Integrated cooling module

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated cooling module in which a heat exchanger and a valve are installed in a central refrigerant manifold to integrate heat exchange components into one module, and the valve is disposed to face the heat exchanger, thereby improving packaging properties and refrigerant flowability.

Description

Integrated cooling module

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated cooling module applied to a vehicle cooling system, and more specifically, to an integrated cooling module in which heat exchange components are integrated into one module by installing a heat exchanger and a valve in a central refrigerant manifold, and the valve is positioned opposite the heat exchanger, thereby improving packaging properties and refrigerant fluidity.

[0002] Recently, as interest in energy efficiency and environmental pollution issues has grown by the day, there is a growing demand for the development of eco-friendly vehicles that can practically replace internal combustion engine vehicles. These eco-friendly vehicles are usually categorized as electric vehicles that are powered by fuel cells or electricity, or hybrid vehicles that are powered by engines and batteries.

[0003] Among these eco-friendly vehicles, electric or hybrid vehicles do not use a separate heater, unlike the air conditioning systems of regular vehicles, and the air conditioning system applied to eco-friendly vehicles is usually called a heat pump system.

[0004] Meanwhile, in the case of electric vehicles, the chemical reaction energy of oxygen and hydrogen is converted into electrical energy to generate driving force, and in this process, heat energy is generated by the chemical reaction within the fuel cell, so effectively removing the generated heat is essential to ensuring the performance of the fuel cell.

[0005] And in hybrid vehicles, in addition to engines that run on regular fuel, the driving force is generated by driving a motor using electricity supplied from the fuel cell or electric battery mentioned above. Therefore, the heat generated from the fuel cell, battery, and motor must be effectively removed to secure the performance of the motor.

[0006] Accordingly, in hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles according to the prior art, the battery cooling system must be configured as a separate sealed circuit together with the cooling system and the heat pump system to prevent heat generation of the battery including the motor, electrical components, and fuel cell.

[0007] Accordingly, there is a problem in that the size and weight of the cooling module placed at the front of the vehicle increase, and the layout of the connecting pipes supplying refrigerant or coolant to each heat pump system, cooling means, and battery cooling system inside the engine room becomes complicated.

[0008] Prior literature includes Korean Patent Publication No. 2019-0068125 (published on June 18, 2019).

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an integrated cooling module that can improve packaging performance and refrigerant fluidity by integrating heat exchange components into a single module by installing a heat exchanger and a valve in a central refrigerant manifold and arranging the valve opposite the heat exchanger.

[0010] An integrated cooling module according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a refrigerant manifold having a refrigerant passage formed therein and through which refrigerant flows; a heat exchanger connected to the refrigerant passage to exchange heat with the refrigerant; and a multi-way valve connected to the refrigerant passage to control the flow of the refrigerant; wherein the heat exchanger is installed on one surface of the refrigerant manifold, and the multi-way valve may be installed on the other surface of the refrigerant manifold, which is the opposite surface of the one surface.

[0011] The heat exchanger may include a water-cooled condenser and a chiller, and the multi-way valve may include a first multi-way valve connected to the water-cooled condenser and a second multi-way valve connected to the chiller.

[0012] The water-cooled condenser and the chiller are each mounted on one side of the refrigerant manifold and arranged parallel to each other, and the first multi-way valve and the second multi-way valve are each mounted on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, wherein the first multi-way valve may be located on the opposite side of the water-cooled condenser, and the second multi-way valve may be located on the opposite side of the chiller.

[0013] The first multi-way valve may be positioned in a straight line with the center of the mounting surface of the water-cooled condenser in the mounting direction of the water-cooled condenser, and the second multi-way valve may be positioned in a straight line with the center of the mounting surface of the chiller in the mounting direction of the chiller.

[0014] The water-cooled condenser is positioned higher in the gravity direction than the chiller, and the water-cooled condenser and the chiller can be positioned longitudinally horizontally to each other.

[0015] The above water-cooled condenser and chiller are each provided with a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerant outlet, a cooling water inlet, and a cooling water outlet, and the refrigerant inlet may be positioned above the refrigerant outlet in the direction of gravity, and the cooling water inlet may be positioned below the refrigerant outlet in the direction of gravity.

[0016] The above water-cooled condenser and the above chiller can be arranged inside the outer line of the above refrigerant manifold.

[0017] The above water-cooled condenser and chiller are each plate-type heat exchangers formed by stacking a plurality of plates, and in the water-cooled condenser, a first cooling water and a refrigerant can exchange heat, and in the chiller, a second cooling water and a refrigerant can exchange heat.

[0018] The above first multiway valve may be a three-way valve and a switching valve, and the above second multiway valve may be a three-way valve and an expansion valve.

[0019] The above multiway valve may further include a third multiway valve and a fourth multiway valve that are connected to each other.

[0020] The third multi-way valve and the fourth multi-way valve are each mounted on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, and can be positioned above the water-cooled condenser and chiller in the direction of gravity.

[0021] The above third multiway valve may be a three-way valve and a switching valve, and the above fourth multiway valve may be a two-way valve and an expansion valve.

[0022] It further includes a PT sensor installed to be connected to the refrigerant passage and measuring the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant; wherein the PT sensor can be mounted on either side of the refrigerant manifold.

[0023] The above refrigerant manifold is configured in a plate shape and can be arranged parallel to the direction of gravity.

[0024] The above refrigerant manifold is formed with a first inlet for introducing refrigerant from a first refrigerant circuit, a first outlet for discharging refrigerant to the first refrigerant circuit, and a second outlet for discharging refrigerant to the second refrigerant circuit, and the first inlet and the first outlet are each disposed on one side of the refrigerant manifold, and the second outlet may be disposed on the other side of the refrigerant manifold opposite the one side.

[0025] The above refrigerant manifold is structured such that at least two plates are stacked and the refrigerant passage is formed therebetween, and the refrigerant manifold includes a valve housing that accommodates the multi-way valve, a heat exchanger mounting portion on which the heat exchanger is mounted, a pipe joint portion to which various pipes are coupled, and a sensor fixing portion for fixing various sensors, and the refrigerant passage can be configured to fluidly connect the valve housing, the heat exchanger mounting portion, the pipe joint portion, and the sensor fixing portion.

[0026] According to the present invention, by installing a heat exchanger and a valve in a central refrigerant manifold, heat exchange components are integrated into a single module, and by arranging the valve opposite the heat exchanger, packaging performance and refrigerant fluidity can be improved.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an integrated cooling module according to an example of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1.

[0029] Figure 3 is a front view of Figure 1.

[0030] Figure 4 is a back view of Figure 1.

[0031] Figure 5 is a left side view of Figure 1.

[0032] Figure 6 is a right side view of Figure 1.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a bottom view of Fig. 1.

[0034] Figure 8 is a drawing for explaining the arrangement relationship between a heat exchanger and a multi-way valve.

[0035] Figure 9 is a drawing showing a water-cooled condenser and chiller.

[0036] Figure 10 is a front perspective view of the refrigerant manifold.

[0037] Figure 11 is an exploded view of Figure 10.

[0038] Figure 12 is a rear perspective view of the refrigerant manifold.

[0039] Figure 13 is an exploded view of Figure 12.

[0040] Figure 14 is a flow diagram of a refrigerant according to an example of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 15 is a flow diagram of a cooling water according to an example of the present invention.

[0042] [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10: Integrated cooling module

[0044] 100: Refrigerant manifold

[0045] 101: Center Plate

[0046] 102: Front plate

[0047] 103: Rear plate

[0048] 110: Valve housing

[0049] 120: Heat exchanger mounting section

[0050] 130: Pipe joint

[0051] 140: Sensor fixture

[0052] 200: Heat exchanger

[0053] 201: Water-cooled condenser

[0054] 202: Chiller

[0055] 300: Multiway valve

[0056] 301, 302, 303, 304: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th multi-way valves

[0057] 400: PT sensor

[0058] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0059] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an integrated cooling module according to an example of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a rear view of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a left side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a right side view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. 1.

[0060] As shown, the integrated cooling module (10) of the present invention largely includes a refrigerant manifold (100), a heat exchanger (200), and a multi-way valve (300), and may further include a PT sensor (400).

[0061] More specifically, the integrated cooling module (10) has a refrigerant manifold (100) positioned in the center, a heat exchanger (200) installed on one side of the refrigerant manifold (100), a multi-way valve (300) installed on the other side of the refrigerant manifold (100), and one or more PT sensors (400) may be installed on either side of the refrigerant manifold (100).

[0062] The refrigerant manifold (100) has a refrigerant path (C) formed inside it so that the refrigerant flows, and provides a mounting space in which various heat exchange components, i.e., a heat exchanger (200), a multi-way valve (300), and a PT sensor (400) can be mounted.

[0063] As shown in the drawing, the refrigerant manifold (100) is configured in a plate shape and can be installed vertically with respect to the floor surface by being arranged parallel to the direction of gravity. Accordingly, the heat exchanger (200) can be installed on the rear side of the refrigerant manifold (100) based on the drawing, and the multi-way valve (300) can be installed on the front side of the refrigerant manifold (100) which is the opposite side. That is, one side of the refrigerant manifold can correspond to the rear side and the other side of the refrigerant manifold can correspond to the front side. The heat exchanger (200) and the multi-way valve (300) can be mounted horizontally toward the refrigerant manifold which is arranged vertically with respect to the floor surface, respectively.

[0064] The heat exchanger (200) is a device that exchanges heat with the refrigerant, the multi-way valve (300) is a device that controls the flow of the refrigerant, that is, the direction of flow or transport of the refrigerant, and the PT sensor (400) is a device that measures the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant, and these are each mounted on the refrigerant manifold (100) and installed to be connected to the refrigerant passage (C) of the refrigerant manifold. In the present invention, when a component is connected to a refrigerant passage, it means that the component and the refrigerant passage are fluidly connected or communicated, and when two components are connected, it means that the two components are fluidly connected or communicated, and this can be implemented in a way that the refrigerant communicates via the refrigerant passage.

[0065] By configuring in this way, the flow of refrigerant between various components can be intensively organized around the refrigerant manifold, and this can improve the packaging of the vehicle heat exchange system by simplifying the structure, reducing the number of parts and assembly work, and reducing the weight compared to the conventional heat exchange components that required connecting pipes for the flow of refrigerant between the components.

[0066] In addition, since the various components are connected to each other through pipes in the past, there are problems such as a decrease in the performance of the system due to an unnecessary increase in the flow distance of the refrigerant when switching between cooling and heating modes in a heat pump system, whereas the present invention can solve such problems by integrating them into a module.

[0067] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, the heat exchanger (200) includes a water-cooled condenser (201) and a chiller (202), and the multi-way valve (300) includes a first multi-way valve (301) connected to the water-cooled condenser (201) and a second multi-way valve (302) connected to the chiller (202).

[0068] The water-cooled condenser (201) is a heat exchanger that condenses a gaseous refrigerant into a liquid state, and the chiller (202) is a heat exchanger that removes heat from a liquid refrigerant. The water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may each be configured as a plate-type heat exchanger formed by stacking a plurality of plates. The water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be configured to have the same size and shape.

[0069] In the water-cooled condenser (201), the first coolant and the refrigerant may be heat-exchanged, and in the chiller (202), the second coolant and the refrigerant may be heat-exchanged. More specifically, the first coolant may be coolant flowing in a first coolant circuit passing through a radiator, the second coolant may be coolant flowing in a second coolant circuit passing through a battery cooler, and the first coolant may flow from the radiator into the water-cooled condenser, exchange heat with the refrigerant inside the water-cooled condenser, and then be discharged back toward the radiator, and the second coolant may flow from the battery cooler into the chiller, exchange heat with the refrigerant inside the chiller, and then be discharged back toward the battery cooler.

[0070] The water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) are each mounted on one side, i.e., the rear side, of the refrigerant manifold (100) and arranged parallel to each other, and the first multi-way valve (301) and the second multi-way valve (302) are each mounted on the other side, i.e., the front side, of the refrigerant manifold (100).

[0071] At this time, considering the flowability of the refrigerant, the water-cooled condenser (201) can be placed higher in the gravity direction than the chiller (202), and the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) can be placed horizontally in the longitudinal direction (y direction in the drawing).

[0072] And, for efficient arrangement of the valves, the first multi-way valve (301) may be arranged on the opposite side of the water-cooled condenser (201), and the second multi-way valve (302) may be positioned on the opposite side of the chiller (202).

[0073] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the arrangement relationship of a heat exchanger and a multi-way valve. As shown, the first multi-way valve (301) may be positioned opposite the mounting surface (i.e., the top plate of the water-cooled condenser) on which the water-cooled condenser (201) is mounted on the refrigerant manifold (100) and the second multi-way valve (302) may be positioned opposite the mounting surface (i.e., the top plate of the chiller) on which the chiller (202) is mounted on the refrigerant manifold (100). In other words, the first multi-way valve (301) may be positioned inside the envelope (201_En) of the water-cooled condenser (201) and the second multi-way valve (302) may be positioned inside the envelope (202_En) of the chiller (202). This takes into account the direction of flow of the refrigerant, and by placing the valve controlling the flow of the refrigerant opposite the heat exchanger that determines the characteristics of the refrigerant, it is possible to effectively improve packaging and weight increase due to unnecessary twisting of the flow path.

[0074] More specifically, the first multi-way valve (301) (or the valve housing accommodating the first multi-way valve, which will be described later) may be positioned in a straight line with the mounting surface of the water-cooled condenser (201) or the center of the water-cooled condenser envelope (201_En) in the horizontal direction (x-direction in the drawing), which is the mounting direction of the water-cooled condenser (201), and the second multi-way valve (302) (or the valve housing accommodating the second multi-way valve, which will be described later) may be positioned in a straight line with the mounting surface of the chiller (202) or the center of the chiller envelope (202_en) in the horizontal direction (x-direction in the drawing), which is the mounting direction of the chiller (202). Each mounting surface or envelope may have an approximately rectangular shape, and the center of each mounting surface or envelope may correspond to a diagonal intersection of the corresponding rectangular shape. This specific arrangement may help to further reduce the packaging and weight of the module.

[0075] Referring back to FIG. 8, as illustrated, the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be arranged inside the outer line of the refrigerant manifold (100). That is, as described above, the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be configured to have the same size and shape, and at this time, the length in the longitudinal direction (y direction in the drawing) of each of the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be formed to be smaller than the width of the refrigerant manifold (100) (length in the y direction in the drawing), and the sum of the lengths in the height direction (z direction in the drawing) of each of the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be formed to be smaller than the height of the refrigerant manifold (100) (length in the z direction in the drawing). In this way, by limiting the water-cooled condenser and the chiller to the inside of the layout of the refrigerant manifold, the packaging ability of the entire module may be increased.

[0076] FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a water-cooled condenser and a chiller. As shown, the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202) may be provided with a refrigerant inlet (Ref_IN) through which refrigerant flows in, a refrigerant outlet (Ref_OUT) through which refrigerant flows out, a cooling water inlet (Coolant_IN) through which cooling water flows in, and a cooling water outlet (Coolant_Out) through which cooling water flows out, respectively. At this time, the refrigerant inlet (Ref_IN) may be positioned above the refrigerant outlet (Ref_OUT) in the direction of gravity, and the cooling water inlet (Coolant_IN) may be positioned below the refrigerant outlet (Coolant_OUT) in the direction of gravity. This is done in consideration of the characteristics of the refrigerant and the cooling water, and by configuring it in this way, there is an advantage in that the flow of the refrigerant is prevented from decreasing within each heat exchanger and the formation of bubbles in the cooling water is prevented.

[0077] Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 7, the multi-way valve (300) further includes third and fourth multi-way valves (303, 304) in addition to the first and second multi-way valves (301, 302). The third multi-way valve (303) and the fourth multi-way valve (304) can be connected to each other. A more specific connection relationship between the components will be described later. In addition, the third multi-way valve (303) and the fourth multi-way valve (304) are each mounted on the other surface, i.e., the front, of the refrigerant manifold (100).

[0078] At this time, the third multi-way valve (303) and the fourth multi-way valve (304) may be arranged above the water-cooled condenser (201) and the chiller (202), respectively, in the direction of gravity. That is, as illustrated, the third and fourth multi-way valves (303, 304) are respectively arranged above the water-cooled condenser (201), which is arranged above the chiller (202), and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction (y-direction in the drawing). This is in consideration of the flowability of the refrigerant based on the function of each of the third and fourth multi-way valves or the flow of the refrigerant controlled by the corresponding multi-way valves, and by arranging the third and fourth multi-way valves at the top of the module, the flow performance of the refrigerant within the module and the heat exchange performance of the refrigerant accordingly can be improved.

[0079] Fig. 10 is a front perspective view of a refrigerant manifold, Fig. 11 is an exploded view of Fig. 10, Fig. 12 is a rear perspective view of a refrigerant manifold, and Fig. 13 is an exploded view of Fig. 12. As shown, the refrigerant manifold (100) is structured such that at least two or more plates are stacked and a refrigerant passage (C) is formed therebetween.

[0080] More specifically, the refrigerant manifold (100) may be configured with a structure in which a front plate (102) and a rear plate (103) are respectively coupled to the front and rear of a central plate (101). The central plate (101) is configured to have flat surfaces on both sides, and the front plate (102) and the rear plate (103) are configured in a form in which a line structure protrudes from the opposite side of the side in contact with the central plate (101) and a groove is formed on the inside thereof, and the front plate (102) and the rear plate (103) are coupled to the central plate (101) so that a refrigerant passage (C) can be formed therebetween. A hole (101H) may be formed in the central plate (101), through which a front refrigerant passage (C1) formed between the front plate (102) and the central plate (101) and a rear refrigerant passage (C2) formed between the rear plate (103) and the central plate (101) can be connected to each other. The front plate (102), the center plate (101), and the rear plate (103) can be fixed to each other so as to be face-to-face and then brazed together to form an integral body.

[0081] And, the refrigerant manifold (100) includes a valve housing (110) that accommodates a multi-way valve (300), a heat exchanger mounting portion (120) on which a heat exchanger (200) is mounted, a pipe joint portion (130) on which various pipes are coupled, and a sensor fixing portion (140) for fixing various sensors, and these may be configured to be connected to each other through a refrigerant passage (C). For example, the valve housing (110) may be integrally formed on a front plate (102), the heat exchanger mounting portion (120) may be integrally formed on a rear plate (103), the pipe joint portion (130) may be integrally formed on a front or rear plate (102, 103) as an entrance / exit for refrigerant to be coupled to external pipes, and the sensor fixing portion (140) may be integrally formed on a front or rear plate (103) to be configured to fix various sensors such as a PT sensor (400).

[0082] Referring back to FIG. 12, as illustrated, a first inlet (IN-1), a first outlet (OUT-1), and a second outlet (OUT-2) may be formed in the refrigerant manifold (100). Refrigerant may be introduced into the refrigerant manifold (100) from an external first refrigerant circuit through the first inlet (IN-1), refrigerant may be discharged from the refrigerant manifold (100) to the first refrigerant circuit through the first outlet (OUT-1), and refrigerant may be discharged from the refrigerant manifold (100) to an external second refrigerant circuit through the second outlet (OUT-2). In addition, a third outlet (OUT-3) and a fourth inlet (IN-4) may be further formed in the refrigerant manifold (100). Refrigerant may be discharged from the refrigerant manifold (100) to an external third refrigerant circuit through the third outlet (OUT-3), and refrigerant may be introduced into the refrigerant manifold (100) from an external fourth refrigerant circuit through the fourth inlet (IN-4). The first inlet (IN-1), the first outlet (OUT-1), the second outlet (OUT-2), the third inlet (IN-3), and the fourth outlet (OUT-4) may each correspond to a pipe joint (130).

[0083] The first refrigerant circuit may be a refrigerant circuit connected to an external condenser, the second refrigerant circuit may be a refrigerant circuit connected to an external accumulator, the third refrigerant circuit may be a refrigerant circuit connected to an external evaporator, and the fourth refrigerant circuit may be a refrigerant circuit connected to an external indoor unit. The first to fourth refrigerant circuits may each be configured as independent circuits or may be configured as circuits in which at least some are connected to each other.

[0084] At this time, as illustrated, the first inlet (IN-1) and the first outlet (OUT-1) are each disposed on one side of the refrigerant manifold (100), for example, on the left side in the drawing, the second outlet (OUT-2) is disposed on the other side of the refrigerant manifold (100) which is the opposite side, for example, on the right side in the drawing, and the third outlet (OUT-3) and the fourth inlet (IN-4) may each be disposed on another side of the refrigerant manifold (100), for example, on the upper side in the drawing. In this way, by separating the refrigerant inlets and outlets passing through different refrigerant circuits from each other and arranging the refrigerant inlets and outlets passing through the same refrigerant circuits close to each other, the external piping connected to the module can be simply configured and the length of the piping can be reduced, thereby simplifying the layout of the entire system and improving the connectivity between the module and the system.

[0085] Below, we will examine the specific connection relationships between components according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a flow diagram of a refrigerant according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 15 is a flow diagram of a cooling water according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 14, the first multi-way valve (301) may be configured as a three-way valve, the second multi-way valve (302) may be configured as a three-way valve, the third multi-way valve (303) may be configured as a three-way valve, and the fourth multi-way valve (304) may be configured as a two-way valve. At this time, the first multi-way valve (301) and the third multi-way valve (303) may each be configured as switching valves, and the second multi-way valve (302) and the fourth multi-way valve (304) may each be configured as expansion valves. In addition, the first to fourth multi-way valves (304) may all be configured as electronic valves.

[0087] Fig. 14 is a front view of the integrated cooling module, and in the drawing, the small squares of each valve represent each way of each valve. As illustrated, the first multi-way valve (301) has one side connected to the refrigerant outlet (R_Out) of the water-cooled condenser (201), the other side connected to the first outlet (OUT-1), and the other side connected to the second outlet (OUT-2). The second multi-way valve (302) has one side connected to the refrigerant inlet (R_In) of the chiller (202), the other side connected to the first inlet (IN-1), and the other side connected to the refrigerant outlet (R_Out) of the chiller (202) and the second outlet (OUT-2). The third multi-way valve (303) has one side connected to the third outlet (OUT-3), the other side connected to the second multi-way valve (302), and the other side connected to a path connecting the first multi-way valve (301) and the first outlet (OUT-1). The fourth multi-way valve (304) has one side connected to the fourth inlet (IN-4), and the other side connected to the third multi-way valve (303). The path connecting the third multi-way valve (303) and the fourth multi-way valve (304) is connected to the refrigerant inlet (R_In) of the water-cooled condenser (201).

[0088] Referring to FIG. 15, the water-cooled condenser (201) is connected to an external radiator, so that first coolant passing through the radiator circulates through the water-cooled condenser (201) and the radiator, and the chiller (202) is connected to an external battery cooler, so that second coolant passing through the battery cooler circulates through the chiller (202) and the battery cooler.

[0089] Referring to Figures 14 and 15, the flow of refrigerant is explained as follows.

[0090] First, refrigerant flows into the module from an external condenser through the first refrigerant inlet (IN-1), the introduced refrigerant moves to the second multi-way valve (302), some of the moved refrigerant flows into the chiller (202), and the remainder moves toward the second refrigerant outlet (OUT-2). The refrigerant flowing into the chiller (202) moves toward the second refrigerant outlet (OUT-2) after heat exchange with the second cooling water, and the refrigerant moved to the second refrigerant inlet (R_In) moves to the external accumulator (ACCU) through the second outlet (OUT-2). The first multi-way valve (301) is an electronic expansion valve, and the refrigerant can be expanded in the first multi-way valve (301).

[0091] Next, the refrigerant flows into the module from the external indoor unit (A / C) through the fourth refrigerant inlet (IN-4), and the introduced refrigerant moves to the third multi-way valve (303) or to the water-cooled condenser (201) depending on the cooling or heating mode, and when the refrigerant moves to the third multi-way valve (303), the refrigerant is separated into the first refrigerant outlet (OUT-1) and the third refrigerant outlet (OUT-3), and each moves to the external evaporator (EVA) and condenser (COND), and when the refrigerant moves to the water-cooled condenser (201), the refrigerant flows into the water-cooled condenser (201), and after heat exchange with the first cooling water, moves to the first multi-way valve (301), and the refrigerant moved to the first multi-way valve (301) is separated into the second refrigerant outlet (OUT-2) and the first refrigerant outlet (OUT-1), and each moves to the external It moves to the accumulator (ACCU) and the condenser (COND). The fourth multi-way valve (304) is an electronic expansion valve that performs only a switching operation in cooling mode and an expansion function in heating mode, so that the refrigerant can be expanded in the fourth multi-way valve (304). The third multi-way valve (303) may be for dehumidification, and the fourth multi-way valve (304) may be for a heat pump.

[0092] In this way, the integrated cooling module of the present invention includes one two-way valve and three three-way valves, and two of the valves are configured as expansion valves, thereby efficiently integrating the refrigerant-related parts of a vehicle heat exchange system into one module.

[0093] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without altering the technical concept or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A refrigerant manifold in which a refrigerant path is formed inside and through which the refrigerant flows; A heat exchanger connected to the above refrigerant passage and exchanging heat with the refrigerant; and A multi-way valve connected to the above refrigerant path and controlling the flow of refrigerant; The above heat exchanger is installed on one side of the above refrigerant manifold, The above multi-way valve is installed on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, which is the opposite side of the above one side. Integrated cooling module.

2. In paragraph 1, The above heat exchanger includes a water-cooled condenser and a chiller, The above multiway valve includes a first multiway valve connected to the water-cooled condenser and a second multiway valve connected to the chiller. Integrated cooling module.

3. In paragraph 2, The above water-cooled condenser and chiller are each mounted on one side of the refrigerant manifold and arranged parallel to each other, The above first multi-way valve and the second multi-way valve are each mounted on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, The above first multi-way valve is located on the opposite side of the water-cooled condenser, The second multi-way valve is located on the opposite side of the chiller, Integrated cooling module.

4. In paragraph 3, The above first multi-way valve is positioned in a straight line with the center of the mounting surface of the water-cooled condenser in the mounting direction of the water-cooled condenser, The above second multi-way valve is positioned in a straight line with the center of the mounting surface of the chiller in the mounting direction of the chiller. Integrated cooling module.

5. In paragraph 3, The above water-cooled condenser is placed above the chiller in the direction of gravity, The above water-cooled condenser and the above chiller are arranged longitudinally horizontally to each other. Integrated cooling module.

6. In paragraph 3, The above water-cooled condenser and chiller are each provided with a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerant outlet, a cooling water inlet, and a cooling water outlet. The above refrigerant inlet is positioned higher in the direction of gravity compared to the above refrigerant outlet, The above cooling water inlet is positioned lower in the direction of gravity compared to the above cooling water outlet. Integrated cooling module.

7. In paragraph 3, The above water-cooled condenser and the above chiller are arranged inside the outer line of the above refrigerant manifold. Integrated cooling module.

8. In paragraph 2, The above water-cooled condenser and chiller are each plate-type heat exchangers formed by stacking multiple plates. In the above water-cooled condenser, the first cooling water and the refrigerant exchange heat, In the above chiller, the second cooling water and refrigerant exchange heat. Integrated cooling module.

9. In paragraph 2, The above first multi-way valve is a 3-way valve and a switching valve, The above second multi-way valve is a three-way valve and an expansion valve. Integrated cooling module.

10. In paragraph 2, The above multiway valve further includes a third multiway valve and a fourth multiway valve which are connected to each other. Integrated cooling module.

11. In paragraph 10, The third multi-way valve and the fourth multi-way valve are each mounted on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, and are positioned above the water-cooled condenser and chiller in the direction of gravity. Integrated cooling module.

12. In paragraph 11, The above third multi-way valve is a three-way valve and a switching valve, The above 4th multi-way valve is a 2-way valve and an expansion valve. Integrated cooling module.

13. In paragraph 1, Further comprising a PT sensor installed to be connected to the above refrigerant passage and measuring the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant; The above PT sensor is mounted on one side of the above refrigerant manifold, Integrated cooling module.

14. In paragraph 1, The above refrigerant manifold is configured in a plate shape and is arranged parallel to the direction of gravity. Integrated cooling module.

15. In paragraph 1, The above refrigerant manifold is formed with a first inlet for introducing refrigerant from a first refrigerant circuit, a first outlet for discharging refrigerant to the first refrigerant circuit, and a second outlet for discharging refrigerant to the second refrigerant circuit. The first inlet and the first outlet are each disposed on one side of the refrigerant manifold, The second outlet is located on the other side of the refrigerant manifold, which is opposite to the first side. Integrated cooling module.

16. In paragraph 1, The above refrigerant manifold is structured such that at least two plates are stacked and the refrigerant passage is formed between them. The above refrigerant manifold includes a valve housing that accommodates the multi-way valve, a heat exchanger mounting portion where the heat exchanger is mounted, a pipe joint portion where various pipes are joined, and a sensor fixing portion where various sensors are fixed. The above refrigerant path is configured to fluidly connect the valve housing, the heat exchanger mounting portion, the pipe joint portion, and the sensor fixing portion. Integrated cooling module.

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