A vehicle air conditioner includes a refrigeration cycle unit, a heater core, a cool air bypass passage, an air volume ratio regulator, and an auxiliary heat exchanger. The heater core is disposed in a heating passage located downstream of an evaporator with respect to an airflow. The auxiliary heat exchanger is provided in the refrigeration cycle unit. The evaporator includes a cold energy storage configured to store cold energy. The cold energy storage stores cold energy when the compressor is in operation, and dissipate cold energy while the compressor stops. The auxiliary heat exchanger is located downstream of the evaporator and upstream of the heater core with respect to the airflow. The auxiliary heat exchanger is configured to change enthalpy of refrigerant by heat exchange between the refrigerant and air having been cooled by the evaporator and to be heated by the heater core.

An embodiment heat exchanger includes a first flow path through which a refrigerant discharged from a condenser and drawn into an expansion valve flows and a second flow path through which the refrigerant discharged from a vapor-liquid separator and drawn into a compressor flows, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to perform a heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path and the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path.

A method of operating a gas injection-type heat management system is disclosed. In one example, the system includes a first refrigerant line along which a compressor, an inner condenser, a first expansion valve, and a flash tank are sequentially provided and through which a refrigerant flows, a second refrigerant line along which a second expansion valve and an evaporator are sequentially provided and the refrigerant flows from the flash tank and circulates to the compressor via the second expansion valve and the evaporator, a third refrigerant line configured such that the refrigerant discharged from the flash tank flows directly to the compressor and a heat absorber for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant discharged from the inner condenser and the refrigerant discharged from the flash tank, and a controller for controlling whether to operate the compressor, whether to allow the refrigerant to flow and whether to expand the refrigerant.

The present invention relates to an air conditioner system for a vehicle includes an air-cooled condenser mounted between a water-cooled condenser and an expansion valve to exchange heat of refrigerant discharged from the water-cooled condenser with air in order to further cool the refrigerant even though temperature of the refrigerant rises due to temperature rise of coolant supplied to the water-cooled condenser, thereby enhancing cooling performance because the refrigerant flows into an internal heat exchanger due to a drop in temperature of the refrigerant, preventing a temperature rise of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor because temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the compressor drops, and enhancing durability and stability of the air conditioner system.

A heat pump system for air conditioning a vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle, includes an air conditioning unit which has an air conditioning evaporator and a heating heat exchanger, for air conditioning a passenger compartment of the vehicle. A condenser transmits heat from a refrigeration circuit into a coolant circuit, and a chiller transmits heat from the coolant circuit into the refrigeration circuit. The coolant circuit has two branches which are parallel to one another downstream of a low temperature cooler, namely a heating branch which can be shut off and in which the condenser and the heating heat exchanger are arranged, and a cooling branch, in which the chiller and a low temperature heat exchanger for cooling a vehicle component are arranged. The low temperature cooler, the condenser and the heating heat exchanger are connected in series with respect to one another. The heat pump system has a plurality of operating modes.

A module of a thermal management system includes a bracket having an internal heat exchanger, an evaporator, and an accumulator attached thereto. The internal heat exchanger includes a high-pressure side and a low-pressure side. The module includes a first flow of a refrigerant flowing through a first flow path of the module passing through the high-pressure side of the internal heat exchanger, a second flow of the refrigerant flowing through a second flow path of the module passing through, in an order of the second flow, the evaporator, the accumulator, and the low-pressure side of the internal heat exchanger, and a flow of a coolant flowing through a third flow path of the module passing through the evaporator.

A module assembly for a refrigerant circuit of a motor vehicle. The module assembly includes an inner heat exchanger and a heat exchanger through which a coolant can flow. The inner heat exchanger is designed to transfer heat from a high-pressure side of the inner heat exchanger to a low-pressure side of the inner heat exchanger. The heat is introducible into a refrigerant compressible by the compressor by operating a compressor of the refrigerant circuit. The heat exchanger is subjected to refrigerant that can be supplied to the heat exchanger from the high-pressure side of the inner heat exchanger and can be expanded by an expansion device of the module assembly. The module assembly is formed separately from an evaporator of the refrigerant circuit and/or separately from a condenser of the refrigerant circuit. and includes a support device separate from the heat exchanger, on which the heat exchanger is held.

A valve-in-receiver (VIR) for a vehicle climate control system includes a receiver drier (RD) shell including an outer surface and an inner surface defining an interior portion having an opening, and a cap member mounted to the RD shell across the opening, the cap member including an evaporator inlet portion, an evaporator outlet portion, a condenser inlet and a compressor outlet.

An embodiment refrigerant module of an integrated thermal management system for a vehicle is configured such that a refrigerant circulates sequentially through a compressor, a condenser, a heat exchanger, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and a vapor-liquid separator. The heat exchanger and the expansion valve are disposed below at least one of the condenser and the evaporator, thereby performing heat exchange between the refrigerant discharged from the condenser and the refrigerant discharged from the vapor-liquid separator.

A vehicle has a drive motor and a refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant circuit includes, when viewed in the direction of flow of the refrigerant, a compressor, a gas cooler or condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator. The refrigerant circuit has a first shut-off element which is arranged outside of an area arranged between the drive motor and the evaporator.