Refrigeration – With vehicle feature – Occupant-type vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-22
2004-04-06
Tapolcai, William E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
With vehicle feature
Occupant-type vehicle
C162S042000, C162S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle for air-conditioning a temperature environment within a vehicle compartment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional air conditioner for a vehicle is used to air-condition a temperature environment within a vehicle compartment. The conventional air conditioner generally comprises a refrigeration cycle for circulating a refrigerant to thereby exchange heat between refrigerant and air, and a hot water line for exchanging heat using engine cooling water heated by heat that is exhausted from an engine.
In the conventional air conditioner for a vehicle, in an air passage within a vehicle compartment (which is hereinafter referred to as a within-vehicle-compartment air passage) into which the inside air and outside air can be selectively introduced, there are disposed an evaporator serving as a heat absorbing within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger to be incorporated into the refrigeration cycle, and a heater core which serves as a heat generator and is incorporated into the hot water line. And, in case where the heat of the air flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage is absorbed into the refrigerant existing within the evaporator, there is produced the cool air; and, in case where the air flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage is heated by the heater core, there is produced the warm air. Also, in case where the rate between the cool air and warm air is adjusted by an air mix door, the temperature within the vehicle compartment can be adjusted.
By the way, in the above-structured conventional air conditioner for a vehicle, since the warm air is produced by the heater core which uses the engine cooling water as a heat medium, in a state where the temperature of the engine cooling water is not yet sufficiently high, for example, just after the engine is started, or when the running load is small, the temperature within the vehicle compartment cannot be raised up to a satisfactory level.
In order to cope with the above problem and thus enhance the heating performance, there are proposed air conditioners for a vehicle which are respectively disclosed in JP-A-9-175140 and JP-A-10-44742. In these air conditioners for a vehicle, a sub-condenser serving as a heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger for radiating the heat of the refrigerant into the air existing within the vehicle compartment is incorporated into the refrigeration line. And, the sub-condenser, together with the evaporator and heater core, is disposed in the above-mentioned within-vehicle-compartment air passage.
In the thus-structured air conditioners for a vehicle, since the warm air is produced not only by the heater core using the engine cooling water as a heat medium but also by the sub-condenser using the refrigerant as the heat medium, even in a state where the temperature of the engine cooling water is not yet sufficiently high, for example, just after the engine is started, or when the running load is small, the temperature within the vehicle compartment can be raised relatively rapidly.
Recently, the atmosphere of the space within the vehicle compartment has been made more and more comfortable and, with the increasing comfort of the vehicle compartment, there has been raised the need to enhance the performance of the air conditioner for a vehicle, especially, there has been strongly raised the need to further enhance the quick heating performance of the air conditioner for raising the temperature within the vehicle compartment quickly.
In the above-mentioned air conditioners for a vehicle, as a factor in hindering the further enhancement in the quick heating performance thereof, there can be pointed out the fact that, when the air conditioners for a vehicle are started, because the temperature load of the sub-condenser is low, the discharge pressure (Pd) of the refrigerant is hard to rise.
To enhance the temperature load of the sub-condenser, it is very effective to transmit heat from another heat source to the sub-condenser. According to an air conditioner for a vehicle disclosed in JP-A-10-44742, since, in a within-vehicle-compartment air passage, a heater core is disposed upstream of a sub-condenser, the heat of the heater core can be transmitted to the sub-condenser through the air flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage, which makes it possible to enhance the temperature load of the sub-condenser.
However, during the time until the temperature of engine cooling water rises up to a specified value, in case where the air is allowed to flow through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage, the temperature of the air is lowered on the contrary. For this reason, during this time, preferably, the air may be prevented from flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage. That is, in such case, since the heat of the heater core is not transmitted to the sub-condenser, the temperature load of the sub-condenser cannot be enhanced. Accordingly, a state, in which the refrigerant discharge pressure is hard to rise, continues for a given period of time, which makes it difficult to enhance the quick heating performance of the vehicle air conditioner further.
Also, in a state where the temperature load of the sub-condenser is low and the refrigerant discharge pressure is hard to rise, the efficiency of use of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle is lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the enclosure amount of the refrigerant to a certain degree, and, as a liquid tank for holding therein a liquid-phase refrigerant temporarily, it is necessary to use a relatively-large-sized liquid tank, which provides a very great disadvantage in reducing the size and weight of the whole air conditioner for a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks found in the conventional air conditioner for a vehicle. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an air conditioner for a vehicle which is excellent in the rapid heating performance and is able to realize reduction in the size and weight of the whole air conditioner for a vehicle.
In attaining the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising: a compressor for compressing a refrigerant sucked therein and jetting out the compressed refrigerant therefrom; an outside-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger for radiating the heat of the refrigerant to the outside air; a heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger disposed in a within-vehicle-compartment air passage into which the inside air and the outside air can be introduced selectively for radiating the heat of the refrigerant to the air flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage; an expander for expanding the refrigerant the heat of which has been radiated by at least one of the outside-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger and heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger; a heat absorbing within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger disposed upstream of the heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger in the within-vehicle-compartment air passage for allowing the refrigerant expanded by the expander to absorb the heat of the air flowing through the within-vehicle-compartment air passage; and, a heat generator disposed in the within-vehicle-compartment air passage, wherein the heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger is disposed at a position which permits reception of the heat from the heat generator.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the refrigerant compressed by and jetted out from the compressor is supplied to at least one of the outside-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger and heat radiating within-vehicle-compartment heat exchanger, where the heat of the refrigerant is radiated. And, the refrigerant, the heat of which is radiated by at least one of the outside-vehicle-com
Hatakeyama Jun
Ogihara Satoshi
Ali Mohammad M.
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Foley & Lardner
Tapolcai William E.
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