WO2022264770A1 - Heat pump module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat pump module in which a plurality of component equipment forming heat pump cycles (10, 10a) is integrated, the heat pump module comprising a mounting member (71) and an electrical substrate part (62, 624a to 624d). A plurality of electrical equipment (13a to 13c, 17, 65a, 65c) powered by electricity from among the plurality of component equipment is mounted to the mounting member (71). The electrical substrate part (62, 624a to 624d) is electrically coupled to the electrical equipment (13a to 13c, 17, 65a, 65c) mounted to the mounting member (71) to control the functioning of the electrical equipment (13a to 13c, 17, 65a, 65c).

Description

heat pump module Cross-reference to related applications

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-98849 filed on June 14, 2021 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-84400 filed on May 24, 2022. to invoke.

The present disclosure relates to a heat pump module that integrates a plurality of components that constitute a heat pump cycle.

　Conventionally, a heat pump module is known that integrates multiple components that make up a heat pump cycle. A heat pump module is effectively applied to miniaturize a heat pump cycle having a large number of constituent devices, such as a heat pump cycle having a switchable refrigerant circuit.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heat pump module formed by attaching components such as an electric expansion valve, an electromagnetic valve, and a heat exchanger to a connection module, which is an attachment member in which a plurality of refrigerant flow paths are formed. It is Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes that a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like may be attached to the connection module.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-47000

By the way, in the heat pump module of Patent Literature 1, among the components of the heat pump cycle, a plurality of electric devices such as electric expansion valves and solenoid valves that are electrically operated are integrated. In order to properly operate these electrical devices, electric wires such as power lines for supplying power and signal lines for transmitting and receiving control signals must be properly connected to the respective electrical devices.

However, in the heat pump module of Patent Document 1, the heat pump module itself is also downsized in order to obtain the effect of downsizing the heat pump cycle as a whole. For this reason, in the heat pump module of Patent Document 1, a plurality of electric devices are arranged close to each other in a narrow area, and workability is likely to deteriorate when connecting each electric device to the corresponding electric wire. As a result, the productivity of the heat pump cycle may deteriorate.

In view of the above points, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a heat pump module that enables both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity.

In order to achieve the above object, a heat pump module according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a heat pump module in which a plurality of components constituting a heat pump cycle are integrated, and includes a mounting member and an electric substrate section.

Among the plurality of constituent devices, the mounting member is attached with a plurality of electric devices that are operated by electricity. The electrical board portion is electrically connected to the electrical device to control the operation of the electrical device attached to the mounting member.

According to this, the size of the heat pump cycle can be reduced by attaching a plurality of electric devices to the attachment member and integrating them.

Furthermore, the electrical device attached to the attachment member is electrically connected to the electric board portion. Therefore, when manufacturing a heat pump cycle, it is possible to reduce the workload of selecting and connecting appropriate electric wires to each of a plurality of electric devices. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both downsizing of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It is a typical block diagram of the heat pump cycle of the vehicle air conditioner of 1st Embodiment. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an indoor air conditioning unit of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment; FIG. It is a block diagram showing an electric control part of the vehicle air conditioner of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the first embodiment with the cover member and the electric substrate section removed; 5 is a view in the direction of arrow V in FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the first embodiment with a cover member removed; 1 is an external perspective view of a heat pump module according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of high-pressure side refrigerant passages in the heat pump module of the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of low-pressure side refrigerant passages in the heat pump module of the first embodiment; FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heat pump cycle of the vehicle air conditioner of the second embodiment; It is a top view of the state where the cover member of the heat pump module of 2nd Embodiment was removed. FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a heat pump module according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a channel box of the heat pump module of the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the fourth embodiment with the cover member removed; FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of a heat pump module according to a fifth embodiment; It is the partial cross section which looked at the heat pump module of 6th Embodiment from the side surface direction. It is the partial cross section which looked at the heat pump module of 7th Embodiment from the side surface direction. FIG. 20 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the eighth embodiment, with the cover member and the electric substrate section removed; FIG. 21 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the eighth embodiment with the cover member removed; FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of a heat pump module of an eighth embodiment; It is the partial cross section which looked at the heat pump module of 9th Embodiment from the side direction. FIG. 20 is an external perspective view of a heat pump module according to a tenth embodiment; FIG. 21 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modification of the heat pump module of the tenth embodiment as viewed from above; FIG. 21 is an external perspective view of a modification of the heat pump module of the tenth embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heat pump cycle of a vehicle air conditioner of an eleventh embodiment; FIG. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heat pump cycle of a vehicle air conditioner of a twelfth embodiment; FIG. 32 is an external perspective view of the heat pump module of the thirteenth embodiment with the cover member removed; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of low-pressure side refrigerant passages in a heat pump module of another embodiment;

A plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, portions corresponding to items described in the preceding embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. When only part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the other embodiments previously described can be applied to other portions of the configuration. Not only combinations of parts that are explicitly stated that combinations are possible in each embodiment, but also partial combinations of embodiments even if they are not explicitly stated unless there is a particular problem with the combination. is also possible.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a heat pump module 70 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. The heat pump module 70 of this embodiment is applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1 mounted on an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle is a vehicle that obtains driving force for running from an electric motor. The vehicle air conditioner 1 air-conditions the interior of the vehicle, which is a space to be air-conditioned, and cools the vehicle-mounted equipment. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be called an air conditioner with an in-vehicle device cooling function or an in-vehicle device cooling device with an air conditioning function.

More specifically, the vehicle air conditioner 1 cools the battery 80 as an in-vehicle device. The battery 80 is a secondary battery that stores power to be supplied to a plurality of in-vehicle devices that operate electrically. The battery 80 is an assembled battery formed by electrically connecting a plurality of stacked battery cells in series or in parallel. The battery cell of this embodiment is a lithium ion battery.

The battery 80 generates heat during operation (that is, during charging and discharging). The battery 80 has a characteristic that the output tends to decrease when the temperature becomes low, and the deterioration tends to progress when the temperature becomes high. Therefore, the temperature of the battery 80 must be maintained within an appropriate temperature range (15° C. or higher and 55° C. or lower in this embodiment). Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the battery 80 is cooled when the temperature of the battery 80 rises.

The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a heat pump cycle 10, an indoor air conditioning unit 30, a high temperature side heat medium circuit 40, a low temperature side heat medium circuit 50, a control device 60, and the like. The heat pump module 70 is a component that integrates a plurality of components constituting the heat pump cycle 10 and part of the control device 60 .

First, the heat pump cycle 10 will be described using FIG. The heat pump cycle 10 is of a vapor compression type that adjusts the temperature of the air blown into the passenger compartment, the high temperature side heat medium circulating in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40, and the low temperature side heat medium circulating in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50. refrigeration cycle equipment. Furthermore, the heat pump cycle 10 is configured to be able to switch the refrigerant circuit according to various operation modes described later for air conditioning the vehicle interior and cooling the battery 80 .

The heat pump cycle 10 employs an HFO-based refrigerant (specifically, R1234yf) as the refrigerant. The heat pump cycle 10 constitutes a subcritical refrigeration cycle in which the pressure of the high pressure side refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 does not exceed the critical pressure of the refrigerant. Refrigerant oil for lubricating the compressor 11 is mixed in the refrigerant. Refrigerating machine oil is PAG oil having compatibility with the liquid phase refrigerant. Some of the refrigerating machine oil circulates through the cycle together with the refrigerant.

In the heat pump cycle 10, the compressor 11 sucks, compresses, and discharges the refrigerant. The compressor 11 is arranged in the drive unit room on the front side of the passenger compartment. The drive device room forms a space in which at least a part of a device (for example, a motor generator) for generating a drive amount for traveling is arranged.

The compressor 11 is an electric compressor in which an electric motor drives a fixed displacement type compression mechanism with a fixed displacement. The compressor 11 has its rotation speed (that is, refrigerant discharge capacity) controlled by a control signal output from a first control section 61 of a control device 60, which will be described later. Therefore, the compressor 11 is included in the electric equipment operated by electricity, among the plurality of equipment constituting the heat pump cycle 10 .

The inlet side of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11 . The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is a high-temperature side water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the high-pressure side refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the high-temperature side heat medium circulating in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 40 . In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heat of the high pressure side refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage is radiated to the high temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage to heat the high temperature side heat medium.

The high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71a side of the heat pump module 70 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 . In the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, among the plurality of constituent devices of the heat pump cycle 10, the constituent devices enclosed by the dashed lines in FIG. 1 are integrated.

Specifically, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, among the components of the heat pump cycle 10, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, the opening/closing valve 17, and the like are integrated. there is These constituent devices are integrated by being attached to a channel box 71 that is an attachment member.

The channel box 71 has a channel forming portion 711 that forms a coolant channel inside. The outer surface of the channel box 71 is formed with a plurality of inlets and outlets communicating with the coolant passages formed inside. A detailed configuration of the heat pump module 70 will be described later.

A high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71 a formed in the flow path box 71 communicates with the inlet of the heating expansion valve 13 a through a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 . The heating expansion valve 13a reduces the pressure of the high-pressure side refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and adjusts the flow rate (mass flow rate) of the refrigerant that flows out downstream during a heating mode or the like, which will be described later. It is a decompression part for heating.

The heating expansion valve 13 a is an electric variable throttle mechanism whose operation is controlled by a control signal (specifically, a control pulse) output from the second control section 62 of the control device 60 . Therefore, the heating expansion valve 13a is included in the electrical equipment. Further, the heating expansion valve 13a has a full-open function in which the valve body portion fully opens the throttle passage, thereby functioning as a mere refrigerant passage without exhibiting a flow rate adjusting action and a refrigerant pressure reducing action.

The outlet of the heating expansion valve 13 a communicates with the high-pressure side refrigerant outlet 71 b of the flow path box 71 via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 . A refrigerant passage from the high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71a of the channel box 71 to the high-pressure side refrigerant outlet 71b is a high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a through which the high-pressure side refrigerant of the cycle flows during the cooling mode, which will be described later.

The refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is connected to the high pressure side refrigerant outlet 71b. The outdoor heat exchanger 14 is an outdoor heat exchange unit that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing out from the heating expansion valve 13a and the outside air blown by a cooling fan (not shown). The outdoor heat exchanger 14 is arranged on the front side in the driving device room. Therefore, when the vehicle is running, the running wind that has flowed into the drive unit room through the grill can be applied to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

The refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is connected to the outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c side of the channel box 71 . The outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71 c communicates with the inlet of the first internal three-way joint 15 a formed inside the flow path box 71 . The first internal three-way joint portion 15 a is a part of a three-way joint structure formed by connecting a plurality of refrigerant passages formed inside the flow path box 71 .

Further, inside the channel box 71 of the present embodiment, a second internal three-way joint 15b and a third internal three-way joint 15c are formed. The basic configurations of the second internal three-way joint 15b, the third internal three-way joint 15c, and the internal three-way joint described in the following embodiments are all the same as the first internal three-way joint 15a.

When one of the three inflow ports is used as an inflow port, and two of these internal three-way joints are used as outflow ports, the internal three-way joint serves as a branching portion that branches the flow of the refrigerant that has flowed in from one inflow port. . Further, when two of the three inflow ports are used as inflow ports and one is used as an outflow port, it becomes a confluence portion that merges the flows of the refrigerant that have flowed in from the two inflow ports.

One outlet of the first internal three-way joint 15a is connected to the inlet of the second internal three-way joint 15b via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71. A check valve 16 is arranged in a refrigerant passage extending from one outflow port of the first internal three-way joint portion 15a to the inflow port of the second internal three-way joint portion 15b.

The check valve 16 allows the refrigerant to flow from the first internal three-way joint portion 15a side to the second internal three-way joint portion 15b side, and allows the refrigerant to flow from the second internal three-way joint portion 15b side to the first internal three-way joint portion 15a. It is prohibited to flow to the side.

One outlet of the second internal three-way joint portion 15b communicates with the inlet of the cooling expansion valve 13b via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 .

The cooling expansion valve 13b is a cooling decompression unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out to the downstream side during the cooling mode, etc., which will be described later. The basic configuration of the cooling expansion valve 13b is the same as that of the heating expansion valve 13a. Furthermore, the cooling expansion valve 13b has a fully closing function of closing the refrigerant passage by fully closing the throttle passage.

The outlet of the cooling expansion valve 13b communicates with the cooling-side refrigerant outlet 71d of the flow path box 71 via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71.

The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 18 is connected to the cooling-side refrigerant outlet 71d. The indoor evaporator 18 is arranged in an air conditioning case 31 of an indoor air conditioning unit 30, which will be described later. The indoor evaporator 18 is a cooling heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure side refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 13b and the air blown into the vehicle interior. The indoor evaporator 18 cools the blown air by evaporating the low-pressure side refrigerant and exerting an endothermic effect.

One inlet side of the external three-way joint 151 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 18 . The external three-way joint portion 151 is a three-way joint having three inlets and outlets communicating with each other.

The other outlet of the second internal three-way joint 15b communicates with the inlet of the cooling expansion valve 13c via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71.

The cooling expansion valve 13c is a cooling decompression unit that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing out downstream during a battery cooling mode or the like, which will be described later. The basic configuration of the cooling expansion valve 13c is similar to that of the cooling expansion valve 13b. Therefore, the cooling expansion valve 13c has a fully closed function.

Both the cooling expansion valve 13b and the cooling expansion valve 13c are included in the electrical device. Further, the cooling expansion valve 13b and the cooling expansion valve 13c can switch the refrigerant circuit by closing the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the cooling expansion valve 13b and the cooling expansion valve 13c also function as a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The outlet of the cooling expansion valve 13c communicates with the cooling-side refrigerant outlet 71e of the flow path box 71 through a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71.

The refrigerant inlet side of the chiller 19 is connected to the cooling-side refrigerant outlet 71e. The chiller 19 is a low-temperature side water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-pressure side refrigerant decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 13 c and the low-temperature side heat medium circulating in the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 50 . The chiller 19 cools the low-temperature side heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage by evaporating the low-pressure side refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage and exerting an endothermic action.

The other inlet side of the external three-way joint 151 is connected to the outlet of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 19 . The outflow port of the external three-way joint portion 151 is connected to the low-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71f side of the flow path box 71 . One inlet of the third internal three-way joint 15c is connected to the low-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71f via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 .

In addition, the other outlet port of the first internal three-way joint portion 15a is connected to the other inlet port of the third internal three-way joint portion 15c via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71. ing. An on-off valve 17 is arranged in the refrigerant passage from the other outflow port of the first internal three-way joint portion 15a to the other inflow port of the third internal three-way joint portion 15c.

The on-off valve 17 is an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes the refrigerant passage from the first internal three-way joint portion 15a to the third internal three-way joint portion 15c. The opening/closing operation of the opening/closing valve 17 is controlled by a control voltage output from the second control section 62 of the control device 60 . Therefore, the on-off valve 17 is included in the electrical equipment. In addition, the on-off valve 17 can switch the refrigerant circuit by opening and closing the refrigerant passage. Therefore, the on-off valve 17 is a refrigerant circuit switching unit.

The outflow port of the third internal three-way joint portion 15 c communicates with the low-pressure side refrigerant outlet 71 g of the flow path box 71 via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 . In addition, the refrigerant passage from the low-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71f of the flow path box 71 to the low-pressure side refrigerant outlet 71g via the third internal three-way joint portion 15c is a low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b through which the low-pressure side refrigerant of the cycle flows during the cooling mode. is.

The inlet side of the accumulator 20 is connected to the low pressure side refrigerant outlet 71g. The accumulator 20 is a low-pressure side gas-liquid separator that separates the gas-liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the accumulator 20 and stores excess liquid-phase refrigerant in the cycle. The gas-phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator 20 is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 11 .

Next, the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 will be described. The high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 is a circuit that circulates the high temperature side heat medium. The high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 employs an ethylene glycol aqueous solution as the high temperature side heat medium. A heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 , a high temperature side pump 41 , a heater core 42 and the like are arranged in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 .

The high-temperature-side pump 41 is a high-temperature-side heat medium pumping unit that sucks and pumps the high-temperature-side heat medium. The high temperature side pump 41 pressure-feeds the high temperature side heat medium to the inlet side of the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 . The high temperature side pump 41 is an electric water pump whose number of revolutions (that is, pumping capacity) is controlled by a control voltage output from the first control section 61 of the control device 60 .

The heat medium inlet side of the heater core 42 is connected to the outlet of the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 . The heater core 42 is arranged inside the air conditioning case 31 of the indoor air conditioning unit 30 . The heater core 42 is a heating heat exchange portion that exchanges heat between the high-temperature side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the air that is blown into the vehicle interior. The heater core 42 radiates the heat of the high-temperature side heat medium to the blown air to heat the blown air. A heat medium outlet of the heater core 42 is connected to a suction port side of the high temperature side pump 41 .

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the components of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 40 form a heating unit that heats the blown air using the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 as a heat source. there is

Next, the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 will be described. The low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 is a circuit that circulates the low temperature side heat medium. In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50, the same kind of fluid as the high temperature side heat medium is used as the low temperature side heat medium. A water passage of the chiller 19 , a low temperature side pump 51 , a cooling water passage 80 a of the battery 80 , and the like are connected to the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 .

The low-temperature-side pump 51 is a low-temperature-side heat medium pumping unit that sucks and pumps the low-temperature-side heat medium. The low temperature side pump 51 pressure-feeds the low temperature side heat medium to the inlet side of the heat medium passage of the chiller 19 . The basic configuration of the low temperature side pump 51 is similar to that of the high temperature side pump 41 .

The inlet side of the cooling water passage 80 a of the battery 80 is connected to the outlet of the heat medium passage of the chiller 19 . A cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80 is formed inside a dedicated battery case that accommodates a plurality of stacked battery cells. The passage configuration of the cooling water passage 80a is a passage configuration in which a plurality of passages are connected in parallel inside the battery case. As a result, all the battery cells can be evenly cooled in the cooling water passage 80a. The inlet side of the low temperature side pump 51 is connected to the outlet of the cooling water passage 80a.

Next, the indoor air conditioning unit 30 will be described using FIG. The indoor air-conditioning unit 30 is a unit that integrates a plurality of components for blowing air adjusted to an appropriate temperature for air-conditioning the vehicle interior to appropriate locations within the vehicle interior. The indoor air conditioning unit 30 is arranged inside the dashboard (instrument panel) at the forefront of the vehicle interior.

The indoor air conditioning unit 30 is formed by housing an indoor blower 32, an indoor evaporator 18, a heater core 42, etc. in an air conditioning case 31 that forms an air passage for blown air. The air-conditioning case 31 is molded from a resin (for example, polypropylene) having a certain degree of elasticity and excellent strength.

An inside/outside air switching device 33 is arranged on the most upstream side of the air-conditioning case 31 in the blown air flow. The inside/outside air switching device 33 switches and introduces inside air (that is, vehicle interior air) and outside air (that is, vehicle exterior air) into the air conditioning case 31 . The operation of the inside/outside air switching device 33 is controlled by a control signal output from the first control section 61 of the control device 60 .

The indoor blower 32 is arranged on the downstream side of the inside/outside air switching device 33 in the blown air flow. The indoor air blower 32 blows the air sucked through the inside/outside air switching device 33 into the vehicle interior. The indoor fan 32 has its rotation speed (that is, air blowing capacity) controlled by the control voltage output from the first control unit 61 of the control device 60 .

An indoor evaporator 18 and a heater core 42 are arranged on the downstream side of the indoor blower 32 in the blown air flow. The indoor evaporator 18 is arranged upstream of the heater core 42 in the air flow. A cold air bypass passage 35 is formed in the air-conditioning case 31 so that the air that has passed through the indoor evaporator 18 flows around the heater core 42 .

An air mix door 34 is arranged downstream of the indoor evaporator 18 in the air conditioning case 31 and upstream of the heater core 42 and the cold air bypass passage 35 .

The air mix door 34 adjusts the air volume ratio between the volume of air that passes through the heater core 42 side and the volume of air that passes through the cold air bypass passage 35 among the air that has passed through the indoor evaporator 18 . The operation of the actuator for driving the air mix door 34 is controlled by a control signal output from the first control section 61 of the control device 60 .

A mixing space 36 is arranged on the downstream side of the heater core 42 and the cold air bypass passage 35 in the blown air flow. The mixing space 36 is a space for mixing the blast air heated by the heater core 42 and the blast air that has passed through the cold air bypass passage 35 and is not heated.

Therefore, in the indoor air conditioning unit 30, the temperature of the blown air (that is, conditioned air) that is mixed in the mixing space 36 and blown into the vehicle interior can be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 34.

A plurality of opening holes (not shown) are formed in the most downstream part of the air-conditioning case 31 to blow the air-conditioning air toward various locations in the vehicle compartment. Blow-out mode doors (not shown) for opening and closing the respective openings are arranged in the plurality of openings. The operation of the actuator for driving the blowout mode door is controlled by a control signal output from the first control section 61 of the control device 60 .

Therefore, in the indoor air conditioning unit 30, by switching the opening hole opened and closed by the blow-out mode door, it is possible to blow out conditioned air adjusted to an appropriate temperature to an appropriate location in the vehicle interior.

Next, the outline of the electric control unit of this embodiment will be described using FIG. The control device 60 has a well-known microcomputer including CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and peripheral circuits. The control device 60 performs various calculations and processes based on control programs stored in the ROM, and controls the operations of various controlled devices connected to the output side.

The control device 60 is divided into a first control section 61 and a second control section 62 . The first control unit 61 controls the compressor 11 of the heat pump cycle 10, the indoor blower 32 of the indoor air conditioning unit 30, the inside/outside air switching device 33, the actuator for driving the air mix door 34, the actuator for driving the blowout mode door, the high temperature It controls the operation of the side pump 41, the low temperature side pump 51, and the like.

The second control unit 62 controls the operation of the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, and the on-off valve 17 of the heat pump cycle 10. The second control section 62 is an electric board section formed of a so-called rigid printed circuit board. The second control unit 62 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape by a single member.

Therefore, the second control unit 62 is electrically connected to a plurality of electric devices such as the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, and the on-off valve 17 attached to the flow path box 71. It is a common electrical board part that is Also, the second control unit 62 is integrated with other components of the heat pump cycle 10 as a heat pump module 70 .

The input side of the first control unit 61 includes an inside air temperature sensor 63a, an outside air temperature sensor 63b, a solar radiation sensor 63c, a first refrigerant temperature sensor 64a, a second refrigerant temperature sensor 64b, a first refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65a to a third refrigerant temperature sensor 65a. A group of control sensors such as a pressure temperature sensor 65c, a high temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 66a, a low temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 66b, a battery temperature sensor 67, and an air conditioning air temperature sensor 68 are connected.

Detection signals from these sensors are input to the first control unit 61 . These sensors are included in the components that make up the heat pump cycle 10 . Furthermore, both output electrical signals. Therefore, all of the sensors described above are included in electrical equipment.

The inside air temperature sensor 63a is an inside air temperature detection unit that detects the vehicle interior temperature (inside air temperature) Tr. The outside air temperature sensor 63b is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects the vehicle outside temperature (outside air temperature) Tam. The solar radiation sensor 63c is a solar radiation amount detection unit that detects the amount of solar radiation As irradiated into the vehicle interior.

The first refrigerant temperature sensor 64a is a discharge refrigerant temperature detection section that detects the temperature Td of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11. The second refrigerant temperature sensor 64b is an outdoor unit side temperature detection section that detects the outdoor temperature To of the refrigerant that has flowed out of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

The first refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65a is a high-pressure side pressure temperature detector that detects the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure P1 and the high-pressure side refrigerant temperature T1 of the refrigerant flowing out of the refrigerant passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12. The second refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65b is an indoor pressure and temperature detector that detects the indoor refrigerant pressure P2 and the indoor refrigerant temperature T2 of the refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor evaporator 18 . The third refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65c is a chiller side pressure and temperature detector that detects the chiller side refrigerant pressure P3 and the chiller side refrigerant temperature T3 of the refrigerant flowing out of the chiller 19 .

The first refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65a to the third refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65a to the third refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65c employ a detection unit in which a pressure detection unit and a temperature detection unit are integrated. and a temperature detection unit may be employed.

The high-temperature-side heat medium temperature sensor 66a is a high-temperature-side heat-medium temperature detection unit that detects a high-temperature-side heat-medium temperature TWH, which is the temperature of the high-temperature-side heat medium flowing into the heater core . The low temperature side heat medium temperature sensor 66b is a low temperature side heat medium temperature detection unit that detects a low temperature side heat medium temperature TWL, which is the temperature of the low temperature side heat medium flowing into the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80 .

The battery temperature sensor 67 is a battery temperature detection unit that detects the battery temperature TB (that is, the temperature of the battery 80). The battery temperature sensor 67 of this embodiment has a plurality of temperature sensors and detects temperatures at a plurality of locations of the battery 80 . Therefore, the control device 60 can detect the temperature difference between the battery cells forming the battery 80 . Furthermore, as the battery temperature TB, an average value of detection values of a plurality of temperature sensors is used.

The air-conditioning air temperature sensor 68 is an air-conditioning air temperature detection unit that detects the air temperature TAV blown from the mixing space 36 into the vehicle interior.

An air conditioning operation panel 69 is connected to the input side of the first control unit 61 . An air-conditioning operation panel 69 is arranged near the instrument panel in the front part of the passenger compartment. Operation signals from various operation switches provided on an operation panel 69 for air conditioning are input to the control device 60 . Examples of various operation switches provided on the operation panel 69 for air conditioning include an auto switch, an air conditioner switch, an air volume setting switch, a temperature setting switch, and the like.

The auto switch is an operation unit that allows the user to set or cancel the automatic control operation of the cabin air conditioning. The air conditioner switch is an operation unit for requesting that the indoor evaporator 18 cool the blown air. The air volume setting switch is an operation unit for the user to manually set the air volume of the indoor fan 32 . The temperature setting switch is an operation unit for the user to set the set temperature Tset inside the vehicle compartment.

It should be noted that the control device 60 of the present embodiment is integrally configured with a device control section that controls various controlled devices connected to the output side thereof. That is, the configuration (hardware and software) for controlling the operation of each controlled device in the control device 60 forms a device control section for controlling the operation of each controlled device.

For example, in the first control section 61 of the control device 60, the configuration for controlling the refrigerant discharge capacity of the compressor 11 (specifically, the rotation speed of the compressor 11) forms a compressor control section 61a.

For example, in the second control unit 62 of the control device 60, the configurations for controlling the operations of the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, and the cooling expansion valve 13c are the heating expansion valve control unit 62a and the cooling expansion valve control unit 62a, respectively. A valve control section 62b and a cooling expansion valve control section 62c are formed. In the second control section 62, the configuration for controlling the operation of the on-off valve 17 forms an on-off valve control section 62d.

In addition, the first control unit 61 and the second control unit 62 are connected via a harness 601 so as to be able to communicate with each other by a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication protocol or the like. Therefore, based on the detection signal or the operation signal input to one control section, the operation of the controlled device connected to the output side of the other control section can be controlled.

In addition, in FIG. 3, for the sake of clarity, the heating expansion valve control section 62a is shown in the second control section 62, for example, but part or all of the heating expansion valve control section 62a It may be formed on the 1 control unit 61 side. In other words, only the wiring portion forming part of the heating expansion valve control portion 62a may be arranged in the second control portion 62 . This is the same for other device control units.

Also, although FIG. 3 shows the first control unit 61 as one control device, the first control unit 61 may be formed by a plurality of control devices. For example, the compressor control section 61a may be formed as another control device.

Next, the manufacturing method and detailed configuration of the heat pump module 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. As described above, the heat pump module 70 includes the heating expansion valve 13 a , the cooling expansion valve 13 b , the cooling expansion valve 13 c , the opening/closing valve 17 , and the second valve of the control device 60 . It is a component that integrates the control unit 62 .

Furthermore, the heat pump module 70 has a channel box 71 and a cover member 72 .

The channel box 71 is made of metal (aluminum alloy in this embodiment). The channel box 71 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. One surface (the upper surface in this embodiment) of the channel box 71 is a mounting surface 712 to which electrical equipment is mounted. The mounting surface 712 is formed with mounting holes for mounting the electrical device and the connector 620 . The connector 620 is a connecting portion to which one end of the harness 601 is connected.

The mounting holes to which the electric devices are mounted communicate with various refrigerant passages formed inside the flow path box 71 . An attachment hole to which the connector 620 is attached is formed so as to penetrate the front and back of the plate-shaped portion of the attachment surface 712 that protrudes from the flow path box 71 . In addition, a plurality of inlets/outlets such as the above-described high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71a are formed on a plurality of surfaces (two side surfaces in this embodiment) of the flow path box 71 .

When manufacturing the heat pump module 70, first, as shown in FIG. Install (equipment installation process). A sealing member (not shown) is arranged in the gap between the electrical device and the mounting hole. This prevents the refrigerant from leaking through the gap.

The electrical devices and connectors 620 attached to the channel box 71 have terminals 131a, 131b, 131c, and 171, which are connection terminal sections electrically connected to the second control section 62, respectively. The connector 620 has a terminal 621 which is a connection terminal section electrically connected to the second control section 62 .

4 and 5, in a state where the electric device and the connector 620 are attached to the flow path box 71, the terminal 131a of the heating expansion valve 13a, the terminal 131b of the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve The terminal 131c of 13c, the terminal 171 of the on-off valve 17, and the terminal 621 of the connector 620 all protrude in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface (vertical direction in this embodiment).

After the device mounting process is completed, as shown in FIG. 6, the second control unit 62 is mounted on the mounting surface 712 of the flow path box 71 via a prismatic spacer 622 by screwing or other means (substrate mounting process). . The spacers 622 are arranged on the four corner sides of the second control section 62 when viewed in the vertical direction. The second control unit 62 is attached such that its plate surface is parallel to the attachment surface 712 .

The spacer 622 is made of metal (stainless alloy in this embodiment). At least one spacer 622 is electrically connected to the ground line of the second control section 62 . Therefore, the channel box 71 is electrically connected to the ground wire of the second control section 62 via the spacer 622 .

The height dimension (that is, the axial length) of the spacer 622 is such that the terminals 131 a , 131 b , 131 c , 171 of the electrical equipment and the terminal 621 of the connector 620 are connected to the predetermined connection formed in the second control section 62 . configured to be directly connected to the

In other words, the terminals 131a, 131b, 131c, 171 of each electrical device and the terminal 621 of the connector 620 protrude in the same direction when a plurality of electrical devices and connectors 620 are attached to the channel box 71. , and is arranged so as to be directly connectable to the connection portion of the electric wiring formed in the second control portion 62 .

After the substrate mounting process is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover member 72 is mounted on the outer edge of the mounting surface 712 of the channel box 71 by means of adhesion, welding, or the like (cover mounting process). Thus, the heat pump module 70 is manufactured. The cover member 72 is made of metal (aluminum alloy in this embodiment).

The cover member 72 is formed in the shape of a bottomed box with one side open. The cover member 72 forms a housing space for the plurality of electric devices and the second control section 62 together with the channel box 71 . A sealing member (not shown) is arranged in the gap between the cover member 72 and the flow path box 71 and in the gap between the connector 620 and the mounting hole. This prevents moisture and foreign matter from entering the accommodation space through the gap.

Next, refrigerant passages formed inside the heat pump module 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.

Among the refrigerant passages formed inside the flow path box 71, the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a is formed closer to the bottom surface 713 than the mounting surface 712, as shown in FIG. The bottom surface 713 is the surface opposite to the mounting surface 712 of the channel box 71 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b has many parts formed closer to the mounting surface 712 than to the bottom surface 713 .

In other words, the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b has more portions arranged closer to the mounting surface 712 than the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a. That is, the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b has more parts that are arranged closer to the second control section 62 than the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a.

Therefore, the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b can prevent the second control section 62 from being heated by the high-pressure side refrigerant even if the high-pressure side refrigerant flows through the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a. are placed. Further, the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b are arranged so that the second control section 62 can be cooled by the low-pressure side refrigerant flowing through the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1 of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described. As described above, the vehicle air conditioner 1 air-conditions the interior of the vehicle and cools the battery 80, which is an in-vehicle device. The vehicle air conditioner 1 performs various operation modes by switching the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump cycle 10 in order to air-condition the vehicle interior and cool the battery 80 .

The operation modes of the vehicle air conditioner 1 include an air conditioning operation mode for air conditioning the vehicle interior and a cooling operation mode for cooling the battery 80 .

First, the operation mode for air conditioning will be explained. Operation modes for air conditioning include a cooling mode, a dehumidifying heating mode, and a heating mode.

The cooling mode is an operation mode that cools the interior of the vehicle by cooling the air that is blown into the interior of the vehicle and blowing it out into the interior of the vehicle. The dehumidification/heating mode is an operation mode in which dehumidification/heating of the vehicle interior is performed by reheating cooled and dehumidified blast air and blowing it into the vehicle interior. The heating mode is an operation mode in which the vehicle interior is heated by heating the blown air and blowing it into the vehicle interior.

The air-conditioning operation mode is switched by the air-conditioning control program stored in the control device 60 . The control program for air conditioning is executed when automatic control operation of the vehicle interior air conditioning is set by the auto switch on the operation panel 69 . The control program for air conditioning switches the operation mode based on detection signals detected by various sensor groups and operation signals from the operation panel 69 .

In the control program for air conditioning, it switches to cooling mode mainly when the outside temperature is relatively high, such as in summer. Moreover, it switches to dehumidification heating mode mainly in spring or autumn. Also, when the outside temperature is relatively low, mainly in winter, the mode is switched to the heating mode. Detailed operation of each operation mode for air conditioning will be described below.

(a) Cooling Mode In the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the control device 60 fully opens the heating expansion valve 13a and throttles the cooling expansion valve 13b to reduce the pressure. Also, the control device 60 closes the on-off valve 17 . In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Here, the cooling expansion valve 13c is controlled according to the cooling operation mode. When the cooling operation mode is not being executed, the control device 60 fully closes the cooling expansion valve 13c. The control of the cooling expansion valve 13c is the same in other operation modes for air conditioning.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a that is fully open, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and the throttle state. The cooling expansion valve 13b, the indoor evaporator 18, the accumulator 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order.

Further, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the cooling mode, the high temperature side heat medium pressure-fed from the high temperature side pump 41 passes through the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heater core 42, and the suction port of the high temperature side pump 41 in this order. Circulate.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 function as condensers (in other words, radiators) that radiate and condense the refrigerant, and the indoor evaporator 18 A vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured that functions as an evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant.

As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 heats the high temperature side heat medium. Further, the indoor evaporator 18 cools the blown air.

Also, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the cooling mode, the high temperature side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is supplied to the heater core 42 .

Also, in the indoor air conditioning unit 30 in the cooling mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 32 is cooled by the indoor evaporator 18 . The blown air cooled by the indoor evaporator 18 is heated by the heater core 42 according to the opening degree of the air mix door 34 . As a result, the temperature of the blown air in the mixing space 36 approaches the target blowing temperature TAO. Then, the temperature-controlled blowing air is blown into the vehicle interior, thereby cooling the vehicle interior.

The target blowout temperature TAO is the target temperature of the air blown into the vehicle interior. The target blowout temperature TAO is calculated using the detection signals detected by various sensors and the operation signal of the operation panel 69 in the control program for air conditioning.

(b) Dehumidifying and Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the controller 60 causes the heating expansion valve 13a to be throttled and the cooling expansion valve 13b to be throttled. Also, the control device 60 closes the on-off valve 17 . In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

For this reason, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidifying heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a in a throttled state, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and the throttled state. The cooling expansion valve 13b, the indoor evaporator 18, the accumulator 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order.

In addition, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the dehumidification heating mode, the high temperature side heat medium pumped from the high temperature side pump 41 flows through the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heater core 42, and the suction port of the high temperature side pump 41. Cycle in order.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidification and heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 18 functions as an evaporator. Furthermore, when the saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is higher than the outside air temperature Tam, the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser. Further, when the saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is lower than the outside air temperature Tam, the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is made to function as an evaporator.

As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 heats the high temperature side heat medium. Further, the indoor evaporator 18 cools the blown air.

Also, in the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the high-temperature side heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is supplied to the heater core 42 .

Also, in the indoor air conditioning unit 30 in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 32 is cooled and dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 18 . The air dehumidified by the indoor evaporator 18 is reheated by the heater core 42 according to the opening of the air mix door 34 . As a result, the temperature of the blown air in the mixing space 36 approaches the target blowing temperature TAO. Dehumidification and heating of the interior of the vehicle are achieved by blowing out the temperature-adjusted blown air into the interior of the vehicle.

(c) Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10 in the heating mode, the controller 60 throttles the heating expansion valve 13a and fully closes the cooling expansion valve 13b. Also, the control device 60 opens the on-off valve 17 . In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a in a throttled state, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, the accumulator 20, the compression The refrigerant circuit is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the suction port of the machine 11 .

In addition, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating mode, the high temperature side heat medium pressure-fed from the high temperature side pump 41 passes through the heat medium passage of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heater core 42, and the suction port of the high temperature side pump 41 in this order. Circulate.

Therefore, in the heating mode heat pump cycle 10, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator.

As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the heating mode, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 heats the high temperature side heat medium.

Also, in the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 in the heating mode, the heat medium heated by the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is supplied to the heater core 42 .

Also, in the indoor air conditioning unit 30 in the heating mode, the air blown from the indoor blower 32 passes through the indoor evaporator 18 . The blown air that has passed through the indoor evaporator 18 is heated by the heater core 42 according to the opening of the air mix door 34 . As a result, the temperature of the air blown out from the mixing space 36 into the passenger compartment approaches the target air temperature TAO. Then, the temperature-controlled blowing air is blown into the vehicle interior, thereby heating the vehicle interior.

Next, the operation mode for cooling will be explained. The cooling operation mode is performed by executing a cooling control program stored in the control device 60 . In the cooling control program, when the battery temperature TB detected by the battery temperature sensor 67 reaches or exceeds a predetermined reference cooling temperature TB1, the cooling mode operation is performed.

The cooling control program is executed when the vehicle system is activated and when the battery 80 is being charged from the external power supply, regardless of whether the passenger requests air conditioning in the vehicle compartment. Therefore, the cooling mode includes a cooling mode during air conditioning and a cooling mode during non-air conditioning. The detailed operation of each operation mode for cooling will be described below.

(d) Cooling Mode During Air Conditioning In the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the controller 60 throttles the cooling expansion valve 13c. Furthermore, when the operation mode for air conditioning is the heating mode, the on-off valve 17 is closed. The operations of the other controlled devices are the same as those in each operation mode for air conditioning.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the refrigerant circuit is switched to flow into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 19 depressurized by the cooling expansion valve 13c.

In the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the low temperature side heat medium pumped from the low temperature side pump 51 flows through the heat medium passage of the chiller 19, the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80, and the low temperature side pump 51. Circulate in the order of the inlet.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in cooling mode during air conditioning, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which at least the chiller 19 functions as an evaporator. As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the chiller 19 cools the low temperature side heat medium.

Also, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 19 is supplied to the cooling water passage 80 a of the battery 80 . Thereby, the battery 80 is cooled.

(e) Cooling Mode without Air Conditioning In the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode without air conditioning, the controller 60 operates the compressor 11 . Further, the control device 60 fully opens the heating expansion valve 13a, fully closes the cooling expansion valve 13b, and throttles the cooling expansion valve 13c. Also, the control device 60 closes the on-off valve 17 . In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a that is fully open, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and the throttle state. The cooling expansion valve 13c, the chiller 19, the accumulator 20, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order.

In addition, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 in the non-air-conditioned cooling mode, the low temperature side heat medium pumped from the low temperature side pump 51 flows through the heat medium passage of the chiller 19, the cooling water passage 80a of the battery 80, and the low temperature side pump 51. circulates in the order of the intake port.

Therefore, in the non-air-conditioned cooling mode heat pump cycle 10, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which at least the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser and the chiller 19 functions as an evaporator. As a result, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode during non-air conditioning, the chiller 19 cools the low temperature side heat medium.

In addition, in the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 in the cooling mode during non-air conditioning, the low temperature side heat medium cooled by the chiller 19 is supplied to the cooling water passage 80 a of the battery 80 . Thereby, the battery 80 is cooled.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior and cooling of the battery 80, which is an in-vehicle device, can be performed.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the heat pump module 70 is employed, both downsizing of the heat pump cycle 10 and improvement in productivity can be achieved.

More specifically, like the heat pump cycle 10 of the present embodiment, in a heat pump cycle in which refrigerant circuits are switchable, the number of components tends to increase. Therefore, integrating a plurality of components like the heat pump module 70 is effective for downsizing the heat pump cycle.

However, in order to obtain the effect of miniaturization of the heat pump cycle, the heat pump module itself must be miniaturized. tend to deteriorate. As a result, the productivity of the heat pump cycle may deteriorate.

On the other hand, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, a plurality of electrical devices installed in the channel box 71 are electrically connected to the second control section 62, which is a common electrical board section. This eliminates the need to select and connect appropriate electric wires to each of a plurality of electric devices. Furthermore, the harness 601 can be connected to the connector 620 of the second control section 62 to control the operation of the plurality of integrated electric devices.

Therefore, according to the heat pump module 70, both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity can be achieved. As a result, the productivity of the vehicle air conditioner 1 can be improved. Furthermore, since wires connected to each of the plurality of electric devices can be eliminated, the number of parts such as wires and connectors can be reduced.

Also, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, as described in the device mounting process, the terminals of a plurality of electrical devices are arranged so as to extend in the same direction while being mounted in the channel box 71 . Furthermore, as described in the board mounting step, the terminals of a plurality of electrical devices are directly connected to predetermined connection portions formed in the second control section 62 .

According to this, it is possible to simultaneously connect the terminals of a plurality of electrical devices attached to the channel box 71 to the second control section 62 . Therefore, it is possible to further improve the productivity of the heat pump cycle.

In addition, a high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a and a low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b are formed in the flow path box 71 of the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment. Further, the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b is arranged so that more parts are arranged closer to the second control section 62 than the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a.

According to this, even if the high-temperature high-pressure side refrigerant flows through the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a in the cooling mode, it is easy to prevent the second control section 62 from being heated by the high-pressure side refrigerant. Furthermore, in the cooling mode, the second control unit 62 can be easily cooled by the low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the low-pressure refrigerant passage 70b. Therefore, even in the cooling mode or the like in which the outside air temperature is relatively high, the temperature rise of the second control section 62 can be suppressed and the operation of the second control section 62 can be stabilized.

Also, the channel box 71 of the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment is made of metal and connected to the ground line of the second control section 62 via a spacer 622 made of metal. According to this, grounding of the second control unit 62 can be easily ensured by grounding the channel box 71 . Further, the noise resistance of the second control section 62 can be improved, and the operation of the second control section 62 can be further stabilized.

Also, the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment includes a cover member 72 . Therefore, the electrical equipment attached to the channel box 71 and the second control unit 62 can be made more waterproof. Furthermore, since the cover member 72 is made of a conductive material, it is easy to improve electromagnetic compatibility (so-called EMC).

(Second embodiment)
In the heat pump module 700 of the present embodiment, among the plurality of constituent devices of the heat pump cycle 10, the constituent devices surrounded by broken lines in FIG. 10 are integrated.

Specifically, in the heat pump module 700, among the constituent devices constituting the heat pump cycle 10, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, the on-off valve 17, and the first refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65a , and the third refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65c are integrated by being attached to the channel box 71 .

Further, inside the channel box 71 of the heat pump module 700, a fourth internal three-way joint 15d is formed. The fourth internal three-way joint portion 15d is an internal three-way joint portion corresponding to the external three-way joint portion 151 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the external three-way joint 151 is eliminated in the heat pump cycle 10 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the heat pump module 700 as well, when the electric device and the connector 620 are attached to the flow path box 71, the terminal 131a of the heating expansion valve 13a and the terminal 131b of the cooling expansion valve 13b , the terminal 131c of the cooling expansion valve 13c, the terminal 171 of the on-off valve 17, the terminal 621 of the connector 620, the terminal 651a of the first refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65a, and the terminal 651c of the third refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65c are mounted on the mounting surface. It protrudes in the vertical direction (in FIG. 11, the front and back directions of the paper surface).

Terminals 131 a , 131 b , 131 c , 171 , 651 a , 651 c of these electric devices and terminal 621 of connector 620 are arranged so as to be directly connectable to electrical wiring connection portions formed in second control unit 62 . . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65a and the third refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65c are also connected to the second controller 62 .

Furthermore, in the heat pump module 700, among the components of the heat pump cycle 10, the compressor 11, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the chiller 19, and the accumulator 20 are attached to the side surface of the flow path box 71 by screw fastening or the like. are integrated.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the heat pump module 700 of the present embodiment as well, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In other words, according to the heat pump module 700 of the present embodiment, both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity can be achieved.

The components of the heat pump cycle attached to the heat pump module according to the present disclosure are not limited to the combinations described in the first and second embodiments. That is, it may be determined as appropriate according to the specifications of the applied heat pump cycle.

(Third embodiment)
In this embodiment, an example in which the configuration of the channel box 71 is changed from that of the first embodiment will be described. The channel box 71 of this embodiment has a device forming portion 714 as shown in FIG. 13 . The device forming part 714 is a part that forms a part of the electrical device.

Specifically, the device forming portion 714 of the present embodiment forms a portion to which the seat portion 133a is fixed as part of the heating expansion valve 13a. The seat portion 133a is a valve seat of the valve body portion 132a of the heating expansion valve 13a. A throttle passage for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant is formed in the gap between the valve body portion 132a and the seat portion 133a. Accordingly, in the heating expansion valve 13a, the opening degree of the throttle passage can be changed by displacing the valve body portion 132a.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Furthermore, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, the channel box 71 has the device forming portion 714, so the number of parts of the electrical device can be reduced.

Note that the device forming portion 714 is not limited to a portion that fixes the seat portion 133a of the heating expansion valve 13a. For example, the device forming portion 714 may form a seat portion. Further, the device forming portion 714 may form a part of the cooling expansion valve 13 b , the cooling expansion valve 13 c , or the on-off valve 17 .

(Fourth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the connection mode between the electrical device attached to the channel box 71 and the second control section 62 is changed from the first embodiment.

Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, at least part of the second control unit 62 is made of a flexible substrate. Then, during the substrate mounting process, the connection terminal portion of some electric devices (the terminal 131b of the cooling expansion valve 13b in FIG. 14) is connected to the portion 623 of the second control portion 62 formed of the flexible substrate. doing.

A flexible substrate is formed by laminating electronic components, conductor foil, etc. to a thin resin film with insulating properties. Therefore, it is softer than a rigid printed circuit board and can be bent.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Furthermore, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, at least part of the second control section 62 is made of a flexible substrate. Therefore, even if the specifications of some electrical equipment are changed and the shape is changed, the electrical equipment can be easily connected to the second control unit 62, and the degree of freedom in designing the electrical equipment can be improved. can be improved.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, of the electrical devices attached to the flow channel box 71 of the heat pump module 70, some of the electrical devices are attached so as not to be connected to the second control unit 62, in contrast to the first embodiment. explain.

Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, some of the electric devices (in FIG. 15, the on-off valve 17) are attached to the outside of the cover member 72 of the channel box 71. The on-off valve 17 of this embodiment has a connector 170 that is a connecting portion. The on-off valve 17 is connected to the first controller 61 of the controller 60 via a connector 170 .

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

(Sixth embodiment)
In this embodiment, an example in which the layout of the connector 620 is changed from that of the first embodiment will be described.

Specifically, the connector 620 of this embodiment is fixed to the end of the second control section 62 as shown in FIG. A portion of the connector 620 protrudes outside the cover member 72 through a through hole 720 formed in the side surface of the cover member 72 . A sealing member (not shown) is interposed in the gap between the connector 620 and the through hole 720, as in the first embodiment.

It should be noted that FIG. 16 is a side view of the heat pump module of the sixth embodiment as seen from the lateral direction, and is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inside of the cover member 72 as a cross section. This also applies to FIGS. 17, 21 and 27. FIG.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

(Seventh embodiment)
In this embodiment, an example in which the configuration of the cover member 72 and the arrangement of the connector 620 are changed from those of the first embodiment will be described.

Specifically, the cover member 72 of this embodiment is divided into a side wall portion 721 and a top plate portion 722, as shown in FIG. The connector 620 of this embodiment is fixed to the end of the second control section 62 as in the sixth embodiment. A portion of the connector 620 protrudes outside the cover member 72 through a through hole 720 formed in a side wall portion 721 of the cover member 72 . Furthermore, a spacer 622 is attached to the second control section 62 .

That is, in this embodiment, the side wall portion 721 , the connector 620 , the second control portion 62 and the spacer 622 are integrated as the cover unit 723 .

Therefore, in the substrate mounting process of the present embodiment, the second control section 62 integrated as the cover unit 723 is mounted to the channel box 71 via the spacer 622 by means such as screwing. Further, one end side (lower side in FIG. 17) of the side wall portion 721 is attached to the outer edge portion of the attachment surface 712 of the channel box 71 by means of adhesion, welding, or the like.

In addition, in the cover mounting process of the present embodiment, a flat top plate portion 722 is mounted on the other end side (the upper side in FIG. 17) of the side wall portion 721 by means of adhesion, welding, or the like. A sealing member (not shown) is interposed in the gap between the side wall portion 721 and the channel box 71 and in the gap between the top plate portion 722 and the side wall portion 721, as in the first embodiment.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Furthermore, since the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment employs the cover unit 723, by stacking another cover unit 723 on top of the cover unit 723, stacking of substrates (so-called substrate mounting) is performed. be able to. According to this, it is possible to easily increase the number of electronic components and connectors 620 of the second control section 62, and the degree of freedom in designing the second control section 62 can be improved.

(Eighth embodiment)
In this embodiment, an example in which the configurations of the channel box 71 and the cover member 72 are changed with respect to the first embodiment will be described.

Specifically, the channel box 71 of the present embodiment has side walls 715 as shown in FIG.

The side wall portion 715 is formed by extending the outer edge portion of the mounting surface 712 of the channel box 71 in the vertical direction (upward direction in FIG. 18). The side wall portion 715 is a portion corresponding to the side wall portion 721 of the cover member 72 described in the seventh embodiment. At the four corners of the side wall portion 715, support portions 715a to which the second control portion 62 is fixed are formed. The strut portion 715a is a portion corresponding to the spacer 622 described in the first embodiment.

Further, the cover member 72 of this embodiment has the same shape as the top plate portion 722 described in the seventh embodiment.

Therefore, in the board mounting process of the present embodiment, the second control section 62 is mounted by being screwed to the pillar section 715a of the side wall section 715, as shown in FIG. At this time, the channel box 71 is electrically connected to the ground line of the second control section 62 . In addition, in the cover attaching step of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, the cover member 72 is attached to the end of the side wall portion 715 by means of adhesion, welding, or the like, as in the first embodiment.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. The heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

(Ninth embodiment)
In this embodiment, an example in which the arrangement of spacers 622a is changed from the first embodiment will be described.

Specifically, the spacer 622a of this embodiment is attached to the cooling expansion valve 13b, the opening/closing valve 17, etc., as shown in FIG. Parts forming outer shells such as the cooling expansion valve 13b and the on-off valve 17 are made of metal. Therefore, the flow path box 71 of the present embodiment is connected to the ground line of the second control section 62 via the spacer 622a and the portions forming the outer shell of the cooling expansion valve 13b, the open/close valve 17, and the like. there is

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. The heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

(Tenth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, an example in which an exhaust port 724 is formed in the cover member 72 in contrast to the first embodiment will be described. The exhaust port 724 is a communication hole that communicates the housing space with the outside. The exhaust port 724 is provided to let the air in the accommodation space flow out to the outside and release the heat in the accommodation space to the outside. Such an exhaust port 724 may be formed in the channel box 71 .

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. The heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Furthermore, since the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment is formed with the exhaust port 724, the temperature rise of the second control section 62 can be suppressed and the operation of the second control section 62 can be stabilized.

Also, a moisture permeable member may be arranged in the exhaust port 724 . The moisture-permeable member is made of a material that allows moisture-laden air to pass through but does not allow water to pass through. According to this, it is possible to prevent moisture from entering the accommodation space from the outside through the exhaust port 724 .

Also, as shown in FIG. 23, a communication passage 724a communicating with the exhaust port 724 may be formed. By extending the movement distance of the air with the communication path 724a, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of moisture from the outside into the housing space. Such a communication path 724a can be formed by providing a groove in the mating surfaces of the cover member 72 and the flow path box 71. As shown in FIG.

Furthermore, if the communicating path 724a is formed in a meandering shape to form a labyrinth seal structure, it is possible to more effectively suppress the intrusion of moisture from the outside into the housing space. note that,
Also, as shown in FIG. 24, an electric fan 724b may be arranged to draw in the air in the accommodation space and blow it out. Further, a temperature detection unit for detecting the space temperature Tmj in the accommodation space is arranged so that the controller 60 operates the electric fan 724b when the space temperature Tmj becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined reference accommodation space temperature. can be

(Eleventh embodiment)
In this embodiment, a heat pump module 701 applied to a vehicle air conditioner 1a shown in the overall configuration diagram of FIG. 25 will be described.

Specifically, the vehicle air conditioner 1a of the present embodiment includes a heat pump cycle 10a. The heat pump cycle 10a includes a receiver 21 instead of the accumulator 20. As shown in FIG. The receiver 21 is a high-pressure side gas-liquid separator that separates gas-liquid from the high-pressure side refrigerant that has flowed out of the heat exchanger functioning as a condenser and stores excess liquid-phase refrigerant in the cycle.

The high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71a side of the heat pump module 701 is connected to the refrigerant passage outlet of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 of the heat pump cycle 10a. In the heat pump module 701 of the present embodiment, among the plurality of constituent devices of the heat pump cycle 10a, the constituent devices and the like surrounded by broken lines in FIG. 25 are integrated.

More specifically, in the heat pump module 701, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13c, the first on-off valve 17a, the second on-off valve 17b, and the like, among the components of the heat pump cycle 10a, are integrated. .

A high-pressure side refrigerant inlet 71 a of the heat pump module 701 communicates with an inlet of the fifth internal three-way joint 15 e formed inside the flow path box 71 . One outflow port of the fifth internal three-way joint portion 15 e is connected to the inlet of the first on-off valve 17 a via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 .

An outlet of the first on-off valve 17a is connected to one inlet of a sixth internal three-way joint 15f formed inside the flow path box 71 via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71. ing. The outflow port of the sixth internal three-way joint 15f is connected to the inlet of the heating expansion valve 13a via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 . Therefore, the first on-off valve 17a opens and closes the refrigerant passage from one outflow port of the fifth internal three-way joint portion 15e to one inflow port of the sixth internal three-way joint portion 15f.

Furthermore, the heat pump cycle 10a includes a second on-off valve 17b and a third on-off valve 17c. The basic configuration of the first opening/closing valve 17a to the third opening/closing valve 17c is the same as that of the opening/closing valve 17 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the first on-off valve 17a to the third on-off valve 17c are included in the electrical device. Further, the first on-off valve 17a to the third on-off valve 17c are refrigerant circuit switching units.

The other outflow port of the fifth internal three-way joint 15e is connected to the inlet of the second on-off valve 17b via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71.

The outlet of the second on-off valve 17b is connected to one inlet side of the seventh internal three-way joint 15g formed inside the channel box 71 . An inlet of the receiver 21 is connected to an outlet of the seventh internal three-way joint 15g via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 . Therefore, the second on-off valve 17b opens and closes the refrigerant passage from the other outflow port of the fifth internal three-way joint portion 15e to one inflow port of the seventh internal three-way joint portion 15g.

The receiver 21 is attached to and integrated with the side surface of the channel box 71 in the same manner as the accumulator 20 described in the second embodiment. Further, a first fixed throttle 22a is arranged in the refrigerant passage from the other outflow port of the fifth internal three-way joint portion 15e to one inflow port of the seventh internal three-way joint portion 15g. The first fixed throttle 22a is a first decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant flowing into the receiver 21 in heating mode or the like.

The outlet of the receiver 21 is connected to the inlet side of the eighth internal three-way joint 15h formed inside the channel box 71. One outflow port of the eighth internal three-way joint portion 15h is connected to the other inflow port of the sixth internal three-way joint portion 15f via a refrigerant passage formed inside the flow path box 71 .

A first check valve 16a is arranged in the refrigerant passage from one outflow port of the eighth internal three-way joint portion 15h to the other inflow port of the sixth internal three-way joint portion 15f. The first check valve 16a allows the refrigerant to flow from the eighth internal three-way joint portion 15h side to the sixth internal three-way joint portion 15f side, and the refrigerant flows from the sixth internal three-way joint portion 15f side to the eighth internal three-way joint It is prohibited to flow to the part 15h side.

The inlet side of the second internal three-way joint 15b formed inside the channel box 71 is connected to the other outlet of the eighth internal three-way joint 15h.

The inlet side of the second external three-way joint 152 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 of the heat pump cycle 10a. Furthermore, the heat pump cycle 10 a is provided with a third external three-way joint portion 153 . The basic configurations of the second external three-way joint part 152 and the third external three-way joint part 153 are the same as the external three-way joint part 151 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the external three-way joint 151 is referred to as the first external three-way joint 151 for clarity of explanation.

One outlet of the second external three-way joint 152 is connected to the outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c side of the channel box 71 . The outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c communicates with the other inlet of the seventh internal three-way joint 15g. A second check valve 16b and a second fixed throttle 22b are arranged in a refrigerant passage from the outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c to the other inlet of the seventh internal three-way joint portion 15g.

The second check valve 16b allows the refrigerant to flow from the outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c side to the seventh internal three-way joint portion 15g side, and allows the refrigerant to flow from the seventh internal three-way joint portion 15g side to the outdoor unit side refrigerant inlet 71c. It is prohibited to flow to the side. The second fixed throttle 22b is a second decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant flowing into the receiver 21 in the cooling mode or the like.

Also, in the heat pump module 701 of the present embodiment, the cooling expansion valve 13b is not integrated. Therefore, the inlet side of the cooling expansion valve 13b is connected to the cooling side refrigerant outlet 71d of the heat pump module 701 . The refrigerant inlet side of the indoor evaporator 18 is connected to the outlet side of the cooling expansion valve 13b. One inlet side of the third external three-way joint 153 is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the indoor evaporator 18 .

Also, the other outlet port of the second external three-way joint portion 152 is connected to the other inlet port of the third external three-way joint portion 153 via the bypass passage 24 . The bypass passage 24 is provided with a third on-off valve 17c, a fourth check valve 16d, and a fourth refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65d.

The third on-off valve 17c of this embodiment opens and closes the bypass passage 24. The fourth check valve 16d allows the refrigerant to flow from the third on-off valve 17c side to the third external three-way joint portion 153 side, and the refrigerant flows from the third external three-way joint portion 153 side to the third on-off valve 17c side. prohibited from flowing. The fourth refrigerant pressure and temperature sensor 65d is a bypass side pressure and temperature detector that detects the bypass side refrigerant pressure P4 and the bypass side refrigerant temperature T4 of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass passage 24 .

One inlet side of the first external three-way joint 151 is connected to the outlet of the third external three-way joint 153 . Further, in this embodiment, the other inlet side of the first external three-way joint portion 151 is connected to the outlet side of the refrigerant passage of the chiller 19 . The suction port side of the compressor 11 is connected to the outflow port of the first external three-way joint portion 151 .

Further, in the control device 60 of the present embodiment, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13c, the first on-off valve 17a, the second on-off valve 17b, and the third on-off valve are provided on the output side of the second control unit 62. 17c is connected.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10a and the vehicle air conditioner 1a are the same as those of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the vehicle air conditioner 1a of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described. Also in the vehicle air conditioner 1a, the operation mode for air conditioning and the operation mode for cooling are performed like 1st Embodiment. The detailed operation of each operation mode will be described below.

(a) Cooling Mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, the controller 60 fully opens the heating expansion valve 13a and throttles the cooling expansion valve 13b to reduce the pressure. The cooling expansion valve 13c is controlled according to the cooling operation mode. Further, the control device 60 opens the first on-off valve 17a, closes the second on-off valve 17b, and closes the third on-off valve 17c. In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the fully open heating expansion valve 13a, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, the fixed throttle 22b, the receiver 21, the cooling expansion valve 13b in the throttled state, the indoor evaporator 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 function as condensers (in other words, radiators) that radiate and condense the refrigerant, and the indoor evaporator 18, A vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured that functions as an evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant. As a result, as in the first embodiment, cooling of the passenger compartment can be realized.

(b) Dehumidification/heating mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the dehumidification/heating mode, the controller 60 causes the heating expansion valve 13a to be throttled and the cooling expansion valve 13b to be throttled. Further, the control device 60 opens the first on-off valve 17a, closes the second on-off valve 17b, and closes the third on-off valve 17c. In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the dehumidifying and heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a in a throttled state, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and the fixed throttle 22b. , the receiver 21, the cooling expansion valve 13b in the throttled state, the indoor evaporator 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11 in this order.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the dehumidification and heating mode, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser and the indoor evaporator 18 functions as an evaporator.

Furthermore, when the saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is higher than the outside air temperature Tam, the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser. Further, when the saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is lower than the outside air temperature Tam, the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator. As a result, it is possible to realize dehumidifying and heating the vehicle interior, as in the first embodiment.

(c) Heating Mode In the heat pump cycle 10a in the heating mode, the controller 60 throttles the heating expansion valve 13a and fully closes the cooling expansion valve 13b. Further, the control device 60 closes the first on-off valve 17a, opens the second on-off valve 17b, and opens the third on-off valve 17c. In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the heating mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the receiver 21, the heating expansion valve 13a in a throttled state, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, the compression The refrigerant circuit is switched to a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the suction port of the machine 11 .

Therefore, in the heating mode heat pump cycle 10, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator. As a result, similar to the first embodiment, the interior of the vehicle can be realized.

(d) Cooling Mode During Air Conditioning In the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the controller 60 throttles the cooling expansion valve 13c. Furthermore, when the operation mode for air conditioning is the heating mode, the third on-off valve 17c is closed. The operations of the other controlled devices are the same as those in each operation mode for air conditioning.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in the cooling mode during air conditioning, the refrigerant circuit is switched to flow into the refrigerant passage of the chiller 19 decompressed by the cooling expansion valve 13c.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10a in cooling mode during air conditioning, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which at least the chiller 19 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the battery 80 can be cooled as in the first embodiment.

(e) Cooling Mode without Air Conditioning In the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode without air conditioning, the controller 60 operates the compressor 11 . Further, the control device 60 fully opens the heating expansion valve 13a, fully closes the cooling expansion valve 13b, and throttles the cooling expansion valve 13c. Further, the control device 60 opens the first on-off valve 17a, closes the second on-off valve 17b, and closes the third on-off valve 17c. In addition, the control device 60 appropriately controls the operations of other controlled devices.

Therefore, in the heat pump cycle 10 in the cooling mode, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the heating expansion valve 13a that is fully open, the outdoor heat exchanger 14, the fixed throttle 22b, the receiver 21, the cooling expansion valve 13c in the throttled state, the chiller 19, the indoor evaporator 18, and the suction port of the compressor 11 are switched to a refrigerant circuit that circulates in this order.

Therefore, in the non-air-conditioned cooling mode heat pump cycle 10, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is configured in which at least the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser and the chiller 19 functions as an evaporator. As a result, the battery 80 can be cooled as in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1a of the present embodiment, comfortable air conditioning in the vehicle interior and cooling of the battery 80, which is an in-vehicle device, can be performed.

Furthermore, since the heat pump cycle 10a of the present embodiment is provided with the receiver 21, it is possible to impart a degree of superheat to the refrigerant on the outlet side of the heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator in each operation mode. Therefore, the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator can be increased. As a result, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump cycle 10a can be improved, and the operating efficiency of the vehicle air conditioner 1a can be improved.

Specifically, the detection values of the second refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65b to the fourth refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65d are used to calculate the degree of superheat of the refrigerant on the outlet side of the heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator. Then, the operations of the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, and the cooling expansion valve 13c may be controlled so that the calculated degree of superheat approaches a predetermined reference degree of superheat.

In addition, since the heat pump module 701 is employed in this embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, according to the heat pump module 701 of the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle 10a and improvement of productivity.

(12th embodiment)
In the heat pump module 702 of the present embodiment, among the plurality of constituent devices of the heat pump cycle 10a, the constituent devices surrounded by broken lines in FIG. 26 are integrated.

More specifically, in the heat pump module 702, as shown in FIG. 26, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, the first The on-off valve 17a, the second on-off valve 17b, the third on-off valve 17c, the second refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65b to the fourth refrigerant pressure temperature sensor 65d, etc. are attached to the channel box 71 and integrated.

Furthermore, in the heat pump module 702, among the components of the heat pump cycle 10a, the compressor 11, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, the chiller 19, and the receiver 21 are attached to the side surface of the flow path box 71 by screw fastening or the like. are integrated.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10a and the vehicle air conditioner 1a are the same as those of the eleventh embodiment. Therefore, in the heat pump module 702 of this embodiment as well, the same effect as in the eleventh embodiment can be obtained. That is, according to the heat pump module 702 of the present embodiment, both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity can be achieved.

(13th embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an example in which the second control section 62 is formed of a plurality of members will be described as opposed to the first embodiment.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, the second control unit 62 of the present embodiment includes four substrates: a first substrate portion 624a, a second substrate portion 624b, a third substrate portion 624c, and a fourth substrate portion 624d. made of hard printed circuit board. The first to fourth substrate portions 624a to 624d are electrically connected to the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, the cooling expansion valve 13c, and the on-off valve 17, respectively.

The first substrate portion 624a to the fourth substrate portion 624d are attached to the mounting surface 712 of the flow channel box 71 via a prism-shaped spacer 622 by means such as screwing. The spacers 622 are arranged on four corner sides of the first substrate portion 624a to the fourth substrate portion 624d. In this embodiment, the spacers 622 having the same length are used, so the first substrate portion 624a to the fourth substrate portion 624d are arranged substantially in the same plane.

In addition, the first board portion 624a to the fourth board portion 624d are electrically connected to each other via a board connector or the like (not shown) as required. A board connector is an electrical connection that is secured directly to a rigid printed circuit board. Therefore, the second control section 62 has a configuration for electrically connecting the first substrate section 624a to the fourth substrate section 624d to each other as required.

Other configurations and operations of the heat pump cycle 10 and the vehicle air conditioner 1 are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the heat pump module 70 of this embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, it is possible to reduce the work load of selecting and connecting appropriate wires to each of a plurality of electric devices, and achieve both miniaturization of the heat pump cycle and improvement of productivity.

Furthermore, in the heat pump module 70 of the present embodiment, each of the substrate portions 624a to 624d of the second control portion 62 can be mounted by overlapping another substrate portion. According to this, it is possible to easily increase the number of electronic components and connectors 620 of the second control section 62, and the degree of freedom in designing the second control section 62 can be improved.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be variously modified as follows without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The mode of integration of the heat pump module according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, any electrical device may be selected as the plurality of electrical devices integrated with the heat pump module. Furthermore, the heat pump module may integrate not only the heat pump cycles 10 and 10a, but also electrical devices that form the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 .

Also, the mounting position of each electrical device in the channel box 71 is not limited to the mounting position described in the above-described embodiment. That is, the mounting positions of the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, and the cooling expansion valve 13c are arranged as shown in FIGS. may be different from The same applies to the arrangement of a plurality of refrigerant inlets and outlets such as the high pressure side refrigerant inlet 71a.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the channel box 71, the cover member 72, and the spacer 622 made of metal has been described. 622 may be employed. More specifically, the channel box 71, the cover member 72, and the spacer 622 made of a conductive material such as conductive resin, resin coated with conductive paint, or conductive carbon can be employed. .

The second control section 62 as the electric board section described in the above-described embodiment may be an electronic board that energizes only electric signals for communication and control. Also, the second control unit 62 may be an electric circuit board through which a drive current or the like flows. Further, it may be a motherboard on which a central processing unit (that is, CPU) or the like is mounted.

In the thirteenth embodiment and the like described above, an example in which the second control unit 62 is formed of a plurality of substrates and one electrical device is connected to one substrate has been described. equipment may be connected. For example, the second control unit 62 is formed by a first substrate portion and a second substrate portion, the heating expansion valve 13a, the cooling expansion valve 13b, and the cooling expansion valve 13c are connected to the first substrate portion, The on-off valve 17 may be connected to the second substrate portion.

In the above-described embodiment, the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b have been described as the refrigerant passages in the flow path box 71. However, the shape and arrangement of the high-pressure side refrigerant passage 70a and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b are It is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, as shown in FIG. 27, a projecting portion 712a projecting toward the second control unit 62 is formed on the mounting surface 712 of the channel box 71, and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b is formed inside the projecting portion 712a. good too. According to this, the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b can be brought closer to the second control section 62, so that the second control section 62 can be more easily cooled by the low-pressure side refrigerant flowing through the low-pressure side refrigerant passage 70b.

Application of the heat pump module according to the present disclosure is not limited to the examples disclosed in the above embodiments.

For example, the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 40 of the heat pump cycle 10 may be eliminated, and instead of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 12, a heat pump cycle having an indoor condenser may be applied. The indoor condenser is a heat exchanger for heating blown air that heats the blown air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 and the blown air. The indoor condenser is located within the indoor air conditioning unit 30 as is the heater core 42 . Therefore, the indoor condenser need not be integrated into the heat pump module.

In addition, the vehicle-mounted device that is the object to be cooled by the heat pump cycle 10 is not limited to the battery 80. Specifically, the in-vehicle device may be a motor generator, an inverter, a PCU, a transaxle, a control device for ADAS, or the like. Furthermore, the heat pump module according to the present disclosure may be applied to an air conditioner that does not have a device cooling function.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which R1234yf is used as the refrigerant for the heat pump cycles 10 and 10a has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, R134a, R600a, R410A, R404A, R32, R407C, etc. may be employed. Alternatively, a mixed refrigerant or the like in which a plurality of these refrigerants are mixed may be adopted.

Also, the configurations of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 are not limited to the examples disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, an electric heater for heating the high temperature side heat medium may be added to the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 . Furthermore, a low-temperature side external heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the low-temperature side heat medium and the outside air may be added to the low-temperature side heat medium circuit 50 . Furthermore, an electric switching valve may be added to switch the heat medium circuit of the low temperature side heat medium circuit.

The electric heater of the high temperature side heat medium circuit 40 and the electric switching valve of the low temperature side heat medium circuit 50 may be integrated with the heat pump module.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which an ethylene glycol aqueous solution is used as the high-temperature side heat medium and the low-temperature side heat medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a solution containing dimethylpolysiloxane or a nanofluid, an antifreeze solution, a water-based liquid refrigerant containing alcohol, or a liquid medium containing oil may be used.

Also, application of the heat pump module according to the present disclosure is not limited to vehicles. For example, it may be applied to a stationary air conditioner with a temperature adjustment function that adjusts the temperature of objects to be temperature-adjusted (eg, computers, server devices, and other peripheral devices) while air-conditioning the room.

The features of the heat pump module disclosed herein are as follows.
(Item 1)
A heat pump module in which a plurality of components constituting a heat pump cycle (10, 10a) are integrated,
a mounting member (71) to which a plurality of electric devices (13a to 13c, 17, 65a, 65c) operated by electricity among the plurality of constituent devices are mounted;
an electrical board portion (62, 624a-624d) electrically connected to the electrical equipment mounted on the mounting member for controlling operation of the electrical equipment.
(Item 2)
2. The heat pump module according to item 1, wherein the electric board portion is formed of a single member.
(Item 3)
The plurality of electric devices each have a connection terminal portion (131a, 131b, 131c, 171) electrically connected to the electric board portion,
Each of the connection terminal portions protrudes in the same direction when the plurality of electrical devices are attached to the attachment member, and is arranged to be directly connectable to the electric board portion. A heat pump module as described.
(Item 4)
3. Any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the mounting member has a passage forming portion (711) forming a refrigerant passage for circulating a refrigerant and a device forming portion (714) forming a part of the electric device. The heat pump module according to 1.
(Item 5)
The mounting member has a passage forming portion (711) that forms a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows,
As the refrigerant passages, a high pressure side refrigerant passage (70a) through which the high pressure side refrigerant of the heat pump cycle flows and a low pressure side refrigerant passage (70b) through which the low pressure side refrigerant of the heat pump cycle flows are formed,
5. The high-pressure side refrigerant passage and the low-pressure side refrigerant passage according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the low-pressure side refrigerant flowing through the low-pressure side refrigerant passage is arranged so as to cool the electric board portion. heat pump module.
(Item 6)
6. The heat pump module according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the mounting member has electrical conductivity and is electrically connected to a ground wire of the electric substrate section.
(Item 7)
7. The heat pump module according to any one of items 1 to 6, further comprising a cover member (72) forming an accommodation space for the electric substrate section together with the mounting member.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to examples, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those examples or structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and configurations, as well as other combinations and configurations, including single elements, more, or less, are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

Claims (7)

1. A heat pump module in which a plurality of components constituting a heat pump cycle (10, 10a) are integrated,
   a mounting member (71) to which a plurality of electric devices (13a to 13c, 17, 65a, 65c) operated by electricity among the plurality of constituent devices are mounted;
   an electrical board portion (62, 624a-624d) electrically connected to the electrical equipment mounted on the mounting member for controlling operation of the electrical equipment.
2. The heat pump module according to claim 1, wherein the electric board portion is formed of a single member.
3. The plurality of electric devices each have a connection terminal portion (131a, 131b, 131c, 171) electrically connected to the electric board portion,
   3. Each of said connection terminal portions protrudes in the same direction when a plurality of said electrical devices are attached to said attachment member, and is disposed so as to be directly connectable to said electric board portion. The heat pump module described in .
4. 4. The mounting member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting member has a passage forming portion (711) forming a coolant passage for circulating a coolant and a device forming portion (714) forming a part of the electric device. 1. A heat pump module according to one.
5. The mounting member has a passage forming portion (711) that forms a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows,
   As the refrigerant passages, a high pressure side refrigerant passage (70a) through which the high pressure side refrigerant of the heat pump cycle flows and a low pressure side refrigerant passage (70b) through which the low pressure side refrigerant of the heat pump cycle flows are formed,
   5. The high-pressure side coolant passage and the low-pressure side coolant passage according to claim 1, wherein the low-pressure side coolant flowing through the low-pressure side coolant passage is arranged so as to cool the electric board portion. of heat pump modules.
6. The heat pump module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mounting member has conductivity and is electrically connected to a ground wire of the electric substrate section.
7. The heat pump module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cover member (72) forming an accommodation space for the electric board portion together with the mounting member.

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