Thermal management system for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a vehicle. The thermal management system for a vehicle comprises: a refrigerant circulation line for cooling and heating each air-conditioning zone via control processes of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant; and a plurality of cooling water circulation lines for receiving cooling water that has heat-exchanged with the refrigerant at a chiller side of the refrigerant circulation line, and circulating the cooling water to each air-conditioning zone to cool each zone, wherein a plurality of chillers: are installed in parallel with each other on the refrigerant circulation line corresponding to the number of the cooling water circulation lines to individually exchange heat between the refrigerant and the cooling water of each cooling water circulation line; and have a refrigerant flow control unit that controls the refrigerant flow to each chiller according to whether each air-conditioning zone of the corresponding cooling water circulation lines is being cooled, and controls the operation of the chillers according to whether each air-conditioning zone is being cooled.

Description

vehicle thermal management system

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal management system for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a thermal management system for a vehicle, which comprises a chiller for transferring cold air from a refrigerant circulation line side to a plurality of coolant circulation lines, wherein the chillers are configured in parallel according to the number of coolant circulation lines, and the chillers are configured so that the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be individually transferred to each of the coolant circulation lines through the chillers configured in parallel, thereby selectively transferring the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side only to the coolant circulation line that is in operation among the coolant circulation lines.

[0002] Examples of eco-friendly vehicles include electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles (hereinafter collectively referred to as “vehicles”).

[0003] These vehicles are equipped with a thermal management system that cools and heats each air conditioning zone.

[0004] The above thermal management system, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a refrigerant circulation line (10) that generates cold air and heat through a process of controlling compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant to cool and heat each air-conditioning area, and a plurality of cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) that receive the cold air generated in the refrigerant circulation line (10) as cooling water and cool each air-conditioning area.

[0005] The above coolant circulation lines (20, 22) include a first coolant circulation line (20) that receives cold air generated from a chiller (12) of the coolant circulation line (10) and transfers it to the battery (20a), and a second coolant circulation line (22) that receives cold air generated from the chiller (12) and transfers it to a rear-seat water-cooled heat exchanger (22a).

[0006] The first coolant circulation line (20) circulates the first coolant between the chiller (12) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) and the battery (20a), and transfers the cold air generated in the chiller (12) to the battery (20a) to cool it.

[0007] The second cooling water circulation line (22) circulates the second cooling water between the chiller (12) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) and the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a), and transfers the cold air generated in the chiller (12) to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a) to cool the rear seat side of the vehicle interior.

[0008] Meanwhile, the chiller (12) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) generates cold air by introducing refrigerant that has been depressurized and expanded from the expansion valve (14) on the upstream side, and has a multi-heat exchange structure that can simultaneously transfer the generated cold air to the first cooling water of the first cooling water circulation line (20) and the second cooling water of the second cooling water circulation line (22).

[0009] The above multi-type chiller (12), as illustrated in FIG. 2, includes a first internal passage (12a) for introducing refrigerant from the refrigerant circulation line (10) and passing it along a predetermined path, a second internal passage (12b) for introducing first cooling water from the first cooling water circulation line (20) and passing it along a path corresponding to the first internal passage (12a), and a third internal passage (12c) for introducing second cooling water from the second cooling water circulation line (22) and passing it along a path corresponding to the first internal passage (12a).

[0010] The second internal flow path (12b) and the third internal flow path (12c) have paths that sequentially correspond to the upstream and downstream sides of the first internal flow path (12a).

[0011] Accordingly, the second internal flow path (12b) and the third internal flow path (12c) are arranged in series with respect to the first internal flow path (12a).

[0012] The second internal passage (12b) and the third internal passage (12c) arranged in this manner sequentially receive the cold air of the refrigerant flowing along the first internal passage (12a) as the first and second cooling water, respectively.

[0013] And the first and second coolants that have received the cold air of the refrigerant are discharged to the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), respectively, so that they can be circulated to the battery (20a) and the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a), respectively.

[0014] However, this conventional thermal management system has a disadvantage in that, in the process of transferring the cold air from the chiller (12) to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), the cold air from the chiller (12) is transferred to the first and second cooling water of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) all at once.

[0015] And because of these shortcomings, there is a problem that the cold air of the chiller (12) must be unconditionally transferred to both the first and second cooling water of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), regardless of whether the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are operating.

[0016] And because of these problems, unnecessary energy consumption occurs, unnecessary refrigerant flow resistance occurs, and the efficiency of cold air transfer to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) decreases, resulting in a problem of reduced cooling performance in the corresponding air conditioning area.

[0017] That is, if cooling of any one of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) is not required, for example, if cooling of the battery (20a) is not required among the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) and the rear seat of the vehicle interior, the cold air of the chiller (12) should not be transferred to the first coolant of the corresponding first coolant circulation line (20) of the battery (20a) that does not require cooling.

[0018] However, the conventional multi-type chiller (12) is structured such that the refrigerant of the refrigerant circulation line (10) introduced into the first internal passage (12a) passes through both paths corresponding to the second internal passage (12b) and the third internal passage (12c), and transfers the cold air to both the first cooling water of the second internal passage (12b) and the second cooling water of the third internal passage (12c).

[0019] Accordingly, the conventional multi-type chiller (12) has a disadvantage in that the cold air of the refrigerant on the first internal passage (12a) side is not transferred to the first coolant on the second internal passage (12b) side, and thus the cold air of the chiller (12) should not be transferred to the battery (20a) side of the first coolant circulation line (20) through the first coolant, but the cold air of the refrigerant on the first internal passage (12a) side is unnecessarily transferred to the first coolant on the second internal passage (12b) side.

[0020] And because of these shortcomings, there is a problem that the temperature of the refrigerant on the first internal passage (12a) side that has transferred cold air to the first cooling water of the second internal passage (12b) cannot but increase.

[0021] And because of these problems, there is a defect that in the subsequent heat exchange process between the refrigerant of the first internal passage (12a) and the second cooling water of the third internal passage (12c), the cold air transfer rate from the refrigerant on the first internal passage (12a) side to the second cooling water on the third internal passage (12c) side is relatively low.

[0022] And because of this defect, there is a disadvantage in that the cooling performance of the rear seat inside the vehicle due to the cold air of the second coolant is reduced.

[0023] Meanwhile, in order to resolve the decrease in cooling performance in the rear seat of the vehicle, there is a method of increasing the rotation speed of the compressor (16) on the refrigerant circulation line (10) side, thereby further lowering the temperature of the chiller (12).

[0024] However, this method causes the problem of increasing energy consumption and reducing the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

[0025] In addition, the conventional multi-type chiller (12) has a structure in which the refrigerant of the first internal passage (12a) passes through both paths corresponding to the second internal passage (12b) and the third internal passage (12c) and transfers the cold air to both the first and second cooling water of the second and third internal passages (12c), so there is a disadvantage in that the length of the first internal passage (12a) cannot but be relatively long.

[0026] And because of these shortcomings, there is a problem that unnecessary euro resistance and resulting pressure loss occur.

[0027] And because of these problems, there is a defect that reduces the work of the compressor (16) and lowers the cooling and heating performance of the refrigerant circulation line (10).

[0028] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle thermal management system having a chiller for transferring cold air from a refrigerant circulation line side to a plurality of coolant circulation line sides, and configuring the chillers in parallel according to the number of coolant circulation lines, and then individually transferring cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side to each coolant circulation line through the chillers configured in parallel.

[0029] Another object of the present invention is to selectively transmit cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side to only the operating cooling water circulation lines among the cooling water circulation lines by configuring the chillers configured in parallel so that the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be individually transmitted to the cooling water circulation lines.

[0030] Another object of the present invention is to selectively transmit cold air from the refrigerant circulation line only to the operating coolant circulation line among the coolant circulation lines, thereby enabling concentrated transmission of cold air from the refrigerant circulation line only to the operating coolant circulation line, thereby improving the cooling performance for the corresponding air-conditioning area of ​​the operating coolant circulation line.

[0031] Another object of the present invention is to prevent unnecessary energy consumption and a decrease in cooling performance of each air conditioning area caused by delivering cold air from the refrigerant circulation line to all the cooling water circulation lines regardless of whether the cooling water circulation lines are in operation, as in a conventional chiller, by configuring the system so that cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be intensively delivered only to the operating cooling water circulation line.

[0032] Another object of the present invention is to configure the chiller so that cold air from the refrigerant circulation line can be selectively delivered only to the operating refrigerant circulation line through the chillers configured in parallel, thereby delivering cold air from the refrigerant circulation line to all refrigerant circulation lines regardless of whether the refrigerant circulation lines are in operation, thereby configuring the internal flow path to be short, unlike conventional chillers in which the internal flow path is relatively long.

[0033] Another object of the present invention is to prevent unnecessary flow resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to a long internal flow path by configuring the internal flow path to be short, unlike conventional chillers with long internal flow paths.

[0034] Another object of the present invention is to improve the work of the compressor and thereby improve the cooling and heating performance of the refrigerant circulation line by configuring the compressor so as to prevent the occurrence of unnecessary flow resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to a long internal flow path.

[0035] In order to achieve this purpose, a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention comprises a refrigerant circulation line for cooling and heating each air conditioning zone through a process of controlling compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant, and a plurality of coolant circulation lines for receiving coolant that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant from a chiller side of the refrigerant circulation line and circulating the coolant to each air conditioning zone to cool it, wherein the chillers are installed in parallel on the refrigerant circulation line in plurality according to the number of coolant circulation lines, and individually heat-exchange the refrigerant and the coolant of each coolant circulation line; and a refrigerant flow control unit for controlling the operation of the chillers according to whether the corresponding air conditioning zone of each coolant circulation line is cooled.

[0036] And the cooling water circulation lines include the first and second cooling water circulation lines, and the chillers include first and second chillers that correspond to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively, and generate cold air with refrigerant introduced from an upstream expansion valve and individually deliver the cold air to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively, and the refrigerant flow control unit individually controls the flow of refrigerant toward the first and second chillers depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled, thereby individually controlling the operation of the first and second chillers depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled.

[0037] And the refrigerant flow control unit includes variable first and second expansion valves (EXV) which are installed on the upstream sides of the first and second chillers, respectively, and can control the flow of refrigerant to the first and second chillers, respectively; and a valve control unit which controls the opening amount of the first and second expansion valves, respectively, depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled; and the valve control unit is characterized in that it controls the flow of refrigerant from the first and second expansion valves to the first and second chillers, respectively, depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled, thereby individually controlling the operation of the first and second chillers depending on whether the respective air-conditioning areas are cooled.

[0038] And, the valve control unit is characterized in that, when cooling all of the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, it allows the depressurization and expansion operations of both the first and second expansion valves, so that the refrigerant depressurized and expanded in the first and second expansion valves is introduced to both the first and second chillers, thereby controlling both the first and second chillers to operate.

[0039] And, the valve control unit is characterized in that, when cooling only one of the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, among the first and second expansion valves, an expansion valve corresponding to the corresponding cooling water circulation line of the air-conditioning area that is not being cooled is completely blocked to limit the depressurization and expansion operation, and the depressurization and expansion operation of the other expansion valve corresponding to the corresponding cooling water circulation line of the air-conditioning area that requires cooling is permitted, so that only the refrigerant depressurized and expanded in the other expansion valve is introduced to the corresponding chiller on the downstream side, thereby operating the corresponding chiller.

[0040] According to the vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, a chiller is provided for transferring cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side to the first and second coolant circulation lines side, and the chillers are configured in parallel according to the number of coolant circulation lines, and the effect is that the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be individually transferred to the first and second coolant circulation lines through the chillers configured in parallel.

[0041] In addition, since the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line side can be individually transferred to the first and second cooling water circulation lines through the chillers configured in parallel, there is an effect of being able to selectively transfer the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line side only to the cooling water circulation line that is in operation among the first and second cooling water circulation lines.

[0042] In addition, since the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line side can be selectively transferred only to the operating coolant circulation line among the above coolant circulation lines, the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line side can be concentratedly transferred only to the operating coolant circulation line, thereby having the effect of improving the cooling performance for the corresponding air-conditioning area of ​​the operating coolant circulation line.

[0043] In addition, since the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be intensively delivered only to the operating cooling water circulation line, there is an effect of preventing unnecessary energy consumption and a decrease in cooling performance of each air conditioning area caused by delivering the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side to all of the first and second cooling water circulation lines regardless of whether the first and second cooling water circulation lines are in operation, as in a conventional chiller.

[0044] In addition, since the chiller is configured in parallel, the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be selectively delivered only to the operating cooling water circulation line, so that the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side can be delivered to all the first and second cooling water circulation lines regardless of whether the first and second cooling water circulation lines are in operation, unlike the conventional chiller in which the length of the internal flow path is relatively long, there is an effect in that the length of the internal flow path can be configured to be short.

[0045] In addition, unlike conventional chillers with long internal passages, the internal passages can be configured to be short, thereby preventing unnecessary passage resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to long internal passages.

[0046] In addition, since it is possible to prevent the occurrence of unnecessary resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to a long internal flow path, it is possible to improve the work capacity of the compressor, thereby improving the cooling and heating performance of the refrigerant circulation line.

[0047] Figure 1 is a drawing showing a thermal management system of a conventional vehicle.

[0048] Figure 2 is a drawing showing a chiller with a multi-heat exchange structure that constitutes a thermal management system of a conventional vehicle.

[0049] Figure 3 is a drawing showing a first embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention;

[0050] FIG. 4 is an operation diagram of a first embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a diagram showing a process of cooling a battery and a rear seat in a vehicle interior by receiving cold air from each chiller installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0051] FIG. 5 is an operation diagram of a first embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a drawing showing a process of cooling a battery by receiving cold air from one of the chillers installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0052] FIG. 6 is an operation diagram of a first embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a drawing showing a process of cooling the rear seat of a vehicle interior by receiving cold air from another chiller among the chillers installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0053] Figure 7 is a drawing showing a second embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention;

[0054] FIG. 8 is an operation diagram of a second embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which shows the process of cooling the battery and the rear seat of the vehicle by receiving cold air from each chiller installed in parallel in the refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0055] FIG. 9 is an operation diagram of a second embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a diagram showing a process of cooling a battery by receiving cold air from one of the chillers installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0056] FIG. 10 is an operation diagram of a second embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a drawing showing a process of stopping cooling of a battery and the rear seat inside a vehicle using the cold air of each chiller by restricting the flow of refrigerant to each chiller installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line.

[0057] FIG. 11 is an operation diagram of a second embodiment of a vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, which is a drawing showing a process of cooling the rear seat of a vehicle interior by receiving cold air from another chiller among the chillers installed in parallel in a refrigerant circulation line in a water-cooled manner.

[0058] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a vehicle heat management system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings (the same components as in the prior art are described using the same reference numerals).

[0059] First, before examining the features of the vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention, the vehicle thermal management system will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0060] The thermal management system of the above vehicle includes a refrigerant circulation line (10) and a plurality of coolant circulation lines (20, 22).

[0061] The above refrigerant circulation line (10) generates cold and heat through the compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation control process of the refrigerant, and uses this to cool and heat the air-conditioned area of ​​the vehicle, for example, the front seats inside the vehicle.

[0062] The above coolant circulation lines (20, 22) receive the cold air generated from the chiller (30) side of the above coolant circulation line (10) as coolant, and circulate the coolant that has received the cold air to each air conditioning area, for example, the vehicle's battery (20a) and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior, thereby cooling them.

[0063] Here, the coolant circulation line (20, 22) includes a first coolant circulation line (20) that receives cold air generated from the chiller (30) side of the coolant circulation line (10) and transfers it to the battery (20a) side, and a second coolant circulation line (22) that receives cold air generated from the chiller (30) side of the coolant circulation line (10) and transfers it to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a).

[0064] The first cooling water circulation line (20) circulates the first cooling water between the chiller (30) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) and the battery (20a), and transfers the cold air generated in the chiller (30) to the battery (20a) to cool it.

[0065] The second cooling water circulation line (22) circulates the second cooling water between the chiller (30) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) and the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a), and transfers the cold air generated in the chiller (30) to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a) to cool the rear seat side of the vehicle interior.

[0066] [First embodiment]

[0067] Next, the features of the vehicle thermal management system according to the present invention will be examined in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0068] First, referring to FIG. 3, the thermal management system of the present invention has a chiller (30) of the refrigerant circulation line (10) that delivers cold air to each of the cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), and has a structure in which a plurality of chillers (30) are installed in parallel on the refrigerant circulation line (10) according to the number of the cooling water circulation lines (20, 22).

[0069] The above plurality of chillers (30) include a first chiller (32) corresponding to the first cooling water circulation line (20) and a second chiller (34) corresponding to the second cooling water circulation line (22), and these first and second chillers (32, 34) are arranged in parallel with each other on the refrigerant circulation line (10).

[0070] These first and second chillers (32, 34) each introduce refrigerant that has been decompressed and expanded from an expansion valve (40) on the upstream side, and individually heat-exchange the introduced refrigerant with the cooling water of each cooling water circulation line (20, 22).

[0071] In particular, the first and second chillers (32, 34) each generate cold air by introducing a decompressed and expanded refrigerant from an expansion valve (40) on the upstream side, and individually transfer the generated cold air to the first and second cooling water of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), respectively.

[0072] Therefore, among the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), it is possible to selectively transmit cold air only to the cooling water circulation line that is in operation.

[0073] This allows for the concentrated delivery of cold air only to the operating cooling water circulation line, thereby improving the cooling performance of the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the operating cooling water circulation line.

[0074] In addition, since the cold air can be selectively delivered only to the operating cooling water circulation line, the length of the internal flow path can be configured to be shorter than that of a conventional chiller having a relatively long internal flow path in order to deliver the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line side to all cooling water circulation lines regardless of whether the cooling water circulation lines are operating.

[0075] Therefore, by preventing the occurrence of unnecessary resistance due to a long internal flow path and the occurrence of unnecessary pressure loss due to it, it is possible to improve the cooling and heating performance of the refrigerant circulation line (10).

[0076] Again, referring to FIG. 3, the thermal management system of the present invention includes a refrigerant flow control unit (50) that controls the flow of refrigerant toward the first and second chillers (32, 34) depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled, thereby controlling the operation of the first and second chillers (32, 34) depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled.

[0077] The above refrigerant flow control unit (50) includes variable expansion valves (EXV) (40a, 40b) installed on the upstream side of each of the first and second chillers (32, 34), and a valve control unit (52) that controls the opening amount of the expansion valves (40a, 40b) depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning area of ​​the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) is cooled.

[0078] The above expansion valves (40a, 40b) are configured to control the amount of refrigerant flow and whether or not it flows toward the first and second chillers (32, 34), respectively, by having the opening amount variably controlled by the valve control unit (52).

[0079] In particular, by controlling the flow toward the first and second chillers (32, 34), it is possible to individually control whether the first and second chillers (32, 34) operate, i.e., whether cold air is generated.

[0080] For example, when cooling is required for both the battery (20a), which is the air conditioning area of ​​the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), and the rear seat of the vehicle interior, as shown in FIG. 4, both of the expansion valves (40a, 40b) decompress and expand the refrigerant, and introduce the decompressed and expanded refrigerant into the first and second chillers (32, 34) on the downstream side, respectively (hereinafter, the upstream expansion valve (40a) of the first chiller (32) is referred to as the “first expansion valve”, and the upstream expansion valve (40b) of the second chiller (34) is referred to as the “second expansion valve”).

[0081] Therefore, both the first and second chillers (32, 34) can be operated to generate cold air.

[0082] In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when cooling only the battery (20a) among the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) and the rear seat inside the vehicle, the second expansion valve (40b) among the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) is completely blocked, limiting the depressurization and expansion action, and the first expansion valve (40a) depressurizes and expands the introduced refrigerant and introduces it to the first chiller (32).

[0083] Therefore, among the first and second chillers (32, 34), only the first chiller (32) is operated to generate cold air.

[0084] In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when cooling only the rear seat side of the vehicle interior among the battery (20a) and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), among the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b), the first expansion valve (40a) is completely blocked, limiting the depressurization and expansion action, and the second expansion valve (40b) depressurizes and expands the introduced refrigerant and introduces it to the second chiller (34).

[0085] Therefore, among the first and second chillers (32, 34), only the second chiller (34) is operated to generate cold air.

[0086] Again, referring to FIG. 3, the valve control unit (52) is equipped with a microprocessor and controls the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) depending on whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled.

[0087] In particular, by controlling whether the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) depressurize and expand depending on whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled, the operation of the first and second chillers (32, 34) is controlled depending on whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled.

[0088] Accordingly, depending on whether each air conditioning area is cooled, heat (cold air) transfer of the first and second chillers (32, 34) to the first and second coolants of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) can be selectively performed.

[0089] For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when cooling both the battery (20a) and the rear seat of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), the depressurization and expansion operations of both the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) are permitted.

[0090] Accordingly, the refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded through the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b), is introduced into both the first and second chillers (32, 34), thereby allowing cold air to be generated in both the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0091] Accordingly, the cold air of the first and second chillers (32, 34) can be circulated to the battery (20a) and the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a) while being transferred to the first and second coolants of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), and as a result, both the battery (20a) and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior can be cooled.

[0092] In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when cooling only the battery (20a) among the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) and the rear seat inside the vehicle, the opening of the second expansion valve (40b) among the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) is completely blocked to limit the depressurization and expansion operations, and the depressurization and expansion operations of the first expansion valve (40a) are permitted.

[0093] Therefore, only the refrigerant that has been depressurized and expanded in the first expansion valve (40a) is introduced into the first chiller (32), thereby generating cold air in the first chiller (32).

[0094] As a result, only the cold air of the first chiller (32) can be transferred to the first coolant of the first coolant circulation line (20) and circulated toward the battery (20a), and as a result, only the battery (20a) can be cooled.

[0095] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, when cooling only the rear seat of the vehicle interior among the battery (20a) and the rear seat of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), the opening amount of the first expansion valve (40a) among the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) is completely blocked to limit the depressurization and expansion operations, and the depressurization and expansion operations of the second expansion valve (40b) are permitted.

[0096] Therefore, only the refrigerant that has been depressurized and expanded in the second expansion valve (40b) is introduced into the second chiller (34), thereby generating cold air in the second chiller (34).

[0097] As a result, only the cold air of the second chiller (34) can be transferred to the second cooling water of the second cooling water circulation line (22) and circulated to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a), and as a result, only the rear seat side of the vehicle interior can be cooled.

[0098] Here, the valve control unit (52) blocks the opening amounts of the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) when neither the battery (20a), which is the air conditioning area of ​​the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), nor the rear seat of the vehicle interior are cooled.

[0099] Accordingly, by blocking the flow of refrigerant from the first and second expansion valves (40a, 40b) to the first and second chillers (32, 34), the generation of cold air from the first and second chillers (32, 34) is also limited.

[0100] [Second Embodiment]

[0101] Next, drawings showing a second embodiment of the refrigerant flow control unit (50) are shown in FIGS. 7 to 11.

[0102] First, referring to FIG. 7, the refrigerant flow control unit (50) of the second embodiment includes a single variable expansion valve (40) installed in a common upstream refrigerant circulation line (10) portion of the first and second chillers (32, 34), and an opening / closing valve (54) installed in a refrigerant circulation line (10) portion between the expansion valve (40) and the first chiller (32) or between the expansion valve (40) and the second chiller (34).

[0103] The above single expansion valve (40) decompresses and expands the introduced refrigerant and introduces it commonly to the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0104] Accordingly, the first and second chillers (32, 34) can generate cold air. As a result, the cold air of the first and second chillers (32, 34) can be transferred to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) to cool the corresponding air-conditioned area.

[0105] In addition, the single expansion valve (40) stops the depressurization and expansion of the refrigerant when the opening amount is completely blocked, and also commonly blocks the flow of refrigerant toward the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0106] Accordingly, by restricting the operation of both the first and second chillers (32, 34), the generation of cold air in the first and second chillers (32, 34) is completely blocked.

[0107] The above-mentioned opening / closing valve (54) is configured to block or allow either of the refrigerant flows from the expansion valve (40) to the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0108] Therefore, it is possible to control whether the chiller is operating by blocking or allowing the refrigerant flow.

[0109] For example, when the above-mentioned opening / closing valve (54) is installed in the refrigerant circulation line (10) between the expansion valve (40) and the second chiller (34), the opening / closing valve (54) can block or allow the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve (40) to the second chiller (34).

[0110] In particular, when cooling of the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the second cooling water circulation line (22) corresponding to the second chiller (34) is not required, the operation of the second chiller (34) must be restricted, and in this case, the flow of refrigerant toward the second chiller (34) is blocked.

[0111] Accordingly, the generation of cold air from the second chiller (34) is restricted, and through this, the cooling of the second cooling water circulation line (22) on the side of the second chiller (34) where the generation of cold air is restricted and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior, which is the corresponding air conditioning area, is restricted.

[0112] Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the above-mentioned opening / closing valve (54) is installed in the refrigerant circulation line (10) between the expansion valve (40) and the second chiller (34) to block or allow the refrigerant flow from the expansion valve (40) to the second chiller (34).

[0113] Again, referring to FIG. 7, the refrigerant flow control unit (50) of the other embodiment includes a valve control unit (56) that controls the expansion valve (40) and the opening / closing valve (54) depending on whether the corresponding air-conditioning area of ​​the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) is cooled.

[0114] The above valve control unit (56) is equipped with a microprocessor and controls the expansion valve (40) and the opening / closing valve (54) according to whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled, thereby controlling the operation of the first and second chillers (32, 34) according to whether the corresponding air-conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are cooled.

[0115] For example, when cooling both the battery (20a) and the rear seat of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), as shown in FIG. 8, the depressurization and expansion operation of the expansion valve (40) is permitted, and the opening / closing valve (54) is opened to permit the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve (40) to the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0116] Accordingly, the refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded in the expansion valve (40), is introduced into both the first and second chillers (32, 34), thereby allowing cold air to be generated in both the first and second chillers (32, 34).

[0117] Accordingly, the cold air of the first and second chillers (32, 34) can be circulated to the battery (20a) and the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a) while being transferred to the first and second coolants of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), and as a result, both the battery (20a) and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior can be cooled.

[0118] In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 9, when cooling only the battery (20a) among the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), the depressurization and expansion operation of the expansion valve (40) is permitted, and the opening / closing valve (54) is blocked to permit the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve (40) to the first chiller (32) side, and restrict the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve (40) to the second chiller (34) side.

[0119] Accordingly, the refrigerant that has been decompressed and expanded in the expansion valve (40) is introduced only into the first chiller (32), thereby allowing cold air to be generated only in the first chiller (32).

[0120] As a result, only the cold air of the first chiller (32) can be transferred to the first coolant of the first coolant circulation line (20) and circulated toward the battery (20a), and as a result, only the battery (20a) can be cooled.

[0121] In addition, as shown in Fig. 10, when neither the battery (20a) nor the rear seat of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), are cooled, the opening of the expansion valve (40) is blocked.

[0122] Therefore, by blocking the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve (40) to the first and second chillers (32, 34), the generation of cold air from the first and second chillers (32, 34) is limited.

[0123] In this way, the transfer of cold air from the first and second chillers (32, 34) to the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22) and, through this, the cooling of the battery (20a) and the rear seat of the vehicle interior can be limited.

[0124] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 11, when cooling only the rear seat side of the vehicle interior among the battery (20a) and the rear seat side of the vehicle interior, which are the air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), the valve control unit (56) is configured to allow the depressurization and expansion operation of the expansion valve (40), and open the opening / closing valve (54) to allow all refrigerant flows from the expansion valve (40) to the first and second chillers (32, 34), but to stop (OFF) the operation of the water pump (20b) on the first coolant circulation line (20) side that receives the cold air of the first chiller (32).

[0125] Accordingly, the refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded in the expansion valve (40), is introduced into both the first and second chillers (32, 34), so that cold air can be generated in both the first and second chillers (32, 34), but only the cold air of the second chiller (34) can be circulated to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a) while being transferred to the second coolant of the second coolant circulation line (22), and the cold air of the first chiller (32) is prevented from being transferred to the battery (20a) side through the second coolant of the first coolant circulation line (20).

[0126] In this way, only the cold air of the second chiller (34) is transferred to the rear seat side water-cooled heat exchanger (22a), thereby cooling the rear seat side of the vehicle interior.

[0127] According to the air conditioning device of the present invention having such a configuration, a chiller (30) is provided for transferring cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22), and the chillers (30) are configured in parallel according to the number of cooling water circulation lines, and the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side can be individually transferred to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) through the chillers (30) configured in parallel.

[0128] In addition, since the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line (10) side can be individually transferred to the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) through the chillers (30) configured in parallel, the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line (10) side can be selectively transferred only to the cooling water circulation line that is in operation among the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22).

[0129] In addition, since the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line side can be selectively transferred only to the operating coolant circulation line among the first and second coolant circulation lines (20, 22), the cold air on the refrigerant circulation line (10) side can be concentratedly transferred only to the operating coolant circulation line, and through this, the cooling performance for the corresponding air-conditioning area of ​​the operating coolant circulation line can be improved.

[0130] In addition, since the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side can be intensively transferred only to the operating cooling water circulation line, it is possible to prevent unnecessary energy consumption and a decrease in cooling performance of each air conditioning area caused by transferring the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side to all the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) regardless of whether the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are operating, as in a conventional chiller.

[0131] In addition, since the chiller (30) configured in parallel can selectively transfer the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side only to the operating cooling water circulation line, the length of the internal flow path can be configured to be short, unlike conventional chillers in which the length of the internal flow path is relatively long, in order to transfer the cold air from the refrigerant circulation line (10) side to all of the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) regardless of whether the first and second cooling water circulation lines (20, 22) are operating.

[0132] In addition, unlike conventional chillers with long internal passages, the internal passages can be configured to be short, thereby preventing unnecessary passage resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to long internal passages.

[0133] In addition, since the occurrence of unnecessary resistance and unnecessary pressure loss due to a long internal flow path can be prevented, the work amount of the compressor (16) can be improved, thereby improving the cooling and heating performance of the refrigerant circulation line (10).

[0134] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above as examples, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately modified within the scope described in the claims.

Claims

1. In a vehicle thermal management system including a refrigerant circulation line that cools and heats each air-conditioning area through the compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation control process of the refrigerant, and a plurality of coolant circulation lines that receive coolant that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant from the chiller side of the refrigerant circulation line and circulate it to each air-conditioning area to cool it, The above chillers are installed in parallel on the refrigerant circulation line in a plurality of numbers according to the number of the cooling water circulation lines, and individually heat-exchange the refrigerant and the cooling water of each cooling water circulation line; A vehicle thermal management system characterized by including a refrigerant flow control unit that controls the flow of refrigerant to each chiller according to whether the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​each of the above cooling water circulation lines is cooled, thereby controlling the operation of the chillers according to whether the respective air conditioning area is cooled.

2. In paragraph 1, The above cooling water circulation lines include the first and second cooling water circulation lines, The above chillers, It includes first and second chillers that correspond to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively, and generate cold air using refrigerant introduced from an upstream expansion valve and individually deliver it to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively. The above refrigerant flow control unit, The refrigerant flow to the first and second chillers is individually controlled according to whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of the first and second chillers is individually controlled depending on whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled.

3. In paragraph 2, The above refrigerant flow control unit, Variable first and second expansion valves (EXV) installed on the upstream side of each of the first and second chillers, which can control the flow of refrigerant to the first and second chillers, respectively; It includes a valve control unit that controls the opening amount of the first and second expansion valves, respectively, depending on whether the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the first and second cooling water circulation lines is cooled; The above valve control unit, A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the flow of refrigerant from the first and second expansion valves to the first and second chillers is controlled according to whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second coolant circulation lines are cooled, thereby individually controlling the operation of the first and second chillers according to whether the respective air conditioning areas are cooled.

4. In paragraph 3, The above valve control unit, When cooling all of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, the depressurization and expansion operations of both the first and second expansion valves are allowed, A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the first and second chillers are both operated by controlling the refrigerant, which has been depressurized and expanded in the first and second expansion valves, to be introduced to both the first and second chillers.

5. In paragraph 3, The above valve control unit, When cooling only one of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, among the first and second expansion valves, an expansion valve corresponding to the corresponding cooling water circulation line of the air conditioning area that is not being cooled is completely blocked to limit the depressurization and expansion operation, and the depressurization and expansion operation of the other expansion valve corresponding to the corresponding cooling water circulation line of the air conditioning area that requires cooling is permitted. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that only the refrigerant that has been decompressed and expanded in the other expansion valve is introduced into the corresponding chiller on the downstream side, thereby operating the corresponding chiller.

6. In paragraph 3, The above valve control unit, When neither of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines is to be cooled, both the first and second expansion valves are blocked. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of both the first and second chillers is restricted while blocking the flow of refrigerant from the first and second expansion valves to the first and second chillers.

7. In any one of paragraphs 2 to 6, The above first coolant circulation line receives the cold air from the first chiller as coolant and circulates it to the battery side to cool it; The above second coolant circulation line receives the cold air from the second chiller as coolant and circulates it to the rear seat side of the vehicle interior to cool it; The above refrigerant flow control unit, The flow of refrigerant to the first and second chillers is individually controlled depending on whether the battery and the rear seat of the vehicle interior are cooled. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of the first and second chillers is individually controlled depending on whether the battery and the rear seat of the vehicle interior are cooled.

8. In paragraph 1, The above cooling water circulation lines include the first and second cooling water circulation lines, The above chillers, It includes first and second chillers that correspond to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively, and generate cold air using refrigerant introduced from an upstream expansion valve and individually deliver it to the first and second cooling water circulation lines, respectively. The above refrigerant flow control unit, By controlling the refrigerant flow to the first and second chiller sides according to whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled, A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of the first and second chillers is controlled according to whether the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines are cooled.

9. In paragraph 8, The above refrigerant flow control unit, A single variable expansion valve installed in a common upstream refrigerant circulation line portion of the first and second chillers, and capable of commonly controlling the flow of refrigerant to the first and second chillers; An opening / closing valve installed in a refrigerant circulation line portion between the expansion valve and the first chiller or between the expansion valve and the second chiller, and controlling whether one of the two refrigerant flows from the expansion valve to the first and second chillers is allowed to flow; A vehicle thermal management system characterized by including a valve control unit that controls the expansion valve and the opening / closing valve according to whether the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the first and second cooling water circulation lines is cooled, thereby controlling the operation of the first and second chillers according to whether the respective air conditioning areas are cooled.

10. In paragraph 9, The above opening / closing valve, A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that it is installed in a refrigerant circulation line portion between the expansion valve and the second chiller, and blocks or allows the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve to the second chiller.

11. In paragraph 10, The above valve control unit, When cooling all of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, the pressure reducing and expansion operations of the expansion valve are allowed, and the opening / closing valve is opened. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded in the expansion valve, is introduced to both the first and second chillers, thereby controlling the operation of both the first and second chillers.

12. In paragraph 10, The above valve control unit, When cooling only the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the first cooling water circulation line among the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, the depressurization and expansion operations of the expansion valve are allowed and the opening / closing valve is blocked. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve to the first chiller side is permitted, and the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve to the second chiller side is restricted, so that the refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve, is introduced only to the first chiller side, thereby allowing only the first chiller to operate.

13. In paragraph 10, The above valve control unit, When cooling only the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the second cooling water circulation line among the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines, the depressurization and expansion operations of the expansion valve are permitted and the opening / closing valve is opened. The refrigerant, which has been decompressed and expanded in the above expansion valve, is introduced to the second chiller side, thereby enabling the second chiller to be operated. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of the water pump on the first coolant circulation line side is stopped (OFF) to prevent cold air from the first chiller side from being transferred to the corresponding air conditioning area of ​​the first coolant circulation line.

14. In paragraph 10, The above valve control unit, When neither of the corresponding air conditioning areas of the first and second cooling water circulation lines is cooled, the expansion valve is blocked. A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of both the first and second chillers is restricted while blocking the flow of refrigerant from the expansion valve to the first and second chillers.

15. In any one of paragraphs 8 to 14, The above first coolant circulation line receives the cold air from the first chiller as coolant and circulates it to the battery side to cool it; The above second coolant circulation line receives the cold air from the second chiller as coolant and circulates it to the rear seat side of the vehicle interior to cool it; The above refrigerant flow control unit, By controlling the flow of refrigerant to the first and second chillers depending on whether the battery and the rear seat of the vehicle interior are cooled, A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the operation of the first and second chillers is controlled according to whether the battery and the rear seat of the vehicle interior are cooled.

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