The present disclosure provides a vehicle control device including: a fluid circuit, mutually connecting an engine, a vehicle cabin interior heat exchanger for discharging heat into a vehicle cabin interior, and a heat discharging heat exchanger included in a refrigerant cycle in which a refrigerant is compressed and expanded by a compressor, and in which a fluid circulates; and a control unit for controlling the compressor and the engine such that, in a case in which engine warm-up operation ending conditions have not been established and in a case in which predetermined stopping conditions, other than the warm-up operation ending conditions, for stopping engine idling have been established, the compressor is operated while the engine is idling so as to release heat from the refrigerant from the heat discharging heat exchanger and to heat the fluid.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle. In one example, a cabin of the vehicle may be heated firstly to a first temperature by flowing coolant to a heat exchanger, coolant may be diverted away from the heat exchanger and toward the engine in order to increase a temperature of the engine, and the coolant may then flow again to the heat exchanger in order to heat the cabin to a second temperature. An amount of fuel savings resulting from heating the engine by diverting coolant away from the heat exchanger may be displayed to an operator of the vehicle via a display device.

A thermal management system includes a first flow direction switching device, a first throttling device, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger and a third heat exchanger. The first flow direction switching device includes a first port, a second port and a third port. In a first working state, the first port communicates with at least one of the second port and the third port. In a heating mode, the first flow direction switching device is in the first working state; the first port communicates with a first end port of the first throttling device; a second end port of the first throttling device communicates with an outlet of the first heat exchanger. Both the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger can realize throttling function through the first throttling device, so as to simplify the thermal management system. A control method thereof is also disclosed.

Systems and methods for heating and cooling a vehicle using a heat pump are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for heating and cooling the vehicle includes a heat pump having: a compressor located in an engine compartment of the vehicle, and an evaporator located in a sleeper or a cab of the vehicle. The system also includes a controller for selecting a cooling mode or a heating mode for the heat pump. In one embodiment, the system includes a clutch for engaging the compressor with a transmission of the vehicle.

A mobile heating system includes an enclosure defining a plenum that houses a fan and an internal combustion engine. The heating system also includes a hydraulic circuit including a hydraulic pump operably coupled to the internal combustion engine and a first heat exchanger located in the plenum and in fluid communication with the hydraulic pump. The hydraulic circuit also includes a hydraulic motor operably coupled to the fan wherein the hydraulic motor is in fluid communication with and driven by the hydraulic pump. A first valve is disposed between the hydraulic pump and the heat exchanger and is configured to restrict fluid flow and to increase a fluid pumping pressure of the hydraulic pump. A second valve is located upstream of the first valve and is configured to selectively direct hydraulic fluid between the first valve and the hydraulic motor.

A coolant heater for a vehicle includes: a housing unit having an inlet part through which a coolant is introduced and an outlet part through which the coolant is discharged; a baffle assembly provided in an internal space of the housing unit and having a first flow path through which the coolant flows in a first direction and a second flow path through which the coolant, passing through the first flow path, flows in a second direction different from the first direction; a first heater part provided in the first flow path; and a second heater part provided in the second flow path. The coolant heater makes it possible to obtain an advantageous effect of improving a fast-acting heating performance and heating efficiency.

Thermal conditioning of a combustion engine of a vehicle is achieved by means of a fluid circuit or a sub-circuit of the fluid circuit and/or the air flowing into a passenger compartment of the vehicle by means of a heat pump circuit. In at least one operational state of the vehicle, heat is transferred from the fluid circuit or the sub-circuit of the fluid circuit to the heat pump circuit.

A cooling apparatus includes: a water circuit; a ventilation heat exchanger that heats cooling water by heat exchange with air discharged to outside; a motor generator cooling unit; a motor bypass circuit that bypasses the motor generator cooling unit; and a flow rate control unit. When a temperature of the cooling water flowing between the ventilation heat exchanger and a motor flow rate controller is lower than or equal to a temperature of oil circulating inside the motor generator, the flow rate control unit increases a flow rate of the cooling water that flows from the ventilation heat exchanger into the motor bypass circuit.

A method of rapidly increasing a temperature within a hybrid vehicle is provided. The method includes receiving an on input from a temperature control system after the vehicle engine has been turned on. In response to receiving the on input, an ambient temperature, a coolant temperature, and a battery state of charge are detected. When the ambient temperature is less than a predetermined threshold, the coolant temperature is less than a predetermined threshold, and the battery SOC is less than a predetermined threshold, a charge mode of the vehicle is changed to a charge increasing mode to thus increase the coolant temperature.

A vehicle heating/cooling system has first and second fluid circulation loops for circulating engine coolant and automotive fluid. A first heat exchanger transfers heat from the coolant to air for the passenger compartment. A second heat exchanger transfers heat between the coolant and automotive fluid. A first valve has first and second inlets for receiving coolant from hot and cold coolant sources, and an outlet for discharging coolant to the second heat exchanger. A second valve has an inlet for receiving coolant from the first coolant source, and an outlet for discharging coolant to the first inlet of the first valve. The valve positions change with temperature of the coolant and the automotive fluid, providing preferential heating of the passenger compartment during cold start-up of the vehicle. The second heat exchanger and valves may be provided in a temperature control module.