Air conditioner system for vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioner systems for vehicles face issues with large packaging, reduced air-conditioning performance due to high coolant temperatures, and inefficient gas-liquid separation in the receiver drier, especially when idling or at high outdoor temperatures, leading to noise and installation challenges.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner system design where an air-cooled condenser is mounted between a water-cooled condenser and an expansion valve, with a blower fan arranged in a row on one side of the water-cooled condenser, enhancing installability, reducing noise, and utilizing the air-cooled condenser as a supercooling region to improve cooling performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an air-cooled condenser is mounted at the front side of the vehicle, then air-conditioning performance is improved, but the cooling module package becomes excessively bigger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the air-cooled condenser and water-cooled condenser into a single integrated unit where the air-cooled condenser serves dual purposes: as a condenser for high-temperature refrigerant and as a heat exchanger to cool the coolant for the water-cooled condenser. This merging eliminates the need for separate cooling modules, reducing overall package size while maintaining air-conditioning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The air-cooled condenser is designed to perform multiple functions: it acts as a condenser for the refrigerant cycle and simultaneously serves as a radiator to cool the coolant for the water-cooled condenser. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby reducing the cooling module package size.
2Reliability
If an air-cooled condenser is mounted at the front side of the vehicle, then air-conditioning performance is improved, but the package becomes excessively bigger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the air-cooled condenser and water-cooled condenser into a single integrated assembly, reducing device complexity by eliminating separate cooling modules and simplifying the overall package structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The air-cooled condenser performs dual functions as both a refrigerant condenser and a coolant radiator, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the package structure.
3Temperature
If a blower fan is added to cool the air-cooled condenser, then cooling performance is improved, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's existing traveling wind to cool the air-cooled condenser without requiring an additional blower fan. The air-cooled condenser is positioned to utilize natural airflow from vehicle movement, eliminating the noise generated by extra fans while maintaining cooling performance.
4Device complexity
If high-temperature air from the engine room is induced into the air-cooled condenser, then the system is simpler, but air-conditioning performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the air intake paths by providing separate air inlets: one for the air-cooled condenser that draws air from outside the engine room, and another for the water-cooled condenser that can utilize engine room air. This segmentation allows the air-cooled condenser to avoid high-temperature engine room air while maintaining system simplicity.
5Reliability
If the receiver drier is positioned conventionally, then gas-liquid separation is effective, but installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the receiver drier with the air-cooled condenser by positioning it at the lower end of the air-cooled condenser. This merging of functions and spaces reduces overall installation space requirements while maintaining effective gas-liquid separation through the receiver drier's normal operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration simplifies and reduces the system package, enhances cooling performance by reusing air to cool the water-cooled condenser, reduces noise, and maintains the receiver drier's function, improving fuel efficiency and air-conditioning performance.
Implementation Method 1
an air-cooled condenser which exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air to cool the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
a water-cooled condenser which exchanges heat between coolant and the refrigerant flowing after being discharged from the compressor to condense the refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
a blower fan for moving air toward the air-cooled condenser
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an air conditioner system, in which an air-cooled condenser mounted on a refrigerant circulation line between a water-cooled condenser and an expansion valve and a blower fan for blowing air to the air-cooled condenser are arranged at one side of the water-cooled condenser in a state of being disposed in a row in the air flow direction and are arranged within the width of the one side of the water-cooled condenser, thereby enabling the enhancement of installability and assemblability inside an engine room by simplifying and reducing the package, reducing noise of the blower fan and securing adequate cooling performance because of the blower fan disposed between two air-cooled heat exchangers even when inflowing air is insufficient, such as in an idling condition.