An air vent for thermally controlling the temperature in the cabin of a vehicle. The air vent includes an air mover and a plurality of thermal control channels. Each thermal control channel of the plurality of thermal control channels includes a magnetocaloric material. Further, the air vent includes a magnet for inducing a changing magnetic field in the magnetocaloric material, as well as a vent damper downstream of the plurality of thermal control channels. The vent damper is configured to selectively direct airflow from the air mover and divert air from at least one thermal control channel to a vent space and air from at least one other thermal control channel to a regulated temperature space.

The heat storage apparatus of the present disclosure includes a casing, a heat storage material that is located in the casing, a stirrer that is located in the casing, that is in contact with the heat storage material, and that rotates to stir the heat storage material, and a projection that is in contact with the heat storage material, that projects from the stirrer, and that rotates with rotation of the stirrer. The projection is continuously in contact with an inner face of the casing while the stirrer rotates.

A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus includes: an indoor heat exchanger that evaporates a refrigerant; a cooperative device group that forms, with the indoor heat exchanger, a refrigeration cycle; a waste heat recovery part that recovers waste heat from a waste heat source and a heat-release part that releases, to an indoor heat exchanger, heat transmitted to the heat-release part, and that is switchable between (a) a heat-releasing state in which the waste heat recovered by the waste heat recovery part is transmitted to the heat-release part, and (b) a heat-release-stopped state in which the heat recovered by the waste heat recovery part is less transmittable than when in the heat-releasing state; and a controller to switch between (i) a heat-release-stopped state when the refrigerant is being exchanged between the indoor heat exchanger and the cooperative device group, and (ii) a heat-releasing state when the exchange of the refrigerant is stopped.

Provided is an air-conditioning apparatus for a vehicle based on heat storage and cold storage. The apparatus includes a coolant supply unit supplying a first coolant circulating within a vehicle, a cooling unit repeatedly performing a cooling cycle using a refrigerant circulating though a first flow pipe unit, a hot/cold accumulation unit storing a second coolant of a preset capacity and communicating with the coolant supply unit through second flow pipe units, wherein the temperature of the second coolant is converted into a temperature capable of heating and accumulated in the hot/cold accumulation unit, the evaporator of the cooling unit is disposed within the hot/cold accumulation unit, and the temperature of the second coolant is converted into a temperature capable of cooling and accumulated in the hot/cold accumulation unit during the cooling cycle.

The present invention relates to a system for cooling a vehicle electric component including: a compressor compressing a refrigerant; a condenser connected to the compressor to condense the refrigerant supplied from the compressor and formed to surround an outer periphery of the compressor; an expansion means connected to the condenser to expand the refrigerant supplied from the condenser; an evaporator connected to the expansion means and the compressor to evaporate the refrigerant supplied from the expansion means by a heat exchange and then introduce the evaporated refrigerant into the compressor; and a blower fan disposed on one side or the other side of the condenser which is opened, wherein the system for cooling a vehicle electric component may effectively cool electric components such as a variety of sensors and computers of an autonomous vehicle and may secure a sufficient cooling performance by using a vapor compression system.

A heating system and method for heating the interior of a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle, which has an air-air heat exchanger having a heat storage medium, and which is configured to transfer heat between exhaust air, drawn out of the interior, and intake air, supplied to the interior from the vehicle environment, between the exhaust air and the heat storage medium, and between the intake air and the heat storage medium.

The invention relates to a thermal-management system for a vehicle comprising: at least one calories storage and/or frigories storage (S1, S2), at least one element of the vehicle to be heated or cooled, at least one source of calories or frigories, detection means adapted to detect whether calories or frigories are available at one of the said sources, control means able to distribute the calories or frigories available at the sources to the elements to be heated or cooled, according to transient and nominal needs. characterized in that it comprises prediction means capable of making at least one prediction aimed at determining: whether calories or frigories will be available at a later date from any of the said sources and/or, whether a need for calories or frigories will exist at a later date at one of the said elements to be heated or cooled.

A thermal management system for a vehicle includes a heat exchange unit coupled with a compartment of the vehicle via an interface in the compartment. A container is moveable between a first position and a second position. The container is configured to be in fluid communication with the heat exchange unit via the interface in the first position.

A vehicle has a chargeable battery and an air conditioner heating a vehicle compartment. The vehicle travels by electric power of the battery. A heating control method for the vehicle includes a start time acquisition step in which a start time of the vehicle is acquired based on schedule information of the vehicle, a charge step in which the battery is charged, from a first time before the start time, with an external power supply, a warming step in which the battery is warmed, from a second time between a charge completion time and the start time, by electric power from the external power supply, and a heating step in which the vehicle compartment is heated after the start time. An operation mode of the heating step includes a battery-heat absorption mode in which the vehicle compartment is heated through a use of heat stored in the battery.

A heat storage system has a heat source that generates heat and releases the heat to a first heat medium and a heat storage body that stores heat. The heat storage body changes to a first phase in a solid state when a temperature of the heat storage body is lower than or equal to a phase transition temperature, and changes to a second phase in a solid state when a temperature of the heat storage body exceeds the phase transition temperature. The heat storage body stores or releases heat due to a phase transition between the first phase and the second phase. A mode of operation of the heat storage body is switchable between a heat storage mode in which the heat storage body stores heat of the first heat medium and a heat release mode in which the heat storage body releases the heat stored in the heat storage body to a heat transfer target.