Patent Application
20110146318
The invention relates to the field of motor vehicle ventilation, heating and/or air conditioning installations. It relates to an air conditioning system comprising components arranged in relation to each other to limit a coolant leakage risk.
Motor vehicles are routinely equipped with an air conditioning system to modify the aerothermal parameters of the air contained inside the vehicle interior. Such a modification is obtained from the delivery of an internal air flow in the car interior. The air conditioning system comprises a ventilation, heating and/or air conditioning installation which channels the circulation of the internal air flow prior to the delivery thereof in the car interior. The installation consists of a housing made of plastic and housed under a board panel of the vehicle.
To modify a temperature of the internal air flow prior to the discharge thereof from the housing to the car interior, the air conditioning system comprises an air conditioning circuit wherein a coolant such as carbon dioxide known as R744, circulates. The air conditioning circuit comprises a plurality of components such as a compressor to pressurise the coolant and an accumulator to prevent an intake of liquid coolant inside the compressor. The air conditioning circuit further comprises coolant/internal air heat exchangers to enable successive heat transfers between the coolant and the internal air flow. The coolant/internal air heat exchangers are positioned inside the installation so as to be traversed by the internal air flow prior to the discharge thereof from the housing to the car interior. The air conditioning circuit further comprises a relief member inserted between the coolant/internal air heat exchangers, the relief member being provided to lower the coolant pressure inside the air conditioning circuit. The latter further comprises a coolant/ambient air heat exchanger to enable heat transfer between the coolant and an ambient air flow. The coolant/ambient air heat exchanger is positioned at the front of the vehicle to facilitate heat transfer between the coolant and the ambient air flow, such as an air flow outside the vehicle. The air conditioning circuit finally comprises a distribution set for handling the circulation of the coolant between the various components mentioned above.
The distribution set is suitable for operating the air conditioning circuit in heating mode or in air conditioning mode. In heating mode, the air conditioning circuit enables heating of the internal air flow whereas, in air conditioning mode, the air conditioning circuit is suitable for cooling same. The change of operation of the air conditioning circuit between these two modes is obtained by modifying the circulation of the coolant inside the distribution sets between various ports comprised therein.
One problem addressed by the air conditioning system described above lies in that said system is not arranged to limit coolant leakage risks. Furthermore, the installation of such an air conditioning system on the motor vehicle proves to be complicated and difficult.
The aim of the present invention is that of proposing an air conditioning system comprising an air conditioning circuit, a first secondary circuit and a second secondary circuit, said system being arranged to limit coolant leakages and to limit pressure drops inside the air conditioning circuit in particular. A further aim of the present invention is that of proposing such an air conditioning system which is easy to install on a motor vehicle.
The air conditioning system according to the present invention is an air conditioning system comprising the constituent components of any one of an air conditioning circuit wherein a coolant FR circulates, a first secondary circuit wherein a heat transfer fluid circulates and a second secondary circuit wherein a heat transfer liquid LC circulates. The air conditioning system comprises a support whereon said components are mounted.
Said support is an integral assembly having inner tubes to connect the components of the air conditioning circuit and the components of the first and second secondary circuit. The integral support thus contains at the same point, at least one distribution set, a heat exchanger for the coolant/heat transfer fluid circulating in the first secondary circuit, a heat exchanger for the coolant/heat transfer fluid circulating in the second secondary circuit, an internal heat exchanger for exchanging between the high pressure/high temperature of the coolant and the low pressure/low temperature of said coolant and an accumulator or cylinder for separating and/or storing the circulating mass of coolant in the circuit.
Advantageously, the integral support includes an electrical or hybrid compressor (i.e. the drive is mechanical, using an internal combustion engine, combined with an electrical engine drive), optionally accompanied by the control system thereof.
Finally, the integral support may consist of a plurality of attached subassemblies or be in unit form, i.e. consisting of a single part.
The support is made of a metallic material or plastic material.
The support is for example arranged in a platform whereon said components are mounted.
The support is for example further arranged in a cage defining an internal volume wherein said components are mounted.
The support is advantageously provided with at least one attachment means to a vehicle chassis.
The support is preferentially equipped with at least one gripping means.
Preferably, the components comprise at least one electric or hybrid compressor, one internal heat exchanger, one coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger and one coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger.
The components advantageously comprise a distribution set.
The components preferentially comprise a first pump belonging to the first secondary circuit and a second pump belonging to the second secondary circuit.
Preferably, the first secondary circuit is provided with first means for connecting to a first heat transfer/internal air flow heat exchanger whereas the second secondary circuit is provided with second means for connecting to a second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger.
The air conditioning system advantageously comprises a coolant/ambient air heat exchanger.
According to one alternative embodiment, the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger is mounted on the support.
According to a further embodiment, the air conditioning circuit is provided with joining means to the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger.
The present invention will be understood more clearly on reading the description of embodiments thereof, with reference to the figures in the appended drawings, wherein:
In
To this end, the air conditioning system 1 comprises:
The ventilation, heating and/or air conditioning installation 3 essentially consists of a housing 7 made of plastic and housed for example under a board panel of the vehicle. Said installation 3 houses a blower 8 for circulating the internal air flow 2 from at least one air inlet 9 to at least one air outlet 10 comprised in the housing 7. The air outlet 10 makes it possible to deliver an internal air flow 2 from the housing 7 to the vehicle interior.
To enable a modification of the temperature of the internal air flow 2 prior to the delivery thereof in the car interior, said installation 3 houses a first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 to enable a heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid FC and the internal air flow 2, and a second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 to enable a heat transfer between the heat transfer liquid LC and the internal air flow 2.
The first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 is a constituent of the first secondary circuit 5. This circuit further comprises a coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 for enabling a heat transfer between the coolant FR and the heat transfer fluid FC. Finally, the first secondary circuit 5 comprises a first pump P1 for circulating the heat transfer fluid FC between the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 and the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13.
The second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 is a constituent of the second secondary circuit 6. This circuit further comprises a coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 for enabling a heat transfer between the coolant FR and the heat transfer liquid LC. Finally, the second secondary circuit 6 comprises a second pump P2 for circulating the heat transfer liquid LC between the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 and the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14.
The coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 and the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 also belong to the air conditioning circuit 4 for enabling a heat transfer between the coolant FR and the heat transfer fluid FC and the heat transfer liquid LC, respectively.
The air conditioning circuit 4 further comprises an electric or hybrid electric compressor 15 for pressurising the coolant FR. The electric or hybrid compressor 15 is preferentially fluidically connected to an accumulator 16 to prevent an intake of liquid coolant FR inside the electric or hybrid compressor 15. The air conditioning circuit 4 further comprises a coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 for enabling a heat transfer between the coolant FR and an ambient air flow 18 passing therethrough. The latter is particularly a flow of air outside the vehicle. The coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 is preferentially positioned at the front of the vehicle to facilitate heat transfer between the coolant FR and the ambient air flow 18. The air conditioning circuit 4 further comprises a plurality of relief members D1,D2,D3 for reducing the pressure of the coolant FR from the high pressure to a low pressure. The relief members D1,D2,D3 are particularly electronic control relief devices. In this way, the air conditioning circuit 4 comprises a plurality of high pressure lines HP1,HP2,HP3 provided between the electric or hybrid compressor 15 and at least one of the relief members D1,D2,D3 along with a plurality of low pressure lines BP1,BP2,BP3 provided between at least one of the relief members D1,D2,D3 and the electric or hybrid compressor. Finally, the air conditioning circuit 4 comprises an internal heat exchanger 19 comprising a high pressure duct 20 and a low pressure duct 21 for enabling a heat transfer between the coolant FR circulating in the high pressure duct 20 and the coolant FR circulating in the low pressure duct 21. According to the varied embodiments of the air conditioning circuit 4, the high pressure duct 20 is a constituent of the high pressure lines HP1,HP2,HP3 whereas the low pressure duct 21 is a constituent of one of the low pressure lines BP1,BP2,BP3.
The air conditioning circuit 4 is suitable for operating in heating mode whereby the internal air flow 2 is heated by the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 and the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12. The air conditioning circuit 4 is also capable of operating in air conditioning mode whereby the internal air flow 2 is cooled by the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12, the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 being inoperative. Finally, the air conditioning circuit is suitable for operating in dehumidifying mode whereby the internal air flow 2 is first cooled by the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12, and then heated by the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11.
More specifically, it should be noted that the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 circulating in the second secondary circuit 6 acts as an additional cold source in air conditioning and dehumidifying mode whereas it acts as an additional heating source to the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 housed in the housing 7 of the installation 3. In heating mode, the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 behaves as a gas cooler cooling the coolant FR circulating in the air conditioning circuit which tends to improve the performances of the air conditioning circuit when operating in heating mode. It thus consists of an air conditioning circuit 4 wherein a coolant FR circulates and comprising a compressor 15, advantageously electric or hybrid, a coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17, at least three relief members D1,D2,D3, advantageously grouped together in a distribution set 22 as described hereinafter, a coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 belonging to said air conditioning circuit 4 and a first secondary circuit 5 wherein a heat transfer fluid FC circulates, a coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 belonging to said air conditioning circuit 4 and a second secondary circuit 6 wherein a heat transfer liquid LC circulates, an internal heat exchanger 19, said circuit operating:
It is also noted for example in
In dehumidifying mode, the coolant subject to high pressure/high temperature passes successively through the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13, the internal heat exchanger 19 and then splits into two by means of the distribution set 22 by supplying the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 with coolant FR in parallel with the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17. The distribution set comprises two relief members D1 and D2 which depressurise the fluid to two different pressure levels, the pressure of the coolant after the first relief member D1 being less than the pressure after the second relief member D2.
After passing through the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14, the coolant returns to the distribution set 22 to be depressurised by the third relief member D3 so as to return the pressure of the coolant FR to an equivalent pressure to that of the same fluid at the outlet of the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17. The distribution set then comprises a “Y”-shaped canal which returns the coolant FR from the third relief member D3 and the coolant FR from the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 to a single point, the whole being routed to the accumulator 16.
This arrangement makes it possible to perform the dehumidifying function simply by operating the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 as an evaporator and the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow 11 as a heat sink simultaneously.
The air conditioning circuit 4 comprises a distribution set 2 comprising inlets E1,E2,E3,E4,E5,E6,E7,E8,E9 of coolant FR into said set 22 and four outlets S1,S2,S3,S4 of coolant FR from said set 22. This set is suitable for handling the circulation of the coolant FR inside the air conditioning circuit 4.
The distribution set 22 comprises a first inlet E1 and a second inlet E2 of coolant FR into said set 22 and a first outlet S1 of coolant FR from said set 22. The first outlet S1 is fluidically connected with the first inlet E1 and the second inlet E2. More specifically, a first duct C1 is provided between the first inlet E1 and the first outlet S1 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the first inlet E1 to the first outlet S1. More specifically again, a second duct C2 is provided between the second inlet E2 and the first outlet S1 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the first inlet E2 to the first outlet S1. The first duct C1 is provided with a relief member D1 whereas the second duct C2 is equipped with a first valve V1 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the second duct C2.
The distribution set 22 comprises a third inlet E3 and a fourth inlet E4 of coolant FR into said set 22 and a second outlet S2 of coolant FR from said set 22. The second outlet S2 is fluidically connected to the third inlet E3 and the fourth inlet E4. More specifically, a third duct C3 is provided between the third inlet E3 and the second outlet S2 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the third inlet E3 to the second outlet S2. More specifically again, a fourth duct C4 is provided between the fourth inlet E4 and the second outlet S2 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the fourth inlet E4 to the second outlet S2. The third duct C3 is provided with the second relief member D2 whereas the fourth duct C4 is equipped with a second valve V2 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the fourth duct C4.
The distribution set 22 comprises a fifth inlet E5, a sixth inlet E6 and a seventh inlet E7 of coolant FR into said set 22 and a third outlet S3 of coolant FR from said set 22. The third outlet S3 is fluidically connected to the fifth inlet E5, sixth inlet E6 and the seventh inlet E7. More specifically, a fifth duct C5 is provided between the fifth inlet E5 and the third outlet S3 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the fifth inlet E5 to the third outlet S3. More specifically, a sixth duct C6 is provided between the sixth inlet E6 and the third outlet S3 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the sixth inlet E6 to the third outlet S3. Finally, more specifically, a seventh duct C7 is provided between the seventh inlet E7 and the third outlet S3 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the seventh inlet E7 to the third outlet S3. The fifth duct C5 is provided with a third valve V3 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the fifth duct C5. The sixth duct C6 is provided with a fourth valve V4 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the sixth duct C6. The seventh duct C7 is provided with a fifth valve V5 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the seventh duct C7.
The distribution set 22 comprises an eighth inlet E8 and a ninth inlet E9 of coolant FR into said set 22 and a fourth outlet S4 of coolant FR from said set 22. The fourth outlet S4 is fluidically connected to the eighth inlet E8 and the ninth inlet E9. More specifically, an eighth duct C8 is provided between the eighth inlet E8 and the fourth outlet S4 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the eighth inlet E8 to the fourth outlet S4. More specifically again, a ninth duct C9 is provided between the ninth inlet E9 and the fourth outlet S4 to enable a flow of the coolant FR from the ninth inlet E9 to the fourth outlet S4. The eighth duct C8 is provided with a sixth valve V6 suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the eighth duct C8. The ninth duct C9 is equipped with the third relief member D3. A seventh valve V7 is placed in parallel with the third relief member D3 to enable circulation of the coolant FR between the ninth inlet E9 and the fourth outlet S4 using a bypass of the third relief member D3.
The coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 comprises a discharge port 23 of coolant FR which is fluidically linked with the seventh inlet E7 and the eighth inlet E8. The coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 further comprises an inlet port 24 of coolant FR which is fluidically linked with the first outlet S1.
The coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 comprises an outlet port 25 of coolant FR which is fluidically linked with the sixth inlet E6 and the ninth inlet E9. The coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14 further comprises an inlet port 26 of coolant FR which is fluidically linked with the second outlet S2.
The internal heat exchanger 19 comprises a high pressure outlet 27 which is fluidically linked with the first inlet E1 and the third inlet E3. The internal heat exchanger 19 further comprises a high pressure inlet 28 which is fluidically linked with the third outlet S3. The high pressure outlet 27 and the high pressure inlet 28 are fluidically connected to each other via the high pressure duct 20. In parallel, the internal heat exchanger 19 comprises a low pressure outlet 29 which is fluidically linked with a coolant inlet of the electric or hybrid compressor 15. The internal heat exchanger 19 further comprises a low pressure inlet 30 which is fluidically linked with a coolant FR outlet from the accumulator 16. The low pressure outlet 29 and the low pressure inlet 30 are fluidically connected to each other via the low pressure duct 21. The high pressure duct 20 and the low pressure duct 21 are arranged with respect to each other so as to enable heat transfer between the coolant FR circulating inside one of the ducts 20, 21 and the coolant FR circulating inside the other duct 21,20.
The accumulator 16 further comprises an inlet port 31 of coolant FR from the outlet S4.
The coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 receives the coolant FR from the electric or hybrid compressor 15 to discharge same to the second inlet E2 or the fourth inlet E4 or the fifth inlet E5 with which the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 is fluidically linked.
The first relief member D1, the second relief member D2 and the third relief member D3 are suitable for enabling or disabling a flow of the coolant FR inside the duct C1,C2,C3 to which they are respectively allocated.
To minimise the risks of leakage of coolant FR, the present invention envisages that the air conditioning system 1 comprises a support 100 bearing components such as the electric or hybrid compressor 15, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 of the first secondary circuit 5, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 14 of the second secondary circuit 6, the accumulator 16, the internal heat exchanger 19, the distribution set 22, the first pump P1, the second pump P2 belonging thereto and which belong to the air conditioning circuit 4, of the first secondary circuit 5 or the second secondary circuit 6. In other words, apart from the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11, the second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 which are housed inside said installation 3 and the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 positioned at the front of the vehicle, all or part of the components such as the electric or hybrid compressor 15, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 of the first secondary circuit 5, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 14 of the second secondary circuit 6, the accumulator 16, the internal heat exchanger 19, and the distribution set 22, the first pump P1, the second pump P2 belonging to the air conditioning circuit 4, of the first secondary circuit 5 and/or the second secondary circuit 6 are suitable for being mounted on or in the internal volume of the support 100. Preferentially, all these components such as the electric or hybrid compressor 15, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13 of the first secondary circuit 5, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 14 of the second secondary circuit 6, the accumulator 16, the internal heat exchanger 19, and the distribution set 22, the first pump P1, the second pump P2 are placed in the support 100 or in the support 100, the latter comprising inner pipes for the fluidic connection between said components. Such an arrangement makes it possible to limit the risks of leakage of coolant FR and decrease the pressure drops inside the air conditioning circuit 4 in particular.
In this way, according to the first alternative embodiment illustrated in
According to the second embodiment illustrated in
In this case, the support 100 is positioned in a front zone of the vehicle such that the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 enables optimised heat exchange between the coolant FR and the ambient air flow 18.
The support 100 and the components consisting of the electric or hybrid compressor 15, the accumulator 16, the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13, the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14, the internal heat exchanger 19, the distribution set 22, the first pump P1, the second pump P2 (for the first alternative embodiment) and the coolant/ambient air heat exchanger 17 (for the second alternative embodiment of the invention) borne by the support 100 form a unit assembly 101 suitable for handling in one piece, facilitating the assembly thereof on the vehicle. For this purpose, the support 100 is provided with gripping means 102, such as a pair of handles or equivalent to enable the gripping thereof by a user for the assembly of the air conditioning system 1 on the vehicle. The support 100 is also provided with attachment means 103 to a vehicle chassis, such as the walls of the vehicle engine compartment. The attachment means 103 may be by means of bolting, jointing, clipping or equivalent. The attachment means 103 are preferentially reversible to facilitate any maintenance operations.
The first secondary circuit 5 is provided with first connection means 104 arranged between the first heat transfer fluid/internal air flow heat exchanger 11 and the first pump P1 and the coolant/heat transfer fluid heat exchanger 13. The first connection means 104 are for example of the ring and removable connection sleeve type.
The second secondary circuit 6 is provided with second connection means 105 arranged between a second heat transfer liquid/internal air flow heat exchanger 12 and the second pump P2 and the coolant/heat transfer liquid heat exchanger 14. The second connection means 105 are for example also of the ring and removable connection sleeve type.
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| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR09/06133 | Dec 2009 | FR | national |
