaporator 18 directly cools the battery 2. Alternatively, a spacer (not shown) may be placed between the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the battery 2, so that the battery cooling evaporator 18 cools the battery 2 via the spacer.

[0149] The control described in the fifth and fourteenth embodiments can be applied to the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the seventeenth embodiment.

[0150] (18th embodiment) The 18th embodiment is also a modification of the 5th and 14th embodiments described above. The 18th embodiment has some changes to its configuration compared to the 5th and 14th embodiments described above.

[0151] As shown in Figure 32, the battery cooling evaporator 18 in the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the 18th embodiment is a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing inside the battery cooling evaporator 18 and the air blown by the battery cooling blower 26. The air blown by the battery cooling blower 26 and cooled in the battery cooling evaporator 18 is blown out toward the battery 2 to cool the battery 2.

[0152] The control described in the fifth and fourteenth embodiments can be applied to the refrigeration cycle device 10 of the eighteenth embodiment.

[0153] (Other embodiments) (1) In the above embodiments, the refrigerant circuits 11, 111, and 112 were described as receiver cycles in which a liquid reservoir 14 is placed between the condenser 13 and the expansion valves 15 and 17, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the refrigerant circuits 11, 111, and 112 may be accumulator cycles in which a liquid reservoir is placed between the evaporators 16 and 18 and the compressors 12, 121, and 122.

[0154] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments and parts thereof are not unrelated to each other and can be combined as appropriate, except in cases where the combination is clearly impossible. In addition, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential unless they are explicitly stated to be particularly essential or are clearly considered essential in principle. Furthermore, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiments are mentioned in the embodiments, they are not limited to those specific numbers unless they are explicitly stated to be particularly essential or are clearly limited to a specific number in principle. Furthermore, when the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of the components are mentioned in the embodiments, they are not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc. unless they are explicitly stated to be particular or are clearly limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc. in principle.

[0155] The control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and its method described herein may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

[0156] The above disclosure can be understood from the following perspectives, for example. [First point of view] In a refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special-purpose vehicle (1) that drives the drive unit (5) of the bodywork system with power supplied from a battery (2), A compressor (12, 121, 122) that is powered by electricity supplied from the aforementioned battery and compresses the refrigerant, A condenser (13, 131, 132) that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor by heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve (15) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, An air conditioning evaporator (16) that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve (17) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, A battery cooling evaporator (18) that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium for cooling the battery or the refrigerant flowing out from the battery cooling expansion valve, A refrigeration cycle device comprising: an electronic control device (20) that, when it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system increases, controls the device to prioritize the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium by the battery cooling evaporator or the battery over the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator. [Second perspective] The refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (12a) of the compressor (12) circulates in the order of the condenser (13), the air conditioning expansion valve, the air conditioning evaporator, and the compressor's suction port (12b), and the refrigerant circuit is configured such that it circulates in the order of the condenser, the battery cooling expansion valve, the battery cooling evaporator, and the compressor's suction port. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein by increasing the priority of the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or the battery by the battery cooling evaporator and decreasing the priority of the cooling capacity of the air by the air conditioning evaporator, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or the battery by the battery cooling evaporator increases and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air by the air conditioning evaporator decreases within the total cooling capacity of a single refrigerant cycle apparatus. [Third perspective] The compressor comprises a first compressor (121) and a second compressor (122). The condenser comprises a first condenser (131) and a second condenser (132), The first refrigerant circuit is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (121a) of the first compressor circulates in the following order: the first condenser, the air conditioning expansion valve, the air conditioning evaporator, and the suction port (121b) of the first compressor. The second refrigerant circuit is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (122a) of the second compressor circulates in the following order: the second condenser, the battery cooling expansion valve, the battery cooling evaporator, and the suction port (122b) of the second compressor. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the total maximum permitted power supplied from the battery to the first compressor and the second compressor is specified. [Fourth perspective] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and lowers the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor and raises the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor. [Fifth perspective] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and lowers the upper limit of power supplied to the first compressor and raises the upper limit of power supplied to the second compressor. [Sixth perspective] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and increases the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve. [Seventh perspective] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth views, wherein the electronic control device reduces the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing. [Perspective 8] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the electronic control device increases the flow rate of the heat transfer medium supplied to the battery cooling evaporator when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing. [Perspective 9] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth views, wherein the electronic control device reduces the amount of air supplied to the air conditioning evaporator when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing. [Perspective 10] The system further includes a temperature sensor (25) for detecting the temperature of the aforementioned air conditioning evaporator, The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the electronic control device is configured to set a tolerance temperature for deterioration that allows the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator detected by the temperature sensor to deviate to a higher temperature than the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator, and sets the tolerance temperature for deterioration when it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system will increase. [Perspective 11] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the tenth aspect, wherein the electronic control device sets the allowable deterioration temperature to a larger value as the battery cooling requirement level increases. [Perspective 12] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system increases when there is a request to drive the mounting system. [Perspective 13] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the bodywork system increases when a user requests the bodywork system to be driven by operating a switch. [Perspective 14] In a refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special-purpose vehicle (1) that drives the drive unit (5) of the bodywork system with power supplied from a battery (2), A compressor (12) that is powered by electricity supplied from the aforementioned battery and compresses the refrigerant, A condenser (13) that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor by heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve (15) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, An air conditioning evaporator (16) that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve (17) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, A battery cooling evaporator (18) that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium for cooling the battery or the refrigerant flowing out from the battery cooling expansion valve, The system includes an electronic control device (20) that controls the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor within a predetermined range of upper limit rotational speed or less when power is not supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system, The refrigerant discharged from the compressor's discharge port (12a) circulates in the order of the condenser, the air conditioning expansion valve, the air conditioning evaporator, and the compressor's suction port (12b), and the refrigerant circuit is configured such that it circulates in the order of the condenser, the battery cooling expansion valve, the battery cooling evaporator, and the compressor's suction port. The refrigeration cycle device includes an electronic control device that, when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, executes control to set the upper limit rotational speed of the compressor to a rotational speed higher than a predetermined upper limit rotational speed. [Perspective 15] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the 14th aspect, wherein the electronic control device, when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, executes control to set the upper limit permitted power supplied to the compressor to a power higher than a predetermined upper limit permitted power.

Claims

1. In a refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special-purpose vehicle (1) that drives the drive unit (5) of the bodywork system with power supplied from a battery (2), A first compressor (121) and a second compressor (122) are powered by electricity supplied from the aforementioned battery and compress the refrigerant. A first condenser (131) that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the first compressor by heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, A second condenser (132) condenses the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor by heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve (15) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the first condenser, An air conditioning evaporator (16) that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve (17) that reduces the pressure and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the second condenser, A battery cooling evaporator (18) that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium for cooling the battery or a refrigerant that has flowed out from the battery cooling expansion valve, The system includes an electronic control device (20) that, when it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, controls the system to prioritize the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium by the battery cooling evaporator or the battery over the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator. The first refrigerant circuit is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (121a) of the first compressor circulates in the following order: the first condenser, the air conditioning expansion valve, the air conditioning evaporator, and the suction port (121b) of the first compressor. The second refrigerant circuit is configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (122a) of the second compressor circulates in the following order: the second condenser, the battery cooling expansion valve, the battery cooling evaporator, and the suction port (122b) of the second compressor. A refrigeration cycle device in which the total maximum permitted power supplied from the battery to the first compressor and the second compressor is specified.

2. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, it lowers the upper limit rotational speed of the first compressor and raises the upper limit rotational speed of the second compressor.

3. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, it lowers the upper limit of power supplied to the first compressor and raises the upper limit of power supplied to the second compressor.

4. The air conditioner evaporator is further provided with a temperature sensor (25) for detecting the temperature of the evaporator, The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control device is configured to set a tolerance temperature for deterioration that allows the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator detected by the temperature sensor to deviate to a higher temperature than the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator, and when it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system will increase, the tolerance temperature for deterioration is set.

5. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the electronic control device sets the allowable deterioration temperature to a larger value as the battery cooling requirement level increases.

6. A refrigeration cycle device mounted on an electric special vehicle (1) that drives a drive unit (5) of a bodywork system with power supplied from a battery (2), A compressor (12, 121, 122) that is powered by electricity supplied from the aforementioned battery and compresses the refrigerant, A condenser (13, 131, 132) that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor by heat exchange with the outside air of the vehicle, An air conditioning expansion valve (15) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, An air conditioning evaporator (16) that evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange between the air supplied to the vehicle interior and the refrigerant flowing out from the air conditioning expansion valve, A battery cooling expansion valve (17) that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser, A battery cooling evaporator (18) that evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange between the battery and a heat transfer medium for cooling the battery or a refrigerant that has flowed out from the battery cooling expansion valve, When it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system increases, an electronic control device (20) controls the system to prioritize the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium by the battery cooling evaporator or the battery over the cooling capacity of the air conditioning evaporator, The system includes a temperature sensor (25) for detecting the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator, The electronic control device is configured to set a tolerance temperature for deterioration that allows the temperature of the air conditioning evaporator detected by the temperature sensor to deviate from the target temperature of the air conditioning evaporator to a higher temperature, and sets the tolerance temperature for deterioration when it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system will increase.

7. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electronic control device sets the allowable deterioration temperature to a larger value as the battery cooling requirement level increases.

8. The refrigerant discharged from the discharge port (12a) of the compressor (12) circulates in the order of the condenser (13), the expansion valve for air conditioning, the evaporator for air conditioning, and the suction port (12b) of the compressor, and the refrigerant circuit is configured such that it circulates in the order of the condenser, the expansion valve for battery cooling, the evaporator for battery cooling, and the suction port of the compressor, The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 6, wherein by increasing the priority of the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or the battery by the battery cooling evaporator and decreasing the priority of the cooling capacity of the air by the air conditioning evaporator, the proportion of the cooling capacity of the heat transfer medium or the battery by the battery cooling evaporator increases and the proportion of the cooling capacity of the air by the air conditioning evaporator decreases within the total cooling capacity of a single refrigerant cycle apparatus.

9. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and increases the flow path opening area of ​​the battery cooling expansion valve.

10. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and reduces the flow path opening area of ​​the air conditioning expansion valve.

11. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing, and increases the flow rate of the heat transfer medium supplied to the battery cooling evaporator.

12. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device reduces the amount of air supplied to the air conditioning evaporator when it determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system is increasing.

13. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system increases when there is a request to drive the mounting system.

14. The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electronic control device determines that the amount of power supplied to the drive unit of the mounting system will increase when a user operates a switch and a request to drive the mounting system is made.

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