Unit for refrigerant cycle device

Abstract

A unit for a refrigerant cycle device includes an ejector that has a nozzle part which decompresses refrigerant, and a refrigerant suction port from which refrigerant is drawn by a high-speed refrigerant flow jetted from the nozzle part, a first evaporator connected to the outlet of the ejector, and a second evaporator connected to the refrigerant suction port of the ejector. One of the first evaporator and the second evaporator has a tank structure that includes a tank for distributing refrigerant into or for collecting the refrigerant from refrigerant passages of a heat exchanging part. The tank has therein a first space through which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet of the ejector flows into a heat exchanging part of the first evaporator, and a second space through which the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port flows into a heat exchanging part of the second evaporator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments when taken together with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic structure of an integrated unit for the ejector refrigerant cycle device in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporator tank in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the evaporator tank in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connection block and an intervening plate in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an ejector fixing plate in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upper and lower partition plate in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a spacer in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a refrigerant retention plate in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing an entire refrigerant flow path in the integrated unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a comparison example;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an integrated unit in an example 1 of the first embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporator tank of the integrated unit of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the evaporator tank of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an integrated unit in an example 2;

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporator tank of the integrated unit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the evaporator tank of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 23 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an ejector refrigerant cycle device for a vehicle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A unit for a refrigerant cycle device, comprising: an ejector that has a nozzle part which decompresses refrigerant, and a refrigerant suction port from which refrigerant is drawn by a high-speed refrigerant flow jetted from the nozzle part, wherein the refrigerant jetted from the nozzle part and the refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant suction port are mixed and discharged from an outlet of the ejector;a first evaporator connected to the outlet of the ejector, the first evaporator having a heat exchanging part for evaporating the refrigerant flowing out of the outlet of the ejector; anda second evaporator connected to the refrigerant suction port of the ejector, the second evaporator having a heat exchanging part for evaporating the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port, wherein:one of the first evaporator and the second evaporator has a tank structure that includes a tank for distributing refrigerant into a plurality of refrigerant passages of the heat exchanging part or for collecting the refrigerant from the refrigerant passages;the tank has therein a first space into which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet of the ejector flows, and a second space into which the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port flows; andthe first space and the second space are partitioned from each other in the tank and are provided such that the refrigerant discharged from the outlet of the ejector flows into the heat exchanging part of the first evaporator via the first space, and the refrigerant to be drawn to the refrigerant suction port flows into the heat exchanging part of the second evaporator via the second space.

2. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the second evaporator has the tank structure.

3. The unit according to claim 2, wherein the first space is provided with a communication hole communicating with the first evaporator, such that the refrigerant flowing from the outlet of the ejector into the first space flows toward the first evaporator through the communication hole.

4. The unit according to claim 3, wherein the communication hole has a plurality of hole parts that are arranged in a flow direction of the refrigerant flowing into the first space from the outlet of the ejector.

5. The unit according to claim 3, wherein the communication hole is elongated in a flow direction of the refrigerant flowing into the first space from the outlet of the ejector.

6. The unit according to claim 2, wherein: the second space has one space part extending in an arrangement direction of the refrigerant passages of the heat exchanging part of the second evaporator at a position adjacent to the refrigerant passages of the heat exchanging part of the second evaporator; andthe first space is provided on a side opposite to the refrigerant passages of the heat exchanging part of the second evaporator with respect to the one space part of the second space.

7. The unit according to claim 6, wherein the second space has another space part extending from the one space part to a position on an extending line of the first space.

8. The unit according to claim 6, wherein the tank structure further includes a partition plate that is disposed within the tank to partition an inner space of the tank into the first space and the second space.

9. The unit according to claim 7, wherein: the tank structure further includes a partition plate disposed within the tank and having a plate surface part facing the refrigerant passages;the partition plate includes a flexed plate flexed from the plate surface part of the partition plate to the side opposite to the refrigerant passages of the heat exchanging part of the second evaporator; andthe first and second spaces are partitioned from each other by the plate surface part and the flexed plate.

10. The unit according to claim 9, wherein the partition plate has a rib for preventing a deformation of the flexed plate.

11. The unit according to claim 1, wherein: the ejector is located in the tank; andthe outlet of the ejector is opened in the first space of the tank.

12. The unit according to claim 8, wherein: the ejector is located in the tank;the outlet of the ejector is opened in the first space of the tank; andthe plate surface part has a recess recessed toward the second space for smoothly flowing the refrigerant from the outlet of the ejector to the first space of the tank.

13. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the first evaporator is located at an upstream side in an air flow direction, and the second evaporator is located downstream from the first evaporator in the air flow direction.

14. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the first evaporator, the second evaporator and the ejector are integrated to form an integrated unit.

15. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the second space is provided with an inlet port for introducing therein the refrigerant to be drawn into the suction port of the ejector, the unit further comprising a throttle mechanism, located at an upstream side of the inlet port in a refrigerant flow, for decompressing the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port of the ejector.

16. The unit according to claim 14, wherein the second space is provided with an inlet port for introducing therein the refrigerant to be drawn into the suction port of the ejector, the unit further comprising a throttle mechanism located at an upstream side of the inlet port in a refrigerant flow for decompressing the refrigerant,wherein the throttle mechanism is incorporated in the integrated unit.

17. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the ejector further includes a mixing part into which the refrigerant jetted from the nozzle part and the refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant suction port are mixed, and a pressure-increasing part in which a speed energy of the refrigerant from the mixing part is converted to a pressure energy.

18. A refrigerant cycle device comprising: a compressor for compressing refrigerant;a radiator for cooling the refrigerant from the compressor;an ejector that has a nozzle part for decompressing the refrigerant from the radiator, and a refrigerant suction port from which refrigerant is drawn by a high-speed refrigerant flow jetted from the nozzle part, wherein the refrigerant jetted from the nozzle part and the refrigerant drawn from the refrigerant suction port are mixed and discharged from an outlet of the ejector;a first evaporator connected to the outlet of the ejector, for evaporating the refrigerant flowing out of the outlet of the ejector; anda second evaporator connected to the refrigerant suction port of the ejector, wherein:the second evaporator includes a plurality of tubes in which the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port flows, and a tank extending in an arrangement direction of the tubes;the tank has therein a first space into which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet of the ejector flows, and a second space into which the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port flows; andthe first space and the second space are partitioned from each other in the tank and are provided such that the refrigerant discharged from the outlet of the ejector flows toward the first evaporator via the first space, and the refrigerant to be drawn to the refrigerant suction port flows into the tubes of the second evaporator from the second space.

19. The refrigerant cycle device according to claim 18, wherein the second space is provided with an inlet port for introducing therein the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port of the ejector, the refrigerant cycle device further comprising a throttle mechanism, located at an upstream side of the inlet port in a refrigerant flow, for decompressing the refrigerant to be drawn into the refrigerant suction port.

20. The refrigerant cycle device according to claim 18, wherein: the ejector is located in the tank; andthe outlet of the ejector is opened in the first space of the tank.