KR20240155601A - Thermal management system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle thermal management system comprising a compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, a condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a first expansion valve that controls the refrigerant discharged from the condenser to expand or bypass depending on a mode, and a plurality of heat exchangers that heat-exchange the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve with a heat medium to condense or evaporate the refrigerant, wherein the first heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the first expansion valve with respect to the direction of movement of the refrigerant in a refrigerant line through which the refrigerant moves, and has a bypass line connecting the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve and the rear end of the outlet side of the first heat exchanger.

Description

THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

The present invention relates to a vehicle thermal management system, and more specifically, to a vehicle thermal management system that manages cooling and heating of a vehicle as well as heat of electrical components and batteries within the vehicle.

Electric vehicles have recently been gaining attention in the automobile industry as a solution to problems such as the implementation of environmentally friendly technologies and energy depletion.

Electric vehicles run on motors that are powered by electricity from batteries or fuel cells, so they produce less carbon emissions and are quieter. In addition, electric vehicles are environmentally friendly because they use motors that are more energy efficient than conventional engines.

However, since electric vehicles generate a lot of heat when the battery and drive motor operate, thermal management is important. And since it takes a long time to recharge the battery, efficient management of battery usage time is important.

In particular, since the drive motor and inverter generate relatively more heat than other electrical components such as batteries and chargers, the drive motor must be cooled to an appropriate temperature, and to this end, the cooling performance of the heat exchanger for cooling the drive motor needs to be improved. In addition, when operating in cooling mode, pressure loss may occur in the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser where the refrigerant and cooling water exchange heat, which may deteriorate performance and efficiency.

Therefore, there is a need to improve this.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle thermal management system capable of cooling and heating the vehicle as well as efficiently managing the thermal management of electrical components and batteries within the vehicle.

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A vehicle thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant; a condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; a first expansion valve that controls the refrigerant discharged from the condenser to expand or bypass according to a mode; and a plurality of heat exchangers that heat-exchange the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve with a heat medium to condense or evaporate the refrigerant, wherein the first heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the first expansion valve based on the direction of movement of the refrigerant in a refrigerant line through which the refrigerant moves, and may have a bypass line connecting the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve and the rear end of the outlet side of the first heat exchanger.

Preferably, in the heating mode, the first expansion valve expands the refrigerant, the bypass line is blocked so that the first heat exchanger evaporates the refrigerant moving along the refrigerant line, and in the cooling mode, the first expansion valve bypasses the refrigerant in a non-expanded state, the bypass line is opened so that a portion of the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve branches off and bypasses the first heat exchanger along the bypass line, and the first heat exchanger is configured to condense the remaining refrigerant moving along the refrigerant line.

Preferably, the bypass line may be characterized in that a control valve is arranged to block the bypass line in heating mode and open the bypass line in cooling mode.

Preferably, the refrigerant line further includes a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an evaporator, and an accumulator arranged downstream of the first heat exchanger, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to evaporate the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger in a heating mode, to primarily condense the refrigerant that has bypassed the first heat exchanger in a cooling mode, and to secondarily condense the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger.

Preferably, the third heat exchanger may be characterized in that it is configured such that heat is exchanged between the refrigerant passing through the second heat exchanger and moving to the evaporator and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator and moving to the accumulator.

Preferably, the evaporator and the condenser are installed inside an air conditioning case, and a PTC heater may be installed inside the air conditioning case.

Preferably, the refrigerant line may be characterized by having a first branch line branched from the rear end of the outlet side of the second heat exchanger to move the refrigerant passing through the second heat exchanger to the accumulator by bypassing the third heat exchanger and the evaporator depending on the mode.

Preferably, the first branch line is configured such that a first sub-branch line is branched from the first branch line through a second expansion valve, and a fourth heat exchanger for heat-exchanging refrigerant and a heat medium moving along the first sub-branch line is disposed in the first sub-branch line.

Preferably, the refrigerant line may be characterized by having a second branch line branched from the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve to move the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve to the evaporator.

Preferably, the invention further includes a cooling water line through which cooling water moves and circulates, and the cooling water line is arranged to pass through the first heat exchanger so that the refrigerant and the cooling water exchange heat.

Preferably, the first heat exchanger is characterized in that the interior is divided into a first section and a second section by a partition wall, and in the first section, a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows and a cooling water passage through which the cooling water flows are respectively arranged to extend in first and second directions which are opposite to each other and intersect with each other, and in a state where the refrigerant passage and the cooling water passage pass through the partition wall and extend into the second section, respectively, in the second direction and the first direction opposite to that in the first section and intersect with each other.

Preferably, the coolant line may include a first coolant line in which the electrical components and the first radiator are arranged and a second coolant line in which the battery and the second radiator are arranged, and the first coolant line may be arranged to pass through the first heat exchanger.

Preferably, the first coolant line and the second coolant line are configured in parallel to cool the electrical components and the battery separately, and an electric water pump is further installed to circulate the coolant.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle thermal management system capable of cooling and heating the vehicle as well as efficiently managing the thermal management of electrical components and batteries within the vehicle can be provided.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically showing the structure of a vehicle thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing a first heat exchanger in the vehicle thermal management system of FIG. 1.
Figure 3 is a drawing schematically showing a modified example of a bypass line in the vehicle thermal management system of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a drawing showing operation in the first heating mode of a vehicle thermal management system.
Figure 5 is a drawing showing the operation in the second heating mode of the vehicle thermal management system.
Figure 6 is a drawing showing the operation in the first cooling mode of the vehicle thermal management system.
Figure 7 is a drawing showing the operation in the second cooling mode of the vehicle thermal management system.

The present invention may have various modifications and embodiments, and thus specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, a first component may also be referred to as a second component. The term and/or includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any item among a plurality of related described items.

When it is said that a component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is said that a component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

In the description of embodiments, when it is described that one component is formed "on or under" another component, "on or under" includes both cases where the two components are in direct contact with each other or where one or more other components are formed indirectly between the two components. In addition, when expressed as "on or under," it can include the meaning of not only the upward direction but also the downward direction with respect to one component.

The terminology used in this application is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" and the like are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries, such as those defined in common usage, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing symbols, identical or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically showing the structure of a vehicle thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing schematically showing a first heat exchanger in the vehicle thermal management system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a drawing schematically showing a modified example of a bypass line in the vehicle thermal management system of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a vehicle thermal management system (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a refrigerant line (100) through which refrigerant circulates and a coolant line (200) through which coolant circulates.

A compressor (110), a condenser (120), a first expansion valve (190), and a plurality of heat exchangers (130, 140, 150, 180) may be arranged in the refrigerant line (100). In addition, an evaporator (160) and an accumulator (170) may be further arranged.

The refrigerant is configured to circulate along the refrigerant line (100) and pass through a compressor (110), a condenser (120), a first expansion valve (190), a plurality of heat exchangers (130, 140, 150, 180), an evaporator (160), and an accumulator (170).

In addition, the refrigerant line (100) may be provided with a bypass line (101) and multiple branch lines (102, 103, 104) to allow the refrigerant to move by selectively bypassing the heat exchanger, evaporator (160), etc. depending on the air conditioning mode. Accordingly, the path of the refrigerant may be variously adjusted in the refrigerant line (100), the bypass line (101), and the branch lines (102, 103, 104).

The compressor (110) can compress and discharge the refrigerant. The compressor (110) is driven by receiving power from an engine (internal combustion engine) or a motor, etc., and compresses the introduced refrigerant and then discharges it in a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous state.

The condenser (120) can condense the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110).

The condenser (120) is installed inside the air conditioning case (300) and can exchange heat between the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300) and the refrigerant.

The first expansion valve (190) is positioned at the rear end of the outlet side of the condenser (120) and can control the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser (120) and moving along the refrigerant line (100) to be expanded or bypassed depending on the mode. For example, the first expansion valve (190) can expand the refrigerant in the heating mode and pass the refrigerant without being expanded in the cooling mode.

In an embodiment, a two-way valve having an expansion function may be used as the first expansion valve (190).

The heat exchanger may include a first heat exchanger (130), a second heat exchanger (140), and a third heat exchanger (150) arranged along the refrigerant line (100), and may include a fourth heat exchanger (180) arranged in the first branch line (102).

The first heat exchanger (130) can be placed downstream of the first expansion valve (190) based on the direction of movement of the refrigerant in the refrigerant line (100) through which the refrigerant moves.

A bypass line (101) is connected to the refrigerant line (100) before and after the first heat exchanger (130), and can be arranged to connect the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve (190) and the rear end of the outlet side of the first heat exchanger (130).

A control valve (191) that selectively opens or blocks the bypass line (101) depending on the mode may be arranged in the bypass line (101). In an embodiment, the control valve (191) may block the bypass line (101) in the heating mode so that the refrigerant moves entirely along the refrigerant line (100) to the first heat exchanger (130), and open the bypass line (101) in the cooling mode so that the refrigerant moves simultaneously to the bypass line (101) and the first heat exchanger (130). Then, the refrigerant that has moved along the bypass line (101) bypasses the first heat exchanger (130) and then rejoins the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger (130).

The first heat exchanger (130) may be configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the heat medium that has passed through the first expansion valve (190). In an embodiment, the heat medium that exchanges heat with the refrigerant may include cooling water circulating along a cooling water line (200) to be described later.

Figure 2 schematically shows the structure in which the refrigerant line and the cooling water line are connected in the first heat exchanger (130).

The first heat exchanger (130) may be provided with a refrigerant inlet (131) connected to a refrigerant line (100) on one side and through which refrigerant flows in, and a cooling water inlet (132) connected to a cooling water line (200) and through which cooling water flows in on the other side.

In addition, the first heat exchanger (130) may be provided with a refrigerant discharge port (133) connected to a refrigerant line (100) on one side thereof and through which refrigerant is discharged, and a coolant discharge port (134) connected to a coolant line (200) and through which coolant is discharged on the other side thereof.

The first heat exchanger (130) may be internally divided into a first section (R1) and a second section (R2) by a partition wall (135). A refrigerant inlet (131) and a cooling water inlet (132) may be arranged on the first section (R1) side, and a refrigerant discharge port (133) and a cooling water discharge port (134) may be arranged on the second section (R2) side.

A refrigerant path (137) through which refrigerant flows and a cooling water path (136) through which cooling water flows may be provided in the first section (R1) and the second section (R1). The refrigerant path (137) may be connected to a refrigerant inlet (131) and a refrigerant outlet (133), and the cooling water path (136) may be connected to a cooling water inlet (132) and a cooling water outlet (134).

In the first section (R1), the refrigerant path (137) through which the refrigerant flows and the cooling water path (136) through which the cooling water flows may be arranged in a structure in which they extend in the first direction and the second direction, which are opposite to each other, and intersect each other. For example, the refrigerant path (137) may extend from the refrigerant inlet (131) side to the cooling water inlet (132) side, and the cooling water path (136) may extend from the cooling water inlet (132) side to the refrigerant inlet (131) side.

And, in a state where the refrigerant passage (137) and the cooling water passage (136) are extended to the second section (R2) through the partition wall (135), the refrigerant passage (137) and the cooling water passage (136) can be arranged in a structure where they extend in the second direction and the first direction, respectively, opposite to the first section (R1) and intersect each other. For example, the refrigerant passage (137) can extend toward the refrigerant discharge port (133), and the cooling water passage (136) can extend toward the cooling water discharge port (134).

Accordingly, the refrigerant and cooling water can be configured to exchange heat with each other by moving in opposite directions in a zigzag shape in the first section (R1) and the second section (R2), respectively, and intersecting each other.

This first heat exchanger (130) is configured to evaporate the refrigerant flowing in along the refrigerant line (100) in an expanded state while passing through the first expansion valve (190) in the heating mode. That is, in the heating mode, the first heat exchanger (130) functions as an evaporator.

In addition, since some of the refrigerant that has passed through the first expansion valve (190) in the cooling mode is branched off and moves along the bypass line (101) to bypass the first heat exchanger (130), the first heat exchanger (130) is configured to condense the remaining refrigerant that flows in along the refrigerant line (100). That is, in the cooling mode, the first heat exchanger (130) functions as a condenser.

The second heat exchanger (140) can be placed downstream of the first heat exchanger (130) in the refrigerant line (100).

The second heat exchanger (140) may be configured to condense or evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat with the heat medium moving along the refrigerant line (100). In an embodiment, the heat medium exchanging heat with the refrigerant may include outside air.

The second heat exchanger (140) is configured to secondarily evaporate the refrigerant that has been evaporated primarily while passing through the first heat exchanger (130) in the heating mode. In addition, it is configured to firstly condense the refrigerant that has bypassed the first heat exchanger (130) along the bypass line (101) in the cooling mode, and secondarily condense the refrigerant that has been condensed primarily while passing through the first heat exchanger (130). That is, the second heat exchanger (140) functions as an evaporator together with the first heat exchanger (130) in the heating mode, and functions as a condenser in the cooling mode.

The evaporator (160) is placed downstream of the second heat exchanger (140) in the refrigerant line (100) and can be installed inside the air conditioning case (300).

The evaporator (160) can exchange heat between the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300) and the refrigerant moving to the compressor (110). Through this, cooling of the vehicle interior can be performed.

As shown in the drawing, the evaporator (160) and the condenser (120) may be installed spaced apart from each other at a certain interval inside the air conditioning case (300). In this case, the evaporator (160) and the condenser (120) may be sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the air flow direction inside the air conditioning case (300).

A temperature control door (310) that controls the amount of air bypassing the condenser (120) and the amount of air passing through the condenser (120) can be installed between the evaporator (160) and the condenser (120) inside the air conditioning case (300).

In addition, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater (320) may be placed inside the air conditioning case (300). The PTC heater (320) is placed inside the air conditioning case (300) together with the condenser (120) and is used as a means of heating air, and may be used as a means of supplementing the temperature required for vehicle air conditioning when the condenser (120) does not meet this.

A solenoid expansion valve (193) may be placed upstream of the evaporator (160). The solenoid expansion valve (193) may perform expansion, flow rate control, and opening/closing functions of the refrigerant moving along the refrigerant line (100) to the evaporator (160) in cooling mode.

The third heat exchanger (150) may be placed on one side of the refrigerant line (100) upstream of the evaporator (160) and on the other side downstream of the evaporator (160).

The third heat exchanger (150) may be configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant moving to the evaporator (160) and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator (160) and moving to the accumulator (170). Thus, the refrigerant before flowing into the evaporator (160) by the third heat exchanger (150) can be further cooled, and the cooling performance through the evaporator (160) can be improved while improving the efficiency of the cooling system.

The accumulator (170) can be placed downstream of the third heat exchanger (150) in the refrigerant line (100).

The accumulator (170) can be configured to receive refrigerant that has passed through the third heat exchanger (150), separate the introduced refrigerant into gas and liquid, and supply the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor (110).

Meanwhile, the first branch line (102) may be configured to branch off from the refrigerant line (100) and move the refrigerant to the accumulator (170) by bypassing the third heat exchanger (150) and the evaporator (160) depending on the mode.

This first branch line (102) branches off from the rear end of the outlet side of the second heat exchanger (140), and one end can be connected between the second heat exchanger (140) and the third heat exchanger (150), and the other end can be connected between the third heat exchanger (150) and the accumulator (170).

Accordingly, the refrigerant passing through the second heat exchanger (140) moves to the accumulator (170) along the first branch line (102) in the heating mode, and in the cooling mode, the first branch line (102) is blocked and moves to the third heat exchanger (150) and the evaporator (160) along the refrigerant line (100).

In an embodiment, the first branch line (102) may be configured such that a first sub-branch line (102a) branches from the first branch line (102) through a second expansion valve (192). The first sub-branch line (102a) may have one end connected to the first branch line (102) through the second expansion valve (192), and the other end connected to the refrigerant line (100). In an embodiment, a three-way valve having an expansion function may be used as the second expansion valve (192).

A fourth heat exchanger (180) for heat-exchanging the refrigerant and heat medium moving along the first sub-branch line (102a) may be arranged in the first sub-branch line (102a). In an embodiment, the heat medium may include cooling water circulating along a cooling water line (200) to be described later.

The second branch line (103) may be configured to branch off from the refrigerant line (100) and move the refrigerant to the evaporator (160) by bypassing the first heat exchanger (130) and the second heat exchanger (140) depending on the mode.

This second branch line (103) branches off from the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve (190), and one end is connected to the branch point where the bypass line (101) branches off from the refrigerant line (100), and the other end can be connected to the inlet side terminal of the evaporator (160).

Accordingly, in the dehumidifying mode, some of the refrigerant that has passed through the first expansion valve (190) moves to the evaporator (160) along the second branch line (103), and in the cooling mode, the second branch line (102) is configured to be blocked.

The second branch line (103) may be equipped with a control valve (194) that opens and closes the second branch line (103) depending on the mode to allow the refrigerant to move or block the movement of the refrigerant. In an embodiment, a two-way valve without an expansion function may be used as the control valve (194).

The third branch line (104) may be configured to branch off from the refrigerant line (100) between the first heat exchanger (130) and the second heat exchanger (140) so that the refrigerant moves.

A branch valve (195) is arranged in the refrigerant line (100) from which the third branch line (104) branches, so that the third branch line (104) can be connected to the branch valve (195). In an embodiment, a three-way valve without an expansion function can be used as the branch valve (195). In addition, the bypass line (101) can be connected to the refrigerant line (100) at the inlet side or the outlet side of the branch valve (195).

The third branch line (104) can be configured so that when freezing occurs due to frost formation in the second heat exchanger (140) of the refrigerant line (100) during operation in the heating mode and the refrigerant cannot move, the refrigerant is branched from the branch valve (195) and moves along the third branch line (104). That is, the third branch line (104) forms a path through which the refrigerant selectively moves only in the heating mode.

As in Fig. 1, when the bypass line (101) is connected to the refrigerant line (100) at the inlet side of the branch valve (195), the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger (130) and the refrigerant that has passed through the bypass line (101) can be configured to move along the refrigerant line (100) from the branch valve (195) and pass through the second heat exchanger (140).

Additionally, the refrigerant passing through the first heat exchanger (130) may be configured to branch off at the branch valve (195) and move along the third branch line (104) to bypass the second heat exchanger (140).

In addition, as in Fig. 3, when the bypass line (101) is connected to the refrigerant line (100) at the outlet side of the branch valve (195), the refrigerant passing through the bypass line (101) can be configured to move along the refrigerant line (100) without passing through the branch valve (195) and pass through the second heat exchanger (140).

And, the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger (130) along the refrigerant line (100) may be configured to branch off at the branch valve (195) and move along the third branch line (104), or to move along the refrigerant line (100) and join with the refrigerant that has passed through the bypass line (101).

In the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the bypass line (101) is explained as being connected to the refrigerant line (100) at the inlet side of the branch valve (195).

The coolant line (200) through which the coolant moves and circulates may include a first coolant line (210) in which the electrical components (211) and the first radiator (212) are arranged, and a second coolant line (220) in which the battery (221) and the second radiator (222) are arranged.

The first coolant line (210) controls the temperature of the electrical components (211) by passing coolant through them for driving the vehicle, and the second coolant line (220) controls the temperature of the battery (221) by passing coolant through them for supplying operating power to the electrical components (211).

Here, the electric components (211) may include a motor for driving the vehicle, an inverter for driving and controlling the motor, an in-vehicle charger (OBC), etc.

The first radiator (212) and the second radiator (222) can cool the coolant from the coolant circulating through the first coolant line (210) and the second coolant line (220) by exchanging heat between the outside air sucked in by the cooling fan (230) and the coolant within each radiator (212, 222).

In an embodiment, the first radiator (212) may be a high temperature radiator (HTR) that dissipates heat and cools by passing relatively high temperature coolant therethrough, and the second radiator (222) may be a low temperature radiator that dissipates heat and cools by passing relatively low temperature coolant therethrough. In this case, the second radiator (222) may be arranged in front of the first radiator (212).

The first radiator (212) and the second radiator (222) can be placed at the front of the vehicle, and the first coolant line (210) and the second coolant line (220) circulating through each radiator (212, 222) are configured in parallel so that the electrical components (211) and the battery (221) can be cooled separately.

To circulate the coolant, an electric water pump (213, 223) and a coolant reservoir (214, 224) may be installed in the first coolant line (210) and the second coolant line (220), respectively.

Additionally, a cooling water heater (225) for heating the cooling water may be installed in the second cooling water line (220).

Meanwhile, among the first cooling water line (210) and the second cooling water line (220), the first cooling water line (210) may be arranged to pass through the first heat exchanger (130) so that the refrigerant and the cooling water may exchange heat.

That is, the first heat exchanger (130) can be configured as a single-sided cooling structure in which only the first cooling water line (210) passes through, rather than the existing double-sided cooling structure in which both the first cooling water line (210) and the second cooling water line (220) pass through. Accordingly, the configuration of the refrigerant line (100) and the cooling water line (200) becomes simpler, and the cost for configuring the thermal management system (1) can be expected to be reduced through the omission of components.

In this way, the refrigerant line (100) including the bypass line (101) and branch lines (102, 103, 104) is configured to be interconnected so that the refrigerant circulates, thereby enabling efficient heat management of the electrical components (211) and battery (221) inside the vehicle through heat exchange with the coolant as well as cooling and heating of the vehicle.

In particular, by configuring the heat exchange with the cooling water as a cross-sectional cooling structure, the structure of the entire refrigerant circulation circuit can be simplified. However, when the first heat exchanger (130) according to this cross-sectional cooling structure is operated in the cooling mode, a pressure loss may occur, which may cause a problem in that the cooling performance is reduced. This problem due to the pressure loss can be resolved by configuring the refrigerant to be partially bypassed through the bypass line (101).

Below, the operation according to the air conditioning mode of the vehicle thermal management system (1) according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be described.

1. First heating mode

Figure 4 is a drawing showing operation in the first heating mode.

Referring to Fig. 4, the compressor (110) operates and high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor (110). The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110) moves along the refrigerant line (100). Then, the refrigerant passes through the condenser (120) and exchanges heat with the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300), and the heated air is supplied as warm air into the vehicle to perform heating.

The refrigerant passing through the condenser (120) expands while passing through the first expansion valve (190) and moves along the refrigerant line (100) in an expanded state and flows into the first heat exchanger (130).

In the first heating mode, the bypass line (101) and the second branch line (103) are blocked by the control valve (191) and the control valve (194), respectively, so that the refrigerant that has expanded while passing through the first expansion valve (190) moves along the refrigerant line (100), and while passing through the first heat exchanger (130), it exchanges heat with the cooling water and evaporates first, and while passing through the second heat exchanger (140), it exchanges heat with the outside air and evaporates secondarily.

Thereafter, the refrigerant moves along the first branch line (102), passes through the accumulator (170), and flows back into the compressor (110), and while repeating the process described above, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line (100) and the first branch line (102).

According to an embodiment, the refrigerant may pass through the first heat exchanger (130), then move along the third branch line (104) from the branch valve (195), then pass through the accumulator (170) and then flow back into the compressor (110).

Meanwhile, the coolant of the first coolant line (210) is circulated by the operation of the electric water pump (213). Then, the circulating coolant is heat-exchanged while passing through the first heat exchanger (130) and the first radiator (212), thereby cooling the electrical components (211).

The circulation of the coolant in the second coolant line (220) can be selectively performed, and according to the present embodiment, the second coolant line (220) can be stopped from operating.

In this way, by recovering waste heat from the electric component (211) through the first heat exchanger (130) and configuring external heat absorption through the second heat exchanger (140), heating performance can be improved.

2. Second heating mode

Figure 5 is a drawing showing operation in the second heating mode.

Referring to Fig. 5, the compressor (110) operates and high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor (110). The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110) moves along the refrigerant line (100). Then, the refrigerant passes through the condenser (120) and exchanges heat with the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300), and the heated air is supplied as warm air into the vehicle to perform heating.

The refrigerant passing through the condenser (120) expands while passing through the first expansion valve (190) and moves along the refrigerant line (100) in an expanded state and flows into the first heat exchanger (130).

In the second heating mode, the bypass line (101) is blocked by the control valve (191), the second branch line (103) is opened by the control valve (194), and the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve (190) is branched and moves to the refrigerant line (100) and the second branch line (103).

Accordingly, a portion of the branched refrigerant moves along the refrigerant line (100), passes through the first heat exchanger (130), exchanges heat with the cooling water, and is evaporated primarily, and passes through the second heat exchanger (140), exchanges heat with the outside air, and is evaporated secondarily.

Thereafter, the refrigerant moves along the first branch line (102), passes through the accumulator (170), and flows back into the compressor (110), and while repeating the process described above, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line (100) and the first branch line (102).

In addition, the remainder of the branched refrigerant moves along the second branch line (103) and exchanges heat with the air inside the air conditioning case (300) while passing through the evaporator (160), and the cooled air is supplied to the interior of the vehicle so that interior dehumidification can be achieved. That is, moisture in the air can be removed while exchanging heat with the air.

The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator (160) passes through the third heat exchanger (150) and the accumulator (170) and then flows back into the compressor (110), and while repeating the process described above, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line (100) and the second branch line (103).

Meanwhile, the coolant of the first coolant line (210) is circulated by the operation of the electric water pump (213). Then, the circulating coolant is heat-exchanged while passing through the first heat exchanger (130) and the first radiator (212), thereby cooling the electrical components (211).

The circulation of the coolant in the second coolant line (220) can be selectively performed, and according to the present embodiment, the second coolant line (220) can be stopped from operating.

In this way, by performing dehumidification through the evaporator (160) and recovering waste heat from the electric component (211) through the first heat exchanger (130) and configuring external air absorption through the second heat exchanger (140), the heating performance can be improved.

3. 1st cooling mode

Figure 6 is a diagram showing operation in the first cooling mode.

Referring to FIG. 6, the compressor (110) operates and high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor (110). The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110) moves along the refrigerant line (100). Then, the refrigerant passes through the condenser (120) and the first expansion valve (190) in a non-expanded state.

In the first cooling mode, the bypass line (101) is opened by the control valve (191) and the second branch line (103) is blocked by the control valve (194), so the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve (190) is branched and moves to the bypass line (101) and the refrigerant line (100).

Accordingly, some of the branched refrigerant moves along the refrigerant line (100) and condenses through heat exchange with the cooling water while passing through the first heat exchanger (130). Then, the remainder of the branched refrigerant moves along the bypass line (101), bypasses the first heat exchanger (130), and again joins the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger (130) in the refrigerant line (100), and then passes through the second heat exchanger (140) while exchanging heat with the outside air and condensing.

Thereafter, the refrigerant moves along the refrigerant line (100) and passes through the third heat exchanger (150), then passes through the solenoid expansion valve (193) and the evaporator (160), where it exchanges heat with the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300), and the refrigerant evaporates, cooling the air. The cooled air is supplied to the interior of the vehicle, thereby cooling the interior of the vehicle.

The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator (160) passes through the third heat exchanger (150) and exchanges heat with the refrigerant before flowing into the evaporator (160), then passes through the accumulator (170) and flows back into the compressor (110). Then, while repeating the process described above, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line (100) and the bypass line (101).

Meanwhile, the coolant of the first coolant line (210) is circulated by the operation of the electric water pump (213). Then, the circulating coolant is heat-exchanged while passing through the first heat exchanger (130) and the first radiator (212), thereby cooling the electrical components (211).

The circulation of the coolant in the second coolant line (220) can be selectively performed, and according to the present embodiment, the second coolant line (220) can be stopped from operating.

In this way, by configuring that a portion of the refrigerant passes through the first heat exchanger (130) along the refrigerant line (100) and the remainder bypasses the first heat exchanger (130) along the bypass line (101), the pressure loss occurring in the first heat exchanger (130) in the cooling mode can be compensated, thereby solving the problem of reduced performance in the cooling mode.

4. Second cooling mode

Figure 7 is a diagram showing operation in the second cooling mode.

Referring to Fig. 7, the compressor (110) operates and high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is discharged from the compressor (110). The refrigerant discharged from the compressor (110) moves along the refrigerant line (100). Then, the refrigerant passes through the condenser (120) and the first expansion valve (190) in a non-expanded state.

In the second cooling mode, the bypass line (101) is opened by the control valve (191) and the second branch line (103) is blocked by the control valve (194), so the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve (190) is branched and moves to the bypass line (101) and the refrigerant line (100).

Accordingly, some of the branched refrigerant moves along the refrigerant line (100) and condenses through heat exchange with the cooling water while passing through the first heat exchanger (130). Then, the remainder of the branched refrigerant moves along the bypass line (101), bypasses the first heat exchanger (130), and again joins the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger (130) in the refrigerant line (100), and then passes through the second heat exchanger (140) while exchanging heat with the outside air and condensing.

Afterwards, some of the refrigerant moves along the first branch line (102) and the first sub-branch line (102a) branched from the refrigerant line (100), passes through the fourth heat exchanger (180), exchanges heat with the cooling water, and then passes through the accumulator (170) and flows back into the compressor (111).

And, the remainder of the refrigerant moves along the refrigerant line (100) and passes through the third heat exchanger (150), then passes through the solenoid expansion valve (193) and the evaporator (160), where it exchanges heat with the air flowing inside the air conditioning case (300), evaporates the refrigerant, cools the air, and the cooled air is supplied to the interior of the vehicle to cool the interior of the vehicle.

The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator (160) passes through the third heat exchanger (150) and exchanges heat with the refrigerant before flowing into the evaporator (160), then flows through the accumulator (170) and into the compressor (110) again. Then, while repeating the process described above, the refrigerant is circulated along the refrigerant line (100), the bypass line (101), and the first branch line (102).

Meanwhile, the coolant of the first coolant line (210) is circulated by the operation of the electric water pump (213). Then, the circulating coolant is heat-exchanged while passing through the first heat exchanger (130) and the first radiator (212), thereby cooling the electrical components (211).

In addition, the coolant of the second coolant line (220) is circulated by the operation of the electric water pump (223). Then, the circulating coolant undergoes heat exchange while passing through the fourth heat exchanger (180) and the second radiator (222), thereby cooling the battery (221).

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. In addition, it should be construed that any differences related to such modifications and changes are included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

1: Vehicle thermal management system 100: Refrigerant line
101: Bypass line 102: Branch line 1
103: 2nd branch line 104: 3rd branch line
110: Compressor 120: Condenser
130: First heat exchanger 140: Second heat exchanger
150: 3rd heat exchanger 160: Evaporator
170: Accumulator 180: 4th heat exchanger
190: First expansion valve 191: Control valve
192: Second expansion valve 193: Solenoid expansion valve
194: Control valve 195: Branch valve
200: Coolant line 210: 1st coolant line
211: Front parts 212: First radiator
213: Electric water pump 214: Coolant reservoir
220: Second coolant line 221: Battery
222: Second radiator 223: Electric water pump
224: Coolant reservoir 225: Coolant heater
300: Air conditioning case 310: Temperature control door
320: PTC heater

Claims (13)

A compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant;
A condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor;
A first expansion valve that controls the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser to expand or bypass depending on the mode; and
It includes a plurality of heat exchangers that heat-exchange the refrigerant and the heat medium that have passed through the first expansion valve to condense or evaporate the refrigerant.
A vehicle thermal management system having a first heat exchanger positioned downstream of the first expansion valve based on the direction of movement of the refrigerant in the refrigerant line through which the refrigerant moves, and a bypass line connecting the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve and the rear end of the outlet side of the first heat exchanger. In the first paragraph,
In heating mode, the first expansion valve expands the refrigerant, the bypass line is blocked, and the first heat exchanger evaporates the refrigerant moving along the refrigerant line.
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that in cooling mode, the first expansion valve bypasses the refrigerant in a non-expanded state, the bypass line is opened so that a portion of the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve branches off and bypasses the first heat exchanger along the bypass line, and the first heat exchanger is configured to condense the remaining refrigerant moving along the refrigerant line. In the second paragraph,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that a control valve is arranged in the bypass line to block the bypass line in heating mode and open the bypass line in cooling mode. In the second paragraph,
Further comprising a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an evaporator and an accumulator arranged downstream of the first heat exchanger in the above refrigerant line,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the second heat exchanger is configured to evaporate the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger in a heating mode, to primarily condense the refrigerant that has bypassed the first heat exchanger in a cooling mode, and to secondarily condense the refrigerant that has passed through the first heat exchanger. In paragraph 4,
A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the third heat exchanger is configured to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant passing through the second heat exchanger and moving to the evaporator and the refrigerant passing through the evaporator and moving to the accumulator. In paragraph 4,
The above evaporator and the above condenser are installed inside the air conditioning case,
A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that a PTC heater is installed inside the above air conditioning case. In paragraph 4,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the refrigerant line is provided with a first branch line that branches from the rear end of the outlet side of the second heat exchanger and moves the refrigerant that has passed through the second heat exchanger to the accumulator by bypassing the third heat exchanger and the evaporator according to the mode. In Article 7,
The above first branch line is configured such that a first sub-branch line is branched from the above first branch line through the second expansion valve,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that a fourth heat exchanger is arranged in the first sub-branch line to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the heat medium moving along the first sub-branch line. In paragraph 4,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the refrigerant line is provided with a second branch line branched from the rear end of the outlet side of the first expansion valve to move the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve to the evaporator. In the first paragraph,
Including a coolant line through which coolant moves and circulates,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the above cooling water line is arranged to pass through the first heat exchanger so that the refrigerant and the cooling water exchange heat. In Article 10,
The first heat exchanger is divided internally into a first section and a second section by a partition wall.
In the first section, the refrigerant path through which the refrigerant flows and the cooling water path through which the cooling water flows are arranged in a structure in which they extend in the first direction and the second direction, which are opposite to each other, and intersect each other.
A vehicle thermal management system characterized in that the refrigerant passage and the coolant passage are arranged in a structure in which they extend in the second direction and the first direction, respectively, opposite to those in the first section, and intersect each other while passing through the partition wall and extending to the second section. In Article 10,
The above cooling water line,
A first coolant line in which the front components and the first radiator are arranged; and
A second coolant line where the battery and second radiator are located;
Including,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the first coolant line is arranged to pass through the first heat exchanger. In Article 12,
A vehicle thermal management system, characterized in that the first coolant line and the second coolant line are configured in parallel to separate and cool the electrical components and the battery, and an electric water pump is further installed to circulate the coolant.

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