Vehicle air conditioning apparatus

Abstract

In a vehicle air conditioning apparatus, during a cooling operation, and a cooling and dehumidifying operation, a refrigerant flows through an outdoor heat exchanger, flows through a supercooling radiator, and then flows into a radiator to absorb heat. During a heating operation, the refrigerant flows through a heat exchanger and then is sucked into a compressor without passing through the supercooling radiator. During a first heating and dehumidifying operation, the refrigerant flows through another radiator, flows through the supercooling radiator, and then flows into another heat exchanger to absorb heat.

1 . A vehicle air conditioning apparatus comprising:
 a compressor configured to compress and discharge a refrigerant;
 a radiator configured to release heat from the refrigerant; 
 a heat exchanger configured to absorb the heat into the refrigerant; 
 an outdoor heat exchanger configured to release the heat from or absorb the heat into the refrigerant; 
 an outdoor radiator configured to further release the heat from the refrigerant having released the heat in the outdoor heat exchanger; 
 a cooling/cooling and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to flow into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor radiator to flow into the heat exchanger via an expansion valve and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor; and 
 a heating refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger via an expansion part, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor, wherein a refrigerant flow path is formed in the outdoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant flowing into a first end of the refrigerant flow path and being discharged from a second end of the refrigerant flow path. 
   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flow path is formed in the outdoor heat exchanger; for heat release, the refrigerant flows into a first end of the refrigerant flow path, releases the heat, and is discharged from a second end; meanwhile, for heat absorption, the refrigerant flows into the second end of the refrigerant flow path, absorbs the heat, and is discharged from the first end. 
     
     
         3 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a receiver tank configured to be able to accumulate a liquid refrigerant, the receiver tank being provided upstream from the outdoor radiator in a refrigerant flow direction; an outdoor heat exchanger unit including the outdoor heat exchanger, the outdoor radiator, the receiver tank, a refrigerant flow passage that connects between the outdoor heat exchanger and the receiver tank; and a valve provided in the refrigerant flow passage, which are integrally formed. ( FIG. 2 ) 
     
     
         4 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the valve is formed integrally with the outdoor heat exchanger unit, the valve being provided in a refrigerant flow passage connected to the refrigerant flow passage that connects between the outdoor heat exchanger and the receiver tank. 
     
     
         5 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the valve is formed integrally with the outdoor heat exchanger unit, the valve being provided in a refrigerant flow passage that connects between the outdoor heat exchanger and the compressor. 
     
     
         6 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the valve is formed integrally with the outdoor heat exchanger unit, the valve being provided in a refrigerant flow passage that connects between the radiator and the outdoor heat exchanger. 
     
     
         7 . A vehicle air conditioning apparatus comprising:
 a compressor configured to compress and discharge a refrigerant;
 a radiator configured to release heat from the refrigerant; 
 a heat exchanger configured to absorb the heat into the refrigerant; 
 an outdoor heat exchanger configured to release the heat from or absorb the heat into the refrigerant; 
 an outdoor radiator configured to further release the heat from the refrigerant having released the heat in the outdoor heat exchanger; 
 a cooling/cooling and dehumidifying refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to flow into the outdoor radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor radiator to flow into the heat exchanger via an expansion valve and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor; and 
 a heating refrigerant circuit configured to allow the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the radiator, to allow the refrigerant having passed through the radiator to flow into the outdoor heat exchanger via an expansion part, and to allow the refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger to be sucked into the compressor, further comprising a control valve unit, 
   wherein the control valve unit comprises:   an expansion part configured to decompress the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger when the refrigerant absorbs the heat in the outdoor heat exchanger; and   a flow regulating part configured to regulate an amount of the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger when the refrigerant releases the heat in the outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the expansion part and the flow regulating part are integrally formed,
 wherein each of the expansion part and the flow regulating part has a refrigerant inlet and an refrigerant outlet, and the control valve includes a piping connection port configured to allow communication with at least the refrigerant inlet of each of the expansion part and the flow regulating part. 
   
     
     
         8 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the expansion part is an electronic expansion valve and the flow regulating part is a solenoid valve. 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle air conditioning apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the control valve unit includes a three-way valve that can switch the refrigerant outlet from one to the other and an expansion valve provided in the refrigerant outlet.