Heat pump cycle device

Abstract

This heat pump cycle device comprises a compressor (11), an upstream-side branch part (13a), heating parts (12, 121, 60), heating-part-side flow rate adjustment parts (16a, 16b, 16c), a bypass passage (21c), a bypass-side flow rate adjustment part (16d), and an ejector (70, 70a). The ejector (70) has a nozzle part (71) that accelerates and sprays refrigerant flowing out from the bypass passage (21c), and a body part (72) in which there is formed a refrigerant suction port (721) for suctioning the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state flowing out from the heating-part-side flow rate adjustment parts (16a, 16b, 16c). The ejector (70) raises the pressure of the refrigerant in a refrigerant outlet (723) so as to be higher than the pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant suction port (721) by using a shock wave action.

Description

Heat pump cycle device CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-118329 filed on July 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump cycle device that heats an object to be heated by using heat generated by the compression work of a compressor.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat pump cycle device that is applied to a vehicle air conditioning system and heats air to be blown into a vehicle cabin as a heating target. The heat pump cycle device of Patent Document 1 is configured to be able to execute a hot gas heating mode as an operation mode for heating the vehicle cabin when the outside temperature is extremely low.

[0004] In more detail, in the heat pump cycle device of Patent Document 1, in hot gas heating mode, a refrigerant circuit is switched to flow a portion of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor into a heating unit, where the refrigerant is used as a heat source to heat the blown air. Furthermore, the refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit and the remaining refrigerant are decompressed by different flow control valves, mixed, and then switched to a refrigerant circuit that is drawn into the compressor.

[0005] In other words, in the heat pump cycle device of Patent Document 1, in hot gas heating mode, a refrigerant circuit is switched to mix a gas-phase refrigerant with a superheat degree obtained by decompressing the discharged refrigerant and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant obtained by decompressing the refrigerant that has dissipated heat in the heating section, and the resulting mixture is drawn into the compressor. As a result, in hot gas heating mode, even at extremely low outside temperatures where the refrigerant has difficulty absorbing heat from the outside air, the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor is used to heat the blown air, thereby heating the vehicle cabin.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-156567

[0007] In the heat pump cycle device of Patent Document 1, in order to sufficiently heat the blown air in the heating unit in the hot gas heating mode, it is necessary to sufficiently increase the compression work of the compressor. To increase the compression work of the compressor, it is effective to increase the suction refrigerant pressure of the suction refrigerant drawn into the compressor to increase the density of the suction refrigerant.

[0008] However, the hot gas heating mode in Patent Document 1 is selected when the outside air temperature is extremely low. Therefore, when the hot gas heating mode is selected, the temperature of the refrigerant circulating through the cycle is low, and the suction refrigerant pressure is often low. Therefore, when the hot gas heating mode is started, it is necessary to use the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor to increase the refrigerant temperature and the suction refrigerant pressure.

[0009] However, while the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor is used to raise the temperature of the refrigerant, the amount of compression work available for heating the target air is reduced. Therefore, in the heat pump cycle device of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to quickly raise the temperature of the target air when switching to the hot gas heating mode.

[0010] In view of the above, the present disclosure aims to provide a heat pump cycle device that heats an object to be heated using heat generated by the compression work of a compressor, and that can quickly demonstrate sufficient heating capacity.

[0011] A heat pump cycle apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a compressor, an upstream branch portion, a heating portion, a heating portion-side flow rate adjustment portion, a bypass passage, a bypass-side flow rate adjustment portion, and an ejector.

[0012] The compressor compresses and discharges the refrigerant. The upstream branching section branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. The heating section heats an object to be heated using one of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branching section as a heat source. The heating section-side flow rate adjustment section adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the heating section. The bypass passage causes the other refrigerant branched at the upstream branching section to bypass the heating section. The bypass-side flow rate adjustment section adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage.

[0013] The ejector has a nozzle and a body. The nozzle accelerates and injects the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass passage. The body has a refrigerant suction port that draws in the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state decompressed by the heating-part flow rate regulator, and a refrigerant outlet that discharges the refrigerant that has flowed into the body toward the suction port of the compressor.

[0014] The nozzle section is formed with a throat section and a divergent section. The throat section is the section where the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage is smallest. The divergent section is the section where the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage increases as it moves from the throat section toward the nozzle.

[0015] Furthermore, the ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet above the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port by the action of the shock waves.

[0016] In this configuration, the ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet to a level higher than the pressure at the refrigerant suction port. This allows the refrigerant pressure to be increased without using heat generated by the compressor's compression work to increase the refrigerant temperature. As a result, the heating section can quickly achieve sufficient heating capacity.

[0017] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 1. A schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment. 2. A cross-sectional view of an ejector according to the first embodiment. 3. A schematic configuration diagram of an interior air conditioning unit according to the first embodiment. 4. A block diagram showing an electrical control unit of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. 5. A schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in a cooling mode or the like of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. 6. A Mollier diagram showing changes in the state of refrigerant in a cooling mode of a heat pump cycle according to the first embodiment. 7. A schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in an outside air heat absorption heating mode or the like of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. 8. A Mollier diagram showing changes in the state of refrigerant in an outside air heat absorption heating mode of the heat pump cycle according to the first embodiment. 9. A schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in an outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidification heating mode or the like of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. 10. A Mollier diagram showing changes in the state of refrigerant in an outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidification heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner according to the first embodiment. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in a battery-only cooling mode of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in a battery-only cooling mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in an air-conditioning / battery cooling mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in an outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in an outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidification heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in an evaporator-only dehumidification heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in an evaporator-only dehumidification heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in a waste heat heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment.1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing the flow of refrigerant and heat medium in a waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode of a vehicle air conditioner of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in a waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode of a heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining expansion waves and shock waves in a mixing section when the ejector of the first embodiment is used in a suction mode. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a pressure change in the ejector of the first embodiment when the ejector of the first embodiment is used in a suction mode. FIG. 5 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of refrigerant in a heat pump cycle when the ejector of the first embodiment is used in a suction mode. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the form of shock waves generated in a first operating condition of the ejector of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the form of shock waves generated in a second operating condition of the ejector of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the form of shock waves generated in a third operating condition of the ejector of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the form of shock waves generated in a fourth operating condition of the ejector of the first embodiment. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the distance of a mixing section required to eliminate pseudo shock waves in an ejector of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing a refrigerant flow in a hot gas start mode of a vehicle air conditioner of a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram illustrating a pressure increase action in a hot gas start mode of a heat pump cycle of a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing a refrigerant flow in a hot gas heating mode or the like of a vehicle air conditioner of a first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in a state of a refrigerant in a hot gas heating mode of a heat pump cycle of a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in a state of a refrigerant in a hot gas waste heat heating mode of a heat pump cycle of a first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing a refrigerant flow in a hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of a vehicle air conditioner of a first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in a state of a refrigerant in a hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of a heat pump cycle of a first embodiment.FIG. 1 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of a refrigerant in a hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant in a hot gas defrosting heating mode of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram showing a change in state of a refrigerant in a hot gas defrosting heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an ejector of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a fourth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a fifth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a sixth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a seventh embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of an eighth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner of a ninth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a Mollier diagram showing changes in the state of the refrigerant in a hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of the heat pump cycle of the ninth embodiment.

[0018] Hereinafter, multiple embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to matters described in the preceding embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted. In each embodiment, when only a part of the configuration is described, other previously described embodiments may be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to combinations of parts that are specifically specified as being combinable in each embodiment, it is also possible to partially combine embodiments even if not specified, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0019] 1 to 41 , a first embodiment of a heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure will be described. In this embodiment, the heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1 mounted on an electric vehicle. The vehicle air conditioner 1 conditions the air inside the vehicle cabin, which is the space to be air-conditioned, and also regulates the temperature of various on-board devices that generate heat during operation. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 is an air conditioner with a function for regulating the temperature of on-board devices.

[0020] The vehicle air conditioner 1 regulates the temperatures of a battery 80 and high-power equipment 81 as on-board equipment. The battery 80 is a secondary battery that stores power to be supplied to multiple on-board equipment that operates electrically. The battery 80 is an assembled battery formed by electrically connecting multiple stacked battery cells in series or parallel. The battery cells in this embodiment are lithium-ion batteries.

[0021] The battery 80 generates heat during operation (i.e., during charging and discharging). The output of the battery 80 is likely to decrease at low temperatures, and deterioration is likely to progress at high temperatures. For this reason, the temperature of the battery 80 needs to be maintained within an appropriate temperature range (in this embodiment, 15°C or higher and 55°C or lower).

[0022] The high-power equipment 81 is an in-vehicle device that operates when supplied with power and generates heat during operation. Specifically, the high-power equipment 81 in this embodiment is a power control unit that performs power transformation and power distribution. When the high-power equipment 81 becomes hot, the electrical circuits thereof deteriorate. For this reason, the high-power equipment 81 must be maintained at a temperature lower than the reference heat-resistant temperature (130°C in this embodiment) at which the electrical circuits can be protected.

[0023] That is, the automotive air conditioner 1 adjusts the temperatures of a plurality of on-board devices having different heat resistance temperatures. Specifically, the upper limit temperature of the battery 80 is lower than the reference heat resistance temperature of the high-power device 81.

[0024] The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, and the like.

[0025] First, a heat pump cycle 10 will be described with reference to the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 1. The heat pump cycle 10 is a vapor compression refrigeration cycle that adjusts the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle cabin and the low-temperature side heat medium circulating through a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30.

[0026] The heat pump cycle 10 is configured to be able to switch refrigerant circuits according to various operating modes described below to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin and temperature control of on-board devices. The heat pump cycle 10 uses an HFO refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) as the refrigerant. The heat pump cycle 10 constitutes a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the pressure of the high-pressure side refrigerant does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant.

[0027] The refrigerant is mixed with refrigerating machine oil to lubricate the compressor 11. The refrigerating machine oil is PAG oil (i.e., polyalkylene glycol oil) or POE (i.e., polyol ester) that is compatible with the liquid-phase refrigerant. A portion of the refrigerating machine oil circulates through the heat pump cycle 10 together with the refrigerant.

[0028] The compressor 11 draws in, compresses, and discharges refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10. The compressor 11 is an electric compressor that uses an electric motor to rotate a fixed-displacement compression mechanism with a fixed discharge capacity. The rotation speed (i.e., refrigerant discharge capacity) of the compressor 11 is controlled by a control signal output from a control device 50, which will be described later.

[0029] The compressor 11 is disposed in a drive unit compartment formed in the front side of the vehicle interior. The drive unit compartment forms a space in which at least some of the devices used to generate and adjust the driving force for running the vehicle (for example, a motor generator, which will be described later) are disposed.

[0030] The inlet side of a first three-way joint 13a is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The first three-way joint 13a has three inlet and outlet ports that communicate with each other. The first three-way joint 13a may be a joint formed by joining multiple pipes or a joint formed by providing multiple refrigerant passages in a metal block or a resin block.

[0031] Furthermore, the heat pump cycle 10 includes a second three-way joint 13b to a ninth three-way joint 13i, as will be described later. The second three-way joint 13b to the sixth three-way joint 13f have the same basic configuration as the first three-way joint 13a. The basic configuration of each three-way joint described in the embodiments below is also the same as that of the first three-way joint 13a.

[0032] This type of three-way joint branches the refrigerant flow when one of the three inlet / outlet ports is used as an inlet and the remaining two are used as outlet ports. Furthermore, when two of the three inlet / outlet ports are used as inlet ports and the remaining one is used as an outlet port, the refrigerant flows are merged. The first three-way joint 13a is an upstream branching part that branches the flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11.

[0033] One outlet of the first three-way joint 13a is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the indoor condenser 12. The indoor condenser 12 is disposed in an air conditioning case 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40, which will be described later. The indoor condenser 12 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the discharged refrigerant flowing out from one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a and the blown air. The indoor condenser 12 is a heat radiating section that radiates heat from the discharged refrigerant to the blown air.

[0034] Therefore, the interior condenser 12 is a heating section that heats the blown air, which is the object to be heated, using the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 as a heat source.

[0035] The inlet side of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor condenser 12. One of the outlets of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to one of the inlet sides of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The outlet of the fifth three-way joint 13e is connected to the inlet side of the receiver 15. The refrigerant passage that runs from the inlet side of the second three-way joint 13b through the fifth three-way joint 13e to the inlet side of the receiver 15 is the inlet-side passage 21a.

[0036] A first on-off valve 14a is disposed in the inlet-side passage 21a, in a refrigerant passage extending from the inlet of the second three-way joint 13b to one of the inlets of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The first on-off valve 14a is an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes the inlet-side passage 21a. The opening and closing operation of the first on-off valve 14a is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 50.

[0037] Furthermore, the heat pump cycle 10 includes a second on-off valve 14b and a third on-off valve 14c, as described below. The second on-off valve 14b and the third on-off valve 14c have the same basic configuration as the first on-off valve 14a. The first on-off valve 14a to the third on-off valve 14c can switch the refrigerant circuit by opening and closing the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the first on-off valve 14a to the third on-off valve 14c function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

[0038] The receiver 15 is a high-pressure-side gas-liquid separation unit that separates gas and liquid from the high-pressure refrigerant flowing out from the heat exchanger that functions as a condenser that condenses the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10. The receiver 15 is a high-pressure-side liquid storage unit that allows a portion of the separated liquid-phase refrigerant to flow downstream and stores the remaining liquid-phase refrigerant as excess refrigerant in the cycle.

[0039] An inlet side of a seventh three-way joint 13g is connected to the outlet of the receiver 15. One of the outlets of the seventh three-way joint 13g is connected to one of the inlets of the third three-way joint 13c. The refrigerant passage that runs from the outlet of the receiver 15, via the seventh three-way joint 13g, to one of the inlets of the third three-way joint 13c is the outlet-side passage 21b.

[0040] A first check valve 17a is disposed in the outlet-side passage 21b in a refrigerant passage extending from one outlet of the seventh three-way joint 13g to one inlet of the third three-way joint 13c. The first check valve 17a allows the refrigerant to flow from the seventh three-way joint 13g to the third three-way joint 13c, but prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the third three-way joint 13c to the seventh three-way joint 13g.

[0041] The other outlet of the second three-way joint 13b is connected to the other inlet of the third three-way joint 13c. A second on-off valve 14b is disposed in the refrigerant passage from the other outlet of the second three-way joint 13b to the other inlet of the third three-way joint 13c. The second on-off valve 14b opens and closes the refrigerant passage from the other outlet of the second three-way joint 13b to the other inlet of the third three-way joint 13c.

[0042] The inlet side of a heating flow control valve 16a is connected to the outlet of the third three-way joint 13c. The heating flow control valve 16a is a heating flow control unit that adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant that flows out of the third three-way joint 13c and into the outdoor heat exchanger 18, for example, in an outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, which will be described later. Furthermore, the heating flow control valve 16a is a heating pressure reduction unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that flows out of the third three-way joint 13c and into the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

[0043] The heating flow control valve 16a is an electric variable throttle mechanism that has a valve element that changes the throttle opening and an electric actuator (specifically, a stepping motor or a brushless DC motor) that acts as a drive unit that displaces the valve element. The operation of the heating flow control valve 16a is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0044] Furthermore, the heating flow rate control valve 16a adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12, which is a heating unit, in a hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, which will be described later, and adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 18. Therefore, the heating flow rate control valve 16a is included in the heating unit side flow rate adjustment unit.

[0045] The heating flow control valve 16a has a full-open function that functions simply as a refrigerant passage without exerting any refrigerant decompression or flow rate adjustment functions by fully opening the throttle valve 16a, and also has a full-close function that closes the refrigerant passage by fully closing the throttle valve 16a.

[0046] Furthermore, as will be described later, the heat pump cycle 10 includes a cooling flow control valve 16b, a cooling flow control valve 16c, and a bypass side flow control valve 16d. The cooling flow control valve 16b, the cooling flow control valve 16c, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d have the same basic configuration as the heating flow control valve 16a.

[0047] The heating flow control valve 16a, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the cooling flow control valve 16c, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d can switch the refrigerant circuit by fully closing the valves, and therefore the heating flow control valve 16a, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the cooling flow control valve 16c, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d also function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

[0048] Of course, the heating flow control valve 16a, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the cooling flow control valve 16c, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d may be formed by combining a variable throttle mechanism that does not have a full-closing function with an on-off valve that opens and closes the throttle passage. In this case, each on-off valve serves as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

[0049] The outlet of the heating flow control valve 16a is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of an exterior heat exchanger 18. The exterior heat exchanger 18 is an exterior heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the heating flow control valve 16a and outside air blown in by an outside air fan (not shown). The exterior heat exchanger 18 is located at the front end of the drive unit compartment. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, traveling air that flows into the drive unit compartment through the grille can be directed against the exterior heat exchanger 18.

[0050] In addition, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is included in a suction side heat exchange section that exchanges heat with the outside air, which is the heat exchange object, of the refrigerant flowing out from the heating section side flow rate adjustment section during the hot gas outside air heat absorption heating mode described later, and causes the refrigerant to flow out to the refrigerant suction port 721 side of the ejector 70 described later.

[0051] An inlet side of a fourth three-way joint 13d is connected to a refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. One outlet side of the fourth three-way joint 13d is connected to the other inlet side of a fifth three-way joint 13e. One outlet side of the fourth three-way joint 13d is connected to one inlet side of a sixth three-way joint 13f.

[0052] A second check valve 17b is disposed in the refrigerant passage extending from one outlet of the fourth three-way joint 13d to the other inlet of the fifth three-way joint 13e. The second check valve 17b allows the refrigerant to flow from the fourth three-way joint 13d to the fifth three-way joint 13e and prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the fifth three-way joint 13e to the fourth three-way joint 13d.

[0053] A third on-off valve 14c and a third check valve 17c are arranged in the refrigerant passage from the other outlet of the fourth three-way joint 13d to one inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f. The third on-off valve 14c opens and closes the refrigerant passage from the other outlet of the fourth three-way joint 13d to one inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f. The third check valve 17c allows refrigerant to flow from the third on-off valve 14c side to the sixth three-way joint 13f side and prohibits refrigerant from flowing from the sixth three-way joint 13f side to the third on-off valve 14c side.

[0054] The other outlet of the seventh three-way joint 13g disposed in the outlet-side passage 21b is connected to the inlet side of an eighth three-way joint 13h. One outlet of the eighth three-way joint 13h is connected to the inlet side of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b. The other outlet of the eighth three-way joint 13h is connected to the inlet side of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c.

[0055] The cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b is a cooling flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out from the eighth three-way joint 13h and flows into the indoor evaporator 19 during a cooling mode, which will be described later. Furthermore, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b is a cooling pressure reduction unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that flows out from the eighth three-way joint 13h and flows into the indoor evaporator 19.

[0056] Furthermore, in a hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode (to be described later) or the like, the cooling flow control valve 16b adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12, which is a heating unit, and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the indoor evaporator 19. Therefore, the cooling flow control valve 16b is included in the heating unit-side flow control unit.

[0057] The outlet of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the interior evaporator 19. The interior evaporator 19 is a heat exchanger for cooling that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b and the air blown into the vehicle cabin from the interior blower 42. The interior evaporator 19 evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant to exert a heat absorption effect, thereby cooling the air.

[0058] The indoor evaporator 19 is disposed in an air conditioning case 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40. The indoor evaporator 19 is included in a suction-side heat exchange unit that, in a hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode (described later) or the like, causes the refrigerant flowing out from the heating unit-side flow rate adjustment unit to exchange heat with blown air, which is a heat exchange object, and causes the refrigerant to flow out toward the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. One inlet of a ninth three-way joint 13i is connected to a refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 19.

[0059] The cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c is a cooling flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant that flows out from the eighth three-way joint 13h and flows into the chiller 20 during a hot gas heating mode or a cooling operation mode, which will be described later. Furthermore, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c is a cooling pressure reduction unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that flows out from the eighth three-way joint 13h and flows into the chiller 20.

[0060] Furthermore, in a hot gas heating mode, which will be described later, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12, which is the heating unit, and thereby adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the chiller 20. Therefore, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c is included in the heating unit-side flow rate adjustment unit.

[0061] The outlet of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20. The chiller 20 is a cooling heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c and the low-temperature side heat medium circulating through the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30. The chiller 20 evaporates the low-pressure refrigerant to exert a heat absorption effect, thereby cooling the low-temperature side heat medium.

[0062] The chiller 20 is disposed in the drive unit room together with the compressor 11, etc. The chiller 20 is included in a suction-side heat exchange unit that, during a hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode (described later) or the like, causes the refrigerant flowing out of the heating unit-side flow rate adjuster to exchange heat with a low-temperature heat medium, which is a heat exchange object, and causes the refrigerant to flow out toward the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. The outlet of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20 is connected to the other inlet of the ninth three-way joint 13i.

[0063] The other inlet side of the sixth three-way joint 13f is connected to the outlet side of the ninth three-way joint 13i. A fourth check valve 17d is arranged in the refrigerant passage leading from the outlet side of the ninth three-way joint 13i to the other inlet side of the sixth three-way joint 13f. The fourth check valve 17d allows the refrigerant to flow from the ninth three-way joint 13i side to the sixth three-way joint 13f side and prohibits the refrigerant from flowing from the sixth three-way joint 13f side to the ninth three-way joint 13i side.

[0064] The outlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f is connected to a refrigerant suction port 721 formed in the body portion 72 of the ejector 70.

[0065] The inlet side of a bypass-side flow control valve 16d is connected to the other outlet of the first three-way joint 13a, which is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11. The nozzle portion 71 side of the ejector 70 is connected to the outlet of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d.

[0066] The refrigerant passage from the other outlet of the first three-way joint 13a to the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 is a bypass passage 21c that allows the other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a, which is the upstream branching portion, to flow around the indoor condenser 12, which is the heating portion.

[0067] The bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d is a bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant that flows through the bypass passage 21c and flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70, for example, in a hot gas heating mode described later. Furthermore, the bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d is a bypass-side pressure reduction unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant that flows out of the first three-way joint 13a and flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70.

[0068] The ejector 70 is a refrigerant acceleration unit that accelerates and sprays the refrigerant through a nozzle 71. The ejector 70 is a refrigerant transport unit that sucks and transports the refrigerant through a refrigerant suction port 721 by the action of the sprayed refrigerant. The ejector 70 is a refrigerant pressurization unit that pressurizes the refrigerant that has flowed into it by the action of the sprayed refrigerant. The detailed configuration of the ejector 70 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The ejector 70 has a nozzle 71 and a body 72.

[0069] The nozzle portion 71 accelerates the refrigerant flowing into the nozzle portion 71 to supersonic speed and injects the refrigerant into a mixing and pressurizing portion 722 formed in the body portion 72. The nozzle portion 71 is formed by subjecting a cylindrical member made of metal (stainless steel in this embodiment) to plastic processing or cutting.

[0070] A nozzle inlet 711, through which the refrigerant flowing out from the bypass passage 21c flows, is formed at the most upstream portion of the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71. An injection port 715, through which the refrigerant is injected, is formed at the most downstream portion of the refrigerant flow of the nozzle portion 71.

[0071] The refrigerant passage of the nozzle 71 is formed with a tapered portion 712, a throat portion 713, and a divergent portion 714. The tapered portion 712 is a portion that reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage of the refrigerant flowing from the nozzle inlet 711 as the refrigerant flows downstream. The throat portion 713 is the portion where the cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage is the smallest. The divergent portion 714 is a portion where the cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage increases as the refrigerant flows from the throat portion 713 toward the injection port 715.

[0072] That is, the ejector 70 employs a so-called Laval nozzle as the nozzle unit 71. The nozzle unit 71 of this embodiment can accelerate the refrigerant injected from the injection port 715 to the sonic velocity or faster at a first pressure reduction ratio (Pnout / Pin) that can obtain a predetermined adiabatic enthalpy drop Δh. Here, Pin is the inlet pressure of the refrigerant at the nozzle inlet 711. Furthermore, Pnout is the injection port pressure of the refrigerant at the injection port 715.

[0073] The body 72 is a cylindrical member that forms the outer shell of the ejector 70 and defines a refrigerant passage therein. The nozzle 71 is fixed to one longitudinal end of the body 72 by press-fitting, screw fastening, or other means. The central axes of the refrigerant passages in the nozzle 71 and the body 72 are coaxial. The body 72 may be made of metal (specifically, an aluminum alloy) or resin.

[0074] The body portion 72 has a refrigerant suction port 721, a mixing and pressurizing portion 722, a refrigerant outlet 723, etc. The refrigerant suction port 721 is formed in a portion of the cylindrical side surface of the body portion 72 on the outer circumferential side of the nozzle portion 71. The refrigerant suction port 721 is a through hole that draws the refrigerant that flows out from the sixth three-way joint 13f into the interior of the ejector 70 as suction refrigerant by the action of the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle portion 71.

[0075] The mixing and pressurizing section 722 is a refrigerant passage for mixing the injected refrigerant and the suctioned refrigerant to increase the pressure of the refrigerant. The mixing and pressurizing section 722 is roughly divided into a mixing section 722a and an area enlargement section 722b.

[0076] The mixing section 722a is a section for increasing the pressure of the mixed refrigerant, which is a mixture of the sprayed refrigerant and the suctioned refrigerant, to bring it closer to an equilibrium state.

[0077] Here, the equilibrium state refers to a state in which the mixed refrigerant has almost no temperature distribution, pressure distribution, or flow velocity distribution. When the mixed refrigerant is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, the equilibrium state refers to a state in which droplets are uniformly distributed in the gas-phase refrigerant, and the temperature, pressure, and flow velocity of the gas-phase refrigerant and droplets in the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant are generally uniform. When the mixed refrigerant is a gas-phase refrigerant, the equilibrium state refers to a state in which the temperature, pressure, and flow velocity of the gas-phase refrigerant are generally uniform.

[0078] However, even in an equilibrium state, a velocity distribution that follows a power law or the like occurs in the turbulent boundary layer or the like on the outer peripheral wall surface side of the mixing space 722a.

[0079] The mixing section 722a forms a cylindrical space. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage in the mixing section 722a is constant. Furthermore, in the ejector 70 of this embodiment, when the length of the mixing section 722a in the central axis direction (hereinafter referred to as the Z-axis direction) is defined as the mixing section distance L, the mixing section distance L is set to satisfy the following formulas F1 and F2.

[0080]

[0081]

[0082] u0 is the average mass flow velocity of the refrigerant in the Z-axis direction at the inlet of the mixing section 722a in the operation mode in which the ejector 70 draws the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state from the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0083] ρ l is the density of the liquid phase refrigerant particles (hereinafter referred to as droplets) in the mixed refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section 722a during the operating mode in which the ejector 70 draws the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state from the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0084] D l is the average diameter of droplets at the inlet of the mixing section 722a in the operation mode in which the ejector 70 draws the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state from the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0085] μ gis the viscosity of the gas phase refrigerant in the mixed refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section 722a in the operation mode in which the ejector 70 draws the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state from the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0086] Lv is called the relaxation distance and is the distance obtained by multiplying the average mass flow rate U of the mixed refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing and pressurizing section 722 by a dimensionless relaxation number, which is expressed as the ratio of the inertial force and viscosity of the droplets. The relaxation distance Lv represents the distance obtained by multiplying the initial velocity of the mixed refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing and pressurizing section 722 by the time it takes for the flow velocity of the gas phase refrigerant in the mixed refrigerant to become equal to the flow velocity of the droplets.

[0087] Therefore, in order to bring the mixed refrigerant of the injected refrigerant and the suctioned refrigerant flowing out from the mixing section 722a into an equilibrium state, the mixing section length L must be at least longer than the relaxation distance Lv.

[0088] The area expansion section 722b expands the refrigerant passage cross-sectional area in the flow direction, and connects the most downstream part of the mixing section 722a with the refrigerant outlet 723. The refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 11.

[0089] The ejector 70 of this embodiment is used in different ways depending on the refrigerant circuit configuration of the heat pump cycle 10. The ejector 70 can be used in three ways: (α) a passage mode, (β) a nozzle mode, and (γ) a suction mode.

[0090] (α) Passage mode is a mode of use in which the refrigerant that has flowed from the refrigerant suction port 721 into the mixing and pressurizing section 722 flows out from the refrigerant outlet 723 without flowing into the nozzle section 71 of the ejector 70.

[0091] In the passage mode, the ejector 70 does not perform a refrigerant suction function or a refrigerant pressurization function because the refrigerant does not flow into the nozzle portion 71. Therefore, in the passage mode, the ejector 70 functions as a refrigerant passage that guides the refrigerant that flows in from the refrigerant suction port 721 to the refrigerant outlet 723 via the mixing and pressurization portion 722.

[0092] (β) The nozzle mode is a usage mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 and the refrigerant flow path communicating with the refrigerant suction port 721 is closed. In other words, the nozzle mode is a usage mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 and the suction of the refrigerant through the refrigerant suction port 721 is suppressed or limited. Alternatively, the nozzle mode is a usage mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 and the suction of the refrigerant through the refrigerant suction port 721 is substantially prohibited.

[0093] (γ) The suction mode is a mode of use in which the refrigerant is caused to flow into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 and is sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721 .

[0094] The function of the ejector 70 in the (β) nozzle mode and the (γ) suction mode will be described later.

[0095] Next, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 will be described. The low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 is a circuit that circulates the low-temperature side heat medium. In this embodiment, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the low-temperature side heat medium. As shown in FIG. 1 , the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 includes a low-temperature side heat medium pump 31, a heat medium passage for the chiller 20, a coolant passage 80a for the battery 80, a coolant passage 81a for the high-power equipment 81, a low-temperature side radiator 32, and the like.

[0096] The low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is a low-temperature side heat medium pumping unit that sucks in the low-temperature side heat medium and pumps it to the heat medium passage of the chiller 20. The low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is an electric water pump whose rotation speed (i.e., pumping capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 50.

[0097] An inlet of a first heat medium three-way joint 33a is connected to an outlet of the heat medium passage of the chiller 20. The basic configuration of the first heat medium three-way joint 33a is similar to that of the first three-way joint 13a for the refrigerant, etc.

[0098] Furthermore, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 includes a second heat medium three-way joint 33b to a fourth heat medium three-way joint 33d. The second heat medium three-way joint 33b to the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33d have the same basic configuration as the first heat medium three-way joint 33a. The basic configuration of each heat medium three-way joint described in the following embodiments is also the same as the first heat medium three-way joint 33a.

[0099] The inlet side of a first heat medium flow control valve 36a is connected to one outlet of the first heat medium three-way joint 33a. The basic configuration of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a is similar to that of the cooling refrigerant flow control valve 16b, etc. The first heat medium flow control valve 36a has a fully open function and a fully closed function.

[0100] Furthermore, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 includes a second heat medium flow control valve 36b and a third heat medium flow control valve 36c. The second heat medium flow control valve 36b and the third heat medium flow control valve 36c have the same basic configuration as the first heat medium flow control valve 36a. The basic configuration of each heat medium flow control valve described in the following embodiments is also the same as the first heat medium flow control valve 36a.

[0101] The first to third heat medium flow rate adjustment valves 36a to 36c can switch the heat medium circuit by fully closing them, and therefore the first to third heat medium flow rate adjustment valves 36a to 36c also function as heat medium circuit switching units.

[0102] Of course, like the cooling flow rate control valve 16b, the first heat medium flow rate control valve 36a to the third heat medium flow rate control valve 36c may be formed by combining a variable throttle mechanism that does not have a full-closing function with an on-off valve that opens and closes the heat medium passage. In this case, each on-off valve serves as the heat medium circuit switching unit.

[0103] The outlet of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a is connected to the inlet side of the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80. The coolant passage 80a of the battery 80 is a heat medium passage for cooling the battery 80 by circulating the heat medium that flows out from the chiller 20. In other words, the coolant passage 80a is a heat exchange passage for cooling the battery 80 by exchanging heat between the heat medium flowing through the heat medium flow path and the battery cells.

[0104] The cooling water passage 80a is formed inside the battery case that houses multiple stacked battery cells. The cooling water passage 80a is configured with multiple passages connected in parallel inside the battery case. This allows the cooling water passage 80a to cool all of the battery cells evenly. One inlet side of the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33d is connected to the outlet of the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80.

[0105] The other outlet of the first heat medium three-way joint 33a is connected to the inlet side of a second heat medium three-way joint 33b. The other outlet of the second heat medium three-way joint 33b is connected to the inlet side of a second heat medium flow control valve 36b. The other outlet of the second heat medium three-way joint 33b is connected to the inlet side of a third heat medium flow control valve 36c.

[0106] The outlet of the second heat medium flow control valve 36b is connected to the inlet side of a cooling water passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81. The cooling water passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81 is a heat medium passage for circulating the heat medium flowing out from the chiller 20 to cool the high-power equipment 81. In other words, the cooling water passage 81a is a heat exchange passage for cooling the high-power equipment 81 by exchanging heat between the heat medium flowing through the heat medium flow passage and the high-power equipment 81.

[0107] An outlet of the cooling water passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81 is connected to one inlet side of the third heat medium three-way joint 33c.

[0108] The outlet of the third heat medium flow rate adjustment valve 36c is connected to the heat medium inlet side of the low-temperature side radiator 32. The low-temperature side radiator 32 is a heat medium-outside air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-temperature side heat medium and outside air blown by an outside air fan (not shown).

[0109] The low-temperature side radiator 32 is disposed at the front side of the drive unit compartment. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, traveling air can be applied to the low-temperature side radiator 32. The low-temperature side radiator 32 may be formed integrally with the exterior heat exchanger 18.

[0110] The other inlet side of the third heat medium three-way joint 33 c is connected to the heat medium outlet of the low-temperature side radiator 32. The other inlet side of the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33 d is connected to the outlet of the third heat medium three-way joint 33 c. The suction side of the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is connected to the outlet of the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33 d.

[0111] Next, the interior air conditioning unit 40 will be described. The interior air conditioning unit 40 is a unit that integrates multiple components to blow air adjusted to an appropriate temperature to appropriate locations within the vehicle cabin for air conditioning. The interior air conditioning unit 40 is located inside the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle cabin.

[0112] 3, the indoor air conditioning unit 40 has an air conditioning case 41 that forms an air passage for blown air. The air passage formed in the air conditioning case 41 houses an indoor blower 42, an indoor evaporator 19, an indoor condenser 12, etc. The air conditioning case 41 is made of a resin (specifically, polypropylene) that has a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

[0113] An inside / outside air switching device 43 is disposed on the most upstream side of the blown air flow of the air conditioning case 41. The inside / outside air switching device 43 switches between introducing inside air (i.e., air inside the vehicle cabin) and outside air (i.e., air outside the vehicle cabin) into the air conditioning case 41. The operation of the inside / outside air switching device 43 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0114] An interior blower 42 is disposed downstream in the blown air flow of the inside / outside air switching device 43. The interior blower 42 is a blower that blows air drawn in through the inside / outside air switching device 43 toward the vehicle interior. The rotation speed (i.e., blowing capacity) of the interior blower 42 is controlled by a control voltage output from the control device 50.

[0115] The interior evaporator 19 and the interior condenser 12 are disposed downstream in the flow of air blown by the interior blower 42. The interior evaporator 19 is disposed upstream in the flow of air blown from the interior condenser 12. A cool air bypass passage 45 is formed in the air conditioning case 41, allowing the air blown after passing through the interior evaporator 19 to bypass the interior condenser 12.

[0116] An air mix door 44 is disposed downstream of the interior evaporator 19 in the air conditioning case 41 in the direction of the blown air flow, and upstream of the interior condenser 12 and the cool air bypass passage 45 in the direction of the blown air flow.

[0117] The air mix door 44 adjusts the ratio of the volume of the blown air that passes through the air passage in which the interior condenser 12 is disposed to the volume of the blown air that passes through the cool air bypass passage 45 after passing through the interior evaporator 19. The operation of the actuator for driving the air mix door 44 is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0118] A mixing space 46 is disposed downstream of the interior condenser 12 and the cold air bypass passage 45 in the flow direction of the blown air. The mixing space 46 is a space where the blown air heated by the interior condenser 12 is mixed with the blown air that has passed through the cold air bypass passage 45 and has not been heated.

[0119] Therefore, in the interior air conditioning unit 40, the temperature of the blown air (i.e., the conditioned air) that is mixed in the mixing space 46 and blown into the vehicle cabin can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 44. The air mix door 44 is a heat exchange air volume adjustment unit that adjusts the volume of the blown air that is heat exchanged in the interior condenser 12.

[0120] A plurality of openings (not shown) for blowing conditioned air toward various locations in the vehicle cabin are formed at the most downstream portion of the airflow of the air-conditioning case 41. Blowing mode doors (not shown) for opening and closing the respective openings are disposed in the plurality of openings. The operation of the actuators for driving the blowing mode doors is controlled by a control signal output from the control device 50.

[0121] Therefore, in the interior air conditioning unit 40, by switching the opening holes that the blow-out mode door opens and closes, conditioned air that has been adjusted to an appropriate temperature can be blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle interior.

[0122] Next, the electrical control unit of the vehicle air conditioner 1 will be described. The control device 50 has a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and its peripheral circuits. The control device 50 performs various calculations and processes based on control programs stored in the ROM. The control device 50 then controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to the output side based on the results of the calculations and processes.

[0123] As shown in the block diagram of Fig. 4, a group of various control sensors is connected to the input side of the control device 50. The group of control sensors includes an inside air temperature sensor 51a, an outside air temperature sensor 51b, a solar radiation amount sensor 51c, a discharge pressure sensor 52a, a high-pressure pressure sensor 52b, a high-pressure temperature sensor 52c, an outdoor unit pressure sensor 52d, an outdoor unit temperature sensor 52e, an evaporator pressure sensor 52f, an evaporator temperature sensor 52g, an intake pressure sensor 52h, an intake temperature sensor 52i, a battery coolant temperature sensor 53a, an equipment coolant temperature sensor 53b, a battery temperature sensor 54, an air conditioning air temperature sensor 55, etc.

[0124] The inside air temperature sensor 51a is an inside air temperature detector that detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin (inside air temperature) Tr. The outside air temperature sensor 51b is an outside air temperature detector that detects the temperature outside the vehicle cabin (outside air temperature) Tam. The solar radiation sensor 51c is an solar radiation amount detector that detects the amount of solar radiation As irradiating the vehicle cabin.

[0125] The discharge pressure sensor 52a is a discharge pressure detection unit that detects a discharge refrigerant pressure Pd, which is the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The high-pressure pressure sensor 52b is a high-pressure pressure detection unit that detects a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure P1, which is the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor condenser 12. The high-pressure temperature sensor 52c is a high-pressure temperature detection unit that detects a high-pressure side refrigerant temperature T1, which is the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the indoor condenser 12.

[0126] The outdoor unit pressure sensor 52d is an outdoor unit pressure detection unit that detects an outdoor unit-side refrigerant pressure P2, which is the pressure of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18. More specifically, the outdoor unit pressure sensor 52d in this embodiment detects the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

[0127] The outdoor unit temperature sensor 52e is an outdoor unit temperature detection unit that detects an outdoor unit side refrigerant temperature T2, which is the temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18. More specifically, the outdoor unit temperature sensor 52e in this embodiment detects the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

[0128] The evaporator pressure sensor 52f is an evaporator pressure detection unit that detects an evaporator-side refrigerant pressure Pe, which is the pressure of the refrigerant in the interior evaporator 19. More specifically, the evaporator pressure sensor 52f in this embodiment detects the pressure of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the interior evaporator 19.

[0129] The evaporator temperature sensor 52g is an evaporator temperature detection unit that detects an evaporator-side refrigerant temperature Te, which is the temperature of the refrigerant in the interior evaporator 19. More specifically, the evaporator temperature sensor 52g in this embodiment detects the temperature of the heat exchange fins of the interior evaporator 19.

[0130] The suction temperature sensor 52i is a suction pressure detection unit that detects a suction refrigerant temperature Ts, which is the temperature of the refrigerant suctioned into the compressor 11. The suction pressure sensor 52h is a suction pressure detection unit that detects a suction refrigerant pressure Ps, which is the pressure of the refrigerant suctioned into the compressor 11.

[0131] The battery coolant temperature sensor 53a is a battery coolant temperature detector that detects a battery-side coolant temperature TWB, which is the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium at the outlet side of the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80. The equipment coolant temperature sensor 53b is an equipment coolant temperature detector that detects an equipment-side coolant temperature TWM, which is the temperature of the low-temperature-side heat medium at the outlet side of the coolant passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81.

[0132] The battery temperature sensor 54 is a battery temperature detection unit that detects the battery temperature TB, which is the temperature of the battery 80. The battery temperature sensor 54 has multiple temperature sensors and detects the temperature at multiple locations on the battery 80. This allows the control device 50 to detect the temperature difference and temperature distribution among the battery cells that make up the battery 80. Furthermore, the average value of the detected values ​​from the multiple temperature sensors is used as the battery temperature TB.

[0133] The conditioned air temperature sensor 55 is an conditioned air temperature detection unit that detects the temperature TAV of the air blown from the mixing space 46 into the vehicle interior.

[0134] 4, an operation panel 59 located near the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle cabin is connected by wire or wirelessly to the input side of the control device 50. Operation signals are input to the control device 50 from various operation switches provided on the operation panel 59.

[0135] The various operation switches provided on the operation panel 59 specifically include an auto switch, an air conditioner switch, an air volume setting switch, a temperature setting switch, an inside / outside air setting switch, and the like.

[0136] The auto switch is an automatic control setting unit that sets or cancels automatic control operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1. The air conditioner switch is a cooling request unit that requests cooling of the blown air by the interior evaporator 19. The air volume setting switch is an air volume setting unit that manually sets the blown air volume of the interior blower 42. The temperature setting switch is a temperature setting unit that sets the set temperature Tset in the vehicle cabin. The inside / outside air setting switch is an inside / outside air setting unit that manually sets the operating state of the inside / outside air switching device 43.

[0137] The control device 50 of this embodiment is an integrated unit that controls various control target devices connected to its output side. Therefore, the configuration (hardware and software) that controls the operation of each control target device constitutes the control unit that controls the operation of each control target device.

[0138] For example, in the control device 50, the component that controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 constitutes a discharge capacity control unit 50a, the component that controls the operation of the refrigerant circuit switching unit constitutes a refrigerant circuit control unit 50b, and the component that controls the operation of the heat medium circuit switching unit constitutes a heat medium circuit control unit 50c.

[0139] Furthermore, the control device 50 of this embodiment can also acquire temperature information of various in-vehicle devices, information on the charge / discharge state of the battery 80, and the like from another control device or the like.

[0140] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment can switch between various operating modes to condition the air in the vehicle cabin and regulate the temperature of the on-board equipment. The operating modes are switched by executing a control program stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0141] The control program is executed not only when the start switch (so-called ignition switch) of the vehicle system is turned on and the vehicle system is running, but also when the battery 80 is being charged from an external power source.

[0142] The control program reads detection signals from the control sensors and operation signals from the operation panel 59. Based on the read detection signals and operation signals, the control program calculates a target blowout temperature TAO, which is a target temperature of the air blown into the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, based on the detection signals, operation signals, target blowout temperature TAO, etc., the control program selects an operation mode and controls the operation of various controlled devices according to the selected operation mode.

[0143] Thereafter, the control routines, such as reading the above-mentioned detection signals and operation signals, calculating the target blown air temperature TAO, selecting the operation mode, and controlling the various controlled devices, are repeated at each predetermined control cycle until the termination condition of the control program is met.

[0144] The target air temperature TAO is calculated using the following formula F3.

[0145]

[0146] Tset is the set temperature inside the vehicle cabin set by the temperature setting switch. Tr is the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 51a. Tam is the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 51b. As is the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 51c. Kset, Kr, Kam, and Ks are control gains, and C is a correction constant.

[0147] First, the operating modes for air conditioning the vehicle interior will be described: (a) cooling mode, (b) outside air heat absorption heating mode, and (c) outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode.

[0148] (a) Cooling Mode The cooling mode is an operating mode in which cooled air is blown into the passenger compartment to cool the passenger compartment. The cooling mode is likely to be selected when the auto switch and air conditioner switch are on, the outside air temperature Tam is relatively high, or the target outlet temperature TAO is relatively low.

[0149] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 closes the first on-off valve 14 a, opens the second on-off valve 14 b, and closes the third on-off valve 14 c. The control device 50 also fully opens the heating flow control valve 16 a, fully opens the cooling flow control valve 16 b, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16 c, and fully closes the bypass flow control valve 16 d.

[0150] 5, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the heating flow control valve 16a which is in a fully open state, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the cooling mode is the passage mode.

[0151] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the evaporator-side refrigerant temperature Te detected by the evaporator temperature sensor 52g approaches the target evaporator temperature TEO. The target evaporator temperature TEO is determined based on the target outlet temperature TAO by referring to a control map previously stored in the control device 50. The control map determines the target evaporator temperature TEO to increase as the target outlet temperature TAO increases.

[0152] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16b so that the degree of superheat SHE of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the interior evaporator 19 approaches a predetermined reference degree of superheat KSH (5°C in this embodiment). The control device 50 detects the degree of superheat SHE of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the interior evaporator 19 using the evaporator-side refrigerant pressure Pe and the evaporator-side refrigerant temperature Te detected by the evaporator pressure sensor 52f.

[0153] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 operates the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 so as to exert a predetermined reference pumping capacity.

[0154] In addition, the control device 50 determines the opening pattern of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a to the third heat medium flow control valve 36c by referring to a control map pre-stored in the control device 50 based on the battery side coolant temperature TWB detected by the battery coolant temperature sensor 53a and the equipment side coolant temperature TWM detected by the equipment coolant temperature sensor 53b.

[0155] In the control map, an opening pattern is determined so that the battery-side coolant temperature TWB approaches a predetermined reference battery-side coolant temperature KTWB and the equipment-side coolant temperature TWM approaches a predetermined reference equipment-side coolant temperature KTWM. The reference battery-side coolant temperature KTWB is set to a value that can cool the battery 80 to an appropriate temperature. The reference equipment-side coolant temperature KTWM is set to a value that can cool the high-power equipment 81 to an appropriate temperature.

[0156] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the blowing capacity of the indoor blower 42 based on the target blowing temperature TAO by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0157] In the control map, the air blowing capacity is determined to be maximum when the target air outlet temperature TAO is in the extremely low temperature range (i.e., maximum cooling) or the extremely high temperature range (i.e., maximum heating).Furthermore, the air blowing capacity is determined to be reduced as the target air outlet temperature TAO moves from the extremely low temperature range or the extremely high temperature range toward the intermediate temperature range.Furthermore, the air blowing capacity is determined to be minimum when the target air outlet temperature TAO is in the intermediate temperature range.

[0158] The control device 50 also controls the operation of the electric actuator for the air mix door 44 so that the blown air temperature TAV1 detected by the air conditioning air temperature sensor 55 approaches the target blown air temperature TAO.

[0159] Furthermore, the control device 50 controls the operation of the inside / outside air switching device 43 based on the operation signal and the target blow-out temperature TAO, with reference to a control map previously stored in the control device 50. Furthermore, the control device 50 controls the operation of the electric actuator for the blow-out mode door based on the target blow-out temperature TAO, with reference to a control map previously stored in the control device 50. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other devices to be controlled.

[0160] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 6. In the Mollier diagrams described below in this embodiment, the states of the refrigerant at the locations indicated by the reference characters (alphabet) in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 1 are represented by the same reference characters (alphabet).

[0161] In the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a6 in FIG. 6 ) flows into the interior condenser 12. The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44 (from point a6 to point b6 in FIG. 6 ). As a result, the blown air is heated in the interior condenser 12.

[0162] 6, for clarity, point a6 and point b6 are shown as different points, but when the air mix door 44 closes the air passage on the indoor condenser 12 side, the refrigerant does not release heat to the blown air in the indoor condenser 12. Therefore, when the air mix door 44 closes the air passage on the indoor condenser 12 side, point b6 and point a6 in FIG. 6 coincide. This is also true in other operating modes.

[0163] The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 via the heating flow control valve 16a, which is fully open. The refrigerant that flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 condenses by releasing heat to the outside air. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point b6 to point g6 in Figure 6).

[0164] The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling flow control valve 16b and is depressurized (from point g6 to point i6 in FIG. 6). The refrigerant depressurized by the cooling flow control valve 16b flows into the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant flowing into the interior evaporator 19 absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates (from point i6 to point j6 in FIG. 6). As a result, the blown air is cooled by the interior evaporator 19.

[0165] The refrigerant flowing out from the interior evaporator 19 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is compressed again (from point j6 to point a6 in FIG. 6).

[0166] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the cooling mode, as shown by the dashed arrow in Fig. 5, the low-temperature side heat medium pumped from the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 flows into the heat medium passage of the chiller 20. In the cooling mode, no refrigerant is allowed to flow into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20, so the low-temperature side heat medium that has flowed into the chiller 20 flows out of the chiller 20 without changing in temperature.

[0167] The flow of the low-temperature side heat medium flowing out from the chiller 20 is branched at the first heat medium three-way joint 33a. One of the low-temperature side heat medium branches at the first heat medium three-way joint 33a and flows into the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80 depending on the opening degree of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a. The low-temperature side heat medium that has flowed into the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80 exchanges heat with the battery 80 and absorbs heat. This cools the battery 80.

[0168] The other low-temperature side heat medium branched at the first heat medium three-way joint 33 a flows into the second heat medium three-way joint 33 b. The low-temperature side heat medium that has flowed into the second heat medium three-way joint 33 b flows into the coolant passage 81 a of the high-power equipment 81 and the low-temperature side radiator 32 depending on the aperture of the second heat medium flow control valve 36 b and the aperture of the third heat medium flow control valve 36 c.

[0169] The low-temperature side heat medium that flows into the coolant passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81 exchanges heat with the high-power equipment 81 and absorbs heat. This cools the high-power equipment 81. The low-temperature side heat medium that flows into the low-temperature side radiator 32 exchanges heat with the outside air and releases heat. This cools the low-temperature side heat medium. The flow of the low-temperature side heat medium that flows out of the coolant passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81 and the flow of the low-temperature side heat medium that flows out of the low-temperature side radiator 32 join at the third heat medium three-way joint 33c.

[0170] Furthermore, the flow of the low-temperature side heat medium flowing out from the third heat medium three-way joint 33c and the flow of the low-temperature side heat medium flowing out from the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80 join together at the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33d. The low-temperature side heat medium flowing out from the fourth heat medium three-way joint 33d is sucked into the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 and is pressure-fed again to the heat medium passage side of the chiller 20.

[0171] Here, the first heat medium flow control valve 36a to the third heat medium flow control valve 36c have a fully closing function. Therefore, they may be fully closed depending on the determined opening pattern. For example, when the first heat medium flow control valve 36a is fully closed, the low-temperature side heat medium does not flow into the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80. In other words, the low-temperature side heat medium may not flow as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 5 . This also applies to other operating modes.

[0172] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in cooling mode, air introduced via the inside / outside air switching device 43 is drawn into the indoor blower 42 and blown out. The blown air blown out from the indoor blower 42 flows into the indoor evaporator 19 and is cooled. The blown air cooled in the indoor evaporator 19 flows into the air passage on the indoor condenser 12 side and the cool air bypass passage 45 depending on the opening degree of the air mix door 44.

[0173] The blown air that flows into the air passage on the interior condenser 12 side is heated as it passes through the interior condenser 12 and flows into the mixing space 46. The air that flows into the cold air bypass passage 45 flows into the mixing space 46 without being heated. The blown air that has been mixed and temperature-adjusted in the mixing space 46 is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening. This achieves cooling of the vehicle cabin.

[0174] (b) Outside Air Heating Mode The outside air heating mode is an operating mode in which heated air is blown into the vehicle cabin to heat the interior. The outside air heating mode is likely to be selected when the auto switch and air conditioner switch are on, the outside air temperature Tam is relatively low, or the target outlet temperature TAO is relatively high.

[0175] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also controls the heating flow control valve 16a to a throttled state, the cooling flow control valve 16b to a fully closed state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a fully closed state, and the bypass flow control valve 16d to a fully closed state.

[0176] 7, the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode switches to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the heating flow control valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode.

[0177] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd detected by the discharge pressure sensor 52a approaches the target high-pressure PDO. The target high-pressure PDO is determined based on the target blow-out temperature TAO by referring to a control map pre-stored in the control device 50. The control map determines the target high-pressure PDO to increase as the target blow-out temperature TAO increases.

[0178] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the heating flow control valve 16a so that the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant approaches the reference superheat degree KSH. The control device 50 detects the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant using the suction refrigerant pressure Ps detected by the suction pressure sensor 52h and the suction refrigerant temperature Ts detected by the suction temperature sensor 52i.

[0179] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0180] In the indoor air-conditioning unit 40 in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the cooling mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0181] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, the same symbols (alphabet) are used as in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 6. Furthermore, the subscripts (numbers) have been changed to match the diagram numbers in Fig. 6. This also applies to the Mollier diagrams described below.

[0182] In the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a8 in FIG. 8) flows into the interior condenser 12. The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 condenses by releasing heat to the blown air according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44. This heats the blown air in the interior condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the interior condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a8 to point g8 in FIG. 8).

[0183] The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the heating flow control valve 16a and is depressurized (from point g8 to point d8 in FIG. 8). The refrigerant depressurized by the heating flow control valve 16a flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 absorbs heat from the outside air and evaporates (from point d8 to point e8 in FIG. 8).

[0184] The refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger 18 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is compressed again (from point e8 to point a8 in FIG. 8).

[0185] In the outside air heat absorption heating mode, the low temperature side heat medium circulates in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as shown by the dashed arrows in Fig. 7, in the same way as in the cooling mode. This cools the battery 80 and the high power equipment 81.

[0186] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the outdoor heat absorption heating mode, as in the cooling mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 42 passes through the indoor evaporator 19. In the outdoor heat absorption heating mode, no refrigerant is allowed to flow into the indoor evaporator 19, so the air that has flowed into the indoor evaporator 19 flows out of the indoor evaporator 19 without changing in temperature.

[0187] The blown air that has passed through the interior evaporator 19 flows into the air passage on the interior condenser 12 side and the cool air bypass passage 45 depending on the opening of the air mix door 44. Then, as in the cooling mode, the blown air is mixed in the mixing space 46 and temperature-adjusted, and is blown out through the opening to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin. This achieves heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0188] (c) Outside Air Heat Absorption Parallel Dehumidifying and Heating Mode Outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is an operating mode in which cooled and dehumidified blown air is reheated and blown into the passenger compartment to dehumidify and heat the passenger compartment. Outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is likely to be selected when the auto switch and air conditioner switch are on, the outside air temperature Tam is in the intermediate temperature range, or the target outlet temperature TAO is in the intermediate temperature range.

[0189] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also controls the heating flow control valve 16a to a throttled state, the cooling flow control valve 16b to a throttled state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a fully closed state, and the bypass flow control valve 16d to a fully closed state.

[0190] 9 , in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the heating flow control valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

[0191] That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant flow from the receiver 15 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the indoor evaporator 19 are connected in parallel. Furthermore, in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode.

[0192] Similarly to the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11. Also, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16b so that the blown air can be dehumidified within a range that can suppress frost formation on the indoor evaporator 19. Also, similar to the outside air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the heating flow control valve 16a.

[0193] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0194] In the indoor air-conditioning unit 40 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the cooling mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0195] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0196] That is, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a10 in FIG. 10) flows into the interior condenser 12. The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 condenses by dissipating heat into the blown air according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44. This heats the blown air in the interior condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the interior condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a10 to point g10 in FIG. 10).

[0197] The flow of liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the seventh three-way joint 13g and is branched. The refrigerant flowing out from one outlet of the seventh three-way joint 13g flows into the heating flow control valve 16a and is depressurized (from point g10 to point d10 in FIG. 10 ). The refrigerant depressurized by the heating flow control valve 16a flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 absorbs heat from the outside air and evaporates (from point d10 to point f10 in FIG. 10 ).

[0198] The refrigerant flowing out from the other outlet of the seventh three-way joint 13g flows into the cooling flow control valve 16b and is depressurized (from point g10 to point i10 in FIG. 10). The refrigerant depressurized by the cooling flow control valve 16b flows into the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant that flows into the interior evaporator 19 absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates (from point i10 to point f10 in FIG. 10). As a result, the blown air is cooled and dehumidified in the interior evaporator 19.

[0199] The refrigerant flowing out from the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the refrigerant flowing out from the indoor evaporator 19 flow into the ninth three-way joint 13i and join together. The refrigerant flowing out from the ninth three-way joint 13i passes through the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point f10 to point a10 in FIG. 10 ).

[0200] In the outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the low temperature side heat medium circulates in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 30 as shown by the dashed arrows in Fig. 9, similar to the cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high power equipment 81.

[0201] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidification heating mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 42 is cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 19, similar to the cooling mode.

[0202] The blown air dehumidified by the interior evaporator 19 flows into the air passage on the interior condenser 12 side and the cool air bypass passage 45 depending on the opening of the air mix door 44. Then, as in the cooling mode, the blown air is mixed in the mixing space 46 and temperature-adjusted, and is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening. This achieves dehumidification and heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0203] In the above-described (a) cooling mode, (b) outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, and (c) outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the in-vehicle devices are not cooled using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10. In contrast, the automotive air conditioner 1 can execute a cooling operation mode in which the in-vehicle devices are cooled using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0204] As described above, in this embodiment, the upper limit temperature of the battery 80 is lower than the reference heat resistance temperature of the high-power equipment 81. Therefore, the control program of this embodiment determines, based on the temperature of the battery 80, whether or not it is necessary to cool the in-vehicle equipment using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0205] Specifically, when the battery temperature TB detected by the battery temperature sensor 54 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined reference battery temperature KTB, it is determined that it is necessary to cool the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10. Alternatively, when the battery side coolant temperature TWB becomes equal to or higher than the reference battery side coolant temperature KTWB, it is determined that it is necessary to cool the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0206] The cooling operation modes are described below as follows: (d) battery only cooling mode, (e) air conditioning and battery cooling mode, (f) outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, and (g) outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidification and heating mode.

[0207] (d) Battery-only cooling mode The battery-only cooling mode is an operating mode that is executed when it is determined that cooling of the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 is necessary while the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin is not being performed, such as when the vehicle is being charged.

[0208] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the battery-only cooling mode, the control device 50 closes the first on-off valve 14 a, opens the second on-off valve 14 b, and closes the third on-off valve 14 c. The control device 50 also fully opens the heating flow control valve 16 a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16 b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16 c, and fully closes the bypass flow control valve 16 d.

[0209] 11, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the heating flow control valve 16a (which is fully open), the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the battery-only cooling mode.

[0210] In addition, the control device 50 controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the battery temperature TB approaches the target battery temperature KTB2, or so that the battery side coolant temperature TWB approaches the target battery side coolant temperature KTWB2.

[0211] The target battery temperature KTB2 is determined based on the battery-side coolant temperature TWB and by referring to a control map that is pre-stored in the control device 50. The target battery-side coolant temperature KTWB2 is determined based on the battery-side coolant temperature TWB and by referring to a control map that is pre-stored in the control device 50. Both the target battery temperature KTB2 and the target battery-side coolant temperature KTWB2 are set so that the battery 80 can be appropriately cooled.

[0212] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c so that the degree of superheat SHS of the suction refrigerant approaches the reference degree of superheat KSH.

[0213] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the battery only cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0214] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the battery only cooling mode, the control device 50 stops the indoor blower 42. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0215] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the battery only cooling mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0216] That is, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a12 in FIG. 12 ) flows into the interior condenser 12. In the battery-only cooling mode, the interior blower 42 is stopped, so the refrigerant does not radiate heat to the blown air in the interior condenser 12.

[0217] The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 via the heating flow control valve 16a, which is fully open. The refrigerant that flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 condenses by releasing heat to the outside air. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a12 to point g12 in FIG. 12 ).

[0218] The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling flow control valve 16c and is depressurized (from point g12 to point k12 in FIG. 12). The refrigerant depressurized by the cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the chiller 20. The refrigerant that flows into the chiller 20 absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium and evaporates (from point k12 to point j12 in FIG. 12). As a result, the low-temperature side heat medium is cooled in the chiller 20.

[0219] The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the chiller 20 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is compressed again (from point j12 to point a12 in FIG. 12).

[0220] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the battery-only cooling mode, as shown by the dashed arrow in Fig. 11 , the low-temperature side heat medium pumped by the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 flows into the heat medium passage of the chiller 20. The low-temperature side heat medium that has flowed into the chiller 20 is cooled by the refrigerant absorbing heat.

[0221] The low-temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the coolant passage 80a of the battery 80, just as in the air-conditioning mode, thereby cooling the battery 80. Furthermore, the low-temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the coolant passage 81a of the high-power equipment 81, just as in the air-conditioning mode, thereby cooling the high-power equipment 81.

[0222] Therefore, in the battery only cooling mode, the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 can be cooled using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 without air conditioning the vehicle interior.

[0223] Of course, the interior blower 42 may be operated in the battery-only cooling mode. In this case, the control device 50 controls the operation of the air mix door 44 to close the air passage on the interior condenser 12 side, thereby enabling operation in the blower mode to blow untemperature-adjusted ventilation air into the vehicle cabin.

[0224] (e) Air Conditioning Battery Cooling Mode The air conditioning battery cooling mode is an operating mode that is executed when it is determined that cooling of the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 is necessary while the air conditioning mode is being executed.

[0225] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode, the control device 50 throttles the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c for the air-conditioning mode. More specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c to a predetermined throttle opening for the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode.

[0226] Therefore, in the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode, the heat pump cycle 10 switches to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the order shown by the white arrows in Fig. 5. That is, in the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode, the heat pump cycle 10 switches to a refrigerant circuit in which the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel with respect to the flow of refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15. Furthermore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode.

[0227] For clarity of illustration, the refrigerant flow paths added to the cooling mode are indicated by thick dashed lines in Fig. 5. This also applies to Figs. 7 and 9. Other operations are the same as those in the cooling mode.

[0228] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0229] That is, similar to the cooling mode, the refrigerant that has flowed into the interior condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses (from point a13 to point b13 in FIG. 13 ). This heats the blown air in the interior condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that has flowed into the exterior heat exchanger 18 radiates heat to the outside air and condenses (from point b13 to point g13 in FIG. 13 ).

[0230] Also, similar to the cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16b (point d13 in FIG. 13 ) absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates in the interior evaporator 19. This cools the blown air in the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant that flows out of the interior evaporator 19 flows into one inlet of the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point d13 to point j13 in FIG. 13 ).

[0231] Also, similar to the battery-only cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c (point k13 in FIG. 13) absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium and evaporates in the chiller 20. This cools the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20. The refrigerant that flows out of the chiller 20 flows into the other inlet of the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point k13 to point j13 in FIG. 13).

[0232] The flow of refrigerant flowing out from the indoor evaporator 19 and the flow of refrigerant flowing out from the chiller 20 join together at the ninth three-way joint 13i. The refrigerant flowing out from the ninth three-way joint 13i passes through the sixth three-way joint 13f and the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point j13 to point a13 in FIG. 13 ).

[0233] In the air-conditioning battery cooling mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the battery-only cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0234] In the air-conditioning / battery cooling mode, the interior air-conditioning unit 40 blows temperature-adjusted air through the openings to appropriate locations in the vehicle cabin, similar to the air-conditioning mode, thereby realizing cooling of the vehicle cabin.

[0235] Therefore, in the air-conditioning battery cooling mode, the interior of the vehicle can be cooled, and the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 can be cooled using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10.

[0236] (f) Outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode The outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode is an operating mode that is executed when it is determined that cooling of the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 is necessary while the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode is being executed.

[0237] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c for the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode. More specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c to a predetermined throttle opening for the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode.

[0238] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the order shown by the white arrows in Figure 7. That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant flow is switched to one in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel with each other with respect to the flow of refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15. Furthermore, in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode. Other operations are the same as in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode.

[0239] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption / waste heat heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram in Fig. 14. That is, similar to the outdoor air heat absorption / waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant that flows into the indoor condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses (from point a14 to point g14 in Fig. 14). As a result, the blown air is heated by the indoor condenser 12.

[0240] As in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the heating flow control valve 16a (point d14 in FIG. 14) absorbs heat from the outdoor air and evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into one inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f (from point d14 to point f14 in FIG. 14).

[0241] As in the battery-only cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c (point k14 in FIG. 14) absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20 and evaporates. This cools the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20. The refrigerant that flows out of the chiller 20 passes through the ninth three-way joint 13i and flows into the other inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f (from point k14 to point f14 in FIG. 14).

[0242] The flow of refrigerant flowing out of outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the flow of refrigerant flowing out of chiller 20 join together at sixth three-way joint 13f. The refrigerant flowing out of sixth three-way joint 13f passes through ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is drawn into compressor 11, where it is compressed again (from point f14 to point a14 in FIG. 14 ).

[0243] In the outside air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the battery only cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0244] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the outside air heat absorption / waste heat heating mode, the temperature-adjusted blown air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening hole, as in the outside air heat absorption / waste heat heating mode, thereby realizing heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0245] Therefore, in the outside air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the vehicle cabin can be heated, and the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 can be used to cool the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81. Furthermore, in the outside air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the waste heat from the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 can be absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20 via the low-temperature side heat medium, and can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the interior condenser 12.

[0246] (g) Outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidification heating mode The outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidification heating mode is an operating mode that is executed when it is determined that cooling of the battery 80 using the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 is necessary while the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidification heating mode is being executed.

[0247] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c for the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode. More specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c to a predetermined throttle opening for the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode.

[0248] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the order shown by the white arrows in Figure 9. That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant flow is switched to one in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the indoor evaporator 19, and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel with respect to the flow of refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15. Furthermore, in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode. Other operations are the same as in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode.

[0249] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the outdoor air heat absorption / waste heat parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0250] That is, similar to the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses (from point a15 to point g15 in FIG. 15 ). As a result, the blown air is heated by the indoor condenser 12.

[0251] As in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the heating flow control valve 16a (point d15 in FIG. 15 ) absorbs heat from the outdoor air and evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant that flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into one inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f (from point d15 to point f15 in FIG. 15 ).

[0252] As in the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16b (point i15 in FIG. 15 ) absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates in the indoor evaporator 19. As a result, the blown air is cooled and dehumidified in the indoor evaporator 19. The refrigerant that flows out of the indoor evaporator 19 flows into the other inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f via the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point i15 to point f15 in FIG. 15 ).

[0253] Also, similar to the battery-only cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c (point k15 in FIG. 15 ) absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium and evaporates in the chiller 20. This cools the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20. The refrigerant that flows out of the chiller 20 flows into the other inlet of the sixth three-way joint 13f via the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point k15 to point f15 in FIG. 15 ).

[0254] The flow of refrigerant flowing out from the indoor evaporator 19 and the flow of refrigerant flowing out from the chiller 20 join at the ninth three-way joint 13i. The flow of refrigerant flowing out from the ninth three-way joint 13i and the flow of refrigerant flowing out from the outdoor heat exchanger 18 join at the sixth three-way joint 13f. The refrigerant flowing out from the sixth three-way joint 13f passes through the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point f15 to point a15 in FIG. 15 ).

[0255] In the outdoor air heat absorption / waste heat parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the battery only cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0256] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the outside air heat absorption / waste heat parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the temperature-adjusted blown air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening holes, as in the outside air heat absorption / parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, thereby realizing dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0257] Therefore, in the outside air heat absorption / waste heat parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, dehumidifying and heating of the vehicle interior can be realized, and the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10 can be used to cool the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81. Furthermore, in the outside air heat absorption / waste heat parallel dehumidifying / heating mode, the waste heat from the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 is absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20 via the low-temperature side heat medium, and can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the interior condenser 12.

[0258] Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment can execute an operation mode in which refrigerant is not allowed to flow into the exterior heat exchanger 18. Below, the operation modes in which refrigerant is not allowed to flow into the exterior heat exchanger 18 will be described, including (h) an evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, (i) a waste heat heating mode, and (j) a waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode.

[0259] (h) Evaporator-Only Dehumidifying and Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10 in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16b, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16c, and fully closes the bypass flow control valve 16d.

[0260] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, as shown by the black arrows in Fig. 16, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode. The remaining operations are the same as those in the cooling mode.

[0261] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram in Figure 17. That is, as in the cooling mode, the refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses. This heats the blown air in the interior condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the interior condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a17 to point g17 in Figure 17).

[0262] As in the cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16b absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates in the interior evaporator 19 (from point i17 to point j17 in FIG. 17). As a result, the blown air is cooled and dehumidified in the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant flowing out of the interior evaporator 19 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is compressed again (from point j17 to point a17 in FIG. 17).

[0263] In the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0264] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, the temperature-adjusted blown air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the openings, as in the outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, thereby realizing dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0265] (i) Waste Heat Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10 in the waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and fully closes the bypass flow control valve 16d.

[0266] 18, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the waste heat heating mode is the passage mode.

[0267] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, as in the outside air heat absorption heating mode. If cooling the battery 80 takes priority over heating the vehicle interior, the control device 50 may control the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11, as in the battery-only cooling mode. The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c, as in the battery-only cooling mode. Other operations are the same as in the cold outside air heat absorption heating mode.

[0268] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the waste heat heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram in Figure 19. That is, as in the evaporator-only dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant that flows into the indoor condenser 12 transfers heat to the blown air and condenses. This heats the blown air in the indoor condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a19 to point g19 in Figure 19).

[0269] Also, similar to the battery-only cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16c (point k19 in FIG. 19 ) absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20 and evaporates (from point k19 to point j19 in FIG. 19 ). This causes the low-temperature side heat medium to be cooled in the chiller 20. The refrigerant flowing out of the chiller 20 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is compressed again (from point j19 to point a19 in FIG. 19 ).

[0270] In the waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the battery only cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0271] In the waste heat heating mode, the interior air conditioning unit 40 blows temperature-adjusted blown air through the openings to appropriate locations in the vehicle cabin, similar to the outside air heat absorption heating mode. This achieves heating of the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, in the waste heat heating mode, the chiller 20 absorbs waste heat from the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 into the refrigerant via the low-temperature heat medium, and the waste heat can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the interior condenser 12.

[0272] (j) Waste Heat Parallel Dehumidifying and Heating Mode In the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the heat pump cycle 10 is controlled by the control device 50. The control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also controls the heating flow control valve 16a to a fully closed state, the cooling flow control valve 16b to a throttled state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a throttled state, and the bypass flow control valve 16d to a fully closed state.

[0273] 20 , the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

[0274] That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant flow from the receiver 15 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel. Furthermore, the ejector 70 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is used in the passage mode.

[0275] Furthermore, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c in the same manner as in the battery only cooling mode. Other operations are the same as in the cooling mode.

[0276] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram in Figure 21. That is, as in the evaporator-only dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant that flows into the indoor condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses. This heats the blown air in the indoor condenser 12. Furthermore, the refrigerant that flows out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a21 to point g21 in Figure 21).

[0277] Also, similar to the air-conditioning battery cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the air-conditioning flow control valve 16b (point i21 in FIG. 21 ) absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates in the interior evaporator 19. As a result, the blown air is cooled and dehumidified in the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant flowing out of the interior evaporator 19 flows into one inlet of the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point i21 to point j21 in FIG. 21 ).

[0278] Also, similar to the air-conditioning battery cooling mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16c (point k21 in FIG. 21 ) absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium and evaporates in the chiller 20. This cools the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20. The refrigerant that flows out of the chiller 20 flows into the other inlet of the ninth three-way joint 13i (from point k21 to point j21 in FIG. 21 ).

[0279] The flow of refrigerant flowing out from the indoor evaporator 19 and the flow of refrigerant flowing out from the chiller 20 join together at the ninth three-way joint 13i. The refrigerant flowing out from the ninth three-way joint 13i passes through the sixth three-way joint 13f and the ejector 70, which functions as a refrigerant passage, and is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point j21 to point a21 in FIG. 21 ).

[0280] In the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, as in the battery only cooling mode, thereby cooling the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81.

[0281] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the temperature-adjusted blown air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening holes, as in the outside air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, thereby realizing dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0282] Furthermore, in the waste heat parallel dehumidification heating mode, the waste heat from the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 is absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20 via the low-temperature side heat medium, and can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0283] In the above-described (b) outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, (c) outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, (f) outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, and (g) outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is equal to or lower than the outdoor air temperature. Therefore, when these operating modes are performed at low outdoor air temperatures, frost may form on the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

[0284] Therefore, when it is determined that a frosting condition has been met, which indicates that frost is likely to have formed on the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the system may operate in a defrosting mode to defrost the outdoor heat exchanger 18. For example, it may be determined that the frosting condition has been met when the time during which the outdoor unit refrigerant temperature T1 is equal to or lower than a reference frosting temperature (e.g., −5° C.) is equal to or longer than a reference frosting time (e.g., 5 minutes).

[0285] In the defrosting mode, for example, the refrigerant circuit may be switched to the same refrigerant circuit as in the (a) cooling mode, and the compressor 11 may be operated. In this way, high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is caused to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger 18, thereby defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger 18. Furthermore, in the defrosting mode, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 may be controlled so as to exhibit a predetermined refrigerant discharge capacity for defrosting.

[0286] Furthermore, if a frosting condition is met during execution of the (c) outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant circuit can be switched to the same refrigerant circuit as in the (a) cooling mode to defrost the outdoor heat exchanger 18. This eliminates the need to change the control modes of the cooling flow control valve 16b and the cooling flow control valve 16c, and allows the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to be defrosted quickly.

[0287] Similarly, if a frosting condition is met during execution of (f) the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be quickly defrosted by switching to a refrigerant circuit similar to that used in (d) the battery only cooling mode. Similarly, if a frosting condition is met during execution of (g) the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be quickly defrosted by switching to a refrigerant circuit similar to that used in (e) the air conditioning battery cooling mode.

[0288] Furthermore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, when the outside air temperature Tam is extremely low, the hot gas operation mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle portion 71 can be executed.

[0289] When the outdoor air temperature Tam is extremely low, it is difficult to make the refrigerant absorb the heat of the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 18, or to make the refrigerant absorb the heat of the low-temperature side heat medium in the chiller 20. Therefore, in the hot gas operation mode, the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor 11 is mainly used to heat the blown air, etc.

[0290] In the hot gas operation mode, the refrigerant is caused to flow into the nozzle portion 71, so that the ejector 70 is used in the (β) nozzle mode or the (γ) suction mode. Therefore, prior to describing the hot gas operation mode, the functions of the ejector 70 in the (β) nozzle mode and the (γ) suction mode will be described.

[0291] (β) Nozzle Mode In the nozzle mode, the control device 50 closes at least one of the first on-off valve 14a to the third on-off valve 14c to close the refrigerant flow path communicating with the refrigerant suction port 721. Furthermore, the control device 50 fully closes at least one of the heating flow rate adjustment valve 16a, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b, and the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c.

[0292] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d so that the refrigerant injected from the nozzle 71 is in an over-expanded state. Specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d based on the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd, with reference to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0293] Here, the determination of the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit 16d in the control map will be described. First, the velocity in the Z-axis direction of the refrigerant flowing into the nozzle inlet 711 of the nozzle unit 71 is defined as Uin, and the velocity in the Z-axis direction of the refrigerant at a location a distance z in the Z-axis direction from the nozzle inlet 711 is defined as Uz.

[0294] Uz can be expressed by formula F4.

[0295]

[0296] Δhz is the adiabatic enthalpy drop of the refrigerant in the expansion process at a location at a distance Z in the Z-axis direction from the nozzle inlet 711. Δhf is the energy loss due to wall friction and the like within the nozzle portion 71.

[0297] Therefore, the Mach number Mz of the refrigerant at a location a distance Z from the nozzle inlet 711 in the Z-axis direction can be expressed by formula F5.

[0298]

[0299] Sa is the sonic velocity of the refrigerant. The Mach number Mz shown in formula F5 means the Mach number obtained by the adiabatic enthalpy drop in the nozzle portion 71.

[0300] Next, the passage cross-sectional area at a distance Z in the Z-axis direction from the nozzle inlet 711 is defined as Az, and the passage cross-sectional area at the throat portion 713 is defined as Ath. In the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71, the Reynolds number of the refrigerant is relatively high, so the energy loss Δhf is negligible.

[0301] The relationship between the cross-sectional area ratio (Az / Ath) of Ath to Az and the refrigerant pressure Pz at a location a distance Z in the Z-axis direction from the nozzle inlet 711 can be expressed by the following formula F6. Furthermore, the relationship between the cross-sectional area ratio (Az / Ath) and the Mach number Mz can be expressed by the following formula F7.

[0302]

[0303]

[0304] Pin is the pressure of the refrigerant at the nozzle inlet 711. γtp is the specific heat of the refrigerant at the nozzle inlet 711.

[0305] Then, by applying the passage cross-sectional area Anout of the injection port 715 to the formulas F6 and F7, the Mach number Mnout of the refrigerant injected from the injection port 715 can be expressed by the following formulas F8 and F9.

[0306]

[0307]

[0308] The Mach number Mnout shown in the formula F9 means the Mach number obtained by the area ratio of the passage of the nozzle portion 71.

[0309] Therefore, when the Mach number Mnout is equal to or less than the Mach number Mz, the refrigerant can be accelerated to the speed of sound or faster (at a Mach number of 1 or more) in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71 and injected from the injection port 715. Therefore, shock waves are generated when the refrigerant injected from the nozzle portion 71 into the mixing and pressurizing portion 722 becomes subsonic outside the nozzle portion 71. In this way, when the refrigerant outside the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71 injected from the injection port 715 generates shock waves, the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state.

[0310] On the other hand, when the Mach number Mnout is greater than the Mach number Mz, the refrigerant cannot be accelerated in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71 to a speed greater than or equal to the speed Mz obtained by the adiabatic enthalpy drop, and subsonic refrigerant is sprayed from the spray port 715. As a result, shock waves are generated when the sonic refrigerant becomes subsonic in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71. When the refrigerant in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71 generates shock waves, the sprayed refrigerant is in an over-expanded state.

[0311] Therefore, by controlling the throttle opening of the bypass side flow rate adjustment valve 16d and adjusting the refrigerant pressure Pin at the nozzle inlet 711, the injected refrigerant can be brought into an under-expanded state or an over-expanded state.

[0312] As described above, in the nozzle mode, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an over-expanded state. Therefore, in the nozzle mode, the refrigerant pressure increases in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71 due to the action of shock waves.

[0313] Here, the Mach number of the refrigerant immediately before the shock wave is defined as Mz1, and the pressure of the refrigerant immediately before the shock wave is defined as Pz1. Furthermore, the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is defined as Pout. At this time, a first pressure boost ratio (Pout / Pz1), which is the ratio of Pout to Pz1, can be expressed by the following formula F10.

[0314]

[0315] As shown in formula F10, if the Mach number Mz1 is constant, the first boost ratio (Pout / Pz1) becomes maximum when the shock wave angle β is set to 90°, i.e., when a normal shock wave is formed.

[0316] In contrast, according to the study by the present inventors, it has been found that if the Mach number Mz1 is determined so as to satisfy the following formula F11, the shock wave angle β can be made close to 90°.

[0317]

[0318] Therefore, in the control map of this embodiment, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d is determined so as to satisfy the above-mentioned formula F11. In other words, in the control map for the nozzle mode, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d is determined so as to generate a vertical shock wave in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71.

[0319] As described above, in the nozzle mode ejector 70, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 can be quickly increased by the pressure increasing action of the shock waves generated in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71. In other words, the nozzle mode ejector 70 exerts a function of quickly increasing the suction refrigerant pressure Ps of the suction refrigerant sucked into the compressor 11.

[0320] (γ) Suction Mode In the suction mode, the control device 50 opens at least one of the first to third on-off valves 14a to 14c to draw refrigerant through the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. Furthermore, the control device 50 sets at least one of the heating flow rate control valve 16a, the cooling flow rate control valve 16b, and the cooling flow rate control valve 16c to a fully open state or a throttled state.

[0321] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state. Specifically, similar to the nozzle mode, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d based on the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0322] In the suction mode, the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state, generating an expansion wave at the injection port 715 of the nozzle 71. The pressure drop caused by the expansion wave causes the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state to be sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721. In the ejector 70, the pressure drop caused by the expansion wave can generate a refrigerant suction effect to the extent that the inside of the refrigerant flow path communicating with the refrigerant suction port 721 can be made close to a vacuum state.

[0323] Furthermore, the refrigerant is accelerated as it passes through the expansion wave. Here, the relationship between the Mach number Mnout of the refrigerant injected from the injection port 715 and the Mach number Mnoutexp of the refrigerant immediately after passing through the first expansion wave (i.e., the first expansion wave) can be expressed by the following formulas F12 to F14.

[0324]

[0325]

[0326]

[0327] θ is the deflection angle of the refrigerant injected from the injection port 715. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 22 , the deflection angle θ is a value obtained by subtracting the divergence angle θ2 of the divergent portion 714 from the divergence angle θ1 of the rear-end expansion wave. The white circles in Fig. 22 represent droplets contained in the suctioned refrigerant.

[0328] According to the tests and studies conducted by the inventors, it has been confirmed that the refrigerant passing through the expansion wave is decompressed and expanded isentropically. Therefore, the second pressure reduction ratio (Pnoutexp / Pnout) of the refrigerant pressure Pnout immediately after passing through the expansion wave to the refrigerant injection port pressure Pnout at the injection port 715 can be expressed by the following formula F15.

[0329]

[0330] γtp1 is the specific heat of the mixed refrigerant, which is a mixture of the refrigerant injected from the nozzle portion 71 and the refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721, at the upstream portion of the shock wave.

[0331] Further, the expansion wave generated at the injection port 715 is reflected by the turbulent boundary layer in the mixing section 722a of the mixing and pressurizing section 722, as shown schematically in FIG. 22, to generate a shock wave.

[0332] Since the refrigerant upstream of the shock wave is accelerated to a Mach number Mnoutexp, the second boost ratio (Pout / Pnoutexp), which is the ratio of the refrigerant pressure Pout at the refrigerant outlet 723 to the pressure Pnoutexp due to the boosting effect of the shock wave, can be expressed by the following formula F16.

[0333]

[0334] Furthermore, the average refrigerant pressure inside the ejector 70, where the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state, changes in the Z-axis direction as shown in Fig. 23. As shown in Fig. 23, when the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state, the second pressure-boost ratio (Pout / Pnoutexp) due to the shock wave generated in the mixing section 722a becomes a high value of about 2 to 6, and the pressure-boost capability of the ejector 70 approaches the maximum pressure-boost state.

[0335] The vertical axis shown on the left side of Fig. 23 represents the pressure reduction ratio (Pz / Pin) of the refrigerant pressure Pz at the distance Z to the refrigerant pressure Pin at the nozzle inlet 711. The vertical axis shown on the right side of Fig. 23 represents the pressure increase ratio (Pz / Pnoutexp) of the refrigerant pressure Pz at the distance Z to the refrigerant pressure Pnoutexp immediately after passing through the expansion wave.

[0336] Next, when considering the conservation of refrigerant energy in the mixing and pressurizing unit 722 in the suction mode, the following formula F17 can be derived.

[0337]

[0338] Unoutexp is the velocity in the Z-axis direction of the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion wave. hnoutexp is the enthalpy of the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion wave. Usin is the velocity in the Z-axis direction of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has been sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721. hsin is the enthalpy of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has been sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721. Uout is the velocity in the Z-axis direction of the refrigerant that flows out from the refrigerant outlet 723. hout is the enthalpy of the refrigerant that flows out from the refrigerant outlet 723.

[0339] Furthermore, when formula F17 is transformed using the flow rate Gd of the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle portion 71 and the flow rate Gs of the refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721, formula F18 is derived below.

[0340]

[0341] As shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 24, Δhnouteexp is the amount of enthalpy decrease of the refrigerant isentropically decompressed by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d and the nozzle portion 71. Δh2 is the amount of enthalpy increase due to the compression work of the shock wave (from point P24 to point s24 in Fig. 24).

[0342] In the suction mode, the ejector 70 can bring the mixed refrigerant, which is a mixture of the superheated gas-phase refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721, close to an equilibrium state in the mixing section 722a. Therefore, by adjusting the flow rate ratio between the flow rate Gd of the sprayed refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the flow rate Gs of the sucked refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721, the specific enthalpy of the mixed refrigerant in the equilibrium state can be adjusted.

[0343] Then, by increasing the pressure of the mixed refrigerant by the compression work of the shock wave, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 (point s24 in FIG. 24) can be reliably made into a gas-phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat, as shown in the Mollier diagram in FIG. 24 .

[0344] Next, a description will be given of the pressure change of the refrigerant downstream of the first shock wave (i.e., the first shock wave) generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722.

[0345] In the mixing section 722a in the suction mode, the injected refrigerant flows toward the center, and the suctioned refrigerant flows toward the outer periphery. Therefore, at the inlet side of the mixing section 722a, in addition to the turbulent boundary layer, a velocity boundary layer is formed due to the difference in speed between the injected refrigerant and the suctioned refrigerant. Therefore, the shape of the first shock wave generated by reflection at the turbulent boundary layer is likely to be unstable.

[0346] Therefore, it is difficult to reliably bring the pressure-boosting capacity of the ejector 70 close to the maximum pressure-boosting state simply by adjusting the refrigerant flow velocity and adjusting the shock wave angle β, as in the nozzle mode. According to the studies of the present inventors, it has been confirmed that in the suction mode, the shock wave undergoes a change in shape, as schematically shown in Figures 25 to 28.

[0347] 25 shows the change in the shape of the shock wave in the mixing and pressurizing section 722 under the first operating condition where 1<Mnoutexp≦1.2. Under the first operating condition, the shock wave angle β approaches 90°, and the shape of the shock wave approaches a normal shock wave, similar to the overexpansion state described in the nozzle mode.

[0348] 26 shows the change in the shape of the shock wave in the mixing and pressurizing section 722 under the second operating condition where 1.2<Mnoutexp≦1.3. Under the second operating condition, the shape of the shock wave changes to an oblique shock wave as the turbulent boundary layer develops.

[0349] 27 shows the change in the shape of the shock wave in the mixing and boosting section 722 under the third operating condition where 1.3<Mnoutexp≦1.5. Under the third operating condition, a branched shock wave called a λ shock wave is formed as the turbulent boundary layer further develops.

[0350] 28 shows the change in the shape of the shock wave in the mixing / compressor section 722 under the fourth operating condition where 1.5<Mnoutexp. Under the fourth operating condition, a pseudo-shock wave is generated in which multiple shock waves and expansion waves are repeatedly generated. The pseudo-shock wave is generated when the expansion wave is reflected by a developed turbulent boundary layer.

[0351] Under the fourth operating condition, as shown in Fig. 29, the pressure of the refrigerant increases and the entropy increases as the refrigerant passes through the repeatedly generated shock waves. In Fig. 29, the central axis side static pressure in the mixing and pressurizing section 722 is indicated by a bold line, and the wall side static pressure in the mixing and pressurizing section 722 is indicated by a bold dashed line. The pseudo-shock waves disappear as the refrigerant velocity decreases to subsonic speed.

[0352] Furthermore, since supersonic refrigerant is present in the region where pseudo shock waves are generated, if the passage cross-sectional area of ​​the mixing and pressurizing section 722 is increased, the static pressure on the wall surface side of the mixing and pressurizing section 722 decreases.

[0353] From the above study results, it was found that in the suction mode, in order to improve the pressure-boosting capability of the ejector 70, it is more effective to continuously increase the refrigerant pressure by using pseudo-shock waves, as in the fourth operating condition, and to bring the mixed refrigerant closer to an equilibrium state in the mixing section 722a where the refrigerant passage cross-sectional area is constant, rather than adjusting the unstable shock wave angle β.

[0354] 29, it has also been confirmed that when the pseudo-shock wave disappears, the central axis side static pressure in the mixing and pressurizing section 722 and the wall side static pressure of the mixing section 722a coincide. Therefore, the inventors adjusted the relationship between the Mach number M0 of the refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section 722a and the disappearance distance Lx from the actual inlet of the mixing and pressurizing section 722 to the final end position of the pseudo-shock wave (i.e., the position where it disappears).

[0355] As a result, it was confirmed that the extinction distance ratio (Lx / Lv) tends to increase with an increase in Mach number Mnoutexp, as shown in Fig. 30. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the extinction distance ratio (Lx / Lv) tends to increase with an increase in quality factor Xmixin of the refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing and pressurizing section 722, as shown in Fig. 30.

[0356] Furthermore, considering the Mach number Mnoutexp in the actual ejector 70, it was confirmed that the pseudo shock waves can be eliminated within the mixing section 722a even if the quality fraction Xmixin changes over a wide range if the mixing section distance L is set to about six times the relaxation distance Lv. In Fig. 30, the flow rate ratio between the injection refrigerant flow rate Gd and the suction refrigerant flow rate Gs is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 becomes a gas-phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat.

[0357] In this embodiment, the mixing section distance L is set so as to satisfy the above-described formulas F1 and F2, so that pseudo shock waves can be eliminated within the mixing section 722a under a wide range of operating conditions.

[0358] As described above, in the ejector 70 in the suction mode, by appropriately adjusting the throttle opening of the flow control valve, which is in a throttled state, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 can be made into a gas-phase refrigerant in an equilibrium state. Furthermore, by eliminating the pseudo shock waves in the mixing section 722a, a pressurization function is exerted that sufficiently pressurizes the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70.

[0359] That is, the ejector 70 in the suction mode exerts the function of increasing the suction refrigerant pressure Ps sufficiently higher than the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port 721 by the action of the shock wave.

[0360] Next, we will explain the hot gas operation modes in which refrigerant flows into the nozzle portion 71: (k) hot gas startup mode, (l) hot gas heating mode, (m) hot gas waste heat heating mode, (n) hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, (o) hot gas parallel dehumidification heating mode, and (p) hot gas defrost heating mode.

[0361] (k) Hot Gas Start-Up Mode The hot gas start-up mode is a warm-up operating mode for heating the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle 10 before executing the hot gas heating mode or the like in order to improve the heating capacity (i.e., heating capacity) of the blown air of the vehicle air conditioning system 1.

[0362] The hot gas start mode is executed when the outside air temperature Tam is extremely low and the intake refrigerant temperature Ts is lower than a predetermined reference hot gas temperature KHGTs at the start of the automotive air conditioner 1. In other words, the hot gas operation mode is selected at the start of the compressor 11 and the intake refrigerant temperature Ts is lower than the reference hot gas temperature KHGTs.

[0363] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas start-up mode, the control device 50 closes the first on-off valve 14 a, the second on-off valve 14 b, and the third on-off valve 14 c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16 a, the cooling flow control valve 16 b, and the cooling flow control valve 16 c, and throttles the bypass flow control valve 16 d.

[0364] 31 , the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows through the bypass-side flow control valve 16d disposed in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70, and then flows through the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant is drawn into the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the nozzle mode in the hot gas start-up mode.

[0365] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 at a low rotation speed within a range that is not affected by liquid compression. This is because when the outside air temperature Tam is extremely low, the refrigerant drawn into the compressor 11 may be in a gas-liquid two-phase state.

[0366] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d so that the refrigerant injected from the nozzle 71 is in an over-expanded state. Specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d based on the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0367] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the hot gas start-up mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 .

[0368] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas startup mode, the control device 50 stops the indoor blower 42 .

[0369] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas start-up mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is decompressed by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d and flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70. In the refrigerant passage of the nozzle portion 71, the pressure of the refrigerant increases due to the action of the shock wave.

[0370] The refrigerant whose pressure has been increased in the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 flows through the mixing and pressure increasing portion 722 and flows out from the refrigerant outlet 723. The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again.

[0371] In the hot gas start mode, the compressor operates as described above, and by continuously using the pressure increasing action of the nozzle portion 71, the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the suction refrigerant temperature Ts can be increased quickly.

[0372] As a result, in the hot gas start mode, the suction refrigerant can be converted into a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat in a relatively short time, as shown by the arrow from point s321 to point s322 on the Mollier diagram in Fig. 32. Here, the change in the state of the refrigerant shown by the dashed line in Fig. 32 indicates the change in the state of the refrigerant in (l) the hot gas heating mode.

[0373] Furthermore, the hot gas start mode of this embodiment continues until the intake refrigerant temperature Ts becomes equal to or higher than the reference hot gas temperature KHGTs.

[0374] (l) Hot Gas Heating Mode The hot gas heating mode is selected when the outside air temperature Tam is extremely low and the suction refrigerant pressure Ps is equal to or higher than the reference hot gas temperature KHGTs. Furthermore, the hot gas heating mode is executed when both the battery-side coolant temperature TWB and the equipment-side coolant temperature TWM are equal to or lower than the first reference endothermic temperature KTWE1.

[0375] The first reference endothermic temperature KTWE1 is set to a temperature low enough that the low-pressure refrigerant cannot absorb heat from the low-temperature-side heat medium. In other words, the first reference endothermic temperature KTWE1 is set to a value lower than the lowest saturation temperature (−40° C. in this embodiment) that is the lowest saturation temperature that the refrigerant whose pressure has been reduced by the suction action of the ejector 70 can have.

[0376] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttles the bypass flow control valve 16d.

[0377] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas heating mode, as shown by the black arrows in Figure 33, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it flows in the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70 in that order. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it flows in the bypass-side flow control valve 16d arranged in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70, and the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is drawn into the compressor 11. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the hot gas heating mode is the suction mode.

[0378] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd approaches the target high-pressure PDO within a range in which the evaporator-side refrigerant temperature Te of the indoor evaporator 19, which is the suction-side heat exchanger, is higher than a reference lower-limit temperature KTem (−40° C. in this embodiment). The reference lower-limit temperature KTem is determined based on a temperature at which the sealing performance of sealants used in pipe connections and the like can be ensured.

[0379] In addition, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c so that the superheat degree SHS of the intake refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 and being sucked into the compressor 11 approaches the reference superheat degree KSH.

[0380] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d so that the refrigerant is in an under-expanded state in the nozzle portion 71. Specifically, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment valve 16d based on the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0381] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the hot gas heating mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31. In the overall configuration diagram of Figure 32, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 is indicated by dashed arrows, which indicate the flow of the low-temperature side heat medium in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, which will be described later.

[0382] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the inside / outside air switching device 43 so that inside air is introduced as the blown air. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0383] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 34. That is, the flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a34 in Fig. 34) is branched at the first three-way joint 13a. One of the refrigerant branches at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the indoor condenser 12.

[0384] The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 condenses by releasing heat to the blown air according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44. This causes the blown air to be heated in the interior condenser 12. In the hot gas heating mode, the opening degree of the air mix door 44 is often controlled so that almost the entire volume of the blown air blown from the interior blower 42 passes through the interior condenser 12.

[0385] The refrigerant that flows out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a34 to point g34 in FIG. 34). The liquid-phase refrigerant that flows out of the receiver 15 flows into the cooling flow control valve 16c and is depressurized (from point g34 to point k34 in FIG. 34). The refrigerant depressurized by the cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20.

[0386] In the hot gas heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is stopped, and therefore the refrigerant that flows into the chiller 20 is drawn into the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70 without exchanging heat with the low-temperature side heat medium (from point k34 to region P34 in Figure 34).

[0387] Here, the region P indicated by dotted hatching in Fig. 34 indicates the state of the refrigerant inside the ejector 70. Inside the ejector 70 in the suction mode, refrigerant in a non-equilibrium state exists, making it difficult to clearly indicate the dryness fraction and the degree of superheat. For this reason, in Fig. 34, the state of the refrigerant inside the ejector 70 is not indicated by dots but by a general region. This also applies to the region P of other Mollier diagrams.

[0388] The other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the bypass passage 21c and is depressurized by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d. The refrigerant depressurized by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d flows into the nozzle 71 of the ejector 70 and is further depressurized (from point a34 to region P34 in FIG. 34 ).

[0389] 34 represents an ideal decompression process that combines the decompression process of the refrigerant in the bypass-side flow control valve 16d and the decompression process of the refrigerant in the nozzle portion 71. This also applies to the following Mollier diagrams.

[0390] Inside the ejector 70, the refrigerant with a relatively high enthalpy sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant with a relatively low enthalpy sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 (point s34 in FIG. 34 ) becomes a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat.

[0391] The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s34 to point a34 in FIG. 34).

[0392] In the hot gas heating mode, the interior air conditioning unit 40, like the outside air endothermic heating mode, blows out the temperature-adjusted blown air mixed in the mixing space 46 to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the openings, thereby heating the vehicle cabin.

[0393] In the hot gas heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode, so that the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 can be a gas-phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat in equilibrium. Furthermore, the pressure increase effect of the shock wave can increase the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet 723 to be higher than the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0394] Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved.

[0395] In addition, in the suction mode, the suction action caused by the expansion wave can create a vacuum state inside the refrigerant flow path that communicates with the refrigerant suction port 721. Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, the exterior heat exchanger 18 and the interior evaporator 19 that communicate with the refrigerant suction port 721 can create a vacuum state inside.

[0396] (m) Hot Gas Waste Heat Heating Mode The hot gas waste heat heating mode is executed when the hot gas heating mode is selected and both the battery-side coolant temperature TWB and the equipment-side coolant temperature TWM are higher than the second reference endothermic temperature KTWE2. The second reference endothermic temperature KTWE2 is set to a value higher than the lowest possible saturation temperature of the refrigerant whose pressure has been reduced by the suction action of the ejector 70.

[0397] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttles the bypass flow control valve 16d.

[0398] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode, as shown by the black arrows in Figure 33. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode is the suction mode.

[0399] In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of the compressor 11 and the like in the same manner as in the hot gas heating mode.

[0400] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 operates the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 so as to achieve a predetermined reference pumping capacity. The control device 50 also controls the apertures of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a to the third heat medium flow control valve 36c so as to achieve the predetermined apertures for the hot gas waste heat heating mode. Therefore, in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates as shown by the dashed arrows.

[0401] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0402] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0403] That is, the flow of refrigerant discharged from compressor 11 (point a35 in FIG. 35 ) is branched at first three-way joint 13a. One of the refrigerant branches at first three-way joint 13a flows into indoor condenser 12. As in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant that flows into indoor condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses according to the opening degree of air mix door 44. As a result, the blown air is heated in indoor condenser 12.

[0404] The refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a35 to point g35 in FIG. 35). The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out from the receiver 15 flows into the cooling flow control valve 16c and is depressurized (from point g35 to point k35 in FIG. 35). The refrigerant depressurized by the cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20. The refrigerant flowing into the chiller 20 absorbs heat from the low-temperature side heat medium and evaporates (from point k35 to region P35 in FIG. 35).

[0405] In addition, the other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 via the bypass side flow control valve 16d and is depressurized (from point a35 to region P35 in Figure 35), as in the hot gas heating mode.

[0406] Inside the ejector 70, similarly to the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 (point s35 in FIG. 35 ) becomes a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat.

[0407] The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s35 to point a35 in FIG. 35).

[0408] Inside the ejector 70, the refrigerant with a relatively high enthalpy sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant with a relatively low enthalpy sucked from the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 (point s34 in FIG. 34 ) becomes a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat.

[0409] The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s34 to point a34 in FIG. 34).

[0410] In the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circulates in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, similar to the battery only cooling mode.

[0411] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the air mixed in the mixing space 46 and temperature-adjusted is blown out through the openings to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin, as in the hot gas heating mode, thereby realizing heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0412] Therefore, in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved, similarly to the hot gas heating mode.

[0413] In the hot gas waste heat heating mode, similarly to the hot gas heating mode, the interior of the indoor evaporator 19, which is in communication with the refrigerant suction port 721, can be made close to a vacuum state. In the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the heat of the low-temperature side heat medium is absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20, and the heat can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0414] When the hot gas start mode is selected, if both the battery-side coolant temperature TWB and the appliance-side coolant temperature TWM are higher than the reference endothermic temperature KTWE, the hot gas waste heat heating mode may be executed as the warm-up operation mode. When the hot gas waste heat heating mode is executed as the warm-up operation mode, the indoor blower 42 may be stopped.

[0415] (n) Hot Gas Outdoor Air Heating Mode The hot gas outdoor air heating mode is selected when the operating conditions for selecting the hot gas heating mode are met and the outdoor air temperature Tam is equal to or higher than the reference extremely low outdoor air temperature KTam1. The reference extremely low outdoor air temperature KTam1 is set to a value higher than the lowest saturation temperature that the refrigerant can reach after its pressure is reduced by the suction action of the ejector 70.

[0416] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and opens the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also controls the heating flow control valve 16a to be in a throttled state, the cooling flow control valve 16b to be fully closed, the cooling flow control valve 16c to be fully closed, and the bypass flow control valve 16d to be in a throttled state.

[0417] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, as shown by the black arrows in Figure 36, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it flows in the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the heating flow control valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70 in this order. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in this order through the bypass-side flow control valve 16d disposed in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70, and the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it is drawn into the compressor 11. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode is the suction mode.

[0418] In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of the compressor 11 and the like in the same manner as in the hot gas heating mode.

[0419] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 .

[0420] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0421] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0422] That is, the flow of refrigerant discharged from compressor 11 (point a37 in FIG. 37 ) is branched at first three-way joint 13a. One of the refrigerant branches at first three-way joint 13a flows into indoor condenser 12. As in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant that flows into indoor condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses according to the opening degree of air mix door 44. As a result, the blown air is heated in indoor condenser 12.

[0423] The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a37 to point g37 in FIG. 37). The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 flows into the heating flow control valve 16a and is reduced in pressure (from point g37 to point d37 in FIG. 37). The refrigerant reduced in pressure by the heating flow control valve 16a flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 absorbs heat from the outside air and evaporates (from point d37 to region P37 in FIG. 37).

[0424] In addition, the other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 via the bypass side flow control valve 16d and is depressurized (from point a37 to region P37 in Figure 37), as in the hot gas heating mode.

[0425] Inside the ejector 70, similarly to the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 (point s37 in FIG. 37 ) becomes a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat.

[0426] The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s37 to point a37 in FIG. 37).

[0427] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas outside air heat absorption heating mode, the air mixed in the mixing space 46 and adjusted in temperature is blown out through the openings to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin, as in the hot gas heating mode, thereby realizing heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0428] Therefore, in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved, similar to the hot gas heating mode.

[0429] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the interior of the indoor evaporator 19 and the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20, which are connected to the refrigerant suction port 721, can be brought close to a vacuum state. In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 absorbs heat from the outdoor air into the refrigerant, and the refrigerant can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0430] (o) Hot Gas Parallel Dehumidifying and Heating Mode The hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is selected when dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin is required under operating conditions in which the hot gas heating mode is selected.

[0431] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 opens the first on-off valve 14a, closes the second on-off valve 14b, and closes the third on-off valve 14c. The control device 50 also fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttles the bypass flow control valve 16d.

[0432] 38 , the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant flows in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. Furthermore, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in this order: the bypass-side flow control valve 16d disposed in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle 71 of the ejector 70. The ... flowing out of the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is then drawn into the compressor 11.

[0433] That is, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant flow out of the receiver 15 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel. Furthermore, in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode.

[0434] The control device 50 also controls the operation of the compressor 11, etc., in the same manner as in the hot gas heating mode. The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16b so that the blown air can be dehumidified within a range that can suppress frost formation on the indoor evaporator 19.

[0435] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 .

[0436] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0437] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 39. That is, the flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a39 in Fig. 39) is branched at the first three-way joint 13a. One of the refrigerant branches at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the indoor condenser 12.

[0438] The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 condenses by dissipating heat to the blown air according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44. This heats the blown air in the interior condenser 12. The refrigerant that flows out of the interior condenser 12 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a39 to point g39 in FIG. 39 ). The flow of the liquid-phase refrigerant that flows out of the receiver 15 is branched at the eighth three-way joint 13h.

[0439] One of the refrigerant branches at the eighth three-way joint 13h flows into the cooling flow control valve 16b and is decompressed (from point g39 to point i39 in FIG. 39 ). The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16b flows into the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant that flows into the interior evaporator 19 absorbs heat from the blown air and evaporates. As a result, the blown air is cooled and dehumidified in the interior evaporator 19. The refrigerant that flows out of the interior evaporator 19 is drawn into the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70 (from point i39 to area P39 in FIG. 39 ).

[0440] One of the refrigerants output by eighth three-way joint 13h flows into cooling flow control valve 16c and is decompressed (from point g39 to point k39 in FIG. 39 ). The refrigerant decompressed by cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the refrigerant passage of chiller 20. As in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant that has flowed into chiller 20 is drawn into refrigerant suction port 721 of ejector 70 (from point k39 to region P39 in FIG. 39 ).

[0441] The other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the bypass passage 21c and is decompressed by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d. The refrigerant decompressed by the bypass-side flow control valve 16d flows into the nozzle 71 of the ejector 70 and is decompressed there (from point a39 to region P39 in FIG. 39 ).

[0442] Inside the ejector 70, as in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is then pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 (point s39 in FIG. 39 ) is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s39 to point a39 in FIG. 39 ).

[0443] Inside the ejector 70, similarly to the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. As a result, the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 (point s39 in FIG. 39 ) becomes a gas-phase refrigerant with a degree of superheat.

[0444] The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s39 to point a39 in FIG. 39).

[0445] In the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the interior air conditioning unit 40, like the outdoor air heat absorption parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, blows out the temperature-adjusted air mixed in the mixing space 46 to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the openings, thereby realizing dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0446] In the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be rapidly improved, similar to the hot gas heating mode.

[0447] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example in which the third on-off valve 14c is closed has been described. However, by opening the third on-off valve 14c in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the interior of the outdoor heat exchanger 18, which is in communication with the refrigerant suction port 721, can be made close to a vacuum state. (p) Hot Gas Defrosting Heating Mode The hot gas defrosting heating mode is an operating mode in which the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is defrosted when the outdoor temperature is extremely low. When the outdoor temperature is extremely low, even if the refrigerant circuit is switched to the same refrigerant circuit as in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, it may not be possible to completely defrost the outdoor heat exchanger 18. Therefore, in the hot gas defrosting heating mode, the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor 11 is used to melt the frost on the outdoor heat exchanger 18, thereby performing defrosting.

[0448] In the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas defrosting heating mode, the control device 50 closes the first on-off valve 14 a, opens the second on-off valve 14 b, and closes the third on-off valve 14 c. The control device 50 also fully opens the heating flow control valve 16 a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16 b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16 c, and throttles the bypass flow control valve 16 d.

[0449] 40 , the heat pump cycle 10 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the following order: the indoor condenser 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows in the following order: the bypass-side flow control valve 16d disposed in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle 71 of the ejector 70, and the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant is drawn into the compressor 11. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the hot gas defrost heating mode is the suction mode.

[0450] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so as to achieve a predetermined refrigerant discharge capacity for hot gas defrosting. Similarly to the hot gas heating mode, the control device 50 also controls the throttle openings of the cooling flow control valve 16 c and the bypass side flow control valve 16 d.

[0451] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the hot gas defrost heating mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 .

[0452] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas defrost heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode. Furthermore, the control device 50 appropriately controls the operation of other control target devices.

[0453] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the hot gas defrost heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of Fig. 41. That is, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a41 in Fig. 41) flows into the interior condenser 12. The refrigerant that flows into the interior condenser 12 radiates heat to the blown air and condenses according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44 (from point a41 to point b41 in Fig. 41). As a result, the blown air is heated by the interior condenser 12.

[0454] The refrigerant flowing out from the indoor condenser 12 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 via the heating flow control valve 16a, which is fully open. The refrigerant that flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 condenses by releasing heat to the outdoor heat exchanger 18. This melts the frost that has formed on the outdoor heat exchanger 18, defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant that flows out from the outdoor heat exchanger 18 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point b41 to point g41 in Figure 41).

[0455] Other operations are the same as in the hot gas heating mode. Therefore, in the hot gas defrost heating mode, like the hot gas heating mode, the vehicle cabin can be heated and the exterior heat exchanger 18 can be defrosted using the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor 11.

[0456] As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment can provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle interior and appropriate temperature adjustment for the in-vehicle devices by switching the operation mode.

[0457] The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment can operate in the hot gas heating mode when the outside air temperature is extremely low. As described above, in the hot gas heating mode, the blown air is heated mainly using the heat generated by the compression work of the compressor 11. Therefore, in order to quickly improve the heating capacity in the hot gas heating mode, it is effective to increase the intake refrigerant pressure Ps and increase the density of the intake refrigerant.

[0458] In contrast, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, the heat pump cycle 10 is provided with the ejector 70. Then, in the hot gas heating mode, etc., the ejector 70 can increase the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet 723 to be higher than the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0459] Therefore, the suction refrigerant pressure Ps can be increased by the pressure increasing action of the ejector 70 without increasing the refrigerant temperature using heat generated by the compression work of the compressor 11. As a result, the interior condenser 12, which is a heating unit, can quickly demonstrate sufficient heating capacity. In other words, the vehicle air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment can achieve highly rapid heating even when the outside air temperature is extremely low.

[0460] Furthermore, a mixing section 722a is formed in the body 72 of the ejector 70 of this embodiment. More specifically, the mixing section 722a is formed as a cylindrical space, and the mixing section distance L is set to satisfy the above-described formulas F1 and F2. This allows the refrigerant flowing out of the mixing section 722a to approach an equilibrium state. The refrigerant that has approached the equilibrium state can then be discharged from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70.

[0461] Furthermore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c, which is the heating section-side flow control unit, is controlled so that the superheat SHS of the intake refrigerant approaches the reference superheat KSH in the hot gas operation mode, etc. That is, in the vehicle air conditioner 1, the throttle opening of the heating section-side flow control unit is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 becomes gas-phase refrigerant with a superheat in the hot gas operation mode, etc.

[0462] This allows the suction pressure sensor 52h and the suction temperature sensor 52i to detect the suction refrigerant temperature Ts and suction refrigerant pressure Ps of the suction refrigerant approaching equilibrium. Therefore, the control device 50 can accurately detect the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant and accurately bring the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant close to the reference superheat degree KSH. In other words, liquid compression in the compressor 11 can be accurately prevented.

[0463] In the hot gas operation mode, the specific enthalpy of the suction refrigerant in the equilibrium state (i.e., the dryness or superheat) is determined by the flow rate ratio between the injection refrigerant flow rate Gd and the suction refrigerant flow rate Gs. Therefore, in the hot gas operation mode, the refrigerant approaching the equilibrium state that flows out of the mixing section 722a is in the form of a gas phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat.

[0464] The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment also has a suction mode as an operating mode of the ejector 70. When the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode, such as in the hot gas heating mode, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state.

[0465] This generates shock waves in the mixing section 722a, and the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the shock waves brings the ejector 70 close to the maximum pressure increase state. That is, it is possible to effectively increase the suction refrigerant pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 and being sucked into the compressor 11. As a result, the suction refrigerant pressure Ps is increased, and the heating capacity of the indoor condenser 12, which serves as a heating unit, for heating the blown air is effectively improved.

[0466] Furthermore, the pressure increasing action of the ejector 70 can reduce the rotation speed of the compressor 11, so that the operating noise and vibration of the compressor 11 can also be reduced.

[0467] The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment also has a nozzle mode as a mode of use of the ejector 70. Furthermore, as described in the hot gas start mode, the ejector 70 is used in the nozzle mode when the compressor 11 is started, and the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an over-expanded state.

[0468] This generates shock waves in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle 71, and the refrigerant pressure is increased by the shock waves, thereby quickly increasing the suction refrigerant pressure PS and shifting to the hot gas heating mode.

[0469] The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment also includes a suction-side heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and a heat exchange object. When the ejector 70 is in the suction mode, the refrigerant in the suction-side heat exchanger is sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70.

[0470] This allows the inside of the suction side heat exchanger to be brought close to a vacuum state, and the refrigerant and refrigeration oil remaining in the suction side heat exchanger can be sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 and returned to the compressor 11.

[0471] For example, in the hot gas heating mode and the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 fully closes the heating flow control valve 16 a, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16 b, and opens the third on-off valve 14 c. Then, the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the indoor evaporator 19 is sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0472] This allows the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the indoor evaporator 19 to be brought close to a vacuum state, and the refrigerant and refrigeration oil remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 and the indoor evaporator 19 can be sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 and returned to the compressor 11.

[0473] Similarly, in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b and the cooling flow control valve 16c, and then draws the refrigerant from the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 through the refrigerant suction port 721.

[0474] This allows the interior of the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 to approach a vacuum state, and the refrigerant and refrigeration oil remaining in the interior evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 can be sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 and returned to the compressor 11.

[0475] Similarly, in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 fully closes the heating flow control valve 16a and opens the third on-off valve 14c, thereby creating a vacuum state inside the outdoor heat exchanger 18. This allows the refrigerant and refrigeration oil remaining in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to be sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 and returned to the compressor 11.

[0476] The vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment also includes a suction-side heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed by the heating-side flow rate regulator and a heat exchange object. When the ejector 70 is in the suction mode, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the heat exchange object in the suction-side heat exchanger, and the ventilated air is heated.

[0477] For example, in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the chiller 20 exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow rate control valve 16c (heating unit-side flow rate control unit) and the low-temperature heat medium (heat exchange object). The heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the low-temperature heat medium in the chiller 20 can be used as a heat source to heat the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0478] Similarly, in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant decompressed by the heating flow control valve 16a, which is the heating section side flow control section, and the heat absorbed from the outdoor air, which is the heat exchange object, are used as heat sources to heat the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0479] Similarly, in the indoor evaporator 19 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the blown air can be heated in the indoor condenser 12 using the heat source of the refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16b, which is the heating section side flow control section, and the heat absorbed from the outside air, which is the heat exchange object.

[0480] In the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, in the hot gas operation mode in which the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 is controlled so that the evaporator-side refrigerant temperature Te of the interior evaporator 19, which is the suction-side heat exchanger, is higher than the reference lower-limit temperature KTem. This suppresses deterioration of sealing materials used in pipe connections and ensures sealing performance.

[0481] Second Embodiment As shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 42, a vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment employs a variable nozzle ejector 70a. The variable nozzle ejector 70a can adjust the flow rate of refrigerant flowing from the bypass passage 21c to the nozzle portion 71 by changing the refrigerant passage cross-sectional area of ​​the nozzle portion 71. For this reason, in this embodiment, the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is eliminated.

[0482] The detailed configuration of the ejector 70a will be described with reference to Fig. 43. The ejector 70a has a nozzle portion 71, a body portion 72, and a flow rate adjusting portion 73. The flow rate adjusting portion 73 has a needle valve 73a and a drive mechanism 73b.

[0483] The needle valve 73a is displaced in the axial direction of the nozzle portion 71 to change the passage cross-sectional area of ​​the throat portion 713 and the injection port 715 of the nozzle portion 71. The needle valve 73a is formed of a needle-shaped member made of metal (stainless steel in this embodiment). The central axis of the needle valve 73a is arranged coaxially with the central axis of the nozzle portion 71. The end of the needle valve 73a opposite the injection port 715 is connected to a drive mechanism 73b.

[0484] The drive mechanism 73b is a drive unit that displaces the needle valve 73a in the central axis direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, a stepping motor is used as the drive mechanism 73b. The operation of the drive mechanism 73b is controlled by a control signal (i.e., a control pulse) output from the control device 50.

[0485] The ejector 70a corresponds to a configuration in which an ejector and a bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit are integrated. In other words, a flow rate adjustment unit 73, which is the bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit of this embodiment, adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing from the bypass passage 21c into the nozzle portion 71 by changing the passage cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage formed in the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70a. The other configuration of the ejector 70a is similar to that of the ejector 70 described in the first embodiment.

[0486] Therefore, even in a vehicle air conditioning system including the ejector 70a, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, in an operation mode executed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70a can quickly increase the suction refrigerant pressure Ps, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0487] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the variable nozzle type ejector 70a is used, so the decompression process of the refrigerant in the nozzle portion 71 can be made closer to isentropic decompression and expansion than in the first embodiment. Specifically, for example, the actual decompression process in the nozzle portion 71 can be made closer to the dashed arrow from point a34 to region P34 on the Mollier diagram for the hot gas heating mode in Figure 34.

[0488] Therefore, the ejector 70a of this embodiment can reduce the energy loss of the refrigerant in the nozzle portion 71 and increase the amount of pressure increase in the ejector 70a. As a result, heating can be achieved with even faster effectiveness.

[0489] Third Embodiment In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1a shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 44. The vehicle air conditioner 1a is an air conditioner with a vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function similar to that of the first embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner 1a includes a heat pump cycle 10a, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30, a high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, etc.

[0490] The heat pump cycle 10 a adjusts the temperatures of the air blown into the vehicle cabin, the low-temperature heat medium circulating in the low-temperature heat medium circuit 30 , and the high-temperature heat medium circulating in the high-temperature heat medium circuit 60 .

[0491] In the heat pump cycle 10a, compared to the heat pump cycle 10 described in the first embodiment, the indoor condenser 12, the heating flow control valve 16a, the first on-off valve 14a to the third on-off valve 14c, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the inlet side passage 21a, the outlet side passage 21b, etc. are eliminated.

[0492] For this reason, in the heat pump cycle 10a, one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the discharged refrigerant flowing out from one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a and the high-temperature side heat medium circulating through the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 is a heat radiating unit that radiates heat from the discharged refrigerant to the high-temperature side heat medium.

[0493] The outlet of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 is connected to the inlet side of the receiver 15. The outlet of the receiver 15 is connected to the inlet side of the eighth three-way joint 13h.

[0494] The high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 is a circuit for circulating the high-temperature side heat medium. In this embodiment, the same type of fluid as the low-temperature side heat medium is used as the high-temperature side heat medium. The high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 includes a high-temperature side heat medium pump 61, a heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, a high-temperature side radiator 62, a heater core 64, etc.

[0495] The high-temperature side heat medium pump 61 is a high-temperature side heat medium pumping unit that sucks in the high-temperature side heat medium and pumps it to the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The basic configuration of the high-temperature side heat medium pump 61 is similar to that of the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31.

[0496] The inlet side of a first high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63a is connected to the outlet of the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. One outlet of the first high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63a is connected to the heat medium inlet side of the heater core 64. The basic configuration of the first high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63a is similar to that of the first heat medium three-way joint 33a.

[0497] The heater core 64 is disposed in the air conditioning case 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40, similar to the indoor condenser 12 described in the first embodiment. The heater core 64 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the high-temperature side heat medium heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 and the blown air. The heater core 64 is a heat radiating section that radiates heat from the high-temperature side heat medium to the blown air. One inlet side of the second high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63b is connected to the heat medium outlet of the heater core 64.

[0498] The other outlet of the first high-temperature-side heat medium three-way joint 63a is connected to the inlet side of a high-temperature-side heat medium flow control valve 66. The basic configuration of the high-temperature-side heat medium flow control valve 66 is similar to that of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a, etc. The outlet of the high-temperature-side heat medium flow control valve 66 is connected to the inlet side of the high-temperature-side radiator 62.

[0499] The high-temperature side radiator 62 is a high-temperature side heat medium-external air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the high-temperature side heat medium and external air blown by an external air fan (not shown). The high-temperature side radiator 62 is disposed at the front side of the drive unit compartment. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling, the traveling air can be applied to the high-temperature side radiator 62. The high-temperature side radiator 62 may be formed integrally with at least one of the low-temperature side radiator 32 and the exterior heat exchanger 18.

[0500] The other inlet side of the second high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63 b is connected to the heat medium outlet of the high-temperature side radiator 62. The suction side of the high-temperature side heat medium pump 61 is connected to the outlet side of the second high-temperature side heat medium three-way joint 63 b.

[0501] Therefore, in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, by operating the high-temperature side heat medium pump 61, the high-temperature side heat medium heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 can be caused to flow into the heater core 64. Then, in the heater core 64, heat exchange occurs between the high-temperature side heat medium and the blown air, thereby heating the blown air.

[0502] In other words, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 and each component of the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in this embodiment are heating units that heat the blown air, which is the object to be heated, using the refrigerant flowing out from one outlet of the first three-way joint 13a as a heat source.

[0503] Furthermore, a high-temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 53h is connected to the input side of the control device 50 of this embodiment. The high-temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 53h is a high-temperature side heat medium temperature detection unit that detects a high-temperature side heat medium temperature TWH, which is the temperature of the high-temperature side heat medium flowing into the heater core 64. The rest of the configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1a is the same as that of the vehicle air conditioner 1 described in the first embodiment.

[0504] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1a of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1a can switch between operating modes as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the operating modes in which the ejector is used in the aisle mode include (a) cooling mode, (i) waste heat heating mode, and (j) waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode.

[0505] In addition, (k) a hot gas startup mode can be implemented as an operating mode in which the ejector is used in the nozzle mode. In addition, (l) a hot gas heating mode, (m) a hot gas waste heat heating mode, and (o) a hot gas parallel dehumidification heating mode can be implemented as operating modes in which the ejector is used in the suction mode. Each operating mode is described below.

[0506] (a) Cooling Mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16b to a throttled state, the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c to a fully closed state, and the bypass side flow rate adjustment valve 16d to a fully closed state.

[0507] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the cooling mode.

[0508] Furthermore, the control device 50 controls the operations of various control target devices of the heat pump cycle 10a in the same manner as in the cooling mode of the first embodiment.

[0509] In the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 operates the high-temperature side heat medium pump 61 so as to exert a predetermined reference pumping capacity.

[0510] The controller 50 also controls the throttle opening of the high-temperature-side heat medium flow control valve 66 so that the high-temperature-side heat medium temperature TWH detected by the high-temperature-side heat medium temperature sensor 53h is equal to or higher than the reference high-temperature-side heat medium temperature KTWH. The reference high-temperature-side heat medium temperature KTWH is set to a value that allows the heater core 64 to heat the blown air.

[0511] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the operations of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode of the first embodiment.

[0512] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode of the first embodiment.

[0513] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 functions as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 19 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The blown air is cooled in the indoor evaporator 19.

[0514] In the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling mode, the high-temperature side heat medium heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 flows into the heater core 64 and the high-temperature side radiator 62 according to the throttle opening of the high-temperature side heat medium flow control valve 66.

[0515] The high-temperature side heat medium that flows into the heater core 64 radiates heat to the blown air according to the opening degree of the air mix door 44. As a result, the blown air is heated by the heater core 64. The high-temperature side heat medium that flows into the high-temperature side radiator 62 exchanges heat with the outside air and radiates heat. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is cooled.

[0516] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the cooling mode, the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 are cooled, similarly to the cooling mode in the first embodiment.

[0517] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the air blown from the interior blower 42 flows into the interior evaporator 19 and is cooled. The air cooled by the interior evaporator 19 flows into the air passage on the heater core 64 side and the cool air bypass passage 45 depending on the opening degree of the air mix door 44.

[0518] The blown air that flows into the air passage on the heater core 64 side is heated as it passes through the heater core 64 and flows into the mixing space 46. The air that flows into the cold air bypass passage 45 flows into the mixing space 46 without being heated. The blown air that has been mixed and temperature-adjusted in the mixing space 46 is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening hole, thereby cooling the vehicle cabin.

[0519] (i) Waste heat heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and fully closes the bypass side flow control valve 16d.

[0520] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode.

[0521] The controller 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the high-temperature side heat medium temperature TWH approaches the target high-temperature side heat medium temperature TWHO. The target high-temperature side heat medium temperature TWHO is determined based on the target outlet temperature TAO by referring to a control map pre-stored in the controller 50. The controller 50 also controls the operation of various controlled devices in the heat pump cycle 10a, similar to the waste heat heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0522] In the waste heat heating mode, the controller 50 fully closes the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60. The controller 50 also controls the operation of the other various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0523] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0524] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0525] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 functions as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The low-temperature side heat medium is cooled in the chiller 20.

[0526] In the waste heat heating mode, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60 heats the blown air in the heater core 64 in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0527] In the waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 cools the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0528] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat heating mode, the temperature-adjusted air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening holes, as in the cooling mode, thereby realizing heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0529] Furthermore, in the waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 has a circuit configuration that is switched depending on the opening patterns of the first to third heat medium flow control valves 36 a to 36 c. For example, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 may be switched to a circuit configuration that causes the low-temperature side heat medium to flow into at least one of the coolant passage 80 a of the battery 80 and the coolant passage 81 a of the high-power equipment 81.

[0530] In this case, similarly to the waste heat heating mode of the first embodiment, the cooling capacity of the heat pump cycle 10a can be used to cool at least one of the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81. Furthermore, the waste heat of at least one of the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the heater core 64.

[0531] Furthermore, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 may be switched to a circuit configuration in which the low-temperature side heat medium flows into the low-temperature side radiator 32. In this case, as in the outside air heat absorption heating mode described in the first embodiment, the heat of the outside air can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air by the heater core 64.

[0532] (j) Waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 places the cooling flow control valve 16b in a throttling state, the cooling flow control valve 16c in a throttling state, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d in a fully closed state.

[0533] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates, in order, through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the refrigerant passage of the indoor evaporator 19, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates, in order, through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11.

[0534] That is, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant flow from the receiver 15 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the indoor evaporator 19 and the chiller 20 are connected in parallel. Furthermore, the ejector 70 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode is used in the passage mode.

[0535] In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices of the heat pump cycle 10a in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0536] In the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operations of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0537] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operations of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0538] In the indoor air-conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0539] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 functions as a condenser, and the indoor evaporator 19 and chiller 20 function as evaporators. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The indoor evaporator 19 cools and dehumidifies the blown air. The chiller 20 cools the low-temperature side heat medium.

[0540] In the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the blown air is heated by the heater core 64 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60, as in the cooling mode.

[0541] In the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 cools the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81 in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0542] In the interior air conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the temperature-adjusted blown air is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening holes, as in the cooling mode, thereby realizing dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0543] (k) Hot Gas Startup Mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas startup mode, the control device 50 fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttles the bypass side flow control valve 16d.

[0544] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas start-up mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas start-up mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the nozzle mode in the hot gas start-up mode. Other operations are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0545] Therefore, in the hot gas start mode, the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the suction refrigerant temperature Ts can be increased quickly, as in the first embodiment.

[0546] (l) Hot gas heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas heating mode, the control device 50 fully closes the cooling flow control valve 16b, throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttles the bypass side flow control valve 16d.

[0547] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode in the hot gas heating mode. In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of each component of the heat pump cycle 10a in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0548] In the hot gas heating mode, the controller 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode. Other operations are the same as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0549] Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved to heat the vehicle cabin, as in the first embodiment. Also, in the hot gas heating mode, the interior of the interior evaporator 19, which is in communication with the refrigerant suction port 721, can be made close to a vacuum state.

[0550] (m) Hot gas waste heat heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 sets the air conditioning flow control valve 16b to a fully closed state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a throttled state, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d to a throttled state.

[0551] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode. Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode. In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of other control target devices in the same way as in the waste heat heating mode.

[0552] Therefore, in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved to heat the vehicle cabin, as in the first embodiment. Also, in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the interior of the interior evaporator 19, which is connected to the refrigerant suction port 721, can be made to approach a vacuum state. Furthermore, the heat of the low-temperature side heat medium can be absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20, and can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the interior condenser 12.

[0553] (o) Hot Gas Parallel Dehumidifying and Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 sets the cooling flow control valve 16b to a throttling state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a throttling state, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d to a throttling state.

[0554] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode. In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of the other control target devices in the same way as in the waste heat parallel dehumidifying and heating mode.

[0555] Therefore, in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved to realize dehumidifying and heating of the vehicle interior, as in the first embodiment.

[0556] As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1a of this embodiment can provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle interior and appropriate temperature adjustment for the vehicle-mounted devices by switching the operation mode.

[0557] Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioning system 1a of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, in an operation mode performed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant intake pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0558] Fourth Embodiment In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1b shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 45. The vehicle air conditioner 1b is an air conditioner with a vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function similar to that of the first embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner 1b includes a heat pump cycle 10b, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, a high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, etc.

[0559] In the heat pump cycle 10b, the cooling flow control valve 16b, the indoor evaporator 19, etc. are eliminated from the heat pump cycle 10a described in the second embodiment. Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b, the inlet side of the cooling flow control valve 16c is connected to the liquid phase refrigerant outlet of the receiver 15.

[0560] The low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b is configured by adding a fourth heat medium flow control valve 36d, a cooler core 39, and the like to the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 described in the first embodiment.

[0561] More specifically, in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b, the other outlet of the second heat medium three-way joint 33b is connected to the inlet of a fifth heat medium three-way joint 33e. One outlet of the fifth heat medium three-way joint 33e is connected to the inlet of a third heat medium flow control valve 36c. In addition, one inlet of a sixth heat medium three-way joint 33f is connected to the heat medium outlet of the low-temperature side radiator 32 in this embodiment.

[0562] The other outlet of the fifth heat medium three-way joint 33 e is connected to the inlet side of a fourth heat medium flow control valve 36 d. The fourth heat medium flow control valve 36 d has a basic configuration similar to that of the first heat medium flow control valve 36 a.

[0563] The outlet of the fourth heat medium flow rate adjustment valve 36d is connected to the heat medium inlet side of a cooler core 39. The cooler core 39 is disposed in the air conditioning case 41 of the indoor air conditioning unit 40, similar to the indoor evaporator 19 described in the first embodiment. The cooler core 39 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 and the blown air. The cooler core 39 is a cooling unit that cools the blown air by making the low-temperature side heat medium absorb heat contained in the blown air.

[0564] The other inlet side of the sixth heat medium three-way joint 33 f is connected to the heat medium outlet of the cooler core 39. The other inlet side of the third heat medium three-way joint 33 c is connected to the outlet of the sixth heat medium three-way joint 33 f.

[0565] Furthermore, a chiller temperature sensor 52j and a cooler core coolant temperature sensor 53c are connected to the input side of the control device 50 of this embodiment. The chiller temperature sensor 52j is a chiller temperature detection unit that detects a chiller-side refrigerant temperature Tc, which is the temperature of the refrigerant in the chiller 20. More specifically, the chiller temperature sensor 52j of this embodiment detects the temperature of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20.

[0566] The cooler core coolant temperature sensor 53c is a cooler core coolant temperature detection unit that detects a cooler core side coolant temperature TWC, which is the temperature of the low-temperature side heat medium on the outlet side of the cooler core 39. The rest of the configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1b is the same as that of the vehicle air conditioner 1a described in the third embodiment.

[0567] Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment with the above configuration will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1b can switch between operating modes as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the operating modes in which the ejector is used in the aisle mode include (a) a cooling mode and (i) a waste heat heating mode.

[0568] In addition, (k) a hot gas startup mode can be implemented as an operating mode in which the ejector is used in the nozzle mode. In addition, (l) a hot gas heating mode, (m) a hot gas waste heat heating mode, and (o) a hot gas parallel dehumidification heating mode can be implemented as operating modes in which the ejector is used in the suction mode. Each operating mode is described below.

[0569] (a) Cooling Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c to be in a throttled state and the bypass side flow rate adjustment valve 16d to be in a fully closed state.

[0570] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which it circulates in the following order: the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the chiller 20, the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70, and the suction port of the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the passage mode in the cooling mode.

[0571] The control device 50 also controls the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 so that the chiller-side refrigerant temperature Tc detected by the chiller temperature sensor 52j approaches the target evaporator temperature TEO. The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c so that the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant approaches the reference superheat degree KSH.

[0572] In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the operations of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode of the third embodiment.

[0573] In the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b in the cooling mode, the control device 50 operates the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 so as to exert a predetermined reference pumping capacity.

[0574] In addition, the control device 50 determines the opening pattern of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a to the fourth heat medium flow control valve 36d by referring to a control map pre-stored in the control device 50 based on the battery side coolant temperature TWB, the equipment side coolant temperature TWM, and the cooler core side coolant temperature TWC detected by the cooler core coolant temperature sensor 53c.

[0575] In the control map, as in the first embodiment, the opening pattern is determined so that the battery-side coolant temperature TWB approaches the reference battery-side coolant temperature KTWB and the equipment-side coolant temperature TWM approaches the reference equipment-side coolant temperature KTWM. At the same time, the opening pattern is determined so that the cooler-core-side coolant temperature TWC approaches the reference cooler-core-side coolant temperature KTWC. The reference cooler-core-side coolant temperature KTWC is set to a value that allows the blown air to be appropriately cooled.

[0576] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode of the third embodiment.

[0577] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the cooling mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 functions as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The low-temperature side heat medium is cooled in the chiller 20.

[0578] In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the cooling mode, the blown air is heated by the heater core 64, similarly to the cooling mode of the third embodiment.

[0579] In the cooling mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b cools the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81, as in the air-conditioning battery cooling mode of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the low-temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 20 flows into the cooler core 39. The low-temperature side heat medium that has flowed into the cooler core 39 exchanges heat with the blown air. This cools the blown air.

[0580] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the cooling mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 42 flows into the cooler core 39 and is cooled. The air cooled by the cooler core 39 flows into the air passage on the heater core 64 side and the cool air bypass passage 45 depending on the opening degree of the air mix door 44.

[0581] The blown air that flows into the air passage on the heater core 64 side is heated as it passes through the heater core 64 and flows into the mixing space 46. The air that flows into the cool air bypass passage 45 flows into the mixing space 46 without being heated. The blown air that has been mixed and temperature-adjusted in the mixing space 46 is blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the opening. This achieves cooling or dehumidifying heating in the vehicle cabin.

[0582] (i) Waste Heat Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the waste heat heating mode, the controller 50 throttles the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c and fully closes the bypass flow rate adjustment valve 16d.

[0583] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the cooling mode. Therefore, the usage mode of the ejector 70 in the waste heat heating mode is the passage mode.

[0584] Furthermore, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices of the heat pump cycle 10b in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode of the third embodiment.

[0585] In the waste heat heating mode, the controller 50 fully closes the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60. The controller 50 also controls the operation of the other various control target devices, as in the waste heat heating mode of the third embodiment.

[0586] In the waste heat heating mode, the controller 50 fully closes the fourth heat medium flow control valve 36d in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b. The controller 50 also controls the operation of the other control target devices in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode of the third embodiment.

[0587] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the waste heat heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode of the third embodiment.

[0588] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the waste heat heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 functions as a condenser and the chiller 20 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the high-temperature side heat medium is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The low-temperature side heat medium is cooled in the chiller 20.

[0589] In the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the waste heat heating mode, the blown air is heated by the heater core 64, as in the third embodiment.

[0590] In the waste heat heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b cools the battery 80 and the high-power equipment 81, as in the cooling mode. Furthermore, in the waste heat heating mode, the fourth heat medium flow control valve 36d is fully closed, so that the blown air is not cooled by the cooler core 39.

[0591] In the waste heat heating mode, the interior air conditioning unit 40 blows temperature-adjusted blown air through the openings to appropriate locations in the vehicle cabin, as in the third embodiment. This achieves heating of the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, in the waste heat heating mode, as in the third embodiment, the heater core 64 can use waste heat from the battery 80, waste heat from the high-power equipment 81, and heat from the outside air as heat sources for heating the blown air.

[0592] (k) Hot Gas Startup Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas startup mode, the controller 50 fully closes the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c and throttles the bypass flow rate adjustment valve 16d.

[0593] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the hot gas start-up mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas start-up mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the nozzle mode in the hot gas start-up mode. Other operations are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0594] Therefore, in the hot gas start mode, the suction refrigerant pressure Ps and the suction refrigerant temperature Ts can be increased quickly, as in the first embodiment.

[0595] (l) Hot Gas Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas heating mode, the controller 50 controls the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c to the throttle state and the bypass side flow rate adjustment valve 16d to the throttle state.

[0596] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode in the hot gas heating mode. In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of each component of the heat pump cycle 10b in the same way as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0597] In the hot gas heating mode, the controller 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode. Other operations are the same as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0598] Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, similarly to the first embodiment, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved to realize heating of the vehicle interior.

[0599] (m) Hot Gas Waste Heat Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the controller 50 throttles the cooling flow rate adjustment valve 16c and throttles the bypass side flow rate adjustment valve 16d.

[0600] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the refrigerant is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode. Therefore, in the hot gas heating mode, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode. In addition, the control device 50 controls the operation of other control target devices in the same way as in the waste heat heating mode.

[0601] Therefore, in the hot gas waste heat heating mode, the heating capacity of the blown air is quickly improved to heat the vehicle cabin, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the heat of the low-temperature side heat medium is absorbed by the refrigerant in the chiller 20, and the absorbed heat can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the heater core 64.

[0602] (o) Hot Gas Parallel Dehumidifying and Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the controller 50 throttles the cooling flow control valve 16c and throttles the bypass side flow control valve 16d.

[0603] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10b in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant circuit is switched to one in which the refrigerant circulates in the same order as in the hot gas heating mode. Therefore, the use mode of the ejector 70 in the hot gas heating mode is the suction mode.

[0604] In the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0605] In the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0606] In the indoor air conditioning unit 40 in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of the various control target devices in the same manner as in the cooling mode.

[0607] Therefore, in the hot gas parallel dehumidifying and heating mode, the interior air conditioning unit 40 can reheat the blown air that has been cooled and dehumidified by the cooler core 39 in the heater core 64. The temperature-adjusted blown air is then blown out to an appropriate location in the vehicle cabin through the openings. This achieves dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, the heating capacity of the blown air can be quickly improved to achieve dehumidifying and heating the vehicle cabin.

[0608] As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment can provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle interior and appropriate temperature adjustment for the vehicle-mounted devices by switching the operation mode.

[0609] Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, in an operation mode performed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant intake pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0610] Fifth Embodiment In this embodiment, a modified example of the vehicle air conditioner 1b described in the fourth embodiment will be described. As shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 46 , the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment includes an accumulator 22 instead of the receiver 15.

[0611] The accumulator 22 is a low-pressure-side gas-liquid separator that separates the low-pressure refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 into gas and liquid. The accumulator 22 is a low-pressure-side liquid storage unit that allows a portion of the separated gas refrigerant to flow downstream and stores the liquid refrigerant as surplus refrigerant in the cycle. The gas refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 22 is connected to the refrigerant suction port side of the compressor 11. The rest of the configuration of the vehicle air conditioner 1b is the same as that of the fourth embodiment.

[0612] The vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment can also switch between operation modes, as in the fourth embodiment, specifically, (a) cooling mode, (i) waste heat heating mode, (k) hot gas startup mode, (l) hot gas heating mode, (m) hot gas waste heat heating mode, and (o) hot gas parallel dehumidification heating mode.

[0613] In each operation mode, the control device 50 of the present embodiment controls the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c so that the degree of subcooling SC of the refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 approaches the target degree of subcooling SCO. The target degree of subcooling SCO is determined based on the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd and by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50.

[0614] In the control map, the target degree of supercooling SCO is determined so that the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cycle becomes a maximum value. Other operations are the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

[0615] According to the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment, by switching the operation mode, it is possible to provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle cabin and appropriate temperature control for the vehicle-mounted devices. Furthermore, similar to the fourth embodiment, in the operation mode executed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving fast-acting heating.

[0616] Sixth Embodiment In this embodiment, a modified example of the vehicle air conditioner 1b described in the fourth embodiment will be described. As shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 47 , the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment has a modified arrangement of the accumulator 22 compared to the seventh embodiment.

[0617] Specifically, in this embodiment, the inlet side of the accumulator 22 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20. The refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70 is connected to the gas phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 22. The other configurations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment.

[0618] The vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment can also switch between operation modes, as in the fifth embodiment, specifically, (a) cooling mode, (i) waste heat heating mode, (k) hot gas startup mode, (l) hot gas heating mode, (m) hot gas waste heat heating mode, and (o) hot gas parallel dehumidification heating mode.

[0619] In the vehicle air conditioner 1b of this embodiment, in the hot gas operation mode in which the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode, gas-phase refrigerant is drawn through the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. Even with this configuration, the pressure-boosting action of the ejector 70 can quickly increase the suction refrigerant pressure Ps, thereby achieving fast-acting heating.

[0620] Seventh Embodiment In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1c shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 48. The vehicle air conditioner 1c is an air conditioner with a vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function similar to that of the first embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner 1c includes a heat pump cycle 10c, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, a high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, etc.

[0621] In the heat pump cycle 10c, the arrangement of the ejector 70 is changed from that of the heat pump cycle 10b described in the fourth embodiment.

[0622] Specifically, in the heat pump cycle 10c, the outlet of the cooling flow rate control valve 16c is connected to the refrigerant suction port 721 side of the ejector 70. Furthermore, the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20. The outlet of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20 is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 11. The other configurations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment.

[0623] In the vehicle air conditioner 1c of this embodiment, the operating modes can be switched as in the fourth embodiment, specifically, (a) cooling mode, (i) waste heat heating mode, (k) hot gas startup mode, and (l) hot gas heating mode can be executed.

[0624] According to the vehicle air conditioner 1c of this embodiment, by switching the operation mode, it is possible to provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle cabin and appropriate temperature control for the vehicle-mounted devices. Furthermore, similar to the fourth embodiment, in the operation mode executed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving fast-acting heating.

[0625] Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioner 1c of this embodiment may also execute (m) a hot gas waste heat heating mode or (o) a hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode. In the vehicle air conditioner 1c, the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20 is connected to the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70. Therefore, in the (m) hot gas waste heat heating mode or (o) hot gas parallel dehumidifying heating mode of this embodiment, the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the chiller 20 is higher than in the fourth embodiment.

[0626] Eighth Embodiment In this embodiment, a vehicle air conditioner 1d shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 49 will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1d is an air conditioner with a vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function similar to that of the first embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner 1d includes a heat pump cycle 10d, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, a high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, etc.

[0627] The heat pump cycle 10d is different from the heat pump cycle 10b described in the fifth embodiment in that the ejector 70 is disposed in a different position.

[0628] Specifically, in the heat pump cycle 10d, the outlet of the cooling flow rate control valve 16c is connected to the nozzle inlet 711 side of the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70. Furthermore, the outlet of the bypass-side flow rate control valve 16d is connected to the refrigerant suction port 721 side of the ejector 70. The other configurations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment.

[0629] In the vehicle air conditioner 1d of this embodiment, similarly to the fourth embodiment, the operating modes can be switched among (a) a cooling mode, (i) a waste heat heating mode, and (l) a hot gas heating mode.

[0630] In the vehicle air conditioning system 1d of this embodiment, the refrigerant with a relatively low enthalpy that flows out from the cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70. Therefore, compared to the (l) hot gas heating mode of the fourth embodiment, the adiabatic enthalpy drop in the nozzle portion 71 is reduced.

[0631] Therefore, although the refrigerant pressurizing ability of the ejector 70 is lower than that of the vehicle air conditioner 1a, etc., the intake refrigerant pressure Ps can be increased more quickly than in a vehicle air conditioner that does not have an ejector, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0632] Ninth Embodiment In this embodiment, a vehicle air conditioner 1e shown in the overall configuration diagram of Fig. 50 will be described. The vehicle air conditioner 1e is an air conditioner with a vehicle equipment temperature adjustment function similar to that of the first embodiment. The vehicle air conditioner 1e includes a heat pump cycle 10e, a low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30b, an interior air conditioning unit 40, a control device 50, a high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60, etc.

[0633] The heat pump cycle 10e is different from the heat pump cycle 10b described in the fourth embodiment in that it further includes a heating flow control valve 16a and an outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the location of the ejector 70 is changed.

[0634] Specifically, in the heat pump cycle 10e, the inlet side of the tenth three-way joint 13j is connected to the liquid phase refrigerant outlet of the receiver 15. The tenth three-way joint 13j is a downstream branch portion.

[0635] One outlet of the tenth three-way joint 13j is connected to the inlet side of the heating flow control valve 16a. The outlet of the heating flow control valve 16a is connected to the refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is connected to the refrigerant suction port 721 side of the ejector 70. The refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is connected to one inlet side of the eleventh three-way joint 13k.

[0636] The other outlet of the tenth three-way joint 13j is connected to the inlet side of the cooling flow rate control valve 16c. The other inlet side of the eleventh three-way joint 13k is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20. The outlet of the eleventh three-way joint 13k is connected to the suction side of the compressor 11.

[0637] Therefore, in this embodiment, the heating flow control valve 16a is the first heating section side flow control part, and the cooling flow control valve 16c is the second heating section side flow control part. The eleventh three-way joint 13k is the junction part. The other configurations are the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

[0638] In the vehicle air conditioner 1e of this embodiment, the operation modes can be switched in the same way as in Embodiment 1. Specifically, by fully closing the heating flow control valve 16a, fully closing the cooling flow control valve 16c, and fully closing the bypass flow control valve 16d, the vehicle air conditioner can operate in the (a) cooling mode and the (i) waste heat heating mode, similar to those in the fourth embodiment.

[0639] Furthermore, by fully closing the heating flow control valve 16a, fully closing the cooling flow control valve 16c, and throttling the bypass-side flow control valve 16d, it is possible to execute the (k) hot gas start-up mode similar to that of the fourth embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to execute the (n) hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, which is an operating mode in which the ejector is used in the suction mode. The (n) hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode will be described below.

[0640] (n) Hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10e in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 sets the heating flow control valve 16a to a throttling state, the cooling flow control valve 16c to a throttling state, and the bypass side flow control valve 16d to a throttling state.

[0641] 50 , in the heat pump cycle 10e in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit that flows in the order of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the heating flow control valve 16a, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit that flows in the order of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121, the receiver 15, the cooling flow control valve 16c, the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20, and the refrigerant suction port 721 of the ejector 70. At the same time, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is switched to a refrigerant circuit that flows in the order of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d disposed in the bypass passage 21c and the nozzle 71 of the ejector 70, and the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 is drawn into the compressor 11. Therefore, the ejector 70 is used in the suction mode in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode.

[0642] The control device 50 also controls the throttle opening of the heating flow control valve 16a so that the outdoor unit side refrigerant temperature T2 detected by the outdoor unit temperature sensor 52e becomes lower than the outdoor air temperature Tam. The control device 50 also controls the operation of the other components of the heat pump cycle 10e, similar to the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0643] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 stops the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 30 .

[0644] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the control device 50 controls the operation of various control target devices in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60 in the same manner as in the waste heat heating mode of the fourth embodiment. Other operations are the same as in the hot gas heating mode of the first embodiment.

[0645] Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10e in the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the state of the refrigerant changes as shown in the Mollier diagram of FIG.

[0646] That is, the flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 (point a51 in FIG. 51 ) is branched at the first three-way joint 13a. One of the refrigerant branches at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121. The refrigerant that has flowed into the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 transfers heat to the high-temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage and is condensed. This heats the high-temperature side heat medium.

[0647] The refrigerant flowing out of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 flows into the receiver 15 and is separated into gas and liquid (from point a51 to point g51 in FIG. 51). The flow of the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the receiver 15 is branched at the tenth three-way joint 13j.

[0648] One of the refrigerant branches at the tenth three-way joint 13j flows into the heating flow control valve 16a and is depressurized (from point g51 to point d51 in FIG. 51 ). The refrigerant depressurized by the heating flow control valve 16a flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 18. The refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 18 absorbs heat from the outside air and evaporates (from point d51 to area P51 in FIG. 51 ).

[0649] In addition, the other refrigerant branched at the first three-way joint 13a flows into the nozzle portion 71 of the ejector 70 via the bypass side flow control valve 16d and is depressurized (from point a51 to region P51 in Figure 51), as in the hot gas heating mode.

[0650] Inside the ejector 70, as in the hot gas heating mode, the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle 71 and the refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant suction port 721 join together in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The mixed refrigerant is pressurized by the action of shock waves generated in the mixing and pressurizing section 722. The refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejector 70 flows into one inlet of the eleventh three-way joint 13k (from region P51 to point s51 in FIG. 51 ).

[0651] One of the refrigerant branches at the tenth three-way joint 13j flows into the cooling flow control valve 16c and is decompressed (from point g51 to point k51 in FIG. 51 ). The refrigerant decompressed by the cooling flow control valve 16c flows into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 20.

[0652] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode, the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is stopped, and therefore the refrigerant that flows into the chiller 20 flows into the other inlet of the eleventh three-way joint 13k (from point k51 to point s51 in Figure 51) without exchanging heat with the low-temperature side heat medium.

[0653] The refrigerant that has joined at the eleventh three-way joint 13k is drawn into the compressor 11 and compressed again (from point s51 to point a51 in FIG. 51).

[0654] In the hot gas outside air heat absorption heating mode, the blown air is heated by the heater core 64 in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 60, as in the waste heat heating mode.

[0655] In the hot gas outside air heat absorption heating mode, the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 blows temperature-adjusted blown air through the openings to appropriate locations in the vehicle cabin, as in the waste heat heating mode, thereby realizing heating of the vehicle cabin.

[0656] As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1e of this embodiment can provide comfortable air conditioning for the vehicle interior and appropriate temperature adjustment for the vehicle-mounted devices by switching the operation mode.

[0657] Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioner 1e of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, in an operation mode performed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant intake pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0658] In the hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of this embodiment, the pressure of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 can be reduced below the intake refrigerant pressure Ts by the pressure increase action of the ejector 70. This reduces the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 below the outdoor air temperature Tam. Therefore, the heat of the outdoor air is absorbed by the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and the refrigerant can be used as a heat source for heating the blown air in the indoor condenser 12.

[0659] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as follows within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0660] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioner. However, the application of the heat pump cycle device is not limited to vehicle air conditioners. For example, the heat pump cycle device may be applied to a water heater that heats water for daily use as the object to be heated. For example, the heat pump cycle device may be applied to an air conditioner with a server cooling function that appropriately adjusts the temperature of a computer server while providing indoor air conditioning.

[0661] Furthermore, when the heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle air conditioning system, it may be configured to adjust the temperature of vehicle equipment such as a motor generator, an inverter, a sensor processing unit, a transaxle, and an ADAS control device.

[0662] A motor generator is an electric motor that functions as both a motor that outputs driving force for driving and a generator. An inverter is an electric circuit device that supplies power to the motor generator, etc. A sensor processing unit is a control device that integrates environmental sensor interfaces and communication functions for autonomous driving and energy-saving driving. A transaxle is a power transmission mechanism that integrates a transmission, differential gear, etc. An ADAS control device is a control device for an advanced driver assistance system.

[0663] The configuration of the heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration disclosed in the above-described embodiment.

[0664] For example, multiple components may be integrated to the extent possible. Specifically, a four-way joint may be adopted in which the seventh three-way joint 13g and the eighth three-way joint 13h described in the first embodiment are integrated. Alternatively, a three-way flow control valve may be adopted in which any two of the first heat medium flow control valve 36a to the fourth heat medium flow control valve 36d are integrated.

[0665] In the above-described embodiment, the heat pump cycles 10 to 10e are described as employing the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the indoor evaporator 19, and the chiller 20 as the suction-side heat exchanger, but the suction-side heat exchanger is not limited to this. For example, a ventilation heat recovery heat exchanger may be employed, which exchanges heat between the low-pressure refrigerant and the indoor air flowing out of the air-conditioned space, thereby absorbing the heat of the indoor air into the low-pressure refrigerant.

[0666] Furthermore, the group of control sensors connected to the input side of the control device 50 is not limited to the detection units disclosed in the above embodiment, and various detection units may be added as necessary.

[0667] In the above-described embodiment, the refrigerant used in the heat pump cycles 10 to 10e is R1234yf, but this is not limiting. For example, R134a, R600a, R410A, R404A, R32, R407C, R290, etc. may be used. A mixture of multiple types of these refrigerants may also be used. Furthermore, R744 may be used as the refrigerant to configure a supercritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure is equal to or higher than the critical pressure of the refrigerant.

[0668] It is desirable to use a refrigerant whose saturation pressure at the same temperature is equal to or higher than the saturation pressure of R1234yf.

[0669] The reason for this is that even if a high pressure step-up ratio (Pout / Psuc) is obtained in the ejectors 70, 70a, if the suction refrigerant pressure Psuc is low, the pressure (absolute value) of the refrigerant flowing out from the refrigerant outlet 723 of the ejectors 70, 70a will be low. Therefore, in order to ensure that the heat pump cycles 10 to 10e quickly demonstrate sufficient heating capacity, it is desirable to use R1234yf, R290, R744, etc.

[0670] In the above embodiment, an example in which an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the low-temperature side heat medium and the high-temperature side heat medium is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a solution containing dimethylpolysiloxane or nanofluid, an antifreeze, an aqueous liquid refrigerant containing alcohol, or a liquid medium containing oil may be used as the high-temperature side heat medium and the low-temperature side heat medium.

[0671] The control aspects of the heat pump cycle apparatus according to the present disclosure are not limited to the control aspects disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

[0672] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle air conditioners 1 to 1e are described as being capable of implementing various operating modes, but it is not necessary for all of the above-described operating modes to be executable. The air conditioner according to the present disclosure can achieve the effects described in the above-described embodiment as long as it is capable of implementing at least an operating mode in which the ejector 70 is used in the (γ) suction mode.

[0673] That is, in the operation mode executed when the outside air temperature is extremely low, the refrigerant intake pressure Ps is quickly increased by the refrigerant pressure increasing action of the ejector 70, thereby achieving heating with high immediate effect.

[0674] Of course, other operating modes may be implemented. For example, in the (n) hot gas outdoor air heat absorption heating mode of the ninth embodiment, a hot gas outdoor air heat absorption waste heat heating mode may be implemented in which the low-temperature side heat medium pump 31 is operated to cause the refrigerant in the chiller 20 to absorb heat from the low-temperature side heat medium. This allows the refrigerant pressure in the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to be reduced below the refrigerant pressure in the chiller 20.

[0675] In the above embodiment, as described in (l) hot gas heating mode, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state. However, this is not limiting. For example, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 may be controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state. Furthermore, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d may be controlled so that the discharge refrigerant pressure Pd approaches the target high-pressure PDO.

[0676] In the above embodiment, as described in (k) hot gas start mode, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d is controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an over-expanded state, but this is not limiting. For example, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 may be controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state at a low rotation speed within a range that is not affected by liquid compression.

[0677] In the above embodiment, the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 is controlled so that the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the suction-side heat exchanger is higher than the reference lower-limit temperature KTem during the hot gas operation mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The throttle openings of the various flow control valves may be controlled so that the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the suction-side heat exchanger is higher than the reference lower-limit temperature KTem.

[0678] In the above-described embodiment, as described in the (k) hot gas start-up mode, the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c, which is the heating section side flow control section, is controlled so that the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant approaches the reference superheat degree KSH. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0679] For example, the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow control valve 16d may be controlled so that the superheat degree SHS of the suction refrigerant approaches the reference superheat degree KSH. Furthermore, the throttle opening of the heating-section-side flow control section may be controlled so that the injected refrigerant is in an under-expanded state.

[0680] In the above embodiment, the hot gas start mode is continued until the intake refrigerant temperature Ts becomes equal to or higher than the reference hot gas temperature KHGTs. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0681] For example, the hot gas start-up mode may be continued until a predetermined reference start-up time Twu has elapsed since the start-up of the compressor 11. After the hot gas start-up mode ends, the operation mode may be shifted to the hot gas operation mode in which the ejectors 70, 70a are used in the suction mode.

[0682] The reference start-up time Twu may be determined based on the outside air temperature Tam by referring to a control map stored in advance in the control device 50. Specifically, the reference start-up time Twu may be determined so as to become longer as the outside air temperature Tam decreases.

[0683] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the compressor 11 is actively switched to the hot gas start mode when it is started, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0684] For example, the hot gas heating mode may be executed when the compressor 11 is started. As described above, the suction refrigerant may be in a gas-liquid two-phase state when the compressor 11 is started. Therefore, similar to the hot gas heating mode, when the throttle opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c is controlled so that the superheat degree SHS approaches the reference superheat degree KSH, the cooling flow control valve 16c approaches a fully closed state.

[0685] Therefore, when the opening of the cooling flow control valve 16c is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference start-up opening, the control device 50 controls the throttle opening of the bypass side flow control valve 16d so that the injected refrigerant is in an over-expanded state. This allows operation similar to that in the hot gas start-up mode to be achieved.

[0686] The means disclosed in each of the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate within a practicable range. For example, the ejector 70a described in the second embodiment may be applied to the heat pump cycles 10a to 10e described in the third to ninth embodiments.

[0687] For example, the indoor condenser 12 described in the first embodiment may be applied as a heating unit to the heat pump cycles 10a to 10e described in the third to ninth embodiments. Of course, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 121 and the components of the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 60 described in the second embodiment may be applied as a heating unit to the heat pump cycle 10 described in the first embodiment.

[0688] The heat pump cycle device disclosed in this specification has the following features: (Item 1) A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, an upstream branching section (13a) that branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a heating section (12, 121, 60) that heats an object to be heated using one of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branching section as a heat source, a heating section-side flow rate adjustment section (16a, 16b, 16c) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out of the heating section, a bypass passage (21c) that causes the other refrigerant branched at the upstream branching section to bypass the heating section, and a bypass-side flow rate adjustment section (16d, 73) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage. and an ejector (70, 70a) having a body (72) formed with a nozzle portion (71) that accelerates and sprays the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass passage, a refrigerant suction port (721) that sucks the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state that has flowed out of the heating portion-side flow rate adjustment portion, and a refrigerant outlet (723) through which the refrigerant that has flowed into the nozzle portion is discharged to the suction port side of the compressor, wherein the nozzle portion is formed with a throat portion (713) that minimizes the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage, and a divergent portion (714) that increases the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage from the throat portion to an injection port (715), and the ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet above the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port by the action of a shock wave. (Item 2) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to Item 1, wherein the bypass-side flow rate adjustment portion adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage by changing the cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage formed in the nozzle portion. (Item 3) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the body portion is formed with a mixing section (722a) that brings a mixed refrigerant, obtained by mixing the injected refrigerant from the nozzle portion and the suction refrigerant from the refrigerant suction port, closer to an equilibrium state. (Item 4) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to Item 3, wherein the mixing section is formed with a cylindrical space having a constant refrigerant passage cross-sectional area, and a mixing section distance L that is the length of the mixing section in the refrigerant flow direction satisfies Equation (1) or Equation (2).

[0689]

[0690]

[0691] where u0 is the velocity of the refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and ρ l is the density of the liquid refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and D l is the droplet diameter of the liquid phase refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and μ gis the viscosity of the gas-phase refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section. (Item 5) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the ejector is used in a suction mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle and is sucked through the refrigerant suction port, and when the ejector is used in the suction mode, at least one of the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor and the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit is adjusted so that the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle is in an under-expanded state. (Item 6) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to Item 5, wherein the ejector is used in a nozzle mode in which the refrigerant flows into the nozzle and the refrigerant flow path communicating with the refrigerant suction port is closed, and when the ejector is used in the nozzle mode, at least one of the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor and the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit is adjusted so that the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle is in an over-expanded state. (Item 7) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to Item 6, wherein the ejector is used in the nozzle mode when the compressor is started. (Item 8) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 7, wherein the ejector is used in the suction mode when a suction refrigerant temperature (Ts), which is the temperature of the suction refrigerant suctioned into the compressor, is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference hot gas temperature (KHGTs). (Item 9) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 7, wherein the ejector is used in the suction mode after a predetermined reference start-up time (Twu) has elapsed since start-up of the compressor. (Item 10) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 9, wherein in the suction mode, at least one of the throttle opening of the heating section-side flow rate adjustment unit and the throttle opening of the bypass-side flow rate adjustment unit is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing out of the ejector becomes a gas-phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat. (Item 11) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of Items 5 to 10, further comprising a suction-side heat exchange unit (18, 19, 20) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and a heat exchange object, wherein, during the suction mode, the refrigerant in the suction-side heat exchange unit is sucked through the refrigerant suction port.(Item 12) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of items 5 to 10, further comprising a suction-side heat exchange unit (18, 19, 20) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed by the heating unit-side flow rate adjustment unit and a heat exchange object, wherein, in the suction mode, the object is heated using heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the heat exchange object in the suction-side heat exchange unit as a heat source. (Item 13) The heat pump cycle apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the refrigerant has a saturation pressure equal to or higher than the saturation pressure of R1234yf at the same temperature. (Item 14) A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, an upstream branching section (13a) that branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a heating section (12, 121, 60) that heats an object to be heated using one of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branching section as a heat source, a heating section side flow rate adjustment section (16a, 16b, 16c) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out from the heating section, a bypass passage (21c) that causes the other of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branching section to bypass the heating section, and a bypass side flow rate adjustment section (16d, 73) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage. an ejector (70, 70a) having a body portion (72) formed with a nozzle portion (71) that accelerates and sprays the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state that has flowed out from the heating portion-side flow rate adjustment portion, a refrigerant suction port (721) that sucks the refrigerant that has flowed out from the bypass passage, and a refrigerant outlet (723) that discharges the refrigerant that has flowed inside toward the suction port side of the compressor, wherein the nozzle portion is formed with a throat portion (713) that minimizes the passage cross-sectional area, and a diverging portion (714) that increases the passage cross-sectional area as the passage moves from the throat portion toward an injection port (715), and the ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet above the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port by the action of a shock wave.(Item 15) A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, an upstream branch section (13a) that branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a heating section (12, 121, 60) that heats an object to be heated using one of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branch section as a heat source, a downstream branch section (13j) that branches the flow of the refrigerant flowing out from the heating section, a first heating section-side flow rate adjustment section (16a) that adjusts the flow rate of one of the refrigerants flowing out from the downstream branch section, an outdoor heat exchange section (18) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out from the heating flow rate adjustment section and outside air, a second heating section-side flow rate adjustment section (16c) that adjusts the flow rate of the other of the refrigerants flowing out from the downstream branch section, and a bypass passage (21c) that allows the other of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branch section to flow around the heating section. an ejector (70, 70a) having a body portion (72) formed with a nozzle portion (71) for accelerating and injecting the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass passage, a refrigerant suction port (721) for sucking the refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchange portion, and a refrigerant outlet (723) for discharging the refrigerant that has flowed into the inside; and a confluence portion (13k) for confluence of the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the second heating portion side flow adjustment portion and the flow of the refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant outlet, and for discharging the refrigerant to the intake port side of the compressor, wherein the nozzle portion is formed with a throat portion (713) for minimizing the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage and a diverging portion (714) for increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the passage from the throat portion to an injection port (715), The ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet higher than the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port by the action of a shock wave.

[0692] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, an upstream branching section (13a) that branches the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a heating section (12, 121, 60) that heats an object to be heated using one of the refrigerants branched at the upstream branching section as a heat source, a heating section side flow rate adjustment section (16a, 16b, 16c) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out from the heating section, a bypass passage (21c) that causes the other refrigerant branched at the upstream branching section to bypass the heating section, and a bypass side flow rate adjustment section (16d, 73) that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage. an ejector (70, 70a) having a body portion (72) formed with a nozzle portion (71) that accelerates and sprays the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass passage, a refrigerant suction port (721) that sucks in the refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state flowing out of the heating portion-side flow rate adjustment portion, and a refrigerant outlet (723) through which the refrigerant that has flowed inside is discharged to the suction port side of the compressor, wherein the nozzle portion is formed with a throat portion (713) that minimizes the passage cross-sectional area, and a diverging portion (714) that expands the passage cross-sectional area as it moves from the throat portion to an injection port (715), and the ejector increases the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet above the pressure of the refrigerant at the refrigerant suction port by the action of a shock wave.

2. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 1, wherein the bypass side flow rate adjustment section adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage by changing the cross-sectional area of ​​the refrigerant passage formed in the nozzle section.

3. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 1, wherein the body portion is formed with a mixing section (722a) for bringing a mixed refrigerant, which is a mixture of the injected refrigerant injected from the nozzle portion and the suctioned refrigerant sucked from the refrigerant suction port, closer to an equilibrium state.

4. The heat pump cycle device according to claim 3, wherein the mixing section is formed of a cylindrical space with a constant refrigerant passage cross-sectional area, and a mixing section distance L, which is the length of the mixing section in the refrigerant flow direction, satisfies equations (1) and (2). where u0 is the velocity of the refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and ρ l is the density of the liquid phase refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and D l is the droplet diameter of the liquid phase refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section, and μ g is the viscosity of the gas phase refrigerant at the inlet of the mixing section.

5. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 1, wherein the ejector has a suction mode in which the refrigerant is caused to flow into the nozzle portion and the refrigerant is sucked in through the refrigerant suction port, and when the ejector is used in the suction mode, at least one of the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor and the opening of the bypass side flow rate adjustment unit is adjusted so that the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle portion is in an under-expanded state.

6. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 5, wherein the ejector has a nozzle mode in which the refrigerant is caused to flow into the nozzle portion and a refrigerant flow path communicating with the refrigerant suction port is blocked, and when the ejector is used in the nozzle mode, at least one of the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor and the opening of the bypass side flow rate adjustment portion is adjusted so that the refrigerant sprayed from the nozzle portion is in an over-expanded state.

7. The heat pump cycle apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ejector is used in the nozzle mode when the compressor is started.

8. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 5, wherein the ejector is used in the suction mode when an intake refrigerant temperature (Ts), which is the temperature of the intake refrigerant sucked into the compressor, is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference hot gas temperature (KHGTs).

9. The heat pump cycle apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ejector is used in the suction mode after a predetermined reference start-up time (Twu) has elapsed since the start-up of the compressor.

10. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 5, wherein in the suction mode, at least one of the throttle opening of the heating section side flow rate adjustment section and the throttle opening of the bypass side flow rate adjustment section is adjusted so that the refrigerant flowing out of the ejector becomes a gas phase refrigerant having a degree of superheat.

11. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 5, further comprising a suction side heat exchange section (18, 19, 20) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and a heat exchange object, wherein during the suction mode, the refrigerant in the suction side heat exchange section is sucked in through the refrigerant suction port.

12. A heat pump cycle device as described in claim 5, comprising a suction side heat exchange section (18, 19, 20) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant decompressed in the heating section side flow rate adjustment section and an object to be heated, and during the suction mode, the object to be heated is heated using heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the suction side heat exchange section from the object to be heated as a heat source.

13. A heat pump cycle device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the refrigerant used has a saturation pressure equal to or higher than the saturation pressure of R1234yf at the same temperature.

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