EV Air Conditioning Device with Bypass Door and Series Heaters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicle air conditioning systems face challenges in minimizing size and energy consumption due to separate cooling and heating systems for batteries and cabin air, with existing systems relying on a temperature adjustment door that increases overall size.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning device for electric vehicles positions an evaporator, an air heater, and a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater in series, eliminating the need for a temperature adjustment door and incorporating a bypass door to control airflow, which reduces the system's overall size and improves cooling and heating efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a temperature adjustment door is used to selectively adjust supply amounts of cooled air and warm air, then temperature control capability is improved, but the overall size of the air conditioning system is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the temperature adjustment door from the system entirely. Instead of using a door to mix cooled and warm air, the system uses separate airflow paths with independent control mechanisms (evaporator for cooled air, air heater and PTC heater for warm air), extracting the problematic component that increased system size while maintaining temperature control through alternative means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the airflow control into distinct paths: one path through the evaporator for cooled air, and another path through the air heater and PTC heater for warm air. This segmentation eliminates the need for a mixing door while providing independent control over cooled and warm air supply amounts, resolving the contradiction between control capability and system size.
2Ease of repair
If components such as evaporator and air heater are positioned at a distance away from each other, then ease of maintenance is improved, but the overall size of the air conditioning system is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the evaporator, air heater, and PTC heater in a compact in-line arrangement where components are closely spaced within the housing. This nested-like configuration reduces the overall system volume while maintaining accessibility for maintenance, as the compact design allows service personnel to reach all components without requiring excessive space between them.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple heating and cooling components (evaporator, air heater, PTC heater) into a single integrated housing with a unified airflow path. This merging reduces the total system volume compared to distributed placement, while the internal design maintains ease of maintenance through accessible component positioning and standardized service procedures.
3Reliability
If separate coolant-type electric heater is equipped for battery warming, then battery temperature control reliability is improved, but the device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the air conditioning system multi-functional by integrating battery heating capability into the existing cabin heating system. The air heater and PTC heater serve dual purposes: heating cabin air and heating battery coolant through the same thermal pathways, eliminating the need for a separate dedicated battery heater and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the battery heating function with the cabin heating function by using the same air heater and PTC heater components for both purposes. The coolant circulation system serves both the evaporator and battery heater functions, consolidating what would traditionally be separate systems into a unified design that reduces device complexity while maintaining reliability.
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 reduces the size of the air conditioning device and system while enhancing cooling and heating performance by allowing selective bypassing of air through the evaporator and heaters, optimizing energy use and maintaining optimal battery temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator, an air heater, and a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater which are positioned in series in an air conditioning passage
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator, an air heater, and a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater which are positioned in series in an air conditioning passage
Implementation Method 3
an evaporator, an air heater, and a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater which are positioned in series in an air conditioning passage
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning device for an electric vehicle includes: a housing having an air conditioning passage connecting an air inlet port to an air discharge port; an evaporator, an air heater, and an electric heater, which are positioned in series in the air conditioning passage in the housing; and a bypass door positioned after the evaporator in the air conditioning passage in the housing and configured to selectively allow some of air passing through the evaporator to bypass the air heater and the electric heater to the air discharge port.