Air conditioning system for vehicle

Abstract

An air conditioning system for a vehicle is provided with a heat pump circulation path through which a refrigerant body is circulated through a compressor. The heat pump circulation path is provided with a condenser unit, an expansion valve, a first evaporator, a heater, and a second evaporator. The heat pump circulation path is also provided with a bypass means which, in heating operation, bypasses a main condenser for constituting the condenser unit and connects the heater and a gas-liquid separation-type refrigerant body containing section. The configuration provides effects which minimize an increase in the number of dedicated parts required only in a heating mode and which, by effectively utilizing the system in a cooling mode, prevents a reduction in the air conditioning performance caused by the shortage of the refrigerant body.

1 . A vehicular air conditioning system of a heat pump type comprising:
 a condenser for performing heat exchange between a refrigerant and ambient air, the condenser being connected to a heat pump circulation path for circulating the refrigerant with a compressor;   an evaporator connected to the heat pump circulation path for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and air-conditioning air; and   a heater connected to the heat pump circulation path for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant, which has been delivered from the compressor, and the air-conditioning air that has passed through the evaporator;   the vehicular air conditioning system further comprising:   a gas-liquid separation refrigerant storage unit;   a supercooling heat exchanger; and   bypass means connecting the gas-liquid separation refrigerant storage unit and the supercooling heat exchanger downstream of the heater in bypassing relation to the condenser in a heating mode.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicular air conditioning system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rear evaporator connected to a branch path, which branches from the heat pump circulation path, for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and a heating medium, which is obtained from inside or outside of a vehicle, and which is higher in temperature than the refrigerant.   
     
     
         3 . The vehicular air conditioning system according to  claim 2 , wherein the heating medium, which exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the rear evaporator, comprises waste heat gas from a cabin. 
     
     
         4 . The vehicular air conditioning system according to  claim 1 , further comprising an expansion valve for depressurizing the refrigerant delivered from the condenser. 
     
     
         5 . The vehicular air conditioning system according to  claim 1 , wherein the condenser comprises a main condenser, the gas-liquid separation refrigerant storage unit, and the supercooling heat exchanger, which are connected mutually in series downstream of the heater, and through which the refrigerant flows in a cooling mode. 
     
     
         6 . The vehicular air conditioning system according to  claim 1 , wherein the bypass means comprises a pressure loss device for causing the refrigerant to undergo a pressure loss.