Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Patent
1996-04-25
1997-12-02
Wayner, William E.
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
622387, 237 2B, F25B 2700, G05D 2300
Patent
active
056923902
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a device for controlling the temperature in the passenger compartment of a vehicle with an electric motor.
It relates more specifically to a device of the type comprising a circuit through which flows a fluid coolant, which is circulated by a compressor, between an internal heat exchanger located in the path of a flow of air towards the vehicle and an external heat exchanger, as well as means for reversing the direction of flow of the fluid coolant, such that the internal heat exchanger and the external heat exchanger function respectively as evaporator and condenser in a cooling mode and respectively as condenser and evaporator in a heating mode.
Thus, in cooling mode the device operates like a conventional temperature controlling device in which the internal heat exchanger serves as evaporator to cool the flow of air sent into the passenger compartment whilst the external heat exchanger releases heat to the outside.
On reversing the direction of flow of the fluid coolant, the internal heat exchanger plays the role of a condenser to raise the temperature of the flow of air to the passenger compartment whilst the external heat exchanger plays the role of an evaporator to remove heat from a heat source, which allows a heating mode to be obtained.
In other words, in the latter case the device operates as a heat pump which takes thermal energy from outside to supply it then to the passenger compartment.
Such a control device is particularly appropriate in an electric vehicle in which the heat produced by the electric drive system is generally not sufficient in winter to cover the heating requirements of the passenger compartment.
Several devices of the type mentioned above have already been suggested in which a single external heat exchanger is provided which has a heat exchange relationship with an external source of heat, such as the electric drive system of the vehicle.
Although such a device operates in a satisfactory manner in cooling mode, its operation in heating mode proves unsatisfactory because the heat produced by the electric drive system is insufficient.
Moreover, in heating mode the external heat exchanger can produce icing problems.
The particular aim of the invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.
For this purpose it proposes a device of the type defined in the introduction which comprises: air originating from the passenger compartment, and adapted to exchange heat with a source of heat outside the passenger compartment.
Therefore, when the device operates in heating mode the first external heat exchanger makes it possible to recover the thermal energy in the flow of hot air extracted from the passenger compartment, whilst the second external heat exchanger makes it possible to recover the calorific energy from a source of heat outside the passenger compartment, it being possible for the latter to comprise at least one electric component and/or the electric motor serving to drive the vehicle.
In cooling mode the first external heat exchanger acts as a condenser whilst the second external heat exchanger may act as a condenser or be purely and simply out of use.
In a preferred form of embodiment of the invention, the first external heat exchanger and the second external heat exchanger are mounted in parallel in the cooling fluid circuit.
Alternatively the first external heat exchanger and the second external heat exchanger are mounted in series in the circuit.
In a preferred form of embodiment the first external heat exchanger comprises means for limiting its evaporation pressure to a minimum value when it functions as an evaporator in heating mode.
These pressure limitation means are advantageously constituted by a pressure limitation valve.
This makes it possible to avoid the problems of icing on the first external heat exchanger.
In a preferred form of embodiment of the invention, the first external heat exchanger is an air/liquid heat exchanger located in the path of the flow of air extracted from the passenger compartment.
The said first external
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patent: 4066118 (1978-01-01), Goettl
patent: 4553401 (1985-11-01), Fisher
patent: 5284025 (1994-02-01), Kajitanii et al.
patent: 5299431 (1994-04-01), Iritani et al.
patent: 5309731 (1994-05-01), Nonoyama et al.
patent: 5316074 (1994-05-01), Isaji et al.
patent: 5325912 (1994-07-01), Hotta et al.
Karl Stefan
Pomme Vincent
Valeo Climatisation
Wayner William E.
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