Vehicle air conditioner with programmed flow controller
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle air conditioning systems face issues with refrigerant leakage during minor collisions, leading to increased repair costs and environmental damage, and struggle to properly control the temperature of air blown into the vehicle interior, causing comfort issues due to frost formation or excessive humidity.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle air conditioning apparatus that uses a heat medium, managed by pumps and heat exchangers, to control the temperature of blast air without refrigerant leakage, incorporating a system with a coolant circulation path and adjustable flow rates to maintain optimal temperatures and prevent frost or humidity issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an exterior heat exchanger is disposed in the foremost portion of a vehicle for refrigerant condensation or evaporation, then the air conditioning function is achieved, but the heat exchanger may be broken in slight collisions causing refrigerant leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat exchange function from the refrigerant-based exterior heat exchanger and relocates it to an interior heat exchanger that uses a different heat medium (coolant/water) instead of refrigerant. This separation removes the harmful refrigerant from the collision-prone exterior location while maintaining the heat exchange capability through an alternative fluid system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a coolant as an intermediary heat medium that transfers thermal energy between the interior heat exchanger and the refrigerant system. This intermediary allows the exterior heat exchange function to be performed without direct refrigerant exposure, using coolant as a safe mediator that won't cause environmental harm if leaked.
2Reliability
If the refrigerant leaks from the evaporator and condenser during heat exchange, then the air conditioning function is compromised, but the refrigerant emission causes environmental destruction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harm of refrigerant leakage into a benefit by using a harmless coolant instead of refrigerant in the interior heat exchanger. The coolant system is designed to be leak-resistant and uses environmentally safe fluids, turning the vulnerability of heat exchange into an opportunity to eliminate refrigerant environmental impact entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the refrigerant from the interior heat exchange process and confines it to the exterior condenser/evaporator system only. By separating the refrigerant containment function from the interior air handling function, the system eliminates refrigerant leakage risks in the interior while maintaining air conditioning performance.
3Temperature
If the temperature of the heat medium is not properly controlled, then the blast air temperature cannot be maintained, but excessive cooling causes frost formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring the temperature of the heat medium and the blast air, and adjusting the flow rates and heat exchange parameters accordingly. Temperature sensors detect conditions and feed this information back to the control system, which modulates pump speeds and valve positions to maintain optimal temperatures and prevent frost formation on heat exchange surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the heat exchange system dynamic by enabling real-time adjustment of coolant flow rates, pump speeds, and heat exchanger operational parameters. This dynamic control allows the system to adapt to changing conditions (ambient temperature, humidity, vehicle speed) and maintain blast air temperature within optimal ranges while preventing frost accumulation on heat exchange surfaces.
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
The system effectively prevents refrigerant leakage and maintains comfortable interior temperatures by adjusting the heat medium's flow rates and temperatures, reducing repair costs and environmental impact while enhancing occupant comfort.
Implementation Method 1
a heat medium-to-air heat exchanger that adjusts a temperature of blast air into a vehicle interior by exchanging heat between the heat medium, the temperature of which has been adjusted in the adjusting heat exchanger, and the blast air
Implementation Method 2
a heat medium-to-outside air heat exchanger that exchanges sensible heat between the heat medium, the temperature of which has been adjusted in the adjusting heat exchanger, and outside air
Implementation Method 3
an adjusting heat exchanger that adjusts a temperature of the heat medium by causing the heat medium to undergo heat exchange
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle air conditioning apparatus includes: at least one processor programmed to control a flow rate of at least one of a heat medium and outside air flowing through a heat medium-to-outside air heat exchanger such that a temperature of blast air cooled in an air-cooling heat exchanger is adjusted toward a first target temperature, and to control a flow rate of a refrigerant discharged from a compressor such that a temperature of blast air, which has been adjusted in at least one of the air-cooling heat exchanger and an air-heating heat exchanger and which is blown out into a vehicle interior, is adjusted toward a second target temperature. Accordingly, a surface temperature of the air-cooling heat exchanger and the temperature of the blast air into the vehicle interior can be properly controlled.